This post concludes this blog’s coverage of “Heroes Reborn,” the year during which Rob Liefeld and Jim Lee of Image Comics took over four Marvel titles in an attempt to make them “kewl” and “Xtreme,” only to see the initiative collapse halfway through, with Jim Lee’s Wildstorm Studios carrying the ball over the finish line before the Marvel folks took over again with Heroes Reborn: The Return, leading into the “Heroes Return” relaunch.
While the main “Heroes Reborn” story concluded in last month’s Captain America #12—at least as far as Marvel Unlimited and the published collections are concerned—Lee published issues #13 of all four titles, a “World War III” storyline which merged the Heroes Reborn universe with the Wildstorm universe (the latter which are now part of DC Comics, as is Lee himself). Captain America does not appear in Fantastic Four #13 or Avengers #13, so we will join the story with Iron Man #13 and wrap up (again) in Captain America #13.
The gist of “World War III” is that the heroes of the merged universe are fighting against Doctor Doom, the Skrulls, and the Daemonites, and once Reed Richards discovers the nature of their reality, he decides the solution to all their problems is to separate the universes. While there is a Captain America serving on the Avengers in this reality, he is actually the Wildstorm character Spartan, and the real Cap… well, in this reality he has been through another war, which did not go well.
He adopted a familiar alternate identity, continuing to fight where he was needed… and then someone lets him know he is sorely needed.
Cap suits up and rejoins the rest of the heroes, giving a speech about the limited role of superheroes alongside the military in domestic battles (such as the one coming in the next issue against Latveria), echoing his traditional position about his own role alongside the U.S. military in war.
In Captain America #13, he gives a much shorter speech to the press as he boards a plane…
…on which he speaks to two young men, one of whom he knew very well in a past life and in whom he shows every confidence (despite some reasonable skepticism about Reed’s “Duolingo for Combat”).
Most of the rest of the issue is fight fight fight, and after Cap’s temporary partner Deathblow disappears in the Negative Zone with their Daemonite enemy, he turns to see another familiar face making an unbelievable confession…
…which surprised him just long enough to get a shot in before revealing “her” true nature.
I don’t know what the shield did to the Skrull in the first panel below, but Cap survives the blast and sees Rick, who throws the grenade that apparently separates the Heroes Reborn and Wildstorm universes again…
…although nothing in the comic actually says that.
For all intents and purposes, the Heroes Reborn: The Return miniseries picks up where Captain America #12 left off, with the transplanted heroes back on the “Heroes Reborn” world… but not for long! In the first two issues, the Sentinel named Ashema helps Franklin Richards remember how he created the Heroes Reborn world to save his parents and their super friends, and demands that he choose one Earth to live and the other to die.
Cap doesn’t appear until issue #3, when he and a number of his colleagues confront a “bug-boy,” as Johnny calls him, who found his way into the Heroes Reborn universe during a fight between the Hulks of Two Worlds, and believed, as everyone in his world did, that the lost heroes were dead.
(The way Cap only points above, without speaking, makes me suspect his real name is Capagar Ameragon.)
While most of the heroes (and Doctor Doom) are realizing the nature of this world and discussing escape plans with Ashema and Franklin, some are still out there fighting crime, including the Falcon and Rikki “Bucky” Barnes.
Like everyone else on their side of the planet, they look up to see what appear to be two fireballs approaching from space, but which turn out to be the glowing eyes of a Sentinel, preparing to destroy the Heroes Reborn world, according to Franklin’s decision, so the 616 one can be saved.
In the final issue, after Cap finds his two partners, he and Sam say goodbye to Rikki. Cap is torn over whether to tell her the truth about her world and her existence…
…but he does not, presumably deciding it’s the more compassionate way to go.
The collected heroes stand up to Ashema and demand that neither world be destroyed, to which she agrees, inspired by their unity for the cause of life—but only on the condition that all the “reborn” heroes (and Doom) return to the 616 world. As they prepare to leave on Doom’s ship, the Avengers Reborn Prime out at Franklin’s sunset one last time, with Cap expressing regret at not fighting more and Thor having to remind him (for a change) that there is no dishonor in justified retreat.
Despite some last-minute treachery on the part of Doom, which keeps him and Thor in the Heroes Reborn universe a little longer, the rest make it back to the 616, at which point the memories of their original lives rush back. Some are happier, some are despondent, but Cap sees little difference, given the tightly circumscribed nature of his life and mission. (Different world, same job.)
As for young Rikki, she mourns the loss of her world’s heroes, but she lives on, if only in the dreams of Ashema, who came to appreciate humanity and agreed to house Franklin’s universe in her dreaming consciousness for all time, with her fellow Celestials learning more about humanity through her.
From Heroes Reborn: The Return we head into the “Heroes Return” era, in which the four titles are relaunched again into third volumes with new #1s. (And one more: Thor eventually makes it back to the 616 universe in time his first #1 issue.) And what of Rikki “Bucky” Barnes? She appears in Heroes Reborn: Young Allies, one of a collection of one-shots exploring the aftermath of the heroes’ departure from the Heroes Reborn world, before eventually finding her way into the 616 universe, where she is reunited with her mentor (which we will see eventually) and even becomes Nomad for a time. (But who hasn’t?)
ISSUE DETAILS
Captain America (vol. 2) #13, November 1997: James Robinson (writer), Ron Lim (pencils), Danny Bulanadi (inks), Nathan Lumm and Wildstorm FX (colors), Richard Starkings and Comicraft (letters). (More details at Marvel Database.)
Iron Man (vol. 2) #13, November 1997: James Robinson (writer), Larry Stroman (pencils), John Dickenson and Homage Studios (inks), Martin Jimenez and Wildstorm FX (colors), Richard Starkings, Albert Deschesne, and Comicraft (letters). (More details at Marvel Database.)
Not yet collected (and highly unlikely to be).
Heroes Reborn: The Return #3 (December 1997): Peter David (writer), Salvador Larroca (pencils), Art Thibert, Bud Larosa, Andew Pepoy, and Mark Prudeaux (inks), Steve Buccellato and Mad Science Media (colors), Richard Starkings and Comicraft (letters). (More details at Marvel Database.)
Heroes Reborn: The Return #4 (December 1997): Peter David (writer), Salvador Larroca (pencils), Scott Hanna (inks), Steve Buccellato and Mad Science Media (colors), Richard Starkings and Comicraft (letters). (More details at Marvel Database.)
Both collected in Heroes Reborn: The Return and Heroes Reborn: The Return Omnibus.
PREVIOUS ISSUES: Captain America #12 and Iron Man #12 (October 1997)
ALSO THESE MONTHS: Thunderbolts #9 and Spider-Man/Kingpin: To the Death (November 1997)
THE VIRTUES OF CAPTAIN AMERICA 
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