Marvel's Most Controversial Character Is Back & That Could Ruin Everything
Contains spoilers for "Uncanny Avengers" #4 (by Gerry Duggan, Javier Garron, VC's Travis Lanham, and Morry Hollowell)
The identity of Captain Krakoa has been revealed, and the truth is about to send shockwaves across the Marvel Universe.
The Captain Krakoa suit debuted in "X-Men" #6 (by Gerry Duggan and Pepe Larraz), designed by the mutant Forge and put into action by the X-Men to create a hero to distract the general public from learning about their ongoing resurrection protocols. The suit, first worn by Cyclops, gives its user enhanced abilities such as strength and flight while also being able to create and control vines for both defensive and offensive purposes. However, when the world discovered the mutants were secretly resurrecting themselves, the suit was discarded and placed into storage. Unfortunately for the X-Men, the anti-mutant organization Orchis recently stole the suit and has used it to commit acts of terrorism, including bombing the U.S. Capitol Building. Now, Marvel has revealed the true face behind recent events, and it's the worst-case scenario for both the Avengers and X-Men.
In "Uncanny Avengers" #4, Captain America finally unmasks the deadly villain who has been plaguing his hybrid X-Men/Avengers team. When he sees who has been moonlighting under the former mutant moniker, he is shocked to discover evil Steve Rogers, aka Hydra's Captain America from the "Secret Empire" event, is back from the dead and is going to try to make his life — and life in the Marvel Universe — a nightmare once again. But will he also succeed in ruining a second Marvel storyline for fans?
Who is Hydra Cap from Secret Empire and why is he so controversial?
In 2017's "Secret Empire" (by Nick Spencer, Steve McNiven, Rod Reis, Daniel Acuna, Andrea Sorrentino, and Travis Lanham), Marvel debuted an alternate version of Captain America, one who was created by the Red Skull. The Nazi villain manipulated the powers of the Cosmic Cube to rewrite reality and replace the true Cap with a version who was loyal to Hydra. The world believed the imposter Captain America was the real thing, all while he was working as Hydra Supreme of the fascist regime. The evil Steve Rogers (dubbed "Stevil" by readers) nearly succeeded in his goals, mind-controlling heroes and leaving a trail of bodies in his wake, including brutally killing Black Widow and Rick Jones while convincing Deadpool to kill Agent Phil Coulson.
Marvel Comics faced intense backlash when it was "revealed" that Captain America was secretly a Nazi during "Secret Empire." An infamous panel image of him saying "Hail Hydra" was so controversial, it made mainstream media headlines and resulted in death threats toward writer Nick Spencer, as many fans believed Marvel was retconning the hero permanently to make him go from punching Nazis to being one. Not helping matters were the real-life events unfolding across the United States in 2017, including the rise of the Alt-Right and the Charlottesville "Unite the Right" rally occurring around the same time.
Thankfully, by the end of the event, the real Captain America was freed from his captivity outside of reality. Meanwhile, Hydra Cap was imprisoned before eventually being killed off. But while the character's story appeared to have reached a permanent end, he has just been resurrected as a new hero-in-disguise in the Marvel Universe.
What has evil Cap been doing as Captain Krakoa?
As Captain Krakoa, Hydra Cap helped orchestrate the "Fall of X," where the mutant's paradise island was destroyed in an attack by Orchis. The public has begun to distrust the X-Men in the wake of their secret resurrection protocols being revealed, and Captain Krakoa soon after framed them for a deadly terrorist attack, forcing many mutants into hiding. As a result, Captain America has reformed the Avengers Unity Squad, a group consisting of Avengers and X-Men geared towards peace and protection. However, in response, Captain Krakoa has created a new version of the Mutant Liberation Front, working with Andreas von Strucker, Andrea von Strucker, and Doctor Stasis (a more demented clone of X-Men villain Mr. Sinister) to take the Unity Squad out.
In "Uncanny Avengers" #4, Captain Krakoa goes rogue against Orchis, trying to kill Doctor Stasis with a bomb before the Avengers Unity Squad halts another deadly explosion. The team comes face-to-face with Captain Krakoa, who tells Deadpool (as he cuts him in half with Cap's shield) that he thought he was a soldier with a decent head on his shoulders and is disappointed to see him work with Captain America, referencing Deadpool's past alliance with Hydra Cap. Steve Rogers steps in, shatters Captain Krakoa's mask with a powerful punch, and learns his worst fears are true: It's really Hydra Cap. The issue ends with the villain revealing that after Krakoa resurrected Captain America when he died during the "A.X.E. Judgement Day" storyline, the evil Cap was brought back to stop the real Cap from helping the displaced mutants.
What could Hydra Cap's return mean?
The return of the evil Captain America makes the real Captain America's attempts to help stop spreading prejudice and attacks against mutants much more difficult, as the villain is determined to sully the X-Men and Steve Rogers' names. While his return will likely be less controversial than his initial appearance (there's no mistaking this version of Rogers with the real thing), there may be some fans who are upset that the character has been brought back considering how viscerally they hated his first storyline. That said, readers know who he really is and won't mix him up with the actual Captain America this time around, but that doesn't make Hydra Cap any less dangerous to his opponents. He's sporting some significant firepower with the Captain Krakoa suit and is slowly building an army behind him.
Re-teaming with Hydra and turning against Orchis suggests evil Cap will try to lead another uprising like he did during "Secret Empire." Hydra hasn't played a massive role in the comics since that event, so the Hydra villain's return may lead to the Nazi-esque organization becoming a serious presence in the Marvel Universe once again. The Avengers Unity Squad were already in a tough situation, thinking Orchis was their main concern, but with evil Captain America in the mix, they're facing a deadly enemy who could ignite a full-blown war between Orchis and Hydra, leaving the heroes to pick up the pieces. As Hydra's famous saying goes, "Cut off one head, two more shall take its place!" Evil Cap may have been killed, but he's returned with a vengeance.
Readers can see Hydra Cap return in "Uncanny Avengers" #4, which is in comic book stores and available at online retailers now.