Marvel Just Introduced a New Captain America, and His Story Sounds Very Familiar

Videos by ComicBook.com

Captain America #1 by Chip Zdarsky, Valerio Schiti, Frank Martin, and VC’s Joe Caramagna focuses on Steve Rogers and a young boy named David Colton. The latter is actually the first character we see, as David watches the 9/11 terrorist attack that brought down the Twin Towers. This inspires David to try and join the armed forces, though he keeps being denied because of his asthma, bad vision, and overall scrawny stature. However, David is persistent and determined, catching the eye of someone in command and getting to try out, just like Steve Rogers pre-super-soldier serum.

Marvel Reveals a Secret Captain America That Nobody Knew About Until Now

From here, David’s story follows a similar trajectory to Steve Rogers. Being smaller than the rest of the army recruits, David is bullied by both his peers and senior officers, catching beatdowns on the training field left and right. This is interwoven with Steve Rogers choosing to put an offer from Iron Man to join the Avengers on hold. Instead, he tells General Thaddeus Ross, our future Red Hulk, that until he can make sense of this new world he’s found himself in, he’s best served with the United States Armed Forces.

Captain America’s first mission out of the ice is to infiltrate Latveria and free diplomats being held prisoner by Doctor Doom. Cap gets a new stealth suit and a team of Howling Commandos to go with him, but one last-minute addition catches Cap by surprise. He’s a redhead who appears to have his own red-white-and-blue shield, and all the clues point to this mystery person being a grown-up David Colton.

Previously, David got put in the infirmary when a sergeant beat him to a bloody pulp outside the barracks. Another commanding officer visits David and tells him there may be a way to cure his asthma, along with all the other ailments he has. Obviously, this means some sort of super-soldier solution, and we have to wait for the next issue of Captain America to see David in all his star-spangled glory.

How and why no one has ever heard of David Colton’s Captain America before now remains a mystery. Marvel keeps updating the period in time when Steve Rogers wakes up from suspended animation. Now, it appears to be around the time of the 9/11 attacks, just under 25 years ago. David and Steve may not have been the physical specimens that the armed forces typically recruit, but they are full of heart, determination, and a drive to serve their countries. Perhaps David doesn’t make it out of Latveria alive? Or, if Cap thinks he’s dead, David will return ala Bucky Barnes as the Winter Soldier. A ton of possibilities are on the table.