Giant-Man runs tests on the newly-revived Captain America, Steve Rogers, who is having trouble adjusting to his experiences. Jarvis shows him to his room, where he flips on the TV and surfs the channels, witnessing reality TV, war, sex scandals, and heavy metal music. He sits there, more depressed and confused than ever….
Giant-Man reports on his findings to the other Avengers: he judges that physically Cap is in perfect condition but doubts that he will recover from the psychological shock. Iron Man suggests they give him more time to recover. A late-night study of old military documents reveals to Iron Man that Captain America has full security clearance for himself and his allies which would grant them the priority status they desire, though Thor finds the manipulation dishonorable. The self-proclaimed Thunder God (the others doubt his assertions) wonders whether Iron Man is more concerned with the NSC’s red tape than the team’s original goal of fighting evil.
Steve is awoken in the middle of the night by a bad dream about the war. He heads down to the kitchen and runs into Rick Jones, who still drops by frequently even though he has no reason to be there since the Hulk left. Jarvis intervenes when Rick asks about Cap’s wartime adventures, reminding him that is wasn’t a pleasant time. Cap is still having trouble with his memory and can’t answer. After Rick leaves, Cap asks Jarvis about the Avengers and their goals, and Jarvis has him read the groups’ charter….
One week later, Captain America joins with the Avengers in combating the menace of the Lava Men. His well-publicized return starts to give the team more credibility in the eyes of the public. Tony Stark meets with the Avengers liaison in the National Security Council, Agent Murch, who takes a dim view of their exploitation of Cap’s security clearance for their own ends. Murch is skeptical of Cap’s mental state however, and announces he will be watching the team very carefully….