Writer: Chip Zdarsky
Art: Valerio Schiti and Ben Harvey
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Price: $4.99
Reviewed by: Anonymous
Release Date: August 6th, 2025
CAPTAIN AMERICA: AN UNTOLD ORIGIN! Witness the rise of one of Marvel’s most infamous villains as Captain America comes face to face with DOOM for the FIRST time! This is Latveria like you’ve never seen it before… Also: Who is David Colton, and can Steve trust him to have his back as they infiltrate a hostile country with the new Howling Commandos?
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THE DISPATCH
Captain America #2 delivers an exhilarating follow‑up to the strong foundations laid in issue #1, escalating the story into full-blown espionage and moral reckoning as Steve Rogers faces Doctor Doom for the very first time. Set in the shadowy streets of Latveria, this issue introduces a gripping untold origin—and adds David Colton and the Howling Commandos into the crossfire.
Chip Zdarsky maintains his immersive tone—grounded yet cinematic—while pushing beyond Cap’s culture‑shock post‑ice scenes into infiltration and international stakes. Latveria is depicted not as a cartoon dictatorship but as a brooding, tension‑wound realm, where political paranoia and high‑tech menace intersect. It’s a setting Zdarsky and Valerio Schiti teased in the first issue but had yet to fully explore; here, it’s alive, oppressive, and dangerous.
Establishing Doctor Doom’s early rise as ruler of Latveria shifts the traditional dynamic, making their clash feel not retrospective but immediate. Rogers enters with ideals untested in this new reality, and even a simpler confrontation carries philosophical.
The new character of David Colton is more than just exposition fodder—his introduction in #1 established him as a post-9/11 veteran propelled by trauma. In this issue, he steps into the field alongside the new Howling Commandos, turning abstract war‑paranoia into concrete allegiance and conflict. His relationship with Steve Rogers—mentor and moral compass—creates tension around trust and leadership, especially as the team confronts hidden threats within Latveria.
Art continues to impress. Schiti’s lines remain crisp, dynamic, and cinematic: shields in motion, sleek armor, and a forbidding Latverian skyline. Frank Martin’s cool‑toned palette underscores the coldness of the mission and the moral ambiguity Rogers must navigate. Lettering, especially for Colton’s flashbacks, keeps the tension taut and cinematic, making his voice distinct and his memories hauntingly present.
The narrative pacing improves on the first issue’s tentative framing. Where #1 tread carefully in building tone, Captain America #2 moves confidently into action—Cap cracking jokes under fire, Luthor lurking in the background, Colton stepping up. Doom’s role expands beyond hint—he’s now an ideological foil not only to Rogers’ morality but to Colton’s vigilante-driven trauma.
The central question—Can Steve trust David Colton to have his back on this dangerous infiltration?—lingers through every exchange. Each interaction hints at friction: Cap’s old-school idealism vs. Colton’s more modern, morally ambiguous drive—a dynamic that feels fresh and compelling. That tension ensures character stakes feel just as high as battlefield stakes.
Ultimately, Captain America #2 solidifies this run as more than a nostalgic origin story—it’s a smart reinvention. Doom’s debut is handled with gravity, Cold War-era spycraft feels freshly dangerous, and Steve Rogers is forced to become a leader—not just for America, but for a new, fractured world. This is Captain America reinvented for today’s stage: haunted by history, challenged in modern conflict, but determined to be more than a symbol.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Fans looking for patriotic nostalgia may balk at the tonal shift—but that’s the point. This issue hammers home that the ideals Rogers represents come with gritty complexity. It’s a powerful step up from issue one—if Cap’s mythic destiny began the story, here he’s forging his mission. Captain America #2 delivers an origin story with bite—intelligent, emotionally jagged, visually compelling. It deepens both Steve’s legacy and Colton’s road ahead—and makes the first clash with Doom feel both fated and unpredictable.