Captain America's Time as The Nomad

In 1974, following Watergate, Marvel Comics ran a storyline featuring a terrorist organization called the Secret Empire. The group was led by Number One, a character whose face we never see, but it is heavily hinted, and I mean hit you over the head hinted, that he is then President Richard Nixon.

The Secret Empire coordinates a smear campaign against Captain America that turns the American public against him. Being Cap, he does not give up. Instead, he keeps fighting the good fight until he ultimately defeats the Secret Empire with the help of Peggy Carter and others.

Once the Secret Empire’s plan is defeated, we see Cap unmask Number One, who, as previously mentioned, is heavily implied to be President Nixon.

Cap is crushed.

Richard Nixon Unmasked in Captain America 175 Secret Empire

The world was already so different from the one Steve Rogers had left behind when he enlisted in 1941. After Watergate, and after discovering that the president was apparently in charge of this evil organization, Captain America was just done.

He spends an entire issue contemplating how he got there and how frustrated he has become with America. Ultimately, he decides to quit, giving up on being the symbol of a country he no longer believes deserves him.

After a few issues of Steve Rogers struggling to stay out of the mix and adjust to his newfound freedom, he gets a visit from the Golden Archer, who is actually Hawkeye in disguise. Hawkeye suggests that maybe Steve can become a new superhero, one who does not dress in the now tainted colors of red, white, and blue.

And thus, Nomad is created. A man with no country, simply standing up for what is right.

Sadly, things do not go so well during Nomad’s first patrol. He ends up tripping over his own cape and letting the bad guys get away.

In the following issue, Nomad visits the Lincoln Memorial and contemplates everything that has happened.

It does not take long for Nomad to start questioning his decision.

And it only gets worse when he runs across a man spreading lies about Captain America, claiming that Cap was never the ethical hero people believed him to be.

While Steve Rogers is Nomad, several different people put on Captain America’s uniform and try to fill his shoes. Sadly, one young man puts on the costume just as the Red Skull springs a trap that captures both him and the Falcon. The Red Skull kills the young man and brutally beats the Falcon once he realizes that the Captain America he captured was not the real Captain America.

Nomad eventually shows up and begins questioning whether turning his back on his country was really the right thing to do. He explains that what upset him most was that the true villain, Number One, essentially Richard Nixon, was supposed to be one of the good guys. Instead, he turned out to be a villain just like the Red Skull.

And in the end… well, I am sure you know where this is going.

I do not really have any commentary to add. I just thought this was a somewhat relevant storyline that some people might find a little comfort in today.