Marvel is just a few weeks away from officially kicking off Secret Empire. This new event crossover explores what happens when the Avengers suffer their greatest betrayal ever. Captain America is secretly a Hydra agent, and he's been busy paving the way for Hydra's worldwide takeover.
How did Marvel's most shining hero become its Benedict Arnold? How long has this story been in the works? And what do you need to know to fully appreciate this crossover? We have the answers you seek. Scroll down to find out the origins of this epic conflict and what you'll need to read to follow the Secret Empire saga.
The current Captain America status quo has its roots in Rick Remender's Captain America run. During the course of that story, Steve Rogers had the Super-Soldier Serum drained from his body, instantly turning him from ageless stud to withered old man. Steve had no choice to pass the Captain America mantle to a more physically capable hero. Thus, the shield passed to former Falcon Sam Wilson.
Since then, Sam has remained Captain America, combining the familiar patriotic motif with his trademark wings. Not everyone in the Marvel U. is enamored with the new Cap, however, as Sam has proven to be a much more political and outspoken hero. His image problems have only grown since Steve was restored to health and resumed his superhero career. Currently, both Sam and Steve co-exist as Captain America, much like Steve and Bucky briefly shared the role during Marvel's Heroic Age status quo. Sam still wields the original shield, while Steve carries a new weapon modeled after his original WWII-era shield.
So far, the two Caps remain on friendly terms, despite the fact that they found themselves on opposite sides of the conflict in last year's Civil War II. But it's safe to say their friendship won't survive the events of Secret Empire. Sam and his fellow Avengers are about to learn the painful truth about Steve Rogers.
Steve's return as Captain America came about in last year's Avengers Standoff: Assault on Pleasant Hill crossover. He was transformed back into his youthful, super-strong self by Kobik, a sentient Cosmic Cube taking the form of a young girl. But readers soon learned that Kobik's healing touch came with a rather large caveat.
Writer Nick Spencer followed up Avengers Standoff with a new ongoing series called Captain America: Steve Rogers. The very first issue ended with a huge bombshell, as Cap betrayed his partner Nomad and announced his loyalty to Hydra.
In the year since, Spencer has slowly shed light on the nature of this twist. It turns out that Steve has been a Hydra loyalist since childhood. He was recruited by a mysterious woman named Elisa Sinclair to join a special academy. Despite his frail health, Steve rose through the ranks and found himself being groomed to become the perfect weapon - one who could fool the Allied powers into believing he was on their side while secretly helping the Axis and Hydra win WWII. So much of what readers thought they knew about Steve's past has been altered, from his connection to Dr. Abraham Erskine to his relationship to villains like Red Skull and Baron Zemo.
The question throughout this storyline has been whether this new account of Steve's past is real or simply the result of Kobik rewriting Steve's memories. But the more Spencer reveals about Hydra Cap, the more it appears that the old Steve Rogers was a lie, and this Steve Rogers is the real deal. More on that in a bit.
Steve Rogers' heel turn is just one piece of a massive, decades-long pan to usher in a new age of Hydra rule across the globe. The mastermind behind this plot is none other than Elisa Sinclair, the same woman who rescued young Steve Rogers from an abusive home and groomed him to become Hydra's greatest soldier. The seemingly immortal Elisa has now resurfaced in the present day, where she's become the latest woman to take up the mantle of Madame Hydra. While the new Madame Hydra looks to be top dog in this villainous organization, she's also been recruting other villains to her cause. Hydra is a many-headed beast, after all.
In addition to Madame Hydra and Cap himself, the new Hydra features six leaders:
The Kraken - This armored villain tasks himself with helping people "become who they're meant to be." The original Kraken, Daniel Whitehall, was instrumental in helping Steve Rogers become Captain America. Whitehall has been dead for several years now, and during the course of Jonathan Hickman's Secret Warriors, he was impersonated by Jacob Fury (spying on Hydra for his brother, Nick). The current Kraken's identity is unknown, though it's strongly hinted that he's someone Steve Rogers knows well.
Arnim Zola - One of the early movers and shakers in Hydra, Arnim Zola managed to cheat death by digitizing his consciousness. He now exists inside a series of robotic bodies, free to carry out his twisted science experiments till the end of time.
Viper - This expert martial artist, strategist and poison aficionado has a long history with Hydra, even serving as Madame Hydra herself on various occasions.
Dr. Faustus - Faustus is a master of hypnotism. It was he who brainwashed Sharon Carter into assassinating Steve Rogers in the aftermath of the original Civil War. Now, as Hydra begins its worldwide takeover, the organization relies heavily on Faustus' trickery to keep S.H.I.E.L.D.'s agents compliant and loyal.
The Hive - Once an ordinary agent of Hydra, the Hive is now more monster than man. The Hive can use its tentacled offspring to take control of others and build his own army of faceless drones.
The Gorgon - His fighting skill is impressive enough that Gorgon would be one of the most dangerous men in the world even without his ability to turn others into stone with a gaze. Gorgon is a brilliant tactician who usually leads the charge whenever Hydra's forces enter into battle.
One name that's conspicuously absent from this list is Red Skull. This iconic Captain America villain has helped Hydra regain its strength, converting the organization into a sort of grassroots terrorist organization. He believed himself responsible for Steve Rogers' transformation from Avenger to Hydra mole. But Red Skull realized too late that he was merely a pawn in Madame Hydra's grand plan. He was killed by Cap in the lead-up to Secret Empire, with Madame Hydra eager to reclaim her organization from the Nazi tyrant whom she feels corrupted its pure, noble mission.
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