This is it, the final issue of Mark Gruenwald’s epic 137-issue run on Captain America, starting with issue #307 in July 1985. I’ll pay tribute to Gruenwald at the end of his post, but for now, let’s focus on Captain America himself, who has really been going through it lately.
Cap started feeling weak in issue #422, and in issue #425 it was confirmed that the super-soldier serum in his blood was breaking down. His physical condition gradually declined until issue #436, when his muscles completely failed and he experienced a heart attack. His life was saved in the following issue (and Iron Man #314) by Hank Pym and Tony Stark, and the latter designed an exoskeleton that restored his mobility. Since then, Cap has been determined to make the best use of the time he has left—which, as he hears in the early pages of the current issue, is not long at all.
The issue opens with our hero at a low point, both physically and emotionally.
He is soon visited by Jesse Black Crow, who helped save Cap’s life in issue #300 and to whom Sam Wilson appealed for help with Cap’s condition in issue #440. Even though their spirits interacted on another plane in issue #300, here they finally meet in corporeal form, and Black Crow tells Cap of his latest vision, which doesn’t give him a lot of time.
After dismissing his doubts about the mystic, Cap sets out to do the most he can with his 24 hours, starting with Nefarius (introduced as such in issue #379), confident that if the villain kills him, it will take all day.
It doesn’t take Cap long to reconsider his priorities and redirects his attention to that which only he can do: setting his own affairs in order, which is a much better use of his time, given that there are at least a thousand superheroes in New York who can catch Nefarius.
He returns to his Brooklyn headquarters, technically also his home, a concept whose relevance to him he ponders before diving into his footlocker of mementos—what were left of them, at least, after Baron Zemo ripped up some photos in front of him before Avengers Mansion was destroyed in Avengers #277.
Inside he finds a photo of Sharon Carter, believed dead since issue #237, but whom he has never forgotten.
(SPOILER ALERT: There’s a good chance he will be reunited with her soon, but not for the reason he thinks!)
Next he meets with his B-team, and casually announces his impending death before delegating responsibility to Willow and Xander for his national hotline (introduced in issue #312).
Everyone is understandably shocked—and not about the hotline—but Cap is unmoved until Free Spirit presses him on it, and he offers her a big ol’ exoskleleton-y hug.
“Hey, I didn’t mean everyone!” But he does realize the value of his human connections, despite his speedy escape from them, which he also reflects on.
Cap then starts a to-do list for his last 24 22 hours on Earth (other than, you know, spend them with loved ones). He considers trying to bring in a scofflaw, of which there are many—including his absent girlfriend, Diamondback—until he remembers he doesn’t know where any of them are (oops).
Oh wait, there is one, but he has already been caught. Cap serves up some trash talk; Crossbones volleys in return, which Cap simply accepts. (He’s no fun.)
Then Cap keeps goading Crossbones about not breaking out (which, as I recall, is a good thing) and being left behind by the Red Skull, who has bigger plans. Crossbones calls him a liar, but he should really know better.
Finally, Cap gets to the point about what he’s spending precious time on: trying to find the good in Crossbones in the spirit of redemption, which Cap also references as the reason he goes out of his way to save lives and not take them.
After he leaves, Cap wonders if he’s ever tempted a foe away from the dark side—again, forgetting Diamondback, not to the mention all his former villains he helped to become heroes and Avengers—and then decides to start saying his farewells.
First, he checks in on former love Bernie Rosenthal, and sounds a bit like George Bailey…
…before dropping in on someone whom he will later ask to serve as Captain America when he no longer can (but not yet, I guess).
“Well, you take care, okay?” is not what you usually say to a dear friend who’s just lost a family member, no it’s surprise Sam was “a bit peeved.” But Cap has a lot of his mind too, especially when he drops in on his childhood friend Arnie Roth…
…and Cap gives him a tender goodbye before Arnie leaves this world (with Cap expecting to be close behind).
Lucky for him, Cap leaves before Arnie passes, and heads to the next name on his list, Hiram Riddley (introduced in issue #313), who lives with his mom (with whom Cap had “a moment” in issue #321) in lovely Montclair, New Jersey (which is not far from me, but I guess I wasn’t on the list, no big deal).
Hiram tells Cap the bad news about his mother—similar to how Sam’s parents died years earlier, actually—and Cap tries to give him the support and sympathy he didn’t give to Sam regarding his nephew, but quickly realizes there’s little he can do or say.
His time with Hiram drives home to Cap the futility of feeling responsible for saving everyone, and decides that he has had enough reminders of his all-too-human limitations.
As he looks forward to some peace and solitude, Peggy Carter’s glowing head informs him about one last old “friend” who has come to share that spot of tea.
It turns Batroc was hoping for a team-up to catch a killer, but he obviously didn’t read the last issue.
As his tea gets cold, Cap bids Batroc adieu, but the Leaper won’t let up, insisting on paying Cap back, which our hero does not find necessary for obvious reasons.
Batroc sincerely tries to reach out to Cap, sensing they have something in common. Cap is suspicious, even though he recognizes a sense of honor in one of his more lighthearted sparring partners (which was evident as early as Tales of Suspense #85).
Cap opens up about letting Hiram down, which has made him forget all the good he’s done in his decades as the Sentinel of Liberty, and while the creepy bust of Namor looks on, Batroc says the perfectly wrong thing.
Cap tells him the hourglass is running out, which makes Batroc très misérable. When he asks what he can do, Cap hints at the one thing he’s “never” been able to do (but we do not know how or if Batroc responded).
Cap spends several of his precious final hours with Batroc—maybe some enterprising writer can fill that gap someday!—before he lies down, too tired in every way to worry about optimizing his remaining time. His final thought, as far as we know, is not kind to himself, but is very much keeping in character.
When the Avengers respond to Jarvis’s summons, they don’t find their one-time leader gone as in “died”—he’s gone as in “disappeared.”
Whoa… what happened here? Was that Black Crow outside the window? Did Batroc come up and kidnap Cap for one last escapade? I guess it’s up to Mark Waid to figure out as he starts his first tenure as Captain America’s writer with the next issue. (I guess it’s a good sign that there even is a next issue!)
I wouldn’t feel right moving on without saying a final word about Mark Gruenwald (1953-1996), who not only wrote the previous 137 issues of Captain America but also many annuals and related books, and seminal Marvel titles such as Squadron Supreme. He served for years as Marvel Comics’ continuity guru, originating and overseeing the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe and becoming the inspiration for Mobius, introduced in Fantastic Four #346 and portrayed by Owen Wilson in the Disney+ show Loki.
Rest in peace, Mr. Gruenwald, and thank you for all the great stories.
ISSUE DETAILS
Captain America (vol. 1) #443, September 1995: Mark Gruenwald (writer), Dave Hoover (pencils), Danny Bulanadi (inks), George Roussos (colors), Michael Higgins (letters). (More details at Marvel Database.)
Collected in: Captain America Epic Collection: Twilight’s Last Gleaming.
PREVIOUS ISSUE: Captain America #442 and Thunderstrike #23-24 (August-September 1995)
NEXT ISSUE: Captain America #444 (October 1995)
THE VIRTUES OF CAPTAIN AMERICA 
Also of note is that Batroc removes his mask for his chat with Cap – we’d earlier established in issue #400 that Cap didn’t know what he looked like the mask.
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I completely missed that — thanks!
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I met Mark Gruenwald once when he was just an editor and he was incredibly kind and attentive. He wrote some of the absolute greatest Cap stories of all time. But rereading his “death of Cap” storyline again has made me appreciate it in a way I never did before. Levins’ and Hoover’s art style got in the way of the stories for me before (although I’ve come to appreciate some aspects of it). I believe Gru’s run ended on a definite high note with these stories. The meditation on the nature of heroism, right & wrong and the responsibility of the individual to society is powerful stuff. And Gru really captures Cap’s disillusionment so well. It’s very true to who the character was. Of course, Gru was also writing about his own disillusionment at the time. I know Ed Brubaker called Gru’s Cap (& I quote) “sissified” but I think Gru’s Cap (like Lee, Englehart, Kirby, McKenzie, Stern & DeMatties before him) was just the opposite of “sissified”. He was secure enough and mature enough to know “compassion is not weakness”- to paraphrase Cap in Avengers #6. Gru’s Cap was a true hero. It’s such a tragedy Mark Gruenwald was taken from us so young. One of the all time greats in the comic business.
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Very well said, Chris, thank you!
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