This week there has been a new Captain America story line released for the comic books and, needless to say, it has not been received well. The big plot twist of this story line is America’s hero Steve Rogers has been an agent of HYDRA all along. The problem with this isn’t that it’s a gimmick, even though it clearly is. The problem is how disrespectful it is to the legacy of Captain America and to all of his fans.
The creators of Captain America were Jack Kirby and Joe Simon, two Jewish American cartoonists who wrote Captain America as a beacon of hope during World War II. I’m sure you all are wondering what them being Jewish has anything to do with this. It has everything to do with this issue since HYDRA is a branch of Nazis. They took a hero made by Jewish men and turned him into a Nazi. How messed up is that? Nick Spencer, the current writer, made Steve into a symbol of hate towards the men who made him. The worst part about Nick Spencer’s plot is he claims that the signs have been there since the beginning that Steve was a double agent.
So let me get this straight, Jack and Joe intentionally wanted their hero to actually be a man working for a group that wanted to get rid of Jewish people like them? Frankly, I don’t believe that for a second. Nick Spencer seems to be a man who is very wrapped up in his ideas and doesn’t care what kind of attention he gets. As long as people are talking about him and his work, it’s a great day for him.
On top of the disrespect Nick Spencer has for the creators, he also doesn’t seem to give a damn about all of the young Captain America fans. I have seen so many posts online about people saying their siblings, little cousins, nieces, and nephews are all crying over the fact that their hero is actually the epitome of evil. While this may seem silly, Steve Rogers has been an excellent role model for children to show them to be brave and stand up for what is right, even when the world is against you. Children have heroes in all shapes and sizes, real and fictional but the loss of any of them is truly devastating.
I just do not understand how a man that claims he loves Marvel and wants nothing but the best of the franchise would do this. To see all the backlash and hurt by fans and to brush it off as if it means nothing. These are the people who support you and then you refuse to listen to them. It is appalling and I cannot believe that Marvel approved this story line.
So, even though Captain America is a fictional man, he has meant the world to generations of people. He has been a stable figure of hope and justice for 75 years, why take this away just to give you your 15 minutes of fame?
