Earlier this month Marvel announced that Sam Wilson would be stepping up and swooping into the mantle of Captain America in November. Well, as we learned Thursday at the “House of Ideas” panel at Comic-Con International: San Diego, it’s coming a month sooner.
This October, Marvel will debut All-New Captain America: Fear Him, a six-part series in their Infinite Comic digital format set in the earliest days of Sam as Cap. Written by Avengers Arena’s Dennis Hopeless and drawn by Spawn artist Szymon Kudranski, it will give Wilson his first big test as Cap in a face-off with the fearful Scarecrow.
“All-New Captain America: Fear Him is a psychological thriller set in the first few days of Sam Wilson’s tenure as Captain America,” says Hopeless. “This is more or less the story of Sam’s first big test as the All-New Cap. It bridges the gap between the current Captain America series and All-New Captain America #1.”
The person whom the subtitle warns to “Fear Him” is the aforementioned Scarecrow, a villain created by two of Iron Man’s co-creators Stan Lee and Don Heck. In the past he’s faced off against a diverse array of heroes including the X-Men, Ghost Rider, Spider-Man, Moon Knight – and even Captain America and Falcon, when they weren’t one and the same.
With this series coming out one month before All-New Captain America, Hopeless will be among the first writers to write the Falcon as Cap (or Falcap as some have dubbed him). Hopeless said he’s talked with Cap writer Rick Remender and the character’s primary editor Tom Brevoort extensively before writing this story, and feels he understands Sam Wilson and his new role as Captain America.
“Sam Wilson is one of Cap’s oldest friends and the two are both strong, noble and heroic men. But Sam comes at the role from a different place. Sam didn’t fight Nazi’s in World War II or spend decades frozen in a block of ice,” Hopeless explains. “His perspective is much more modern and grounded. He wants to clean up his city and help the people around him.”
Although Steve Rogers will be effectively retired as a superhero by the time All-New Captain America: Fear Him is released in October, Hopeless says that the veteran will still be a big part of this six-part series.
“Steve’s body may be older and weaker but his mind is as sharp as ever. He’s the voice in Sam’s ear, sitting back at Avengers Mansion watching things play out on a satellite feed,” the writer reveals. “Sam and Steve are very much still partners. It’s just a different man carrying the shield.”
If the idea of seeing someone besides Steve Rogers wielding the shield and acting as Captain America wasn’t surprise enough, Hopeless tells Newsarama he has another shocking moment fans can look forward to come October.
“In All-New Captain America: Fear Him, there’s a bird-headed knight who rides atop a massive stone-fleshed sewer beast,” Hopeless reveals. “I doubt people will see that coming.”
