Captain America (Sam Wilson) arrives in
Pleasant Hill and meets up with Bucky Barnes, Winter Soldier; they
compare notes and set out to find Steve Rogers. They come upon a
teacher being threatened by the Blood Brothers; the two heroes jump
into action but the teacher—SHIELD Agent Avril Kincaid—shoots
down the baddies, revealing this was to trick the Brothers into
taking her to Baron Zemo. For the back-up plan she sends them to shut
off the security at the local museum, which they do (kicking the
butts of the Circus of Crime) and in a moment of quiet they try to
establish more of a camaraderie—then Kobik appears (the Cosmic Cube
as a little girl) and calls them to help Steve who is in danger....
At the bowling alley, the elderly and
powerless Steve Rogers is being savagely beaten by Crossbones; as he
realizes he might easily die, his mind drifts back to his comrades
Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes as his own career as Captain America, and
back to recent events: When the brainwashed villains in Pleasant Hill
recovered their memories and revolted, he ministered to Maria Hill
who was seriously injured in the explosion at City Hall. Hill tried
to justify the creation of this prison and confesses that she was
hoping to be brainwashed there too, to overcome the darkness that she
has had to live with for so long.... Steve asks Zemo to allow him to
get her medical attention. Baron Zemo agrees only if one of the other
hostages takes her place; he selects a young man from the group and
swiftly decapitates him with a sword. Zemo then dispatches Steve and
Hill, escorted by the priest Father Patrick. On the way to the
infirmary, they come face-to-face with the Wrecking Crew; Father
Patrick sends Steve and Hill to safety then vanquishes the bad guys
with no effort. At the infirmary they find Dr. Eric Selvig. As the
doctor takes care of the injured Hill, Steve questions him as to the
whereabouts of Kobik; Selvig suggests the bowling alley which she
loved. Steve ignites an oxygen tank to escape Father Patrick and
dashes off. We learn that the priest is really the Red Skull.
Arriving at his destination, Steve tries to convince the
near-omnipotent little girl to accompany him to safety when
Crossbones arrives and attacks....
Now the critically injured Steve
Rogers, about to die, has a reverie about all the people he's known
and loved and realizes he can die happy... but Kobik offers to make
him a hero again. Suddenly he is young an strong and he beats his
tormentor to a pulp. Sam and Bucky arrive to discover that the real
Captain America is back....
2. “Presentation”
Writer: Joss Whedon. Art: John
Cassaday. Color: Laura Martin.
Synopsis: Scenes of Captain America's
WW2 mission against the German army with a huge demonic looking tank
are intercut with Cap attending a meeting of marketing executives who
telling Cap that the shield is not a good enough symbol of his
mission and that he should carry a massive weapon called the Amerigun
to win the publicity war against the enemy. Cap walks out, to their
surprise. And we see Cap kicking a massive bell out of a tower to
wreck the enemy tank while protecting the villagers—for which the
shield is a perfect symbol.
3. “Catch Me If You Can”
Writer: Tim Sale. Art: Tim Sale. Color:
Dave Stewart.
Synopsis: Largely wordless story has
Captain America invading a Hydra fortress and defeating every
agent he encounters until he reaches a massive vault; he uses and
explosive to tear the door off and enters....
At this point a flashback shows Mrs.
Rogers giving young Steve something his late father wanted him to
have....
Cap takes what he came for in his old
army footlocker and escapes. Later at home we see what he has
recovered: a baseball autographed by Babe Ruth.
4. “Pas de Deux”
Writer: Greg Rucka. Art: Mike Perkins.
Color: Andy Troy, Frank D'Armata.
Synopsis: Captain America, incognito as
Steve Rogers, attends the ballet, as he and Black Widow bicker (via
earpieces) bicker over the art form: she can't believe he has never
been to one and he explains that it was seen as elitist
entertainment. They are there to stop Laverian assassins from killing
the star ballerina/defector during the performance. Steve spots the
assassins and takes them down. After the show he tells Natasha that
he has come to appreciate the ballet with dancing closely akin to
fighting.