In Marvel’s Empyre: Captain America #1, Steve Rogers teams-up with a new crew of American soldiers — could they be the new Howling Commandos?
WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Empyre: Captain America#1, by Phillip Kennedy Johnson, Ariel Olivetti, Rachelle Rosenberg, VC’s Ariana Maher and Joe Caramagna, on sale now.
The plant-like alien lifeforms known as the Cotati have begun an invasion of Earth, and no corner of the planet is safe. In Marvel’s Empyre crossover event, the Avengers and the forces of Wakanda wage a massive battle on the outskirts of Black Panther’s nation, in order to prevent the Cotati from reaching the Great Mound of Vibranium. And this is just one of the many battles fought in the world: the X-Men are also battling the Cotati, as are the Agents of Wakanda and the Secret Avengers. Now, in Empyre: Captain America #1, the Sentinel of Liberty, travels to Washington, D.C. to help secure the Nation’s Capital.
Steve Rogers explodes into action as soon as he arrives, helping a platoon of American soldiers who are giving everything they have to fight off the powerful alien invaders. The band of soldiers agree to follow Captain America into battle, comparing themselves to the original Howling Commandos.
At the start of Empyre: Captain America #1, a battalion of soldiers are battling a wave of Cotati invaders in Arlington, Virginia at Fort Meyer. Despite the soldiers’ bravery, the monstrous aliens prove to be the superior force, but thankfully Captain America arrives just in time.
Once the fighting is done, Rogers officially meets the soldiers he just helped save: Sergeant Major Cherry, Sergeant Russo, Specialist Bennett and First Lieutenant Herrero. The Captain explains that he’s heading towards the Pentagon and that he could use all the help he can get. The soldiers are, of course, honored to help Captain America on his mission. And to give them a much better fighting chance, he loans each and everyone of them Wakandan weapons that were on his crashed ship.
With their help, Captain America is able to reach his destination, where he meets with General Woodley. He asks his superior to dispatch troops to Mexico and other allies in South America to help in their efforts to battle the Cotati. Captain America means to show support, so that this will inspire nations all over the world to help one another fight against a common enemy. However, General Woodley has no interest in helping foreign countries.
Instead, he orders Captain America to stay and defend Washington. But with the capital already well protected and their allies in dire need of help, Rogers disobeys his orders and means to travel South to keep helping in the war effort. Cherry, Bennett, Russo and Herrero all see Cap as their superior officer, which means they agree not only to follow him into battle but to do the right thing. Steve is obviously delighted to see them join him, and this prompts Russo to yell out “Wooo! We’re like Howling Commandos!”
The Howling Commandos were a special unit of soldiers who have fought beside Captain America during World War II, where they a Stan Lee and Jack Kirby creation led by Nick Fury. There have been various iterations of the team since then, and some versions of the team have also operated in the present-day Marvel Universe. However, it’s been some time since Captain America fought besides Howling Commandos and now, it appears he has a new crew.
However, the question remains as to how many of these new recruits will survive the battle. By the end of the issue one of the four, Specialist Bennett, has already fallen to the Cotati. For the time being, Rogers still has Russo, Herrero and Cherry, a trio who could become Captain America’s newest allies in the war against the Cotati.
