This is another “grab-bag” post with assorted isolated panels from minor appearances of Captain America, but with one big difference: it includes issues of Captain America and Avengers alongside an issue of Thunderbolts and two thirds of the Maximum Security miniseries.
The first two issues we’ll cover are a crossover between Thunderbolts and Avengers that draws Cap back to the team to take on Count Nefaria, whom our hero recently fought in the Savage Land in his own book. When he shows up with She-Hulk, he has an easy explanation for Nefaria’s nefarious plans and a friendly jab for Tony and Clint. (Maybe his time off from the team has done him good!)
Once he settles in, Cap praises Clint’s leadership of the unruly team of fellow former criminals…
…as well as his integrity in doing what he felt was right.
As the team plans to ambush Nefaria, someone (I’m guessing Clint) asks Cap his opinion of the plan, and Cap respectfully defers to the team leader while also approving of her decision.
At the end of the issue they confront Nefaria and his massive ionic radiation bomb that will enable him to enslave the Earth. The grand battle begins in Avengers #34, where Cap joins the rescue efforts after Nefaria causes a massive gas explosion…
…before taking the fight to the source, defiantly telling Nefaria the forces of good will never stop until they defeat him.
After Nefaria’s daughter Madame Masque betrays him and compromises his ionic energy, the Avengers make one final push, with Cap, in his familiar field commander role, joining the Wasp in leading both teams in victory.
This issue marks the end of an era as penciler George Perez signs off on his last issue of this run on Avengers.
In Captain America #36, our hero is dealing with fallout of the “Maximum Security” event, in which the various alien races of the universe that consider Earth to be a nuisance sealed it off—but not before dumping all their imprisoned criminals there. Cap rescues a civilian from several of them, only to find the civilian is Steve Rogers’ significant other Connie Ferrari, whom he meets for “the first time,” hesitating to speak for fear she’ll recognize his voice (while she admires his speed).
He urges her to come with him, but she is adamant about checking on a familiar friend—and wonders about Cap’s health.
Cap races her to his apartment, and writer/penciler Dan Jurgens sets up a clever way to show how her concerns about her very normal boyfriend would be misplaced if only she knew his secret.
His traditional trenchcoat must not have been handy, so the bathrobe will have to do.
His expression above is quite Cap-like, and even when she hails his normal-guy heroism and wonders how he can duck out so quickly (hint: it’s speed), she doesn’t seem to be catching on to his double life yet.
After fighting aliens outside Avengers Mansion, he meets a man who claims to be able to eliminate the barrier around the Earth, but he needs Cap’s shield to do it. They go to the Statue of Liberty’s torch where the man has his device set up, into which Cap inserts his shield, only to see the man transform into the villainous Mercurio, the Fourth-Dimensional Man.
In case you thought Cap was gullible too—which is understandable, especially if you read the pages I summarized above—he knew something was up all along. (But he still let it go really far.)
When Cap realizes Mercurio’s device is threatening Lady Liberty herself, he yanks the shield out…
…after which the energy build-up in his body becomes too much. Cap regrets the death (even though Mercurio simply transported away), but is relieved that “the most beautiful girl in all the world” still stands.
Now we head into the Maximum Security miniseries itself, in which our hero plays a very minor role—and John Walker takes center stage instead, charged by the Commission (who originally made him Captain America) with unlimited authority and jurisdiction to hunt super-powered criminals (and aliens) following his power boost while recovering from his fight with Protocide. But he looks a little different…
Much to Walker’s chagrin, the Commission calls in the Avengers to help with the aliens as well, including their favorite reservist, who is more than willing to help (again).
(I assume Wanda just tried to insert an image into a Word document and found the entire thing in a tiny font, all in pink, and translated into German.)
Eventually, USAgent and his Avengers meet Ronan the Accuser, who explains why the collected alien races, including the Shi’ar, cordoned off the Earth. Carol Danvers asks him how, as a proud Kree warrior, he can serve his former enemies, but Captain America challenges his response, saying no one has to submit to orders he doesn’t agree with.
When USAgent swears to protect the United States from the aliens, Vision reminds him this is a global problem. Walker gladly accepts this challenge, exaggerating the American contribution to the two World Wars and expressing the typical nationalist disapproval of political apologies, which “the Boy Scout” objects to (believing that a country should hold itself to a moral standard and take responsibility for failures to meet it).
Cap doesn’t appear in the second issue of Maximum Security, but he does show up alongside the team in Avengers #35, not hiding his shock at USAgent and the Commission’s plan to join with the imprisoned alien criminals to fight back against their common foes.
The entire situation is resolved by end of Maximum Security #3, after which Captain America offers an olive branch to his old rival…
…which is soundly rejected, followed by a diatribe about pursuing threats more proactively (a trope in superhero comics which never ends well).
Finally, we have the Iron Fist/Wolverine: The Return of K’un Lun miniseries, in which the title heroes try to stop the mystical cult known as the Hand from merging the mystical land of K’un Lun with Tokyo so he can exploit its resources. Cap joins their forces beginning with issue #2, meeting first with Logan and commending his manners.
By the time issue #3 opens, they have been joined by Luke Cage, Iron Man, and Psylocke, the last of whom Cap has to calm down before they face…
…Sunfire, the former X-Man who now works for Japanese law enforcement. Cap tries to convince him that Iron Fist (currently in custody of the Hand) is not responsible for the current situation (although K’un Lun is linked to his heart and the Hand lured Danny to Tokyo by bringing Misty Knight there).
Yes, he did try, but now he has to save the mutant (as is his wont).
Neither Cap nor Sunrise is seen again until the middle of issue #4, when they arrive to join the final battle with the Hand, with Cap is fine command mode and showing excellent shieldwork.
ISSUE DETAILS
Captain America (vol. 3) #36, December 2000: Dan Jurgens (writer and pencils), Art Thibert (inks), Gregory Wright (colors), Todd Klein (letters). (More details at Marvel Database.)
Collected in: Captain America by Dan Jurgens Omnibus and Avengers/X-Men: Maximum Security.
Avengers (vol. 3) #34, November 2000: Kurt Busiek (writer), George Pérez (pencils), Al Vey (inks), Tom Smith (colors), Richard Starkings and Albert Deschesne (letters). (More details at Marvel Database.)
Thunderbolts (vol. 1) #44, November 2000: Fabian Nicieza (writer), Mark Bagley (pencils), Greg Adams (inks), Joe Rosas (colors), Richard Starkings, Albert Deschesne, and Comicraft (letters). (More details at Marvel Database.)
Both collected in Avengers Assemble Volume 3 and Thunderbolts Epic Collection: Redemption.
Avengers (vol. 3) #35, December 2000: Kurt Busiek (writer), John Romita, Jr. (pencils), Chris Ivy (inks), Tom Smith (colors), Richard Starkings and Albert Deschesne (letters). (More details at Marvel Database.)
Collected in Avengers Assemble Volume 4 and Avengers/X-Men: Maximum Security.
Maximum Security #1, November 2000: Kurt Busiek (plot, script), Jerry Ordway (plot, pencils), Al Vey, Chris Ivy, Paul Ryan, and Will Blyberg (inks), Jason Wright (colors), Richard Starkings, Albert Deschesne, JL, and Comicraft (letters). (More details at Marvel Database.)
Maximum Security #3, January 2001: Kurt Busiek (plot, script), Jerry Ordway (plot, pencils), Mark McKenna, Paul Ryan, and Will Blyberg (inks), Jason Wright and Tom Smith (colors), Richard Starkings and Albert Deschesne (letters). (More details at Marvel Database.)
Both collected in Avengers Assemble Volume 4 and Avengers/X-Men: Maximum Security.
Iron Fist/Wolverine: The Return of K’un Lun #2 (December 2000): Jay Faerber (writer), Jamal Igle (pencils), Rich Perotta (inks), Liquid! (colors), Richard Starkings and Saida Temofonte (letters). (More details at Marvel Database.)
Iron Fist/Wolverine: The Return of K’un Lun #3 (January 2001): Jay Faerber (writer), Jamal Igle (pencils), Rich Perotta (inks), Liquid! (colors), Richard Starkings and Troy Peteri (letters). (More details at Marvel Database.)
Iron Fist/Wolverine: The Return of K’un Lun #4 (February 2001): Jay Faerber (writer), Jamal Igle (pencils), Rich Perotta (inks), Liquid! (colors), Richard Starkings and Troy Peteri (letters). (More details at Marvel Database.)
All collected in Iron Fist: The Return of K’un Lun.
PREVIOUS ISSUES: Captain America #34-35 (October-November 2000), Captain America Annual 2000, and Avengers #27 (April 2000)
NEXT ISSUES: Captain America #37 (January 2001) and Avengers #36-37 (January-February 2001)
THE VIRTUES OF CAPTAIN AMERICA 
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