Captain America is addressing a high school assembly on pursuing dreams and making a difference. When the floor is opened to questions, a hostile punk asks about all that is wrong with America—then he pulls a gun. Cap easily overpowers him and as the police take the youth away, he denounces Cap’s optimism and spits on him. Later Bernie Rosenthal wants to get romantic but Steve is still brooding over the incident and he offends Bernie when he won’t talk about it….
In a Hell’s Kitchen tenement, a self-appointed hero called Everyman vows to continue the mission of their comrade Ira who is now in jail. And he assures his skeptical gang with a demonstration of his electrical sword….
While riding through the ghetto, Cap stops to greet some young fans; a group of older toughs dump garbage on him from a rooftop and Cap flips his way up there to confront them over nearly hurting the kids. A kid introduces the bitter leader as his brother Gilbert—and Cap takes the little kids and the bigger ones for a visit to Avengers Mansion to apologize for nearly acting wrongly.
Everyman makes his appearance in Manhattan, accompanied by a news crew. Cap and the others watch on television as he calls on the common man to rise up against the oppressors, for whom Captain America is the chief symbol; he challenges Cap to a duel at midnight on Liberty Island. Everyman then underscores his point by killing four policemen with his electric sword. Cap races to the scene while Everyman returns to his hangout, defending his use of violence to make a point to his confused follower Maggie (Ira’s sister). It seems the "hero" is seeking symbolic revenge for his father who was crushed by "the system"….
At midnight on Liberty Island, Cap is there, along with groups of protestors behind barricades. Everyman appears and Cap dodges his electric bolts. As Cap gains the upper hand, the madman takes Maggie as hostage, luring Cap close enough to spit on him. With that out of the way, Everyman intends to kill Maggie to make a point; Cap intimidates him with a show of power, then easily subdues him with a flip of his shield. Cap’s supporters cheer but Cap is still aware of the dark side of the American Dream but they can all be optimistic about helping one another and working together against the bad stuff….