Captain America is one of Marvel’s most popular characters, with his appearances in the MCU making him a household name. Things aren’t always as good for Cap in the comics, for a variety of reasons. However, things have started to look up again, as the publisher has chosen writer Chip Zdarsky and artist Valerio Schiti for an all-new volume of Captain America. Zdarsky has proven to be one of the best writers working at Marvel, his runs on Spider-Man and Daredevil giving readers some amazing stories. Schiti has been one of Marvel’s top artists in the last few years, drawing event books like Inferno and A.X.E. Judgment Day. They make an amazing team, and this newest volume of Captain America is looking to be something special.
Zdarksy and Schiti’s run on Captain America is a “year one” style story, taking readers back to the days after the Avengers found Cap frozen in ice. The book sees Cap rejoining the US Armed Forces, and getting his first mission, which will take him to Latveria. While looking for information about Latveria, Cap goes to the one man who knows Doctor Doom better than anyone else — Reed Richards. Richards and Cap have a very interesting conversation about Doom, one that leads Richards to admit something to Cap that makes a lot of sense — that Reed has always been a huge Captain America fan.
Reed Richards Learned to Love Cap From His Father
Reed Richards being a Captain America fan isn’t the biggest shock ever. Reed Richards was a bookish, nerdy type all of his life, and so him knowing the history of Steve Rogers’s time as Captain America makes all the sense in the world. Reed says that his learned his love of Captain America from his father, who was also seemingly a huge fan of Cap. In fact, Reed shows Cap one of his most prized possessions — a Captain America action figure. Reed kept it all those years and brought it with him to show Captain America. Reed as a good-natured nerd getting to meet his idol is a great little character moment for Reed, especially if we look at Reed’s history before all of the retcons. Reed Richards was once a very different character in the Silver Age, all because of his slightly advanced age.
Back in the day, Reed Richards was actually a soldier, fighting in the Korean War alongside the Thing’s Ben Grimm. This would have made Reed in his late ’30s, meaning that as a child, Reed grew up watching the news reel exploits of Captain America during World War II. Now, obviously, all of that has had to change as the years have gone. For example, I don’t think that Reed and Ben’s military service is canon anymore, mostly because of the way it ages Reed and Ben for them to participate in any wars. One of the most interesting parts about this new volume of Captain America is that it takes place in the 21st century. Marvel’s sliding timescale has moved to far out that Cap was probably found in the ice in the late ’00s or early ’10s. This would mean that Reed was probably born in the ’80s, and that his father is the one who watched Cap’s wartime exploits on news reels. Look, a lot of people talk badly about Marvel’s sliding timescale, but I’ve always found it pretty interesting because of moments like this. Reed has always been a Cap fan, but the particulars of that have had to change thanks to the sliding timescale. This new explanation of Reed’s Cap fandom feels very cool and something that many comic fans can relate to, their parents passing down their love of comics.
Reed’s Love of Captain America Explains a Lot About Him
Reed Richards is a great hero, and it’s plain to see that his love of Captain America is a big part of that. Reed tells Cap about how Cap was the antidote to the “boogeymen” that were all around. This Reed is in his late 30s and this story definitely takes place in the early ’10s, at the latest. This would mean that Reed grew up in the ’80s, when the whole world was insane about the threat of nuclear war (I know because I was there). In Reed’s mind, Cap was the counter to all of this. His bravery in the face of the worst threats allowed Reed to be just as brave. This bravery would become a huge part of Reed’s life, leading to that fateful day on the Marvel.
Reed Richards being a Captain America fan makes a ton of sense. Reed’s life has had to change over the decades, and there are some people out there who might not like the sliding timescale because it changes so much about the characters. However, in this case, I like it even more because I can empathize with this Reed, and finding solace in the face of annihilation with superheroes. It’s a wonderful little moment in a brilliant comic (go out and buy Captain America #1 right now — it definitely worth your time).
Captain America #1 is on sale now.
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