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[Dalek]

SPOILERS


As Civil War II Ends, Steve Rogers Lays Out His Plan to Make America Great Again

SPOILERS

Civil War II may have ended in the twilight of 2016, but its story wasn't really over until today's release of The Oath, an epilogue by Nick Spencer, Rod Reis, Phil Noto, Raffaele Ienco, Szymon Kudranski, and Dono Sánchez-Almara, which closes the book on the saga while setting up Marvel's big plans for its sinister take on Steve Rogers and its upcoming Secret Empire event.

The Oath mainly focuses on the latter rather than the former, as it flits between the unprecedented ”inauguration" of Captain America as the new head of SHIELD (complete with equally unprecedented bonus dystopian powers in the name of freedom and security, natch) and a heart-to-heart Steve has with the comatose body of Tony Stark. For all intents and purposes, Civil War II is done with the story, but the sentiment it's left behind—a distrust of the elite ruling class of superheroes amongst the general populace—is what drives Steve into making his opening moves in the bid to make Hydra the ruling power of the United States.

Unlike the recent revelation of Steve's incredibly, comically villainous plan to get aliens to invade the Earth, which was revealed in the pages of Captain America: Steve Rogers, this feels all very ”ripped from the headlines," from Steve's faux-inauguration as head of SHIELD being interspersed with shots of talking-head news broadcasts that wouldn't have felt out of place in last year's coverage of the U.S. election, but with more references to Captain America. Even Steve himself borrows some talking points from post-election discourse, as he lambast's Tony's unconscious body with tales of the common man, embittered by a liberal elite condescending to them—with the rights of LGBTQ Americans and other minority groups standing in for Mutants and Inhumans alike.

It is this populist anger that Steve—or at least, this cosmic-cube-twisted, Hydra-serving version of Steve we've currently got—aligns himself with. Steve gets increasingly angry with Tony, heckling the comatose Stark for not being there to oppose him as he promises to destroy everything the futurist and every other hero, regardless of their recent disagreements, has fought to defend for their whole lives. Steve lays out his plan to reduce the establishment—the very establishment he himself has power over now as director of a SHIELD at its most obtrusive and controlling—to rubble, to replace it with a ”stronger" rule of his own design, one he saw when Ulysses gave everyone the vision of his own death at Miles Morales hands. It's a vision that clearly wasn't meant for Civil War II but as a look to the future Steve Rogers desires:

A world where the minorities of the Marvel universe are rounded up in camps, where dissent is hunted down and rooted out in the name of patriotic allegiance.

 

[BFIB]

Wait...Captain America is Hydra?!

 

[Akainu]

So the hydra salute is riding a imaginary motorcycle huh?

 

[shingi70]

In universe what makes this any different than the past two debacles that Maria Hill and Carol Danvers caused. Only difference is Nazi Cap is at the helm.

 

[Hero]

Cyclops was right.

 

[Grizzlyjin]

Wait...Captain America is Hydra?!

Oh, honey. You slept through a shitstorm. Yeah, somebody will post the meme sooner or later.

 

[TheSeks]

Wait...Captain America is Hydra?!

.

 

[Galactic Specter]

Cyclops was right.

Rightclops

 

[El Topo]

Cyclops was right.

Cyclops is right where he belongs.

 

[JordanN]

Can't tell if it's a comic book, or documentary.

 

[Alienous]

Eh ... not subtle enough, I think.

 

[mr jones]

So Cap is part of Hydra, huh?
And Hydra takes over the US?

lol comics.

 

[Aske]

So glad I'm not reading these books. How depressing.

 

[Unspeakable Evil]

Huh So HydraCap is playing everyone like a damn fiddle to come out in top. Considering who their CEO is that's pretty brave of Marvel.

Wait...Captain America is Hydra?!

You didn't see the memes back in 2016?

 

[Interfectum]

When did Capt Murica become hydra?

 

[Tatsumaki Senpuukyaku!]

Using Captain America as a metaphor for the Trump administration is so...strange

 

[BattleMonkey]

They stole this plot from GI Joe

 

[rrc1594]

They stole this plot from GI Joe

Facts

 

[quesalupa]

Oh, honey. You slept through a shitstorm. Yeah, somebody will post the meme sooner or later.

Holy shit that never developed into a red herring?!

 

[adj_noun]

So what's the Marvel version of BUT HER EMAILS

 

[Ghostmaster]

That Hydra salute is the dumbest shit ever, just use a regular nazi salute, everyone knows who hydra really are

 

[Replicant]

Not like this.gif

This is why I don't read comics. The story often goes into soap-opera type of shenanigans.

 

[Dalek]

So what's the Marvel version of BUT HER EMAILS

Sam Wilson.

 

[Zaph]

 

[Trojita]

A world where the minorities of the Marvel universe are rounded up in camps, where dissent is hunted down and rooted out in the name of patriotic allegiance.

So for Mutants this is tuesday.

Dr. Strange's dumb ass can't tell something's wrong. He's 2/2 with this and Superior Spider-man.

Boring Miles Morales is going to be the one to do Cap in?

 

[Slayven]

Sam Wilson.

Shut your mouth. Sam Wilson is one of the best books out now.

 

[Mr. Poolman]

This has my attention.

 

[y2dvd]

Facts

Alternative facts!

 

[Unspeakable Evil]

Sam Wilson.

To think Sam Wilson has be perfect as Cap to get respect but Hydra Agent is running Shield.

 

[LiveFromKyoto]

In universe what makes this any different than the past two debacles that Maria Hill and Carol Danvers caused. Only difference is Nazi Cap is at the helm.

Nothing. The twist is that this was the real happy ending all along.

 

[siddx]

What's with the garbage art?

 

[Carcetti]

So Captain America is Trump, Tony Stark is Hillary, and Cyclops was Bernie Sanders.

 

[Dalek]

Shut your mouth. Sam Wilson is one of the best books out now.

dude-I meant that Steve has set up Sam Wilson for failure so that he can be vilified by the Marvel Universe's public and politicians. He was framed for killing that Congressman.

Sam Wilson is THE best book Marvel publishes.

 

[Alienous]

What's with the garbage art?

I wouldn't be surprised if they just came up with this storyline on inauguration day. The art does look rushed and scattershot.

 

[guek]

So Captain America is Trump, Tony Stark is Hillary, and Cyclops was Bernie Sanders.

Carol was Hillary

Cyclops was always Gary Johnson, face it Summers fans

 

[JeTmAn81]

So Cap is part of Hydra, huh?
And Hydra takes over the US?

lol comics.

Yes..."comics"

 

[LiveFromKyoto]

Holy shit that never developed into a red herring?!

Nope. Red Skull altered reality with a cosmic cube. It's real, but Bucky's running around with the MacGuffin that can undo it all.

 

[Slayven]

Who going to get Blue Marvel, Spectrum, and Ms.America to the prison camps?

 

[Carcetti]

Carol was Hillary

Cyclops was always Gary Johnson, face it Summers fans

No, Black Bolt is Johnson and Medusa is Stein. Both are loonies doomed to be unpopular forever no matter how hard they try.

 

[LiveFromKyoto]

dude-I meant that Steve has set up Sam Wilson for failure so that he can be vilified by the Marvel Universe's public and politicians. He was framed for killing that Congressman.

Sam Wilson is THE best book Marvel publishes.

Well, I mean, she's being a bitch about it but she's right.

 

[Tatsumaki Senpuukyaku!]

What's with the garbage art?

Getting comic book artists who are both good and consistent is a bit of a problem in 2017.

 

[Buckle]

Who going to get Blue Marvel, Spectrum, and Ms.America to the prison camps?

Yep.

I'm sure they'll introduce some sort of plot device to make it more believable but the idea that Hydra could take over the USA or actually be able to hold it for more than a week is kind of funny with guys like Thor and Hulk around.

They have a hard enough time fighting people without superpowers.

 

[SENPAIatLARGE]

Yep.

The idea that Hydra could take over the USA or actually be able to hold it for more than a week is laughable with guys like Thor and Hulk around.

Banner is dead

 

[LiveFromKyoto]

Who going to get Blue Marvel, Spectrum, and Ms.America to the prison camps?

Actually, this raises the real question in the MU. That team is probably powerful enough that they could track down the cosmic avatar of racism and punch its lights out. Why haven't they done more?

Banner is dead

But there's like 8 more hulks now.

 

[RareFantasy64]

Cyclops was right.

Came in here to say bringing Cyclops back would help me be more interested in the Marvel comic universe

 

[hawk2025]

Nope. Red Skull altered reality with a cosmic cube. It's real, but Bucky's running around with the MacGuffin that can undo it all.

...congress?

 

[Buckle]

Banner is dead

He'll get better.

Until then theres still Amadeus though. Speaking of which, I really need to start reading that. Loved Incredible Hercules.

 

[Rymuth]

This is all your fault, Carol.

 

[Nephtes]

At what point does Captain America get to play Basketball with President Trump?

 

[watership]

This is all your fault, Carol.

Let us blame the real villain here.