With this issue we begin the final trilogy within the “Fighting Chance” arc, tracing the final stages of Captain America’s physical decline as yet another new hero is introduced, whom you see on the cover. (Don’t let the mask fool you, it’s not Grifter.)
Our story picks up where the last issue left off, with Baron Zemo falling into the vat of Adhesive X (the fate he planned for Cap) and his wife following him. Where we might expect our hero to be remorseful, regretting any death he could not prevent, he’s not falling (ha!) for their ruse…
…especially seeing that it’s not the first time (which was in issue #168, not #179). He finds them emerging from the bottom of the vat, and he gets his cuffs ready. (He seems so lackadaisical about it, doesn’t he? “I’m too old for this sh**.”)
To add insult to injury, Cap tells Zemo Jr. that his dad’s super-glue hasn’t been a threat since 1964.
Next, Cap turns to the kids the Zemos abducted and brainwashed, sympathetic to the fact that they may have developed sincere feelings for the Zemos (although I wonder if their claims of abuse on the part of their real parents is true or based on Zemo’s defense for abducting them).
Cap pats himself on the back, not just for getting through to the best-dressed preschool class in town but also for escaping from Zemo’s clutches without needing his girlfriend’s help (which she worried about herself). We are more accustomed to seeing Cap beat himself up for not doing better, not celebrate his achievements, but given the current state of his health and its impact on his self-image, it’s good that he recognizes when he does well.
As we saw in the last issue, Rachel agreed to work for Superia for six months, making up for killing Snapdragon (one of her best employees) in exchange for a cure for Cap’s condition.
Let’s take a moment to meet our new hero, Jack Flag, who carries—and I wish I were kidding about this—a “combat boom box.”
Long story short: Jack Harrison and his brother Drake were members of Cap’s computer hotline network who also patrolled their neighborhood to fight crime, eventually discovering the Serpent Society was active there. With Drake providing technical assistance (including the combat boom box), Jack adopted the identity of Jack Flag and set out to infiltrate the Society—which is where we’ll see him again the next issue.
In another sign that he recognizes his new limitations, Cap summons his fellow Avengers to Castle Zemo, where Vision and Quicksilver pick up some figurines to paint later, and Rachel’s “Dear Steve” letter is finally revealed, basically saying what she tried to tell him in issue #431.
After moving the bus Rachel threw her under, Cap asks Natasha what she said, and to her credit she’s very forthright…
…although she does try to keep herself out of it (“I don’t feel that way, though—I think she’s really neat”). She does try to justify the consensus opinion, which Cap doesn’t argue with, but instead asks her advice, which is the normal “if you love someone, let them go to work with a supercriminal for six months and see if they come back.” (If they knew about that, of course.)
After Hank announcing they’re leaving to play with their new set of army men, Free Spirit feels a bit awkward, so she taps her idol on the shoulder and asks the worst question possible—but redeems herself by asking for training, which lifts his mood.
Do you think they return to Avengers Mansion to use the best gym in the world? No time for that! And anyway, Castle Zemo has the best… stone surface and rusty swings and slide. (Seriously, does Cathy honestly think Cap needs to do anything more than silently evade her blows? Has she never seen a training montage from a kung fu movie?)
Of course, there is another reason Cap is saving his energy and avoiding any surge in adrenaline, as Hank finds out back to New York, thanks to a very concerned Doctor Kincaid who felt Cap’s life was more important than his pride.
Cap is impressed by Cathy’s resolve, and steps it up slightly—which is more than enough.
This continues for a while…
…until he does in fact push himself too far, but Cathy only sees an opportunity, and takes it.
She must have thought she didn’t know her own strength…
…until he decides she’s earned his confidence.
Come back for the next issue when Cap and Free Spirit respond to an emergency call about the Serpent Society—from their latest recruit, Jack Flag.
ISSUE DETAILS
Captain America (vol. 1) #434, December 1994: Mark Gruenwald (writer), Dave Hoover (pencils), Danny Bulanadi (inks), George Roussos (colors), Joe Rosen (letters). (More details at Marvel Database.)
Collected in: Captain America Epic Collection: Twilight’s Last Gleaming.
PREVIOUS ISSUE: Captain America #433, Avengers #380, Force Works #5, and Justice: Four Balance #3 (November 1994)
ALSO THIS MONTH: Marvel Double Feature #381 and Namor the Sub-Mariner #57 (December 1994)
NEXT ISSUE: Captain America #435 (January 1995)
THE VIRTUES OF CAPTAIN AMERICA 
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