This issue starts the three-part conclusion to the Capmania storyline that launched this volume with its first issue. It opens with the fella featured alongside Captain America on the cover, but after they have an interesting exchange about the nature of fame and idol worship, it’s all about Hydra, whose plans are revealed at last.
We start our coverage of the issue with this double-page spread of Cap and Thor taking a Hydra cell in London apart.
While Thor finally realizes what the famous catchphrase means, Cap affirms his new mission as of issue #3 to root out Hydra cells everywhere (rather than simply reacting to their attacks).
And although he’s not doing it alone, part of it is personal.
This random Hydra flunky claims ignorance, acknowledging only that he is being targeted by the leader of a small Hydra faction, the Sensational Hydra (who reveals himself as a disguised SHIELD agent after Cap and Thor leave).
After his Uber drops him in Brooklyn, Cap takes him to a local diner where he won’t be swarmed by adoring crowds—although Thor finds the beverage selection lacking.
After calling dibs on confronting the Hydra leader, Cap confides in his old friend about the Capmania…
…and admits that, as much as he disapproves, a little bit of him likes it, and then asks Thor his thoughts on being an object of worship. Thor reminds Cap of his proudest moment, which should mean more than the love of the crowd…
…and then goes to explain the valid reasons the people have for admiring Cap and how that reflects his character and service. Thor says he should appreciate that, but Cap is afraid of that turning into arrogance (reflecting the difficulty of finding the “golden mean” with regard to humility).
(Thor poses a deeper theological question above about worship and the nature of gods, which is addressed in several stories in the Thor canon that I discuss in my book on the Gods of Thunder.)
Soon thereafter, Cap watches a prerecorded message from the Sensational Hydra, who announced he is holding two hostages on the top of… well, you can see below… and demands Cap come alone. When Cap arrives, he fights his way through the press…
…grabbing an “I♥CAP” pin off a woman’s lapel before shooing a pesky reporter named Gordon WInchester (who reminds me of Harris Hobbs, a notorious pest to Thor in his early years).
Why did Cap take the pin before confronting Hydra? Did he want a round shield again, no matter how tiny? Not exactly…
(Must resist… making jokes… about Hydra U…)
A sudden flash alerts Cap to the presence of Winchester, whom he quickly has to save from a hail of gunfire before taking him along for his own safety.
Cap mutters a snide remark about sidekicks—surely he’s not referring to Thor, but maybe Hawkeye? Regardless, Jimmy “Bucky” Olsen stays down while Cap uses his flash against Hydra before showing that a pointy shield still gets the job done.
Cap strangely opens up to Winchester, going past what he admitted to Thor and identifying the danger of the public putting too much trust in a symbol that could be exploited (a fear that came true in the recent “Secret Empire” storyline, discussed at length in the second edition of my Cap book).
Cap was correct to see this was a trap, but he didn’t realize how deep it went.
Wait… it gets better (and even the other Hydra goons are surprised).
Maybe it’s a just my mind running wild given the connection between the Skrulls and the Fantastic Four, but Cap’s face above looks to me like it could have been drawn by Mike Wieringo, who would later work on an amazing run on FF with Mark Waid before passing tragically young at the age of 44.
Not only is the Sensational Hydra a Skrull, so but were the two “hostages,” who kill the human Hydra agents, much to Cap’s shock.
The Skrulls capture Cap in a special binding designed to restrain shapeshifters—a bit like using Mjolnir to pound a nail, but whatever—before the leader explains how he took advantage of Capmania, adding to it with contrived Hydra attacks to maximize the public’s love of Captain America so he could exploit it for his own ends.
What are his ends, anyway? Simply to get revenge on humanity for what they’ve done to the Skrull race (who most of humanity has never heard of).
After Skrull-Cap parachutes off the top of the Empire State Building to the cheering fans below—and the “hostages” are “freed”—he hints at an even more assertive plan for the future.
Come back for the next issue to see exactly what he means…
ISSUE DETAILS
Captain America (vol. 3) #5, May 1998: Mark Waid (writer), Ron Garney (pencils), John Beatty and Andy Smith (inks), Joe Rosas (colors), John Costanza (letters). (More details at Marvel Database.)
Collected in: Captain America: To Serve and Protect and Captain America: Heroes Return–The Complete Collection Vol. 1.
PREVIOUS ISSUE: Captain America #4 (April 1998)
ALSO THIS MONTH: Avengers #4, Wolverine #124, and Marvel Team-Up #9 (May 1998)
NEXT ISSUE: Captain America #6 (June 1998)
THE VIRTUES OF CAPTAIN AMERICA 
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