Writer: Chip Zdarsky
Art: Valerio Schiti and Ben Harvey
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Price: $4.99
Reviewed by: Anonymous
Release Date: July 2nd, 2025
A NEW ERA FOR CAPTAIN AMERICA BEGINS HERE! While Captain America slumbered in ice, the world changed – for better and for worse. Steve Rogers awakens to a reality where battles are fought in the shadows through secrets and subterfuge, and villains aren’t so easy to identify. When a fledgling dictator named Victor Von Doom conquers Latveria, Steve faces a critical decision: adapt to a new kind of warfare, or forge his own path? And what will the choice he makes in the past mean for his future? Experience the untold tale of Captain America’s first encounter with Doctor Doom as Chip Zdarsky and Valerio Schiti team up for a game-changing new era of CAPTAIN AMERICA!
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THE DISPATCH
Marvel’s Captain America returns with a thunderous relaunch, and this time, it’s not just a new chapter—it’s a redefinition. Captain America #1 by Chip Zdarsky and Valerio Schiti kicks off a bold new era that bridges the idealism of the past with the paranoia of the present. This is Cap as you’ve never seen him: out of time, out of place, but more determined than ever.
This issue asks the foundational Cap question in a fresh way: What does Steve Rogers stand for in a world that’s stopped believing in clear lines between good and evil? Zdarsky frames this not just philosophically, but through a historical what-if: What if Cap’s first real test after waking from the ice was a confrontation with none other than Victor Von Doom, just as he was solidifying power in Latveria?
In an inspired twist, this isn’t the armored Doom we’re used to—it’s proto-Doom, a calculated political figure rising through the ashes of post-war Europe. Zdarsky cleverly inserts Steve into the murky beginnings of what will become one of the greatest villains in Marvel history. The result is more John le Carré than Avengers Assemble, but that’s the magic: it works.
Zdarsky has proven his character chops with Daredevil and Public Domain, and here he brings a deeply introspective tone to Cap. Steve isn’t the wide-eyed patriot of old—he’s cautious, unnerved, yet still unwavering in his principles. It’s a man learning the world all over again, and deciding whether he needs to adapt to it or challenge it. That tension drives the entire issue.
Steve’s internal monologue is rich but restrained, portraying a man grappling with modernity without falling into cliché. Zdarsky avoids easy moralizing. Instead, we see Steve Rogers as a soldier, a symbol, and—most powerfully—a man with a conscience who’s trying to find a new kind of war worth fighting.
Doctor Doom’s early portrayal is masterfully done. He’s not a cackling villain here, but a young revolutionary with ambition that flirts with nobility and tyranny in equal measure. His first meeting with Steve isn’t a slugfest—it’s a war of ideology, and it crackles with tension. You know it’s going to end badly, but Zdarsky keeps you leaning forward the entire time. For fans of previous Cap runs, this issue offers a tonal shift from the more action-forward arcs like Ta-Nehisi Coates’ Captain America or even Nick Spencer’s controversial Hydra twist. Instead, this feels more like The Winter Soldier by way of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.
Valerio Schiti is no stranger to ambitious storytelling (Empyre, S.W.O.R.D.), and he brings his cinematic sensibility to full force here. His Steve is strong yet tired; his Doom is regal and coiled. The book is drenched in Cold War hues—greys, reds, and icy blues dominate the palette—thanks to a moody coloring job by Marte Gracia that perfectly complements the espionage tone. Action is sparse but meaningful, with each punch carrying narrative weight. This isn’t a brawl book—it’s a chess match, and Schiti draws it like one.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Captain America #1 isn’t a reset—it’s a revelation. Zdarsky and Schiti understand that Steve Rogers is more than just a man with a shield; he’s a moral compass lost in a digital, morally diluted age. By pitting him against a rising Doom in a pre-armor Latveria, the creative team lays the groundwork for a thrilling and thoughtful exploration of identity, resistance, and relevance. This is Captain America for a post-truth era—haunted by the past, challenged by the present, and essential for the future.