Captain America: Sam Wilson Issue #19 Preview

[Digifiend]

Isn't Jane selling better than Thor has for some time though? I'm sure they'll end up figuring out some sort of solution to her cancer plot so she can carry on.

Totally Awesome Hulk isn't selling very well now, so it's days are numbered... I think Amadeus will still be a Hulk alongside Jen and Bruce though, even if he just ends up appearing only in Champions. We have several duplicate mantle heroes already, Sam Wilson being one of them as one of five Captain Americas and one of two with their own title. The originals coming back shouldn't stop the replacements keeping the mantles, and a new Falcon existing won't stop Sam from reverting to his old name. We have three Spider-Men (Sam cited that when suggesting he and Steve share the Cap name, though he only knew about Peter and Miles, not 2099), two Hawkeyes, three Iron heroes...

tl/dr It doesn't matter what Sam calls himself.

[Frontier]

Is Jane Foster riding Thor Odinson's coat tails too?

Well, yeah, kinda.

She's taken his (literal) name and hammer, plus his major role in Asgard (with supporting cast and Rogues), to become the solo star she is right now.

I think you'd be hard-pressed to find a legacy hero who doesn't take a lot of cues and elements from their predecessor. The only major exceptions I can think of are Carol Danvers and Kamala Khan.

[Ianbarreilles]

Well, yeah, kinda.

She's taken his (literal) name and hammer, plus his major role in Asgard (with supporting cast and Rogues), to become the solo star she is right now.

I think you'd be hard-pressed to find a legacy hero who doesn't take a lot of cues and elements from their predecessor. The only major exceptions I can think of are Carol Danvers and Kamala Khan.

I don't know kamala is still wearing Carol's long time ms marvel symbol so the connection is still there regardless of what many think I think she'll always be a legacy character.

I think what sets her apart from her powers and her being younger us that kamala khan has a really different personality compared to Carol Danvers.

[Punjabi_Hitman]

If Sam doesn't keep the Captain America symbol, than I hope he gets a new one. The name Falcon has always and will always be relegated to as Cap's sidekick. He needs a new name to show his evolution as a character and it has to be original damnit not some previously used name. Besides he already has a Falcon on his team.

But of course nostalgia only works for comic fans nothing else that makes logical sense. He's earned an original name damnit, it's about damn time.

[XPac]

Well, yeah, kinda.

She's taken his (literal) name and hammer, plus his major role in Asgard (with supporting cast and Rogues), to become the solo star she is right now.

I think you'd be hard-pressed to find a legacy hero who doesn't take a lot of cues and elements from their predecessor. The only major exceptions I can think of are Carol Danvers and Kamala Khan.

I still think it's ridiculous that Jane literally took Thor's name. Sam didn't start calling himself Steve when he took the shield.

[John Ossie]

I still think it's ridiculous that Jane literally took Thor's name. Sam didn't start calling himself Steve when he took the shield.

Quoted in agreement.

[J. D. Guy]

I think ideally it would be great if Sam could go back to being Falcon and take with him the kind of team-based approach to tackling hard-hitting issues from his tenure with Cap, to make him being Falcon again really mean something beyond being Captain America or Steve's partner and give his Cap tenure some lasting impact.

Not to mention it would go along with the social aspect that was a part of his character as Falcon from the early days and the Christopher Priest Falcon mini.

Perhaps a part of it is me simply not being around when Sam being Falcon was a thing in the comics (or being around other characters at the time and not Sam, etc.), but I would very much feel that Sam going back to Falcon would be a step backwards, not only mantle-wise, perceived or otherwise, but in general development. Not only would I feel that it'd be poor for Sam as a character, but it would also look poor on Marvel, too, that they can't have two concurrent Captain Americas, or more implicitly and cynically on my part, that they can't have a black Captain America.

On top of that, Joaquin Torres is now The Falcon. A lot of people may not realize this, especially people who don't follow this book and/or don't follow it closely. Sam going back to being Falcon simply to do so, for whichever reason used or created, would directly step on Joaquin's toes in a way that Sam being Captain America does not step on Steve's.

This is just speculation on my part, but in addition to Joaquin being introduced and made to be Sam's partner so as to have Sam's character come full circle (which I think is simple fact, in this case), I also feel that Joaquin being made to be the new Falcon was done as an underlined way of saying that Sam is staying Captain America and isn't going back to being Falcon. With that said, of course, I very much could be wrong, and even if I were right, that wouldn't necessarily stop another writer from making Sam Falcon again and either limbo-ing or out-right bridging Joaquin, but still.

Also, he can still be, and still is currently in this very book, a character driven by social aspects, while still being and remaining Captain America anyway.

[Huntsman Spider]

Perhaps a part of it is me simply not being around when Sam being Falcon was a thing in the comics (or being around other characters at the time and not Sam, etc.), but I would very much feel that Sam going back to Falcon would be a step backwards, not only mantle-wise, perceived or otherwise, but in general development. Not only would I feel that it'd be poor for Sam as a character, but it would also look poor on Marvel, too, that they can't have two concurrent Captain Americas, or more implicitly and cynically on my part, that they can't have a black Captain America.

On top of that, Joaquin Torres is now The Falcon. A lot of people may not realize this, especially people who don't follow this book and/or don't follow it closely. Sam going back to being Falcon simply to do so, for whichever reason used or created, would directly step on Joaquin's toes in a way that Sam being Captain America does not step on Steve's.

This is just speculation on my part, but in addition to Joaquin being introduced and made to be Sam's partner so as to have Sam's character come full circle (which I think is simple fact, in this case), I also feel that Joaquin being made to be the new Falcon was done as an underlined way of saying that Sam is staying Captain America and isn't going back to being Falcon. With that said, of course, I very much could be wrong, and even if I were right, that wouldn't necessarily stop another writer from making Sam Falcon again and either limbo-ing or out-right bridging Joaquin, but still.

Also, he can still be, and still is currently in this very book, a character driven by social aspects, while still being and remaining Captain America anyway.

Not to mention that Nick Spencer is far from the first Captain America writer to tackle American sociopolitical issues. That goes all the way back to Mark Gruenwald using both Captain America and his rogues to explore and question what America, the country itself, stood for and meant to different (kinds of) people. John Walker actually came to be during the Gruenwald run, challenging Steve Rogers for being "too soft" and not "tough enough" to defend America from its enemies. Steve even gave up the Captain America mantle during that period because he didn't want to be used for missions that ran counter to his principles and ideals, causing Walker to take up the role until it turned out he was being manipulated by the Red Skull in an attempt to discredit Captain America. In fact, Walker himself had to reexamine some of his views when pitted against foes who shared his more right-wing stance on issues but took it to very violent and unlawful extremes, and also turned out to be pawns of the Red Skull, whether they knew it or not. So yes, social examination is nothing new to Captain America.

[Frontier]

Perhaps a part of it is me simply not being around when Sam being Falcon was a thing in the comics (or being around other characters at the time and not Sam, etc.), but I would very much feel that Sam going back to Falcon would be a step backwards, not only mantle-wise, perceived or otherwise, but in general development. Not only would I feel that it'd be poor for Sam as a character, but it would also look poor on Marvel, too, that they can't have two concurrent Captain Americas, or more implicitly and cynically on my part, that they can't have a black Captain America.

On top of that, Joaquin Torres is now The Falcon. A lot of people may not realize this, especially people who don't follow this book and/or don't follow it closely. Sam going back to being Falcon simply to do so, for whichever reason used or created, would directly step on Joaquin's toes in a way that Sam being Captain America does not step on Steve's.

This is just speculation on my part, but in addition to Joaquin being introduced and made to be Sam's partner so as to have Sam's character come full circle (which I think is simple fact, in this case), I also feel that Joaquin being made to be the new Falcon was done as an underlined way of saying that Sam is staying Captain America and isn't going back to being Falcon. With that said, of course, I very much could be wrong, and even if I were right, that wouldn't necessarily stop another writer from making Sam Falcon again and either limbo-ing or out-right bridging Joaquin, but still.

Also, he can still be, and still is currently in this very book, a character driven by social aspects, while still being and remaining Captain America anyway.

I think they've already proved that we can have a Black Captain America given how long Sam's tenure has lasted at this point, or that we could have a period with a Cap that's not Steve Rogers (though he'll always come back).

Whether it needs to be permanent or not is a different question, but I feel between comics, animation, and movies, Sam's most iconic role is still as The Falcon, just as Bucky's is the Winter Soldier. Any of the stuff that's made him a compelling Cap can be brought back to make him a compelling Falcon, and even have their roots in his history as Falc.

They could obviously still keep him as Cap and keep going on as they are, and if Marvel feel he'll sell better that way then he would as The Falcon, that's fine. But I still think what's working for Sam now could translate back to him as Falcon if he were to ever go back to that identity.

When we're getting two's of practically every hero these days, I don't think there's any big concern about "stepping on someone's toes." Granted, I'm not all that enthusiastic about Joaquin or him as Sam's partner to begin with, but I'm sure they could work something with him out.

[Bookem Danno]

So, is this court trial implying that the Americops are just normal humans? They testify in court of law with no foofaraw or objections to their ability and evidence of trashing Rage. Do we know if they are just humans in special cop suits yet?
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon...._QL80_TTD_.jpg

[Tycon]

Honestly, I think it essentially is. Just like Batman is Bruce Wayne even if Grayson and Gordon and Azreal were all Batman. Walker and Bucky were Captain America for periods of time, but essentially the Captain America franchise is Steve Rogers. Other characters carrying the mantle were frankly just keeping it warm for him.

And I'll say the same thing for the new Thor and the new Hulk and the new Iron Man. They're trying new stuff and that's good .... but the originals all reclaiming their spots is inevitable.

That's a state of mind. There's a difference between a character having a title because they are meant to have it and a character having a set title because "sales". Like Spider-Man. The entire theme of SM has centered around two main ideas: 1)relatability & 2) responsibility. The idea that anyone can be Spider-Man if they take head that with great power also comes responsibility seems lost when it comes to that actually being applied to legacies. This is the same case with Captain America and why this is a mantle that can be passed on. I mean, tons of people have been Captain America and just because Rogers came back to it doesn't mean it necessarily belongs to him. You can't compare Batman to Captain America. Bruce became "Batman" because of some that directly affected him while Steve wasn't even the first one to pick up the mantle.

[XPac]

That's a state of mind. There's a difference between a character having a title because they are meant to have it and a character having a set title because "sales". Like Spider-Man. The entire theme of SM has centered around two main ideas: 1)relatability & 2) responsibility. The idea that anyone can be Spider-Man if they take head that with great power also comes responsibility seems lost when it comes to that actually being applied to legacies. This is the same case with Captain America and why this is a mantle that can be passed on. I mean, tons of people have been Captain America and just because Rogers came back to it doesn't mean it necessarily belongs to him. You can't compare Batman to Captain America. Bruce became "Batman" because of some that directly affected him while Steve wasn't even the first one to pick up the mantle.

Who was Captain America before Steve?

Regardless, it's true that there have been other Captain Americas and they have come and gone. It was just a story, and once it was done being told Steve got the mantle back and the other character went on to do something else. Maybe that won't happen to Sam... but given it's happened every other time I don't think my prediction is all that bold. But we'll see.

[Tycon]

Who was Captain America before Steve?

Regardless, it's true that there have been other Captain Americas and they have come and gone. It was just a story, and once it was done being told Steve got the mantle back and the other character went on to do something else. Maybe that won't happen to Sam... but given it's happened every other time I don't think my prediction is all that bold. But we'll see.

Isaiah Bradley was the first Captain America, back when scientists first used the serum on black people to make sure it worked before handing it over to a white person (aka Rogers).

Also, yeah I know that Rogers always comes back to the mantle. I addressed that it still doesn't make the mantle his. He didn't start it and I doubt he'll be CA very soon with Secret Empire on the horizon.

[Frontier]

It's an interesting question to ponder, how much what it stands for defines the Superhero identity, and how much the person using it does.

Though I guess when you get right down to it, it's always going to need both.