The Road To Marvel’s Secret Empire

Sam Wilson Becomes Captain America

For the past decade or so, Marvel has been developing the idea of ‘Legacy Heroes’ – with old, established heroes passing on their titles to new, more diverse figures. At roughly the same time, Marvel began to press ahead with not one but two major new Legacy Heroes; Sam Wilson took over as Captain America, and Jane Foster became the female Thor.

Sam Wilson is revealed in Captain America #25, and the dialogue is on-point. Where the identity of the new Thor was kept secret for almost a year after the character’s first appearance, Marvel marketed Sam Wilson to the world’s media. As with all of the company’s Legacy Heroes, the choice received mixed responses; some embraced it, while others fumed at an example of ‘political correctness.’

Captain America: Sam Wilson #1

In late 2015, Nick Spencer launched a new Captain America: Sam Wilson comic – and he immediately signalled the political direction he planned to take. This first issue featured a group of villains known as the Sons of the Serpent, who were opposed to immigration and declared their hope for the building of the Great Wall. In other words, the Sons of the Serpent were clearly Donald Trump supporters, and Sam Wilson stood for diversity in battle against them.

Fox was not impressed, and fumed at the idea that comics would dabble in politics. Salon.com probably gave the best rejoinder:

“It’s… more than a little weird to see all these outlets describe the bad guys in this comic as mere conservatives. If you find yourself relating to a group of murderers who threaten anyone who crosses the border with death, you’ve crossed the line from “conservative” into something far more frightening.”

There’s a strong sense in which this issue sets the direction of Nick Spencer’s whole arc, so it’s a must-read on the road to Secret Empire.

Captain America: Sam Wilson #2

Nick Spencer was getting the pieces in place as early as the second issue of Captain America: Sam Wilson. S.H.I.E.L.D. wound up in a spot of controversy when a hacker known as the Whisperer – in reality Rick Jones – leaked information about a secret Cosmic Cube project, Kobik. Both Sam Wilson and Steve Rogers were furious, and Rogers wound up becoming the new Chief of Civilian Oversight of S.H.I.E.L.D..

It was a subtle detail, but it re-established the connection between Steve Rogers and the organization. Spencer was planning out his strategy like a chess mastermind, and he was positioning Rogers for some major developments down the line.

In a prescient moment, the issue continues the political debate by inspiring an argument on an airplane – in which the words “Americans first” are uttered.