Comics / Spotlight

Marvel's Reborn

By Andy Frisk
June 8, 2009 - 19:54

Pretty soon, the world of the comic book reader, and readers of Marvel specifically, will be rocked with the release of Reborn #1. There is a great deal of speculation on the web about what this story is really going to be about, but there's one thing that we all are sure of. Marvel is being extremely tight lipped about it. 

There are plenty of theories by readers, retailers, and critics alike about just who is going to be reborn. Some feel that it is simply the return of Steve Rogers to the realm of the living. Others feel that we are going to witness the arrival of the first African-American Captain America. I myself thought that it wasn't going to be the return of Steve Rogers, or the first African-American Cap, but that the teaser images were a smoke screen to hide the return of another hero, The Original Human Torch. Then I read about the Original Human Torch mini-series due this fall reintroducing him to the modern Marvel Universe.

Now that I have abandoned my original idea, I have some speculation of my own, I repeat, speculation, on just what this tale might be. Maybe, my idea is more of something along the line of what I would like to see. A story worth the hype that this event is already generating, would be something like the following. Norman Osborne, who is in the habit of replacing heroes with villains in the guise of the heroes' old outfits(i.e. Bullseye in Hawkeye's old gear, etc), will introduce a "state sanctioned" Captain America, and that this Captain America will be Isaiah Bradley. For those of you not familiar with Bradley's story, Marvel has a great little bio of him on their site. Briefly, Bradley was introduced in The Truth: Red, White and Black, a mini-series about the first unwilling test subjects of the Super-Soldier Serum. Why though, would Bradley, a hero, willingly work for Osborne? Ah, here's the twist. Bradley, assuming the role of Osborne's Captain America, would be, to Osborne, a political stunt which he thinks will change the course of public opinion, which will be going against him at this time. What he doesn't realize though, and what the current Captain America, Bucky Barnes, and the rest of the Avengers don't realize, especially when Bardley trounces them, in order to prove his "loyalty" to Osborne, is that Bradley has an agenda of his own: the overthrow of Osborne. In order to accomplish this task though, he has to get close to Osborne, gain Osborne's trust, and secure the help of someone else on the inside, the Osborne-resurrected Original Human Torch. Bradley frees the Torch from Osborne's mind control, causing him to remember his exploits as a hero, and when they reveal themselves to be Osborne's greatest nightmare, bringing the real Avengers into the battle against Osborne and his fascist organization, HAMMER, Bradley and The Torch are also revealed to be the true heroes that they are. They'll take their place at the table of the greatest heroes, The Avengers. After Osborne's overthrow, Bradley stays on as Captain America. Bucky will retire as Cap, become Bradley's partner, and/or mentor.  Thusly, both Captain America and The Human Torch are "reborn."

The idea that Bradley might be assuming the role of Captain America isn't my idea. Seems a retailer named Lisa Lopacinski came up with it, and her idea as originally thought of can be read here. Taken out to an imaginative and logical extension, by myself, this idea of Lopacinski's is a pretty good one.  Hopefully, if Marvel is planning to use Bradley, it isn't done as a publicity stunt given his race, the popular, and best we've had in a long time, current President, and all the many, many comics being produced taking advantage of President Obama, etc, but as a worthwhile socially and politically metaphoric story, that can be done very well. The idea of an African American Captain America is one that appeals to me, simply because it can be a great story that can reflect some (obviously, not enough) of the change that we are experiencing here in America. 

Would a "Return of Steve Rogers" story be one that is new and groundbreaking, while keeping with the tradition of Captain American being a representative metaphor for America?  No. Rogers was the hero for the America of the 1930's and 1940's, where he represented a naieve, but well meaning, force for good against an unspeakable evil, Nazism. Throughout much of his long career, he constantly fought against this same evil, as it was rebirthed over and over again, in countless Red Skull, Baron Strucker, and HYDRA stories . No matter what their new guise or scemes, they were the same villains and ideological metaphoric enemies Steve fought over and over.  Steve represented the America of WWII, and he kept representing it against such foes.  Then, he was murdered and his former partner, seeking redemption, took on the mantle.  Bucky became the Captain America that served as the metaphor for the current America.  One that was tarnished. It got involved with, and started wars without serious reason, debased itself by sinking to the depths of behavior usually displayed only by her enemies, and desperately needed to redeem itself in the world's eyes.  If Bradley would become Captain America, they he would represent the metaphor of the America that the best of us are striving to be. An America that is color blind, where race doesn't matter, only ability and integrity of character, is the goal, along with an America that has a desire to extend a hand to its friends and neighbors, listen to those who it is at odds with, and reach out with diplomacy first, and the swift hand of action only as a last resort. 

I could be completely off here, and maybe the return of Rogers is a foregone conclusion, but hopefully the minds at Marvel have something better planned up their sleeves than a simple rebirthing of Steve.  Steve will always be treasured, in fact, he really hasn't disappeared from the Marvel press yet, with him popping up in a 70th Anniversary Special, as well as the series of ones shots Captain America: Theatre of War.  There is an opportunity, perhaps, for Marvel to continue to give us important and thought provoking, metaphoric, and engaging stories that comment on the state of America and the world, like they have for years, with Reborn.  I for one hope they don't screw it up.

 

Last Updated: August 31, 2023 - 08:12