Captain America Vol. 5 # 37 - Act 3, The Man who bought America - Part: One

Overview

ACT THREE OF "THE EPIC THE DEATH OF CAPTAIN AMERICA" STORY BEGINS!

With a new Cap now established, things go from bad to worse as the Red Skull makes an unexpected move for the very soul of America!

And what was it that Sharon Carter saw at the end of the last issue?

Act Three - The Man Who Bought America - begins here! By the most popular Cap team in years - Brubaker and Epting!

Flashback: Paris, France. August 1944

The Red Skull watches as Captain America and Bucky celebrate their victory in the streets of Paris. Angered, he says he wants to remember this moment and will someday crush the American Empire even if it takes the rest of his life.

Senator Wright (who is working with the Red Skull) has just announced his split from the Senate. After the (fake) attempted assassination, he has decided to form a new party to give America the leadership it needs, the Third Wing Party. Red Skull and Faustus admire his "performance" on television. After some bickering, the Red Skull asks Faustus if he's checked on Agent 13 since it's been discovered she is pregnant. Faustus says she can wait, he wants to talk about their new "patient." Faustus asks if Arnim Zola has figured out how to awaken him. The Skull says everything is going according to plan. When the news footage on TV turns to the new Captain America, the Skull says that soon there will be more than one for the country to deal with.

On the S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier, Falcon is ticked off at Tony Stark for not telling him about Bucky being Captain America. Tony says he's just trying to follow Steve's wishes. He also persuades Falcon to work with Bucky and take him under his "wing."

Bucky is at his place practicing with the shield when someone enters and grabs it mid-flight. Clint Barton is there to have some words with him. Clint soon begins throwing punches at Bucky but isn't able to connect. When Bucky proves himself to Clint, he simply turns his back and says he's willing to talk but isn't going to explain himself to him. Clint finally decides to leave and says he'll be watching to make sure he doesn't ruin Cap's good name.

At the Red Skull's base, Sharon roams the halls. She's trying to figure out a way to get "Steve" out of there after seeing his body in a chamber in the lab. She can't leave without him.

Bucky has some strange dreams about Captain America and Steve. He wakes up and discovers Falcon has broken into his place too. Once he figures that Sam isn't there to fight, he asks what he wants. Sam tells him he wants to work with him to save Sharon.

Later Sharon manages to disable the security cameras and alarm codes. She goes into the lab and finds a person lying on a gurney. She asks Steve if he can hear here. The man awakens and, horrified, Sharon says he isn't Steve. Half hidden in the shadows, there seems to be something wrong with his left side. The man's mind is fuzzy and he seems to remember that that is his name. He asks Sharon who she is.