Caps All, Folks: Marvel Drops Massive Bombshell On Evil Captain America

If you thought time-meddling villains and a reality-warping Cosmic Cube was bad enough in the fictional worlds of comic books, how about when they go and fundamentally alter real history too? Unless you have been hiding under a rock for the past year, you will have heard about #CaptainAmerica's Nazi reimagination and his infamous "Hail Hydra" routine. For those hoping that #Marvel's Secret Empire #0 will give some closure to the saga and bring back the stars and stripes Cap we know and love, turn back now, this isn't going to be for you.

The latest #comicbook issue surrounding #SteveRogers does nothing to dispel our fears that Captain America really is an agent of Hydra. In fact, Nick Spencer, Rod Reis and Daniel Acuna are all kicking off their big summer event by all but confirming that Steve was ALWAYS working for the sinister corporation of bad guys.

I did Nazi that coming.

Captain America: Steve Rogers #1 outed Rogers as a Hydra Agent, causing uproar that Marvel would ally itself with a Nazi-supporting regime and a desecration of the memory of Captain America's (Jewish) creator Joe Simon.

The reveal posed that Rogers's past had been manipulated by the Cosmic Cube and re-written so that he was indoctrinated into Hydra as a child. Even helping the allies win WWII, it meant that Hydra had the ultimate secret weapon lurking in the government. If that weren't bad enough, #SecretEmpire kicks off with a bang by revealing the reverse and a "true" reality where we actually lost the war.

According to the latest issue, it was actually the allies who used the Cosmic Cube and created their own false world where they won with Cap as the American Dream. Starting the story back in 1945, we see Captain America invited to a Hydra occupied temple and the revelation that the Allies plan on using the Cosmic Cube to write their own victory and destroy the Marvel universe that we know.

Tell me lies.

It is an action-packed issue where most of the planet's heroes are trapped and unable to help, S.H.I.E.L.D. falls, and New York is completely cut-off — there is plenty to digest. However, as the issue ends with Hydra descending on Washington and Steve Rogers ruling under the new title of their "Supreme Leader," we have to accept the reality that Captain America was always an agent of Hydra — no matter what the reality. A relationship with Peggy, two Civil Wars, countless times wielding the shield — well, to put it in St. Elsewhere reality — it was all a dream.

In short, the whole character has always been a lie. The past 76 years of supporting his tight-fitting suit was all a ruse from Hydra. Well, it wasn't; Joe Simon and Jack Kirby would surely never have planned for that storyline in 2017, but for now, this is what we are left with. Giving Hitler a sucker punch may have happened, but it was all thanks to the warped reality of the Cosmic Cube. Now it is up to an enlightened Cap to undo the Marvel Universe and restore Hydra to its rightful glory of winning the war — or so we are lead to believe.

Undoubtedly the story will continue over the arc, but as one of the most popular superheroes in the world, you have to ask how the team can pull this one back. With reality-altering cubes, anything is possible, however, with layer upon layer of deceit, it is all getting a bit headachey for us to follow. You have to hand it to Spencer and co. though, they all know how to sell a good hook to pick up a copy.