As Captain America faces Doctor Doom in a brutal, one-on-one showdown, the Star-Spangled Avenger reveals his inherent advantage over the villain.
WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Avengers #40, by Jason Aaron, Javier Garrón, David Curiel and VC’s Cory Petit, on sale now.
One of the most prominent Avengers is Captain America, a staple of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes with a voice that can command the gods themselves. As his team scrambles to discover why the Phoenix Force has decided to remain on Earth, the Star-Spangled Avenger faces Doctor Doom in a one-on-one showdown in the Savage Land. While both characters face off with cosmic upgrades courtesy of the Phoenix, Steve Rogers reveals why he’ll always have an edge over the nefarious Victor Von Doom.
After a recent battle against Khonshu and the Ancient Egyptian God of Vengeance’s plot to harness the Phoenix Force and other magical powers for himself, the Avengers tracked the Phoenix Force to a remote island in the ocean. A battle against Namor and his rival team of superhero, the Defenders of the Deep, revived the cosmic entity, causing it to flee to the Savage Land where it was intercepted by Doctor Doom. While Doom absorbed a portion of the Phoenix Force to transform, Captain America was first on the scene to bond with the rest, transforming into a fiery iteration of the Sentinel of Liberty as he took on the supervillain mano-a-mano.
As the fight begins, Steve Rogers recalls that no matter how much he has been empowered, he still retains the mindset of the frail, young man that fearlessly joined the military at the start of World War II, despite his physical shortcomings. This stance on maintaining his humble beginnings was not just after being injected with the Super Soldier serum but also wielding omnipotent relics including the Cosmic Cube and Infinity Gauntlet to save the day. And now serving as the latest host for a portion of the Phoenix Force, Captain America keeps sight of the man he used to be to never take whatever powers he wields for granted.