Many non-comic fans dismiss Captain America as blindly patriotic. That's so far from the truth. Cap's faith in his government has been tested many times in the past. In fact, when he discovered the US President was a member of the Secret Empire, Steve Rogers quit being Captain America and briefly took on a new identity as Nomad. Now, Cap's faith is tested again. He's already been shaken by the actions of the murderous Scourge of the Underworld. But he's about to be undermined by a younger, more aggressive kind of American hero, the Super-Patriot. Add to that the most shocking assault on the Avengers in the team's history and the Commission on Superhuman Activities attempts to claim ownership of Steve Rogers and the man might just decide he's no longer willing to wear the flag, once again.
It might be a little cheesy at times, but the second major chapter in Mark Gruenwald's stint as writer of the adventures of the most iconic patriotic super-hero of all time is still a fantastic breakdown of the reasons why not just anyone can be Captain America. His overwhelming goodness might be too cornball for some, but if there were more like Steve Rogers out there and less like John Walker, we might find ourselves living on a happier planet.
While I've included some issues of the Avengers' title as 'must-reads', it's more to highlight the importance of Captain America in keeping the legend of Earth's Mightiest Heroes alive. The period when Gilgamesh joined was hardly a highlight in Avengers history. Make sure you check out UNDER SIEGE, though. A pure and simple '80s Marvel classic!
MCG Notes:
- Issue listings in blue & black: The must-read Captain America stories from this time period, along with any often-forgotten tales that are worth a read.
- issue listings in grey: Part of Caps chronology, cameo appearances or stories of note that non-essential or no longer considered 'required reading'.
- Chronology: Every Steve Rogers and John Walker appearance from this period is included in chronological order - mapping out his timeline rather than just the order the issues were released.
- Spoilers: The are some spoilers in the story overviews, though I've tried to keep them to a minimum - just be warned!
- WANT TO KEEP IT SIMPLE? Scroll down to THE CORE LIST to see a version of this reading order without story descriptions, page-by-page breakdowns or less important appearances - just a list of the essentials.
For more on Captain America's previous stories, see these reading orders:
- 1985-1986: Justice is Served
First appearance of Super-Patriot (John Walker) and the BUCkies (later identified as Lemar Hoskins, Hector Lennox and Jerome Johnson); recent events have taken their toll on Steve Rogers, but now another red, white and blue hero - Super-Patriot - rises, claiming to be more in line with America's true ideals than Captain America.
Avengers #273 (1986)
Captain America #324 (1986)
Avengers #274-277 (1986-1987)
The Avengers come under attack from the new Masters of Evil; Baron Zemo has formed an army of super-villains who devastate Avengers Mansion, take Captain America and Edwin Jarvis hostage, hospitalise Hercules and destroy the only pictures Cap had of his mother and Bucky Barnes; with help from Doctor Druid, the Avengers manage to drive the Masters out of the Mansion and thwart Baron Zemo's plans during UNDER SIEGE.
First full appearance of the Slug (Ulysses Lugman); first appearance of Priscilla Lyons; Captain America has to step in when his former sidekick, Nomad (Jack Monroe), tries to kill the Miami drug-lord known as the Slug; Doctor Faustus preys on Captain America's fears and doubts when he investigates Skull-House, former-home of the deceased Red Skull; the Super-Patriot continues to undermine Captain America.
Avengers #278-279 (1987)
The Avengers set up a new headquarters on Hydrobase; when the Wasp leaves the team, Captain America nominates Captain Marvel (Monica Rambeau) as Chairman.
Avengers #281-285 (1987)
Zeus transports the Avengers to Olympus to make them pay for the state of his son, Hercules.
Mephisto Vs #4(pp.1-21) (1987)
Thor #381(p.4) (1987)
Mephisto Vs #4(p.22) / Thor #381(p.7) (1987)
The Avengers come to Thor's rescue when Mephisto tries to steal his soul during THIS HALLOWED ARMOR.
The Avengers efforts to bring Magneto to justice leads to several clashes with the X-Men and the Soviet Super-Soldiers.
Marvels: Eye of the Camera #5 (2009)
Captain America cameo; Phil Sheldon watches coverage of Magneto's trial in Paris.
X-Men vs the Avengers #4(pp.17-28) (1987)
Captain America is called to the stand and speaks positively about Magneto; Magneto uses the circuitry in his helmet to telepathically sway the judge's decision, but only ends up increasing anti-mutant hysteria.
Captain America #328-331 (1987)
Fantastic Four #306 (1987)
First appearance of Dennis Dunphy as Demolition Man; first appearance of Douglas Rockwell; Captain America's investigation into the Super-Patriot reveals a connection with the Power Broker, a man who offers power augmentation for the right price; Cap gains a new ally in Demolition Man and clashes with the power-boosted Sweat Shop, G.I.Max and those the Power Broker accidentally transformed into freaks; with help from D-Man, the new Ms Marvel (Sharon Ventura) and the Night Shift, Captain America unearths Power Broker Inc's ties with the US Army; Cap drops Ms Marvel off at Four Freedoms Plaza during ALL IN THE FAMILY.
West Coast Avengers Annual #2 (1987)
Avengers Annual #16 (1987)
The East Coast Avengers team up with the West Coast Avengers and the Silver Surfer to battle in the Grandmaster's Legion of the Unliving and prevent a new Big Bang during WAR OF THE ELDERS OF THE UNIVERSE.
First appearance of the Commission on Superhuman Activities; Steve Rogers rejects Washington's demands to make Captain America an official entity of the US Government and quits as Cap; Super-Patriot kills the terrorist Warhead when he threatens to set off a nuke at the Washington Monument.
Captain America #333-335 (1987)
First appearance of John Walker as Captain America; first appearance of Lemar Hoskins as Bucky; first appearance of the Watchdogs; the Commission on Superhuman Activities employ the Super-Patriot as the new Captain America; one of the former-BUCkies becomes the new Bucky; the new Cap is trained by the Taskmaster; the manager of the other former BUCkies, Ethan Thurm, tries to blackmail John Walker by threatening to tell the public he's filling in for the real Cap; the new Cap and Bucky take down the militant Watchdogs, but John Walker begins to show signs of mental instability.
MCG Note: Steve Rogers does not appear in these issues.
First appearance of Steve Rogers as The Captain; first appearance of Priscilla Lyons as Vagabond; first appearance of the Serpent Squad (Black Racer, Copperhead, Fer-de-Lance and Puff Adder); Nomad, Demolition Man, Nomad, Falcon and Vagabond track Steve Rogers down after he subdues the super-powered eco-warrior Brother Nature; Rogers becomes the Captain and leads his friends into battle against the Serpent Squad in Las Vegas, but their actions land both themselves and the Squad in jail; Sidewinder teleports the Serpent Squad out of jail and asks them to join his Serpent Society; Falcon convinces the police to let the Captain's team go; the new Captain America and Bucky go after Professor Power, but Walker beats Power to death to end his threat.
Captain America #339(pp.1-20) (1988)
The Captain's team face Famine (of the Horsemen of Apocalypse) in Kansas; the new Captain America and Bucky arrive long after the Captain and his crew defeat Famine and she's teleported away by Apocalypse; during THE FALL OF THE MUTANTS / ARMOR WARS.
Captain America #339(p.21) / Iron Man #227(p.22) (1988)
Steve Rogers visits Tony Stark after contacting him for help and a new shield during THE FALL OF THE MUTANTS / ARMOR WARS.
Captain America #339(p.22) (1988)
Stark gives Steve Rogers a new, plain adamantium shield in the hopes it'll win favour with him and dissuade him from interfering in the next stage of his plan to reclaim all of his stolen technology during THE FALL OF THE MUTANTS / ARMOR WARS.
Captain America #340(pp.1-2) / Iron Man #228(pp.21-22) (1988)
Captain America #340(pp.3-22) (1988)
Iron Man and James Rhodes break into the super-villain prison, the Vault, to nullify the Stark Enterprises technology that's being used by the Guardsmen without his consent, causing a break-out; the Captain follows Iron Man in and tries to stop him, but the armoured Avenger electrocutes him in a sneak attack; the Captain and his crew recapture the escaped criminals during ARMOR WARS.
Avengers #290 (1988)
The sentient Cosmic Cube that calls itself Kubik summons the Captain back to Avengers Mansion to help defeat the Super-Adaptoid and free the captured Avengers.
Thor #390 (1988)
Thor arrives on Hydrobase and learns of Steve Rogers' new identity and Iron Man's treachery; Hydrobase is attacked by Seth's agent, Grog the God Crusher and his minions the Demons of Death; when Thor becomes separated from his hammer, Mjolnir, Steve Rogers lifts it for the first time and uses it to defeat the Demons of Death; Thor defeats Grog and seals the portal he emerged from.
Captain America #341[1/3] (1988)
The Captain returns to Stark Enterprises to return his adamantium shield to Tony Stark; the Captain threatens to take Iron Man , but he escapes during ARMOR WARS.
Captain America #341[2/3] (1988)
First appearance of Lemar Hoskins as Battlestar; first appearance of Hector Lennox and Jerome Johnson as Left-Winger and Right-Winger, respectively; Lemar Hoskins creates a new costumed identity for himself when he learns "buck" is actually an offensive term for a black man in some parts of the country; at a press conference, Captain America announces he's not the original Cap and introduces Battlestar; the disgruntled former BUCkies attack the press conference as Left-Winger and Right-Winger who announce Walker's real name for all to hear, but they're soon brought down by Captain America and Battlestar.
MCG Note: Steve Rogers does not appear in this story.
Spectacular Spider-Man #137-138 (1988)
When the new Tarantula's mission to track down dissidents seeking refuge in the US is interrupted by Spider-Man, the government of San Pablo make a deal with the US Government to gain some extra help from the new Captain America; after an initial clash, Captain America joins forces with Spider-Man when he learns of a larger conspiracy.
MCG Note: Steve Rogers does not appear in this story.
Captain America #341[3/3] (1988)
The four new members of the Serpent Society are actually working for the Viper (Ophelia Sarkissian) who teleports in, poisons Sidewinder and takes over their Serpent Citadel headquarters; Diamondback puts in a call to Captain America's hotline for help...
MCG Note: Neither Steve Rogers or John Walker appear in this story.
Captain America #342-344 (1988)
First appearance of Mutant Force as the Resistants (Byron Calley as Crucible, Ned Lathrop as Meteorite, Peter Quinn as Occult and Randall Darby as Paralyzer); first appearance of Quill; the Captain receives a new shield from the Black Panther; the Captain and his crew come to Diamondback's aid and defeat most of Viper's Serpent Squad cronies; the remaining members of Mutant Force rebrand themselves as the Resistants to oppose the Mutant Registration Act, coming to the rescue of a mutant named Quill when Captain America and Battlestar are tasked with hunting down unregistered mutants; Battlestar begins to question his role now that he's hunting down minorities; Cobra and Copperhead add the Viper's concoction to the water supply in Washington, turning humans into snake-people when they drink it; against his orders, the new Captain America heads to Washington and apprehends Diamondback and Nomad while Battlestar knocks Demolition Man into unconsciousness; Cobra helps the Captain apprehend the Viper while people (mostly) revert back to human form.
Marvel Comics Presents #2[4/4] (1988)
The demonic Fear-Eater animates a cryogenically frozen man into a villain called Cold War to toy with the Captain's fears of being frozen in ice again.
Captain America #345-347 (1988)
First appearance of the third Scourge of the Underworld; John Walker begins to question the Committee's decisions when they try to convince him to apprehend Steve Rogers for trying to kill the President; the Watchdogs kidnap John Walker's parents; when they he goes against orders and tries to free them, Walker's parents are killed by the Watchdogs' gunfire, sending him on a murderous rampage which ends with every Watchdog dead; Nomad accepts help from Sidewinder in escaping incarceration when he teleports in to rescue Diamondback; Commission member Douglas Rockwell is revealed to be in league with a sinister benefactor; the Captain turns himself in to the Commission; the Resistants gain more allies, forcing the Committee to send Captain America, Battlestar and Freedom Force to take them down, only for Walker to give in to his rage which leaves some of the Resistants dead; Albert Malik (the Communist Red Skull) is killed by a new Scourge of the Underworld; the new Captain America kills Left-Winger and Right-Winger for their role in his parents' deaths.
Captain America #348 (1988)
Flag-Smasher defeats the new Captain America and demands to deal with the real one before the world is plunged into chaos; Steve Rogers' cell is left open to allow his escape.
Avengers #298 (1988)
The Captain returns to New York to discover the Avengers have disbanded; the Captain rescues Edwin Jarvis from a demonically-possessed car during INFERNO / FUTURES IMPERFECT.
Avengers Annual #17[1/2] (1988)
The Captain desperately forms a temporary team of Avengers to combat the High Evolutionary's plans to rapidly evolve the human race; Jocasta and Yellowjacket (Rita DeMara) become Avengers for the first time during THE EVOLUTIONARY WAR / FUTURES IMPERFECT / PRIDE GOETH BEFORE THE FALL.
Captain America #349 (1989)
The Captain asks Demolition Man to join the Avengers; D-Man has a brief rematch with Battlestar before the Captain leads them both on a mission to rescue John Walker from Flag-Smasher and ULTIMATUM; Flag-Smasher asks the Captain to help him dismantle a doomsday device he'd inadvertently built on behalf of the Red Skull (could it have been Albert Malik?), though it appears Demolition Man is killed in the explosion during FUTURES IMPERFECT.
Avengers #299-300[1/2] (1989)
The Captain forms another new Avengers line-up to combat Kang's latest attack in the middle of a demonic invasion in New York City; Mister Fantastic, the Invisible Woman and Gilgamesh become Avengers for the first time during INFERNO / FUTURES IMPERFECT.
Captain America #350[1/4] (1989)
Both the Captain and Captain America separately converge on the Smith Building in Washington, DC; Douglas Rockwell is killed by a gas that leaves him with a red skull; a man claiming to be Steve Rogers employs the Scourge, a Watchdog, ULTIMATUM agent, a Resistant, a Sweat Shop minion and others to attack the new Captain America; 'Steve Rogers' reveals he's really the original Red Skull; the Captain defeats Captain America in battle; the Red Skull's new face is mutated into a red skull when he's exposed to his own gas; John Walker convinces Steve Rogers to become Captain America again.
Captain America #350[4/4] (1989)
A tales set much earlier reveals how Arnim Zola cloned a new body to house the resurrected Red Skull using Steve Rogers' DNA.
MCG Note: Neither Steve Rogers nor John Walker appear in this story.
Captain America #351 (1989)
At a press conference, the new Captain America (Walker) hands the shield back to the original Captain America (Rogers) before John Walker is gunned down by one of the Watchdogs who, in turn, is killed by the new Scourge; Captain America carries out a strange mission for Nick Fury; John Walker's body goes missing from the morgue.
Iron Man #238 (1989)
Steve Rogers cameo; Steve meets up with Tony Stark to agree to put some of their issues behind them, especially now that there's a 'new man' in the Iron Man armour (even though that's just another one of Stark's lies).
Avengers #301-303 (1989)
First appearance of Super-Nova (Garthan Saal); first appearance of Hydrobase as Avengers Island; Captain America's new Avengers line-up gets assistance from the West Coast Avengers, Fantastic Four, Firelord and Quasar when Garthan Saal becomes the recipient of the powers of the entire Nova Corps and is driven mad.
Avengers Annual #18[2/4] (1989)
Following Super-Nova's rampage, Captain America offers Quasar membership in the Avengers during THE COSMIC AVENGER.
Thor #402 (1989)
Captain America cameo.
Thor arrives on Hydrobase and learns of Steve Rogers' new identity and Iron Man's treachery; Hydrobase is attacked by Seth's agent, Grog the God Crusher and his minions the Demons of Death; when Thor becomes separated from his hammer, Mjolnir, Steve Rogers lifts it for the first time and uses it to defeat the Demons of Death; Thor defeats Grog and seals the portal he emerged from.
Captain America #341[1/3] (1988)
The Captain returns to Stark Enterprises to return his adamantium shield to Tony Stark; the Captain threatens to take Iron Man , but he escapes during ARMOR WARS.
Captain America #341[2/3] (1988)
First appearance of Lemar Hoskins as Battlestar; first appearance of Hector Lennox and Jerome Johnson as Left-Winger and Right-Winger, respectively; Lemar Hoskins creates a new costumed identity for himself when he learns "buck" is actually an offensive term for a black man in some parts of the country; at a press conference, Captain America announces he's not the original Cap and introduces Battlestar; the disgruntled former BUCkies attack the press conference as Left-Winger and Right-Winger who announce Walker's real name for all to hear, but they're soon brought down by Captain America and Battlestar.
MCG Note: Steve Rogers does not appear in this story.
When the new Tarantula's mission to track down dissidents seeking refuge in the US is interrupted by Spider-Man, the government of San Pablo make a deal with the US Government to gain some extra help from the new Captain America; after an initial clash, Captain America joins forces with Spider-Man when he learns of a larger conspiracy.
MCG Note: Steve Rogers does not appear in this story.
Captain America #341[3/3] (1988)
The four new members of the Serpent Society are actually working for the Viper (Ophelia Sarkissian) who teleports in, poisons Sidewinder and takes over their Serpent Citadel headquarters; Diamondback puts in a call to Captain America's hotline for help...
MCG Note: Neither Steve Rogers or John Walker appear in this story.
Captain America #342-344 (1988)
First appearance of Mutant Force as the Resistants (Byron Calley as Crucible, Ned Lathrop as Meteorite, Peter Quinn as Occult and Randall Darby as Paralyzer); first appearance of Quill; the Captain receives a new shield from the Black Panther; the Captain and his crew come to Diamondback's aid and defeat most of Viper's Serpent Squad cronies; the remaining members of Mutant Force rebrand themselves as the Resistants to oppose the Mutant Registration Act, coming to the rescue of a mutant named Quill when Captain America and Battlestar are tasked with hunting down unregistered mutants; Battlestar begins to question his role now that he's hunting down minorities; Cobra and Copperhead add the Viper's concoction to the water supply in Washington, turning humans into snake-people when they drink it; against his orders, the new Captain America heads to Washington and apprehends Diamondback and Nomad while Battlestar knocks Demolition Man into unconsciousness; Cobra helps the Captain apprehend the Viper while people (mostly) revert back to human form.
Marvel Comics Presents #2[4/4] (1988)
The demonic Fear-Eater animates a cryogenically frozen man into a villain called Cold War to toy with the Captain's fears of being frozen in ice again.
First appearance of the third Scourge of the Underworld; John Walker begins to question the Committee's decisions when they try to convince him to apprehend Steve Rogers for trying to kill the President; the Watchdogs kidnap John Walker's parents; when they he goes against orders and tries to free them, Walker's parents are killed by the Watchdogs' gunfire, sending him on a murderous rampage which ends with every Watchdog dead; Nomad accepts help from Sidewinder in escaping incarceration when he teleports in to rescue Diamondback; Commission member Douglas Rockwell is revealed to be in league with a sinister benefactor; the Captain turns himself in to the Commission; the Resistants gain more allies, forcing the Committee to send Captain America, Battlestar and Freedom Force to take them down, only for Walker to give in to his rage which leaves some of the Resistants dead; Albert Malik (the Communist Red Skull) is killed by a new Scourge of the Underworld; the new Captain America kills Left-Winger and Right-Winger for their role in his parents' deaths.
Captain America #348 (1988)
Flag-Smasher defeats the new Captain America and demands to deal with the real one before the world is plunged into chaos; Steve Rogers' cell is left open to allow his escape.
The Captain returns to New York to discover the Avengers have disbanded; the Captain rescues Edwin Jarvis from a demonically-possessed car during INFERNO / FUTURES IMPERFECT.
Avengers Annual #17[1/2] (1988)
The Captain desperately forms a temporary team of Avengers to combat the High Evolutionary's plans to rapidly evolve the human race; Jocasta and Yellowjacket (Rita DeMara) become Avengers for the first time during THE EVOLUTIONARY WAR / FUTURES IMPERFECT / PRIDE GOETH BEFORE THE FALL.
The Captain asks Demolition Man to join the Avengers; D-Man has a brief rematch with Battlestar before the Captain leads them both on a mission to rescue John Walker from Flag-Smasher and ULTIMATUM; Flag-Smasher asks the Captain to help him dismantle a doomsday device he'd inadvertently built on behalf of the Red Skull (could it have been Albert Malik?), though it appears Demolition Man is killed in the explosion during FUTURES IMPERFECT.
Avengers #299-300[1/2] (1989)
The Captain forms another new Avengers line-up to combat Kang's latest attack in the middle of a demonic invasion in New York City; Mister Fantastic, the Invisible Woman and Gilgamesh become Avengers for the first time during INFERNO / FUTURES IMPERFECT.
Both the Captain and Captain America separately converge on the Smith Building in Washington, DC; Douglas Rockwell is killed by a gas that leaves him with a red skull; a man claiming to be Steve Rogers employs the Scourge, a Watchdog, ULTIMATUM agent, a Resistant, a Sweat Shop minion and others to attack the new Captain America; 'Steve Rogers' reveals he's really the original Red Skull; the Captain defeats Captain America in battle; the Red Skull's new face is mutated into a red skull when he's exposed to his own gas; John Walker convinces Steve Rogers to become Captain America again.
Captain America #350[4/4] (1989)
A tales set much earlier reveals how Arnim Zola cloned a new body to house the resurrected Red Skull using Steve Rogers' DNA.
MCG Note: Neither Steve Rogers nor John Walker appear in this story.
At a press conference, the new Captain America (Walker) hands the shield back to the original Captain America (Rogers) before John Walker is gunned down by one of the Watchdogs who, in turn, is killed by the new Scourge; Captain America carries out a strange mission for Nick Fury; John Walker's body goes missing from the morgue.
Iron Man #238 (1989)
Steve Rogers cameo; Steve meets up with Tony Stark to agree to put some of their issues behind them, especially now that there's a 'new man' in the Iron Man armour (even though that's just another one of Stark's lies).
Avengers #301-303 (1989)
First appearance of Super-Nova (Garthan Saal); first appearance of Hydrobase as Avengers Island; Captain America's new Avengers line-up gets assistance from the West Coast Avengers, Fantastic Four, Firelord and Quasar when Garthan Saal becomes the recipient of the powers of the entire Nova Corps and is driven mad.
Avengers Annual #18[2/4] (1989)
Following Super-Nova's rampage, Captain America offers Quasar membership in the Avengers during THE COSMIC AVENGER.
Thor #402 (1989)
Captain America cameo.
- Captain America #323
- Avengers #273
- Captain America #324
- Avengers #274-277
- Captain America #325-327
- Avengers #278-279
- Captain America #328-339
- Iron Man #228
- Captain America #340
- Avengers #290
- Thor #290
- Captain America #341-348
- Avengers #298
- Avengers Annual #17
- Captain America #349
- Avengers #299-300
- Captain America #350-351
- Avengers #301-303
Captain America's reading order continues:
- 1989-1991: I Am Legend
Captain America Epic Collection vol.13: Justice is Served
Includes Captain America #323-332.Captain America: The Captain
Collects Captain America #332-350 and Iron Man #228.
Captain America Epic Collection vol.15: The Bloodstone Hunt
Includes Captain America #351.
Avengers Epic Collection vol.16: Under Siege
Avengers: The Vibranium Collection Slipcase
Avengers: Under Siege
Include Avengers #273-277.
Avengers Epic Collection vol.17: Judgment Day
Includes Avengers #278-285, Avengers Annual #16, West Coast Avengers Annual #2 and X-Men vs the Avengers #1-4.
Avengers: Assault on Olympus
Collects Avengers #278-285.
Avengers: Heavy Metal
Includes Avengers #290.
Evolutionary War Omnibus
Includes Avengers Annual #17.
X-Men: Inferno Crossovers
Includes Avengers #298-300.
Avengers vs the Fantastic Four
Includes Avengers #301-303.
Thor Epic Collection vol.16: War of the Pantheons
Includes Thor #390.
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