After 62 years, Marvel is officially rewriting a major part of Captain America’s origin. Captain America’s story is warp and woof with the Marvel Universe, stretching back to his first appearance in 1941, shortly before the United States entered the Second World War. The creation of Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, Cap reflected the fears of many Americans of the time.
Captain America’s origin and character arc is the stuff of Marvel legends. Created by the United States government to be a “super-solider,” Captain America fought the Nazis, and his colorful outfit and heroic nature helped keep morale high on the home front. Sadly, Captain America disappeared shortly after the war’s end.
The Super Soldier program was retconned during Grant Morrison’s New X-Men. It was revealed to have been the first permutation of the Weapon Plus Program, that would one day give birth to Wolverine and Deadpool, among others.
Yet, as Marvel fans know, Captain America’s story was far from over. Frozen in solid ice, Cap was revived in the modern day by the Avengers, and shortly thereafter, he becomes the team’s leader. Over the years, the Avengers and Cap’s stories have been intertwined, but now Marvel is making a bold retcon that alters his world forever.
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Captain America Is Waking Up Far Into the Future
This is a Massive Change to Captain America’s Lore
Bleeding Cool, reporting from the ComicsPRO retailer convention, confirmed the return of What If? The popular series reimagines key moments in Marvel history, and one of the one-shots sees Captain America revived in the year 2099. The issue will be written by Marc Guggenheim and drawn by Ron Lim. No release date was announced.
Bleeding Cool also had no further information on the book’s story either, but this is one of Marvel’s biggest changes to Captain America’s origin ever, even if it is set in an alternate universe. The story of Cap’s discovery and revival by the Avengers is a classic of the early Marvel era.
The Year 2099 Desperately Needs Captain America
2099 Is a Dark and Bleak Time for the Marvel Universe
Captain America is a symbol of hope throughout the Marvel Universe, and if there was ever a place that needed it, it is the world of 2099. The Marvel 2099 imprint, launched with Spider-Man 2099 #1 in 1992, envisioned a future world where, after a great catastrophe brought the first Heroic Age to an end, a new one was beginning.
Marvel 2099 was a dystopian, cyberpunk-influenced take on the Marvel Universe. Miguel O’Hara, the Spider-Man of 2099, was a corporate raider. Ghost Rider 2099 was the online avatar of a hacker, and not an actual demon. Finally, Doctor Doom became a freedom fighter, ultimately taking over the world in the process.
When Marvel 2099 began, it was a world without heroes and a decaying moral compass. Heroes like Spider-Man, the Punisher and Ravage pushed back against a corrupt world, and it is not too hard to see echoes of the world of 2026 in the books of the Marvel 2099 imprint.
Heroes like Spider-Man, the Punisher and Ravage pushed back against a corrupt world, and it is not too hard to see echoes of the world of 2026 in the books of the Marvel 2099 imprint.
Captain America’s Influence on 2099 Will be Profound
Captain America Will Inspire the Heroes of 2099, Just Like He Did the Avengers
Chris Evans’ Captain America getting a call with his arm flexed in Avengers: Endgame
Captain America’s return to the Marvel Universe in Avengers #4 was impactful for the entire line, and his arrival in the year 2099 will be just as big a milestone. When the Avengers discovered Cap, they were just getting off the ground and searching for an identity. Captain America’s presence helped the Avengers find themselves.
Likewise, the heroes of 2099 are disorganized. There was never an Avengers 2099 title. The heroes of Marvel 2099 never once came together to fight a major enemy in the way their 20th century counterparts had to. Captain America’s revival in 2099 could change everything for that era’s heroes and villains.
Captain America’s attempt to adjust to modern times has made him a perennial outsider in the Marvel Universe, and in the year 2099, this struggle could take on epic proportions. Watching Cap interact with the hypercapitalistic 2099, or his reaction to that world’s Doctor Doom, would take the “man out of time” motif further than ever.
Watch Out Marvel 2099, Captain America is Heading Your Way
Marvel 2099 Will Never Be the Same
Marvel 2099 never benefitted from the presence of Captain America. In that era, he was merely a long-dead legend. One that was admired to be sure, but also felt distant. Yet bringing Cap into the year 2099 sends shockwaves throughout the imprint, giving its heroes hope for the first time in many years.