After coming to the realization that Captain America was as much a symbol as he was a living breathing superhero during Jim Sterankos stint on Captain America, the Steve Englehart looked more closely at the humanity of the man under the mask during his tenure on the book. In a storyline that contained not-so-subtle allusions to the real-life Richard Nixon Watergate scandal, Captain Americas world is rocked in The Secret Empire." In this storyline, Captain America follows a criminal conspiracy that leads all the way to the highest political office in the U.S. When Cap makes this shocking discovery, the president commits suicide, shattering the Avengers trust in Americas ideals and purity. Like millions of Americans, each in his own way, he has seen his trust mocked! Engleharts script reads. Cap would temporarily quit the superhero life, only to return after a short hiatus. Still, by looking honestly and candidly at Americans decaying political leadership, Englehart added a level of depth and maturity to Captain America. Prior to The Secret Empire arc, Cap have never turned his back on America. Then again, before this story, America had never turned its back on Captain America. Engleharts story would inspire countless other tales of Captain America vs. the system, whether it be the federal government, S.H.I.E.L.D. protocols or the desires of his Avengers teammates.
Mark is a professional writer living in Brooklyn and is the founder of the Chasing Amazing Blog, which documents his quest to collect every issue of Amazing Spider-Man, and the Superior Spider-Talk podcast. He also pens the "Gimmick or Good?" column at Comics Should Be Good blog.
