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As Ta-Nehisi Coates’ run on Captain America comes to a close, the Star-Spangled Avenger gets one over the Red Skull.
WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Captain America #30, by Ta-Nehisi Coates, Leonard Kirk, Matt Milla and VC’s Joe Caramagna, on sale now.
While Captain America has faced plenty of supervillains menacing the Marvel Universe ever since World War II, including those that wore the iconic stars and stripes to carry out their own twisted vision of the United States, the Sentinel of Liberty’s one, true nemesis will always be the Red Skull. Johann Schmidt has battled against Steve Rogers since the Second World War before the two lifelong enemies resumed their feud in the present-day Marvel Universe. And in their latest confrontation, Captain America is able to outsmart the Red Skull at his own game, leaving his nemesis stripped of his newfound power base.
As Captain America dealt with the immediate fallout from the 2017 crossover event Secret Empire, including his own tarnished reputation after his body and history were hijacked by Hydra through the use of a Cosmic Cube, the Red Skull experienced a new rise to power. With the United States facing enormous political upheaval and civil discontent, Schmidt capitalized on this by presenting himself as sort of web-based pundit that stoked fears and actively bred nationalistic attacks committed by domestic terrorists. And now facing a country that stood opposed to him more than ever, Captain America turned the tables on his old foe.
After beating down the Red Skull’s closest guards, including the supervillain Crossbones, Captain America had a tense face to face conversation with the Red Skull himself. Knowing his opponent especially well after decades of showdowns, Steve Rogers subtly goads Schmidt into revealing his grand plan and exactly how much contempt he holds for his loyal followers, merely seeing them as easily fooled individuals he can manipulate towards his own sinister ends. Unbeknownst to the Red Skull, Captain America and his team had quietly hacked into Schmidt’s communications servers before the confrontation, broadcasting the Skull’s exposing monologue worldwide to the visible disgust of his followers as they learn exactly who and what they’ve been supporting.
With the Red Skull exposed worldwide for who he truly is, Captain America opts to teleport himself away from the villain’s headquarters rather than brutally beat him up in front of a live webcast audience. Humiliated, the Red Skull and his loyalists immediately launch into damage control while Schmidt undoubtedly plots for some epic revenge against his lifelong enemy but Captain America has already dealt his foe a decisive blow. Using Schmidt’s own channels, Steve has completely outwitted his nemesis and stripped him of his homegrown army and he did so without throwing a single punch against the Red Skull himself.
Captain America has always been a shining example of what the United States can be, personifying its ideals, not necessarily the country or its federal government itself. And in the face of a supervillain weaponizing fear and hate towards his own nefarious ends, Steve Rogers knows his enemy well enough on how to get him to reveal himself for who he really is publicly and prove that Captain America can still shape the course of America from the dictators and despots that would seek to subvert it. The Red Skull is still on the loose and a very real threat but, Captain America has handily defanged him somewhat as the stage is set for an inevitable rematch for the fate of the country.
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