Make Mine Marvel: Looking Back at “Captain America” by Ta-Nehisi Coates

Marvel Unlimited, Marvel’s digital comics subscription service, is once again offering all fans free access to some of Marvel’s most iconic stories from recent years, including now-classic Marvel Comics events and critically acclaimed runs featuring the Avengers, Spider-Man, Black Panther, Captain America, Captain Marvel, and more.

With that in mind, I’ve decided to take a look back at these classic stories and maybe help you decide whether or not you would like to check them out. Our next series takes us to an America that is recovering from being conquered by Hydra. A false Steve Rogers declared his allegiance for the terrorist organization and led them to victory before the real Captain America was able to stop them. Now, Cap has to regain the trust of the public.

Captain America by Ta-Nehisi Coates

Something is wrong in Washington. In the simplest possible terms, that is the plot of this Captain America story from writer Ta-Nehisi Coates. But it’s not just the normal politics creating this new problem. Someone is pulling the strings and creating much bigger problems, unleashing an army of cyborg Nukes on the nation’s capital.

On top of that, fresh off the events of “Secret Empire,” America is not willing to trust Steve Rogers anymore. The government has enlisted the help of Sharon Carter and the Winter Soldier, but Captain America is being left behind. That won’t stop him from getting involved though.

The threat is bigger than it may appear though. A mysterious organization has been assembled, taking the place of Hydra after they were dispatched, and making sure everything runs smoothly in America. But who assembled that organization and what is their true goal? Well, let’s just say they are not helping to restore the country’s faith in Captain America.

This story arc manages to be simultaneously fun and incredibly frustrating. Coates does a great job of putting together one of those stories where nothing seems to go right and things get progressively worse and worse. Cap of course manages to roll with the punches and take things as they come, but as the public’s trust in him fades more and more, the villain’s plot becomes infuriating to the reader.

That is nothing more than a sign of a great villain though. I won’t get into specifics as to who the big bad of this story really is, in order to avoid spoiling a major plot point, but they certainly do the job of getting the reader to hate them. They also accomplish their goal of bringing back a classic villain from the grave.

If a great villain isn’t enough to get you interested in a story, perhaps Cap teaming up with some old friends will do the trick. As I mentioned, Agent 13 and the Winter Soldier make appearances throughout this story, but Cap needs a little extra help for one mission in this story. That’s where the Black Panther and Okoye come in. There are plenty of other appearances from other fan-favorite characters as well.

Fair warning though, the series that is currently available for free ends with a huge cliffhanger. If you’re looking to take advantage of these free comics, you should know that you will absolutely be left wanting more at the end of this six-comic arc. Of course, if you are a Marvel Unlimited subscriber, that won’t be a problem for you.

You can read “Captain America” by Ta-Nehisi Coates for free now. And be sure to check back as we look back the rest of these classic Marvel Comics stories over the next several weeks.

Mike Mack
Mack is the Editorial Director for Marvel and ESPN content and he has covered comic cons, theme park events, video game showcases and other fun events. He is a fan of theme parks, sports, movies, Marvel Comics and is a self-proclaimed "nerd."