In the near future Washington of 2025,
Captain America is trying to get past the sentries of King
Babbington; he battles one large armored guard and discovers he is
fighting the Hulk. He tries talking his old pal out of what he's
doing but must rely on explosives put in Hulk's face to subdue him.
Hulk transforms back to Bruce Banner and explains that he was
brainwashed and that only one other superhero survived the blast
radiation. Ordering his commandos to protect Banner, Cap and Liang
proceed into the enemy stronghold....
King Babbington, a mutated figure who
believes he is an elite ruling a city of special people, resents this
uprising by the inferiors. He orders his troops to the logical place
for Cap to go...
...the castle's power plant. Cap and
Liang examine the place and can't figure out the source of the
power...until Cap spies Ben Grimm, the Thing. Ben has been personally
turning the device that generates the power, in the belief that he is
single-handedly keeping the people of the USA alive.
When Cap reveals
that Ben has been deceived by the villainous Rampart, he goes
berserk, smashing the machinery until Cap calms him down, sending him
out to the perimeter wall where he uses a Reed-developed weapon to
smash the castle's walls. Cap leads the rebel forces inside and to
the throne room to confront King Babbington.
The King, however, uses
his mental powers to try to enslave Cap, while mocking the hero's
defense of the inferior multitudes. Babbington demands Cap hand over
his shield; instead, Cap hurls it and conks the King on his oversized
noggin....
What next? Cap is asked. He explains
about vigilance—how others will try to seize power in this
newly-created vacuum; he offers his services as protector and
suggests Liang for leader. But the people want Cap as their
leader....