Captain America Annual #13 (1994)

This annual contains two stories, each significant for its own reasons.

The first is a Roy Thomas-penned extravaganza involving all the Captains America to date, including the two he introduced in What If? #4 to clear up the appearances of Cap and Bucky in the Golden Age comics after their early 1945 deaths (a concept  introduced in 1964’s Avengers #4), and the one he suggested Steve Englehart introduce to explain the brief 1950s run of Captain America (as well as the 1950s Red Skull he fought). But that’s not all: Thomas also works in the World War II-era Red Guardian, whom he introduced in Namor the Sub-Mariner Annual #1 (although not in the story Steve Rogers appeared in).

While the first story is mostly an excuse to have some fun with continuity, the second story is more meaningful, emphasizing Steve Rogers’ ongoing concern for the Black soldiers that served during World War II (and afterwards) and showing how he defends their memories against those who would defame them.

The first story begins in the present day and is narrated throughout by the Red Skull…

…which gives some insight into how he sees the Sentinel of Liberty.

Skull reminds us that his current body is cloned from Steve Rogers’ (as explained in Captain America #350), so he could totally take him if he wanted to.

Skull does allow himself a moment of admiration for Cap for taking matters into his own hands (and for being a “human fighting machine”), not having to suffer fools for assistance.

Eventually those numbers win out—perhaps due to Cap’s health problems, of which his foe is unaware—but Skull still warns his henchman Raoul to not take his momentary advantage for granted.

After he breaks into the safe in the wall, the Skull pulls out a book detailing “Der Tag,” the Third Reich’s plans for victory, including the Sleepers later activated and then destroyed by Cap back in Tales of Suspense #72-74. The Skull claims it contains much more than that before he orders Cap’s death, but poor Raoul gets it in the face instead.

The Skull tries to flee in a helicopter, but after he sees Cap grab on at the last moment, he knows our hero well enough to know exactly how to get rid of him: place a life in danger.

And he was right.

Here begins the Skull’s flashback to April 1945, his final days working under Hitler, who entrusts him with a strongbox containing the “Der Tag” book and other secret believed integral to the Reich’s future success. Meanwhile, three heroes parachute into Berlin: Captain America, the Spirit of ’76, and the Patriot, the last two soon to be Steve Rogers’ successors as the Sentinel of Liberty.

But they are not a trio for long, once the original Red Guardian makes them a quartet (if not an entirely friendly one).

The Skull gives us quick background on the next two Caps—he must have read What If? #4 too, because I doubt this was common knowledge!

The Skull even knows a lot about this Red Guardian, who thankfully saved Cap’s life (so he could be deep-frozen several weeks later).

Just after Cap defeats the Skull by making him drop his own grenade, Allied forces bomb the bunker, with the Skull presumed dead and the strongbox lost.

(“Luckily” for him, the Spirit of ’76, after taking up the mantle of Captain America, would meet the Red Guardian again in Namor the Sub-Mariner Annual #1.)

Speaking of the Soviets, they were after Hitler’s strongbox too, and in the next decade they enlisted the help of a new Red Skull to retrieve it.

Of course, if there is a 1950s Red Skull, there must be a 1950s Captain America and Bucky to fight him…

…whom we now know was William Burnside (not named until 2010’s Captain America #602) and Jack Monroe (recently seen in the 1990s as Nomad).

The 1950s Skull found the strongbox and hid it in a German castle before he was killed by the Scourge in Captain America #347. In the present day, the Red Skull travels to the castle and lures Captain America there to activate and defeat the 1950s Skull’s defenses so the modern Skull can access the strongbox at last… but he must fight Cap first, who asks him, “do you even lift, bro?”

The pillar Cap threw the Skull into was load-bearing, and as the castle begins to collapse, the Skull tries to fly away—and as in 1945, he finds he has a passenger, but this time there is no pilot to throw down for Cap to save.

And the contents of the strongbox has the Red Skull has been obsessed about for all this time? A box full of memories, nothing more. At least Cap is still around to distract him from the disappointment.

After a little light taunting, Cap gets the upper hand, and then gets an opportunity to save the Red Skull’s life…

…but it seems Hitler has the last laugh.

Of course he isn’t dead—the Red Skull will live on to torment Captain America and try to destroy democracy for years to come.

In the second story, written by Ron Marz (of Silver Surfer and Green Lantern fame), we find Steve Rogers alongside a priest at a rainy burial…

…where he remains after the father leaves.

From his comments we learn that the deceased was a fellow soldier…

…one he soon has to protect from mysterious interlopers.

When Steve asks the three men what they’re doing, they explain they have a problem with “his kind”…

…but Steve, of course, only remembers a man who honorably served his country—exemplifying the positive sense of honor based on integrity, as opposed to the negative sense of honor the three men are defending by striking at others to protect their own unearned privilege and position. (I discuss the various meanings of honor in chapter 4 of my book.)

Then Steve explains how he knew the deceased—Clarence Duckett, otherwise known as “Biz”—being careful to obscure any details that would reveal his identity (which are shared with us readers in the accompanying illustrations by Rik Levins and Ricardo Villagran).

Eventually Biz stumbles upon Steve’s secret…

…and he promised never to reveal it, no matter the worldly temptation to do otherwise.

Not even a vicious beating from Nazi spies could make him talk—Biz saved Steve’s secret, and Steve’s arrival saved Biz’s life.

After Cap did what he does best…

…Biz thanked him and called him a symbol for the country, but Cap knew he was looking at a true American symbol. And in the present day, he isn’t going to let small-minded men who don’t understand that do anything to tarnish that symbol.

Steve tries to explain this to the men…

…but there’s only one thing they understand.

As day breaks, Steve says his final words to his friend and concludes with a salute to a fallen brothers-in-arms.

This poignant tale, one of my favorites, is echoed later in the more elaborate Theater of War stories as well as Truth: Red, White & Black, but I’ve always appreciated its simplicity in delivering a powerful message about honor, service, and equality.

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ISSUE DETAILS

Captain America (vol. 1) Annual #13, 1994:

“Heritage of Hatred”: Roy Thomas (writer), Arvell Jones (pencils), David Day and Dan Day (inks), Dave Sampson (colors), Diane Albers (letters).

“Symbols”: Ron Marz (writer), Rik Levins (pencils), Ricardo Villagran (inks), Ovi Hondru (colors), Rick Parker (letters).

(More details at Marvel Database.)

Collected in: Captain America Epic Collection: Fighting Chance.