Captain America and the Falcon
Encyclopedia
Captain America and the Falcon was a comic book
series published for fifteen issues in 2004 and 2005 by Marvel Comics
. The series' title is a reuse of the cover title of Captain America
's solo series during a period in which the Falcon
was given second billing on the front cover. Although never the official title, Captain America was cover titled Captain America and the Falcon from issue #134 (dated February 1971) to issue #222 (dated June 1978).
The 2004 Captain America and the Falcon series' fourteen issues were all written by Christopher Priest, with the artwork duties passing to a number of different groupings. The artists with the two most prominent runs were Bart Sears
and Joe Bennett
.
The idea to begin publishing Captain America and the Falcon began with Marvel editor Tom Brevoort
. Captain America's solo title had been restarted in 2002 as a part of the Marvel Knights
imprint
. This resulted in a situation in which the character's then current solo stories were no longer taking place within Marvel's main shared universe
, the Marvel Universe
. Captain America and the Falcon was meant to fill the gap created by this situation.
Problems began almost immediately, problems Priest would later admit were created by both himself and Bart Sears:
The death blow for Captain America and the Falcon came when Captain America's solo series was once again relaunched in 2005. This new solo series featured stories once again set in the Marvel Universe. With sales dropping and the series very reason for existing now gone, Marvel canceled Captain America and the Falcon with issue #14.
crossover
. The Avengers Disassembled crossover issues were followed by the five part (issues #8 - 12) "Brothers & Keepers" storyarc and the two part ( issues #13 and 14) "American Psycho" storyarc.
No official in-universe real name or code name was ever revealed and this nickname became the character's de facto name.
The "Anti-Cap" is a Navy SEAL
operative of the Office of Naval Intelligence
. He first attempted to join the United States armed forces after his girlfriend was killed in the Oklahoma City bombing
, but was rejected for health reasons. After this failure he was recruited by the O.N.I. in order to take part in a black op
program designed to create a secret super operative to be used exclusively by the O.N.I.
His superhuman strength and endurance comes from a drug named acetovaxidol which is regulated in his system via a computer grafted to his spine. Acetovaxidol is a drug that had appeared previously in the Marvel Universe, as the source of Luke Cage
's powers. Unlike Cage's constant internal supply, the "Anti-Cap" gets his acetovaxidol via skin patches. Without the fixes these patches give him, the "Anti-Cap" would lapse in possibly fatal withdrawal
symptoms.
searching for the Falcon. He eventually finds him, taking shelter in the compound of the Rivas Family, an infamous drug cartel
with CIA
connections. While this is happening, Captain America attempts to find out why Leila Davis was arrested. Not finding any answers, he leaves for Cuba to help his partner.
Having captured Leila Davis and the Falcon, the "Anti-Cap" steals a cargo plane from the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base
and begins to fly it back to the United States
. Somewhere over the Straits of Florida
this plane collides with the plane that has Captain America and the Scarlet Witch
aboard. The occupants of the two planes escape unharmed and make their way back to dry land. The Falcon, Leila Davis and the "Anti-Cap" end up in Florida
. Captain America is teleported to Cuba by the Scarlet Witch who then leaves to return to the United States. Captain America then rendezvous with S.H.I.E.L.D.
agent Ali Morales who gives him all of S.H. I.E.L.D.'s known information on the "Anti-Cap".
The "Anti-Cap" is found washed up in Miami Beach
by two rescue workers. He kills them and takes their vehicle. In Cuba, Captain America and Agent Morales journey to the Rivas Family compound. There they discover what Leila Davis found and what caused her to be locked up in the Guantanamo Bay detention camp taped to the back of the Falcon's Avengers
ID and hidden behind a toilet. Its true nature isn't revealed to the reader, but it is described as "World War III in a petri dish." It is also mentioned that "by itself, its harmless." The Captain and Agent Morales then fly to Miami. In that city, the Falcon and Leila take refuge with some of the Falcon's old gang associates. The "Anti-Cap" quickly finds them and attacks. Just as he is about to kill the Falcon, Captain America rushes in to save his partner.
After a brief confrontation in which the "Anti-Cap" holds the Falcon hostage, the "Anti-Cap" flees. Captain America tracks the "Anti-Cap" through a hurricane now raging over Miami. At this point information on the analysis of a DNA sample from the "Anti-Cap" obtained in Cuba arrives. With the discovery of acetovaxidol as the source of the "Anti-Cap"'s powers, a plan to stop him is made. This plan turn out to be successful.
Days later Captain America meets with Nick Fury
and Admiral Jimmy Westbrook - the man behind the project that created the "Anti-Cap." At this meeting Captain America refuses to reveal where he has hidden either the "Anti-Cap," or "WWIII in a petri dish."
apartment in order to obtain a sample of the acetovaxidol from his blood stream. They wish to use this to synthesize acetovaxidol in order to stave off the withdrawal the "Anti-Cap" is facing. Having obtained this they go to the Wakandan
consulate in New York
where they have hidden the "Anti-Cap." After this they go to confront Fury and Westbrook.
Chaos erupts at the meeting after the Falcon shoots Westbrook, who is saved by the bulletproof vest he is wearing. This chaos is briefly stopped when the Scarlet Witch arrives with Henry Pym
to reveal to his final analysis of "WWIII in a Petri dish." He says that it isn't a bio-weapon, but is instead DNA, his exact word being, "It's... an old friend of yours..." The scene obviously continues after this, but the reader is left to wonder what these words mean. Captain America and the Falcon flee with the Falcon leading Westbrook's forces away to allow his partner to make his way back to the Wakandan consulate and the "Anti-Cap." While the two main characters make their way through the streets of New York, a man named Damocles Rivas arrives offering a deal to Westbrook..
The Falcon confronts Leila Davis in order to warn her that the Rivas might be coming for her. As they talk, Captain America confronts feeling he is having for the Scarlet Witch, feelings which are a direct connection to events in the Avengers Disassembled crossover. Issue #7 ends with a man waking up in the Rivas family compound in Montclair, New Jersey
. He puts on an AIM
helmet, opens a secret door and steps into a room containing MODOK
.
in Colombia
. Among the Rivas, he encounters a Navy SEAL on a secret mission for Westbrook. Meanwhile, the Falcon confronts money launderers
working for the Rivas in New York's Chinatown
. They return form these missions to the Wakandan consulate to talk with the "Anti-Cap." After they leave, the "Anti-Cap" finds a note on the floor of his cell they says "Bite Me." He later collapses with the consulate staff declaring him dead from a stroke
.
Captain America and Admiral Westbrook meet for the "Anti-Cap"'s burial at sea aboard the aircraft carrier
, U.S.S. Kirby. Afterward, divers appear to retrieve the coffin. They are fought off by the Falcon who raises to the surface with the "Anti-Cap" and flies away. Hours later the "Anti-Cap" wakes up in a Harlem apartment. His conversation with the Falcon reveals to the reader that the "Bite Me" note contained a paralytic enzyme that helped to fake the "Anti-Cap"'s death. With help from Nick Fury and Agent Ali Morales, Cap, the Falcon and the "Anti-Cap" make plans for an infiltration and attack on the U.S.S. Saisha, Westbrook's personal yacht where he and Damocles Rivas are having a meeting as well as Damocles Rivas' Montclair compound.
In the Rivas Compound, Captain America discovers MODOK. After a brief confrontation MODOK stands down, allowing Captain America to put on a nearby AIM helmet he thinks is a controlling unit. This guess proves to be correct and he soon discovers that the people MODOK has killed around the world are all ex-agents of AIM and that MODOK has been doing this instinctively -- the majority of his mind being elsewhere. Meanwhile, the "Anti-Cap" finds and confronts Westbrook aboard the Saisha, but Westbrook reveals a device by which he can shut down the "Anti-Cap"'s ability to move via the computer grafted to his spine. The Falcon arrives just in time to knock out Westbrook and save the "Anti-Cap." They are both then mentally rendered unconscious by Damocles Rivas who's head now looks similar to MODOK.
Conversations in issue #11 reveal to the reader that "WWIII in a petri dish" is made of modified DNA taken from MODOK, that this was designed to kill him, that Westbrook was using this to control MODOK and that the mind and sentience of MODOK now resides within the body of Damocles Rivas. From a secret AIM base MODOK in Damocles Rives' body holds the Falcon and the "Anti-Cap" hostage. Before he can make his demands fully known Captain America manipulates the conversation in such a way that brings Damocles Rivas' mind partially to the surface to fight MODOK. The resulting mental fight allows the Falcon and the "Anti-Cap" to free themselves. The "Anti-Cap" then shoots and kills Damocles Rivas' body shunting both minds into MODOK's body where the fight for control continues. During this fight MODOK's body is injected with the modified DNA. MODOK reveals at this point that he mentally manipulated Westbrook's people into creating DNA strands that would mutate within his blood to form a deadly virus. Gaining control, Damocles Rivas transports MODOK's body and Captain America into the middle of one of the Hulk's
rampages.
Now in Singapore
and still controlling MODOK's body, Damocles Rives does little to defend himself against the Hulk in an attempt to commit suicide. Captain America manages to convince Rivas that a solution to his situation can be found. Rivas uses MODOK's mental powers to bring Bruce Banner's personality to the surface of the Hulk's mind. After contacting Henry Pym and Reed Richards
via satellite, the three scientists begin to work on a way to neutralize the virus within MODOK's blood. They succeed just as MODOK regains control of his body. MODOK unleashes the Hulk to rage again and cuts off the satellite link to Pym and Richards. Without the knowledge of how to administer the cure Captain America relies on the Falcon and Agent Morales back in the Rivas Compound. These two find the transportation device Rivas used to get to Singapore and jury rig
it to put MODOK in stasis after transporting him back.
After recovering in the hospital Captain America seeks out the "Anti-Cap" in a effort to find the now missing Falcon. He tracks him to Paris
. The "Anti-Cap" refuses to reveal the Falcon's whereabouts and instead decides to attack Captain America. Their long fight ends when a defeated "Anti-Cap" allows himself to be run over by a subway train.
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
series published for fifteen issues in 2004 and 2005 by Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
. The series' title is a reuse of the cover title of Captain America
Captain America
Captain America is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Captain America Comics #1 , from Marvel Comics' 1940s predecessor, Timely Comics, and was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby...
's solo series during a period in which the Falcon
Falcon (comics)
The Falcon is a fictional comic book superhero in comic books published by Marvel Comics.Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Gene Colan, and introduced in Captain America #117 , the character is mainstream comics' first African-American superhero...
was given second billing on the front cover. Although never the official title, Captain America was cover titled Captain America and the Falcon from issue #134 (dated February 1971) to issue #222 (dated June 1978).
The 2004 Captain America and the Falcon series' fourteen issues were all written by Christopher Priest, with the artwork duties passing to a number of different groupings. The artists with the two most prominent runs were Bart Sears
Bart Sears
Bart Whitman Sears is an American artist and author, originally from Syracuse, New York.Sears has lent his unique style and creative ideas to multiple industries, including but not limited to: Comics , Toys, and Computer Games...
and Joe Bennett
Joe Bennett (penciller)
Benedito José Nascimento , better known as Joe Bennett, is a Brazilian comic book artist.-Biography:Joe Bennett was born in Belém....
.
The idea to begin publishing Captain America and the Falcon began with Marvel editor Tom Brevoort
Tom Brevoort
Tom Brevoort is an American comic book editor, known for his work for Marvel Comics, where he has overseen titles such as New Avengers, Civil War, and Fantastic Four. He became Executive Editor in 2007, and in January 2011 was promoted to Senior Vice President of Publishing...
. Captain America's solo title had been restarted in 2002 as a part of the Marvel Knights
Marvel Knights
Marvel Knights is an imprint of Marvel Worldwide, Inc. that contains material taking place within the mainstream Marvel Universe .-Production:...
imprint
Imprint
In the publishing industry, an imprint can mean several different things:* As a piece of bibliographic information about a book, it refers to the name and address of the book's publisher and its date of publication as given at the foot or on the verso of its title page.* It can mean a trade name...
. This resulted in a situation in which the character's then current solo stories were no longer taking place within Marvel's main shared universe
Shared universe
A shared universe is a fictional universe to which more than one writer contributes. Work set in a shared universe share characters and other elements with varying degrees of consistency. Shared universes are contrasted with collaborative writing, in which multiple authors work on a single story....
, the Marvel Universe
Marvel Universe
The Marvel Universe is the shared fictional universe where most comic book titles and other media published by Marvel Entertainment take place, including those featuring Marvel's most familiar characters, such as Spider-Man, the Hulk, the X-Men, and the Avengers.The Marvel Universe is further...
. Captain America and the Falcon was meant to fill the gap created by this situation.
Problems began almost immediately, problems Priest would later admit were created by both himself and Bart Sears:
The death blow for Captain America and the Falcon came when Captain America's solo series was once again relaunched in 2005. This new solo series featured stories once again set in the Marvel Universe. With sales dropping and the series very reason for existing now gone, Marvel canceled Captain America and the Falcon with issue #14.
Publication history
The fourteen issues of Captain America and the Falcon were broken up into various storyarcs. The first storyarc, titled "Two Americas" was contained within the first four issues. The next three issues (numbered #5, 6 and 7) were tie-in issues for the Avengers DisassembledAvengers Disassembled
"Avengers Disassembled", referred to in some participating series as "Disassembled", is a crossover event between several Marvel Comics series. The general idea is that the major heroes are assaulted, not just physically, but emotionally...
crossover
Fictional crossover
A fictional crossover is the placement of two or more otherwise discrete fictional characters, settings, or universes into the context of a single story. They can arise from legal agreements between the relevant copyright holders, or because of unauthorized efforts by fans, or even amid common...
. The Avengers Disassembled crossover issues were followed by the five part (issues #8 - 12) "Brothers & Keepers" storyarc and the two part ( issues #13 and 14) "American Psycho" storyarc.
The "Anti-Cap"
The main supporting character around which most of the storylines in Captain America and the Falcon revolved was known as the "Anti-Cap." The name "Anti-Cap" for this character comes from a line in issue #2:No official in-universe real name or code name was ever revealed and this nickname became the character's de facto name.
The "Anti-Cap" is a Navy SEAL
United States Navy SEALs
The United States Navy's Sea, Air and Land Teams, commonly known as Navy SEALs, are the U.S. Navy's principal special operations force and a part of the Naval Special Warfare Command as well as the maritime component of the United States Special Operations Command.The acronym is derived from their...
operative of the Office of Naval Intelligence
Office of Naval Intelligence
The Office of Naval Intelligence was established in the United States Navy in 1882. ONI was established to "seek out and report" on the advancements in other nations' navies. Its headquarters are at the National Maritime Intelligence Center in Suitland, Maryland...
. He first attempted to join the United States armed forces after his girlfriend was killed in the Oklahoma City bombing
Oklahoma City bombing
The Oklahoma City bombing was a terrorist bomb attack on the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in downtown Oklahoma City on April 19, 1995. It was the most destructive act of terrorism on American soil until the September 11, 2001 attacks. The Oklahoma blast claimed 168 lives, including 19...
, but was rejected for health reasons. After this failure he was recruited by the O.N.I. in order to take part in a black op
Black op
A black operation or black op is a covert operation typically involving activities that are highly clandestine and often outside of standard military protocol or even against the law.-Origins:...
program designed to create a secret super operative to be used exclusively by the O.N.I.
His superhuman strength and endurance comes from a drug named acetovaxidol which is regulated in his system via a computer grafted to his spine. Acetovaxidol is a drug that had appeared previously in the Marvel Universe, as the source of Luke Cage
Luke Cage
Luke Cage is a fictional character, a superhero appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Archie Goodwin and artist John Romita, Sr., he first appeared in Luke Cage, Hero for Hire #1...
's powers. Unlike Cage's constant internal supply, the "Anti-Cap" gets his acetovaxidol via skin patches. Without the fixes these patches give him, the "Anti-Cap" would lapse in possibly fatal withdrawal
Withdrawal
Withdrawal can refer to any sort of separation, but is most commonly used to describe the group of symptoms that occurs upon the abrupt discontinuation/separation or a decrease in dosage of the intake of medications, recreational drugs, and alcohol...
symptoms.
Issues #1- 4: "Two Americas"
The first issue opens in the middle of a crisis. The Falcon has broken Leila Davis, an American journalist he has a past relationship with, out of the Guantanamo Bay detention camp. A figure the reader later learns to be the "Anti-Cap" is in CubaCuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
searching for the Falcon. He eventually finds him, taking shelter in the compound of the Rivas Family, an infamous drug cartel
Drug cartel
Drug cartels are criminal organizations developed with the primary purpose of promoting and controlling drug trafficking operations. They range from loosely managed agreements among various drug traffickers to formalized commercial enterprises. The term was applied when the largest trafficking...
with CIA
Central Intelligence Agency
The Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government. It is an executive agency and reports directly to the Director of National Intelligence, responsible for providing national security intelligence assessment to senior United States policymakers...
connections. While this is happening, Captain America attempts to find out why Leila Davis was arrested. Not finding any answers, he leaves for Cuba to help his partner.
Having captured Leila Davis and the Falcon, the "Anti-Cap" steals a cargo plane from the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base
Guantanamo Bay Naval Base
Guantanamo Bay Naval Base is located on of land and water at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba which the United States leased for use as a coaling station following the Cuban-American Treaty of 1903. The base is located on the shore of Guantánamo Bay at the southeastern end of Cuba. It is the oldest overseas...
and begins to fly it back to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Somewhere over the Straits of Florida
Straits of Florida
The Straits of Florida, Florida Straits, or Florida Strait is a strait located south-southeast of the North American mainland, generally accepted to be between the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean, and between the Florida Keys and Cuba. The strait carries the Florida Current, the beginning of...
this plane collides with the plane that has Captain America and the Scarlet Witch
Scarlet Witch
The Scarlet Witch is a fictional comic book character that appears in books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in X-Men #4 and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby...
aboard. The occupants of the two planes escape unharmed and make their way back to dry land. The Falcon, Leila Davis and the "Anti-Cap" end up in Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
. Captain America is teleported to Cuba by the Scarlet Witch who then leaves to return to the United States. Captain America then rendezvous with S.H.I.E.L.D.
S.H.I.E.L.D.
S.H.I.E.L.D. is a fictional espionage and a secret military law-enforcement agency in the Marvel Comics Universe. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in Strange Tales #135 , it often deals with superhuman threats....
agent Ali Morales who gives him all of S.H. I.E.L.D.'s known information on the "Anti-Cap".
The "Anti-Cap" is found washed up in Miami Beach
Miami Beach, Florida
Miami Beach is a coastal resort city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States, incorporated on March 26, 1915. The municipality is located on a barrier island between the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay, the latter which separates the Beach from Miami city proper...
by two rescue workers. He kills them and takes their vehicle. In Cuba, Captain America and Agent Morales journey to the Rivas Family compound. There they discover what Leila Davis found and what caused her to be locked up in the Guantanamo Bay detention camp taped to the back of the Falcon's Avengers
Avengers (comics)
The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers is a fictional team of superheroes, appearing in magazines published by Marvel Comics. The team made its debut in The Avengers #1 The Avengers...
ID and hidden behind a toilet. Its true nature isn't revealed to the reader, but it is described as "World War III in a petri dish." It is also mentioned that "by itself, its harmless." The Captain and Agent Morales then fly to Miami. In that city, the Falcon and Leila take refuge with some of the Falcon's old gang associates. The "Anti-Cap" quickly finds them and attacks. Just as he is about to kill the Falcon, Captain America rushes in to save his partner.
After a brief confrontation in which the "Anti-Cap" holds the Falcon hostage, the "Anti-Cap" flees. Captain America tracks the "Anti-Cap" through a hurricane now raging over Miami. At this point information on the analysis of a DNA sample from the "Anti-Cap" obtained in Cuba arrives. With the discovery of acetovaxidol as the source of the "Anti-Cap"'s powers, a plan to stop him is made. This plan turn out to be successful.
Days later Captain America meets with Nick Fury
Nick Fury
Colonel Nicholas Joseph "Nick" Fury is a fictional World War II army hero and present-day super-spy in the Marvel Comics universe. Created by artist Jack Kirby and writer Stan Lee, Fury first appeared in Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos #1 , a World War II combat series that portrayed the...
and Admiral Jimmy Westbrook - the man behind the project that created the "Anti-Cap." At this meeting Captain America refuses to reveal where he has hidden either the "Anti-Cap," or "WWIII in a petri dish."
Issues #5 - 7: "Avengers Disassembled"
Captain America and the Falcon battle a group of armed men, hired by the Rivas for revenge, outside of Captain America's civilian apartment. They are rescued by the Scarlet Witch in a taxi. While this is happening Admiral Westbrook and Nick Fury meet to discuss recent events surrounding Captain America, the Falcon and the "Anti-Cap." Meanwhile Captain America and the Falcon journey to Luke Cage's HarlemHarlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, which since the 1920s has been a major African-American residential, cultural and business center. Originally a Dutch village, formally organized in 1658, it is named after the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands...
apartment in order to obtain a sample of the acetovaxidol from his blood stream. They wish to use this to synthesize acetovaxidol in order to stave off the withdrawal the "Anti-Cap" is facing. Having obtained this they go to the Wakandan
Wakanda (comics)
Wakanda is a fictional nation in the Marvel Universe. It is the most prominent of several fictional African nations in the Marvel Universe. Wakanda is located in Northeastern Africa, although its exact location has varied throughout the nation's publication history: some sources place Wakanda in...
consulate in New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
where they have hidden the "Anti-Cap." After this they go to confront Fury and Westbrook.
Chaos erupts at the meeting after the Falcon shoots Westbrook, who is saved by the bulletproof vest he is wearing. This chaos is briefly stopped when the Scarlet Witch arrives with Henry Pym
Henry Pym
Dr. Henry "Hank" Pym is a fictional character that appears in publications by Marvel Comics. Created by editor and plotter Stan Lee, scripter Larry Lieber and penciler Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in Tales to Astonish #27...
to reveal to his final analysis of "WWIII in a Petri dish." He says that it isn't a bio-weapon, but is instead DNA, his exact word being, "It's... an old friend of yours..." The scene obviously continues after this, but the reader is left to wonder what these words mean. Captain America and the Falcon flee with the Falcon leading Westbrook's forces away to allow his partner to make his way back to the Wakandan consulate and the "Anti-Cap." While the two main characters make their way through the streets of New York, a man named Damocles Rivas arrives offering a deal to Westbrook..
The Falcon confronts Leila Davis in order to warn her that the Rivas might be coming for her. As they talk, Captain America confronts feeling he is having for the Scarlet Witch, feelings which are a direct connection to events in the Avengers Disassembled crossover. Issue #7 ends with a man waking up in the Rivas family compound in Montclair, New Jersey
Montclair, New Jersey
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 38,977 people, 15,020 households, and 9,687 families residing in the township. The population density was 6,183.6 people per square mile . There were 15,531 housing units at an average density of 2,464.0 per square mile...
. He puts on an AIM
Advanced Idea Mechanics
A.I.M. is a fictional terrorist organization in the . The organization first appeared in Strange Tales #146 and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.-Publication history:...
helmet, opens a secret door and steps into a room containing MODOK
MODOK
MODOK is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Tales of Suspense #93 MODOK (acronym for Mental Organism Designed Only for Killing) is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character...
.
Issues #8 - 12: "Brothers & Keepers"
People in various places around the world begin to see visions of MODOK, visions that prove to be fatal for the observer. As this is happening Captain America and the Falcon are confronting the Rivas directly. Captain America fights with agents of the DEADrug Enforcement Administration
The Drug Enforcement Administration is a federal law enforcement agency under the United States Department of Justice, tasked with combating drug smuggling and use within the United States...
in Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
. Among the Rivas, he encounters a Navy SEAL on a secret mission for Westbrook. Meanwhile, the Falcon confronts money launderers
Money laundering
Money laundering is the process of disguising illegal sources of money so that it looks like it came from legal sources. The methods by which money may be laundered are varied and can range in sophistication. Many regulatory and governmental authorities quote estimates each year for the amount...
working for the Rivas in New York's Chinatown
Chinatown, Manhattan
Manhattan's Chinatown , home to one of the highest concentrations of Chinese people in the Western hemisphere, is located in the borough of Manhattan in New York City...
. They return form these missions to the Wakandan consulate to talk with the "Anti-Cap." After they leave, the "Anti-Cap" finds a note on the floor of his cell they says "Bite Me." He later collapses with the consulate staff declaring him dead from a stroke
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
.
Captain America and Admiral Westbrook meet for the "Anti-Cap"'s burial at sea aboard the aircraft carrier
Aircraft carrier
An aircraft carrier is a warship designed with a primary mission of deploying and recovering aircraft, acting as a seagoing airbase. Aircraft carriers thus allow a naval force to project air power worldwide without having to depend on local bases for staging aircraft operations...
, U.S.S. Kirby. Afterward, divers appear to retrieve the coffin. They are fought off by the Falcon who raises to the surface with the "Anti-Cap" and flies away. Hours later the "Anti-Cap" wakes up in a Harlem apartment. His conversation with the Falcon reveals to the reader that the "Bite Me" note contained a paralytic enzyme that helped to fake the "Anti-Cap"'s death. With help from Nick Fury and Agent Ali Morales, Cap, the Falcon and the "Anti-Cap" make plans for an infiltration and attack on the U.S.S. Saisha, Westbrook's personal yacht where he and Damocles Rivas are having a meeting as well as Damocles Rivas' Montclair compound.
In the Rivas Compound, Captain America discovers MODOK. After a brief confrontation MODOK stands down, allowing Captain America to put on a nearby AIM helmet he thinks is a controlling unit. This guess proves to be correct and he soon discovers that the people MODOK has killed around the world are all ex-agents of AIM and that MODOK has been doing this instinctively -- the majority of his mind being elsewhere. Meanwhile, the "Anti-Cap" finds and confronts Westbrook aboard the Saisha, but Westbrook reveals a device by which he can shut down the "Anti-Cap"'s ability to move via the computer grafted to his spine. The Falcon arrives just in time to knock out Westbrook and save the "Anti-Cap." They are both then mentally rendered unconscious by Damocles Rivas who's head now looks similar to MODOK.
Conversations in issue #11 reveal to the reader that "WWIII in a petri dish" is made of modified DNA taken from MODOK, that this was designed to kill him, that Westbrook was using this to control MODOK and that the mind and sentience of MODOK now resides within the body of Damocles Rivas. From a secret AIM base MODOK in Damocles Rives' body holds the Falcon and the "Anti-Cap" hostage. Before he can make his demands fully known Captain America manipulates the conversation in such a way that brings Damocles Rivas' mind partially to the surface to fight MODOK. The resulting mental fight allows the Falcon and the "Anti-Cap" to free themselves. The "Anti-Cap" then shoots and kills Damocles Rivas' body shunting both minds into MODOK's body where the fight for control continues. During this fight MODOK's body is injected with the modified DNA. MODOK reveals at this point that he mentally manipulated Westbrook's people into creating DNA strands that would mutate within his blood to form a deadly virus. Gaining control, Damocles Rivas transports MODOK's body and Captain America into the middle of one of the Hulk's
Hulk (comics)
The Hulk is a fictional character, a superhero in the . Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in The Incredible Hulk #1 ....
rampages.
Now in Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
and still controlling MODOK's body, Damocles Rives does little to defend himself against the Hulk in an attempt to commit suicide. Captain America manages to convince Rivas that a solution to his situation can be found. Rivas uses MODOK's mental powers to bring Bruce Banner's personality to the surface of the Hulk's mind. After contacting Henry Pym and Reed Richards
Mister Fantastic
Mr. Fantastic is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superhero and a member of the Fantastic Four. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby, he first appeared in Fantastic Four #1 ....
via satellite, the three scientists begin to work on a way to neutralize the virus within MODOK's blood. They succeed just as MODOK regains control of his body. MODOK unleashes the Hulk to rage again and cuts off the satellite link to Pym and Richards. Without the knowledge of how to administer the cure Captain America relies on the Falcon and Agent Morales back in the Rivas Compound. These two find the transportation device Rivas used to get to Singapore and jury rig
Jury rig
Jury rigging refers to makeshift repairs or temporary contrivances, made with only the tools and materials that happen to be on hand. Originally a nautical term, on sailing ships a jury rig is a replacement mast and yards improvised in case of damage or loss of the original mast.-Etymology:The...
it to put MODOK in stasis after transporting him back.
Issues #13 - 14: "American Psycho"
At the Falcon's apartment he and Captain America find themselves in a heated argument that ends with the Falcon proclaiming "Captain America and the Falcon are finished!" Captain America sadly walks away just as an enraged ex-associate of the Falcon appears with a gun and shoots at the Falcon. The bullet misses its target but hits Captain America in the head. The Falcon rushes his partner to the hospital where Captain America begins to fight for his life. While this is happening, the "Anti-Cap" attacks the embassy of Baud Olan, a middle eastern country he accuses of harboring terrorists. In the wake of this the Falcon seeks out the "Anti-Cap" and confronts him.After recovering in the hospital Captain America seeks out the "Anti-Cap" in a effort to find the now missing Falcon. He tracks him to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. The "Anti-Cap" refuses to reveal the Falcon's whereabouts and instead decides to attack Captain America. Their long fight ends when a defeated "Anti-Cap" allows himself to be run over by a subway train.