After the valiant efforts in Captain America #437 and Iron Man #314 on the part of Tony Stark and Hank Pym to save Captain America’s life after his super-soldier serum finally failed him, leaving him paralyzed and in cardiac arrest, this issue introduces the infamous armored exoskeleton that restores his mobility and allows him to continue his mission… and prepare for his possible demise.
The opening splash page gives us our first look (besides the cover) at the armor in action, as well as Cap’s own recollection of how he came to wear it, what it means going forward, and his realization that his time is limited.
This is followed by a double-page splash that shows Tony and Hank helping put Cap and his armor through their paces…
…with some more inner monologue presented in a more legible size below, revealing that his shield now responds to mental command like the armor does, and his legendary humility has not been impaired in the least. (And what good would Stark-designed armor be without flight capability?)
Next we learn that the armor does in fact serve as armor—important, because paralysis does not imply loss of sensation—and that his voice is modified like Iron Man’s (even though his mouth appears to be uncovered, hmm).
Hank and Tony want to check up on Cap and the armor (respectively), but Cap is impatient, aware that the clock is ticking and not wanting to waste a second.
In the meantime, Flag-Smasher and ULTIMATUM have returned, using Gavin, a young member of Cap’s computer network to lure Cap out. (Gavin calls Flag-Smasher “Space Ghost,” heh.) But the call is intercepted instead by Free Spirit, Jack Flag, and Zack Moonhunter, which hurts Flag-Smasher’s feelings. Luckily for him, the real thing shows up eventually, identifying the true threat of ULTIMATUM and asserting (again) that this is his last chance to stop them.
(This is not the last time he references “permanence” in reference to stopping his opponents, which is disturbing if we take it literally.)
As Cap puts the armor to use (including a visor, suggesting that the lower part of his face may actually be covered as well), he laments that throwing the shield doesn’t feel the same anymore…
…but on the bright side, the ULTIMATUM agents reveal that Flag-Smasher knows what Captain America is about (especially after Cap reacted so strongly to being forced to kill an ULTIMATUM agent in issue #321).
The last two ULTIMATUM agents test Cap’s faith in the weaponry Tony built into the armor as the stakes become too high to bear (and also paralleling his use of a gun against ULTIMATUM in the earlier episode).
Relieved that the missiles were destroyed before hitting White House, Cap goes after Flag-Smasher while Jack Flag mistakes him for another Avenger who wears very different colors and doesn’t carry a shield (but otherwise, sure, I see the resemblance).
Cap follows an ULTIMATUM agent to their headquarters, but when he confronts Flag-Smasher (holding young Gavin), the anti-nationalist wants to make sure it’s really him—not just because of the armor, but perhaps also because the last time he faced Cap, John Walker was wielding the shield.
(I know Cap likes to make literary allusions, but “Little Red Riding Hood,” really?)
Gavin gives Cap a chance to take Flag-Smasher out with his shield, which luckily he no longer needs to repel bullets.
When Cap gets his armored hands on Flag-Smasher, he again expresses his impatience with “recidivists” like him and vows to “prevent” any more criminal activity.
The armor protects both Cap and Gavin from the blast, and Cap lets his young colleague in on another of its valuable capacities.
As Superman Cap brings Gavin back to Earth, Free Spirit has many questions, but Cap has things to do…
…including looking for Flag-Smasher (who returns in Captain America Annual 1999 after warming up in several other Marvel titles). Then he updates his crew on his new look and his health, telling them he expects to live only several more weeks and asking for their help to do all the things before then.
But in the end, his is not the worse news, as his childhood friend Arnie Roth reveals a secret of his own, one that won’t be helped by armor, but similarly doesn’t prevent him from fighting the good fight.
ISSUE DETAILS
Captain America (vol. 1) #438, April 1995: Mark Gruenwald (writer), Dave Hoover (pencils), Danny Bulanadi (inks), Ashley Posella (colors), Joe Rosen (letters). (More details at Marvel Database.)
Collected in: Captain America Epic Collection: Twilight’s Last Gleaming.
PREVIOUS ISSUE: Captain America #437 and Iron Man #314 (March 1995)
NEXT ISSUE: Captain America #439, Avengers #386, and ClanDestine #8 (May 1995)
THE VIRTUES OF CAPTAIN AMERICA 
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