Fallen Son: The Death of Captain America
Fallen Son: The Death of Captain America | |
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Fallen Son: The Death of Captain America is a 2007
The five-issue series is written by
each illustrating one of the issues.Background
The premise for this limited series was created by
When Straczynski [speaks] it's a little bit like the burning bush and the rest of us are Moses. He held up this yellow pad and said, 'It's the five stages of grief! Denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance.' The theme of each issue is represented by a particular Marvel character and also ends with a transition phase leading into the following stage. Denial deals with Wolverine, Anger deals with the two Avengers teams (Mighty Avengers & New Avengers), Captain America himself is dealt with in Bargaining, Spider-Man is the focus of Depression and Iron Man comes under the spotlight in Acceptance.[1]
Plot
Issue #1 – Denial
As Daredevil departs, Wolverine makes his way to where S.H.I.E.L.D. is keeping Captain America's body to determine once and for all the truth of the matter, only to be confronted by Iron Man and Hank Pym. Wolverine looks inside the coffin and notices to his disgust that Cap's shield is missing; accusing Stark of planning to create a replacement. Although Pym attempts to detain him, Iron Man lets Wolverine go for the simple reason that he can tell the others that Steve Rogers, Captain America, is indeed dead. As he leaves, Wolverine warns Iron Man that if he learns that Stark had anything to do with Cap's death, he would kill him.
Issue #2 – Anger
As Wolverine and Daredevil infiltrate the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier, Iron Man contacts the Mighty Avengers who are en route to prevent the super-villain Tiger Shark from attacking a coastal missile base. Tiger Shark has stolen the so-called "Horn of Gabriel" from Atlantis, which can summon terrible sea monsters to his side. During the fight Tiger Shark boasts that he'll finally gain the respect he deserves and a furious Ms. Marvel begins to savagely beat him until the Sub-Mariner arrives to calm the raging monsters. Condemning the brutality used by them against both Tiger Shark and the sea monsters as an outlet for their anger regarding Cap's death, Namor takes Tiger Shark into custody and reveals he learned there are missiles hidden in the coastline of Maine. As Namor warns the Mighty Avengers that he will retaliate if Atlantis is ever attacked, Ares asks Ms. Marvel if they won and if so then that was all that mattered.
Meanwhile, the
Issue #3 – Bargaining
Clint Barton summons Tony Stark to the deserted old Avengers' Mansion and confronts him over the death of Steve Rogers. Stark then takes Barton into custody at the S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier to confirm that he is, in fact, Clint Barton – back from the grave. Upon confirmation of his identity, Stark reveals Captain America's real shield and Barton has the chance to take the shield for a spin (literally) on the helicarrier deck. When he proves he can handle it effectively, unlike others who have tried, Stark makes Barton an incredible offer: to restore Captain America to the people of the United States.
Stark takes Barton out on patrol and they discover
Issue #4 – Depression
At that moment, Wolverine reveals himself and begrudgingly congratulates Spider-Man who brushes him off before heading to the Brooklyn Bridge where Gwen Stacy died. Wolverine follows him and an angry Spider-Man accuses him of being incapable of understanding what he's feeling. Wolverine then describes a condition like having a cannon shot through one's stomach, leaving a hole that has a tendency to reopen again and again, though the hole heals back faster each time it is reopened. Spider-Man asks if the pain ever goes away and Wolverine explains that you never 'get over' a death. You simply have to learn to live with the pain, and life will get better... someday.
Issue #5 – Acceptance
Captain America is given a funeral with full military honors (in a ceremony usually reserved for the president), and many thousands are in attendance, not to count the people watching on TV. Among the audience and speakers are
Three days later, in the arctic, Iron Man, Wasp and Yellowjacket land in a S.H.I.E.L.D. ship with Rogers' casket. Tony mentions that the body in Arlington isn't really Cap's, but a decoy to please the public, and that this funeral would have been what Steve really wanted. The real body is here, and it will rest in the Arctic forever, the rationale being that he was preserved in peace here for decades until he could be revived, and so it was the best place for him to rest forever. Tony says a heartfelt good-bye, reflecting on their past together in the Avengers, and showing that despite their conflict during Civil War, he still cared for him. Namor appears, revealing that he too is touched by the death, and that as long as he rules the oceans, Steve Rogers will rest in peace. Janet then asks Tony whether everyone must now accept that the old era is finally over and a new one is beginning. The casket sinks slowly into nothingness without an answer.
Other versions
What If?
An issue of Volume 7 What If? titled What If? Fallen Son asks "What if Iron Man died instead of Captain America?". It was released in December 2008. In this reality, Captain America never dies on the steps of the courthouse, and is tried as normal.
Shortly after a press conference detailing Steve Rogers' sentence,
With the superhero community, and the world, mourning the death of Tony Stark, the Skrulls descend towards an unsuspecting Earth to start their Invasion. As Uatu looks on at the Skrull ships headed towards Earth, he says "It wasn't supposed to be this way...".
References
- ^ Brady, Matt (2007-03-07). "JEPH LOEB TALKS FALLEN SON...IN DETAIL". Newsarama. Archived from the original on 2007-03-09. Retrieved 2007-03-10.
External links
- Fallen Son: The Death of Captain America at the Comic Book DB (archived from the original)
- Fallen Son:The Death of Captain America covers and variants image gallery
- Fallen Son: The Death of Captain America review Favourable review of Fallen Son