Been There, Done That
August 14, 2007 by The Fortress Keeper
Ending days of speculation by … well, nobody we really know … Marvel has confirmed that Captain America’s rumored return is part of a greater story involving the World War II-era Invaders traveling to the present, post-Civil War universe.
Yes, just like Captain Mar-Vell, a younger, less experienced Steve Rogers will be tossed into a world that he neither understands nor particularly likes. Along with his fellow Invaders - the Human Torch, Sub-Mariner, Bucky and Toro - Cap will encounter both sets of Avengers and undoubtedly pick a fist-fight or two.
Since project creators Alex Ross and Jim Krueger are fanboys to the nth degree, the Keeper wonders if the Invaders’ previous encounter with The Mighty Avengers will be referenced.
The clash was chronicled 30 years ago in Invaders Annual #1, a nifty story by Roy Thomas and Frank Robbins that included artistic contributions from such Golden Age greats as Alex Schomburg, Don Rico and Lee Elias.
The annual was structured like a Golden Age JSA story (natch) where the heroes split into individual teams before uniting to defeat the ultimate foe. Before the main event, however, Cap, Namor and the Human Torch find themselves face-to-face with three time-lost Avengers!
So did the heroes talk it out and find a way to pool their resources against their common enemy?
Nah! They immediately started punching each other out!
Although the two sides were evenly matched (Really? With Yellowjacket taking on Namor?) the Avengers eventually won out by just plain cheating!
With the Invaders down - but not out by any means - Earth’s Mightiest Heroes use the opportunity to identify themselves as heroes from the future trapped in a bizarre contest between Kang the Conquerer and an Elder of the Universe!
If you’re an old-time fan, you’ll suddenly recall the Avengers’ skirmish with their Golden Age predecessors was first seen in Avengers #71, a story written by Thomas years before The Invaders series ever debuted!
(If you’re confused, don’t worry. If Thomas is known for anything, it’s using continuity to explain things! Imagine that!!!)
Since there’s still a few pages left to go, the Avengers are quickly yanked back into the future and the Invaders proceed to defeat the Axis yet again - leaving Cap a moment or two afterward to ponder the future.
Nowadays, Cap would probably run screaming from the dystopian nightmare of the Q Continuum’s Marvel universe. But, that’s a story for Ross and Krueger to tell.
In the meantime, let’s take a look at Avengers #71 for a different view of the past versus the future.
Despite a gap of about eight years, the two stories actually match up pretty well. Guess there’s a reason why Thomas is known as the “Rascally One!”
Love it. A reprint of the Avengers part, in Marvel Super Action, was my first Avengers comic. It was more awesome than confusing, although today it bugs me whenever Cap or Namor are written not remembering some event because it was inserted retroactively.
Groan…
Bully did discussions about the/a Fantastic Four/Avengers/Dr. Strange time travel story, and I happened to remark that, as fantastic as those stories are, I’d hate to think the horrors that could occur if tried today.
I don’t want to get ahead of myself, but you just wonder the merits of bringing those characters into the garbled present.
I just don’t know…
Hm…I imagine that the creators of the book will focus primarily on the old-time Invaders’ reaction to the SHRA and the Civil War…but really, I wonder if they would realistically react to that any more strongly than the rest of the vastly different world that serves as the backdrop for said events.
I also wonder if this’ll be considered canon.
-M