The Marvel Cinematic Universe has bid farewell to Steve Rogers as Captain America after Avengers: Endgame, passing the torch to Anthony Mackie’s Falcon. The MCU Cap gets his moment in the sun with Peggy Carter while returning the Infinity Stones the team had borrowed to undo Thanos’ snap. Chris Evans donned the old makeup, handed over his shield, and seemed to live happily ever after. He is retired, for all intents and some purposes, at least until he pops up in Avengers: Doomsday as an evil variant or returns for a heroic sacrifice in Secret Wars. His one-and-done in Deadpool and Wolverine teased fans a bit with Evans’ return as Johnny Storm, but officially, we’ve seen the end of Chris Evans as Captain America in the MCU.
But what if it isn’t? What if there is one more Captain America story, separate the Avengers but still warranting the return of Steve Rogers to the MCU? And what if I told you that it didn’t have to change Sam Wilson’s status as the new Cap? One storyline from Marvel’s past would fit perfectly, standing alone for Evans to return and put more punctuation on the end of his story. And If you recall, there is a big lingering piece of Captain America’s past still out in the universe: The Red Skull.
Skull Is Unemployed in the MCU
Johann Schmidt was revealed as the stonekeeper on the planet Vormir, acting as a guide to those seeking the Soul Stone. According to the Russo Brothers, during a Twitter Q&A, the Red Skull was freed from this role after Thanos claimed the Soul Stone in Infinity War. The same would presumably be true for when Hawkeye and Black Widow return in Endgame to obtain the Soul Stone for themselves. That means he is out there, ready and waiting and primed for his next act. And given what we know about Endgame, and the various fan theories floating around about Cap having an awkward reunion with Red Skull on Vormir, being on a collision course isn’t a far-fetched idea.
While a one-off meeting between the two on Vormir is worth a scene or theorizing, any true return of the Red Skull deserves a proper venue and higher stakes. That’s what would warrant bringing Evans back, too, according to his current frame of mind. Mark Waid’s 1998 run on Captain America and his classic Red Skull tale, “Red Glare,” provides all of that and more.
“Red Glare”
Red Skull returns from being trapped in the Cosmic Cube after Kang the Conqueror travels back to 1998 and tries to find and free him. Skull has been living an eternity of torture of his own making inside the Cube, established in a classic issue that had to be censored upon release. Waid unleashes the villain fiercer than ever, providing Skull with some character growth and development, but never absolving him for his evil. He manages to find a way out of his purgatory, absorbs the Cosmic Cube into himself, and confronts Captain America and Sharon Carter.
The result is the enslavement of America, the crucifixion of the Avengers and other heroes on the steps of the Capitol, and the Skull breaking the public’s spirit with his godlike power. It’s hellish, it’s sudden, and the Skull doesn’t have an ounce of mercy. Captain America and Carter are shown his takeover in a glimpse of the future by The Watcher, heading back to confront him.
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The Skull meanwhile has taken his cruel domination to lower depths. He forces a blistering hot New York to fight over a single apple, floods Mississippi just to see who is strong enough to survive, and he turns Los Angeles and all of its citizens into an ice pop. But Cap gets punished worst of all throughout, forced to watch his friends suffer while he’s powerless and de-aged by the Skull, turning him into his weak form from before the super soldier serum. All of these events are cultivated by Michael Korvac behind the scene. Korvac is an older cosmic Avengers villain and time traveler, and he once killed the Avengers in their first encounter. Thankfully, they got better.
His actions in “Red Glare” helped to unleash the Skull, activate Captain America by showing him the grim future while disguised as The Watcher, and eventually allows him to steal the Cosmic Cube’s energy for himself. To achieve this, he tempts the godlike Skull with an abandoned ship of Galactus containing a wealth of universal knowledge.
While Korvac is important to the original tale, the MCU doesn’t need him for an adaptation. And we wouldn’t have to mess with the large continuity from the current MCU or ruin Steve Rogers’ happy ending in Endgame, leaving this story in the period when Rogers was returning the Infinity Stones. The parts are all available in some form within the MCU, waiting to be combined for the tale.
Can He Do This All Day?
For adapting “Red Glare,” the moment that sparks everything could happen as Skull get his hands on the Space Stone again while Cap returns the Soul Stone to Vormir. Free of his role on the planet, he follows Rogers to his final destination, attacking right at the moment when Rogers finally has his dance with Peggy Carter to close Endgame.
This gives Peggy Carter another fine role in the MCU, helping Rogers return the Space Stone to its timeline one more time. It also gives Cap a personal story to grapple with, similar to Bucky’s return in The Winter Soldier. Skull’s influence and godlike powers also open the story to all the MCU bells and whistles, including cameos and the necessary post-credit stinger. Everyone gets another perfect ending, plus the Red Skull story gets a stronger conclusion than him lingering in space until it all ends.
Beyond that framework, “Red Glare” is just a really good story. Captain America faces doubts about his abilities, loses his iconic shield, and tries to get used to his new normal with Carter. Skull returns with more power than before, has numerous chances to demonstrate his cruelty, and even gets a taste of being in control, years after his defeat in The First Avenger. It would also be a rare time Cap is outclassed by the villain in painful fashion, but also gives plenty of runway for his eventual heroic comeback.
At the very least, Waid’s 1998 run from the Heroes Return efforts stands out as the best of the bunch. His work with Ron Garney and Andy Kubert is some of the best Captain America work in the past few decades, both before and after Heroes Reborn ended. Even if we have truly seen the last of Evans as Cap on the big screen, fans can have hope and enjoy the possibilities.
Do you think Chris Evans will return as Captain America in the next Avengers films? Would “Red Glare” be the perfect lure? Let us know in the comments.
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