This issue of Captain America is the epilogue to “Fighting Chance,” the arc that began a year ago in issue #425 and detailed Captain America’s gradual physical decline as his super-soldier serum broke down. At the end of the last issue, he was completely paralyzed and suffered a heart attack while his fellow Avenger Hank Pym looked on. In both of the issues in the post, Iron Man joins Hank to try to save Cap, first to bring him out of his coma, and then try to save his ravaged body.
Much of Captain America #437 takes place in Cap’s mind as he replays pivotal episodes in his life, all featuring one person in particular (and it ain’t Bucky). As he remembers his first battle with the Red Skull in a scene adapted from the cover of Captain America Comics #1, based on a story from the same issue (which was retold in Tales of Suspense #65), he revels in his youth and health.
But soon, the story deviates from what Cap remembers… in a very dark way.
In the real world, Hank brings Cap to Stark Enterprises, where they are joined by the man himself and then several members of his medical team…
…after which Tony and Hank touch base on who knew what when. Unlike Dr. Kincaid and Free Spirit, who both revealed Cap’s secret in order to save his life, Tony chose to maintain his confidence to preserve their recovering relationship, but also because he didn’t realize how bad Cap’s condition had become. (But he was less than secretive about it at a recent Christmas party—in front of Hank Pym, no less—in Force Works #8.)
Speaking of Force Works, they show up in Arizona to help Free Spirit and Jack Flag finish up the Serpent Society. And in case you haven’t seen John Walker’s new duds… here they are. (And for his part, he’s staying mum about Cap, who also shared his secret with Walker in Force Works #8.)
Back in Cap’s mind, we move to the events of Tales of Suspense #81, when the Red Skull held the Cosmic Cube for the first time and decided that designing golden armor was the top priority.
But instead of knocking the Cube out of the Skull’s hands and watching him dive into the water after it, as happened in the actual story, events in Cap’s mind take a turn and the Skull maintains his grip…
…and he captures Cap in the cube (similar to the cover of Captain America #115).
Next, we see the climatic battle at the end of Captain America #300, and Cap recalls his rage and the revelation that the Skull’s current body was cloned from his own.
This time, to Cap’s surprise, the scene plays out as he remembers it, and he is left to wonder why.
As in the last issue, the Statue of Liberty appears to him, telling him again that he has done enough and can surrender to the sweet release of death—but adding this time that if he does, she will stop the Red Skull forever. But again, Cap refuses to give up, as he collapses.
At what seems like Cap’s last moment, who should appear but Iron Man, breaking through Lady Liberty like the Kool-Aid Man, to rescue him.
What actually happened: Tony used a cybernetic helmet to enter Cap’s mind and bring him back. Once Cap regains consciousness, Tony and Hank give him the bad news—and no words are minced.
Yes, that’s actually how Cap’s part of the issue ends, with one final page showing the Red Skull hearing about what’s happened to Cap and expecting the same will happen to him (because his current body was cloned from Cap’s), so he demands that Arnim Zola—who says he discovered the flaw in the super-soldier serum himself weeks ago and put it in his report but no one read it—find a cure.
But Tony’s not done yet: In Iron Man #314, he embarks on a fantastic voyage in Cap’s body to install a “biochip” that will get him back some mobility (presumably similar to the one Tony had implanted in himself in issue #248 to reverse his own paralysis following being shot in issue #242).
Before he heads in, Tony has a chat with Hank about the tragedy that befell their colleague and how it could have been avoided if he’d just slowed down—but both acknowledge that retiring is more easily said than done.
Tony references his own experience with paralysis before revealing that he has made armor for Cap as well (which we shall see in the next issue of Captain America).
(Is the page above a subtle homage to the cover of Tales of Suspense #39, Iron Man’s first appearance?)
After a harrowing operation involving stopping Cap’s heart so Tiny Tony can make his way through Cap’s bloodstream to his medulla oblongata (between the brain stem and the spinal cord) to implant the biochip, and then shocking Cap’s heart into activity, Cap wakes up to say that he regrets needing “artificial improvements,” as if Project Rebirth was just a pep talk.
He quickly realizes that his comments were an implicit criticism of the friend who just saved his life, but that friend does not rub it in, and instead reminds Cap that it is his character that matters, and that will never change.
Make sure to come back for the next issue of Captain America to see how Cap’s new armor works (and looks)!
ISSUE DETAILS
Captain America (vol. 1) #437, March 1995: 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.
Iron Man (vol. 1) #314, March 1995: Len Kaminski (writer), Tom Morgan (pencils and inks), Ariane Lenshoek (colors), Phil Felix (letters). (More details at Marvel Database.)
Collected in: Iron Man Epic Collection: In the Hands of Evil.
PREVIOUS ISSUE: Captain America #436, Force Works #8, and Fantastic Force #4 (February 1995)
NEXT ISSUE: Captain America #438 (April 1995)
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