Writer: Jamie McKelvie
Art: Marika Cresta and Matt Milla
Letters: VC’s Clayton Cowles
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Price: $3.99
Release Date: August 10th, 2022

Captain Carter #5 concludes the mini-series on a hopeful note, as Captain Carter and her team of Tony Stark, Betsy Braddock, and computer whiz Harley battle vampires Lord John Falsworth and Lady Jacqueline Falsworth, who have most of Britain in their sway and want to turn Britain into a dictatorship with themselves as rulers.

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The Story

Tony Stark and Betsy Braddock of this alternate Earth really shine in Captain Carter #5, as Betsy fully uses her mutant powers and Tony, mostly robotic on this Earth, uses a vast array of gizmos as the two work in tandem to break Captain Carter out of a maximum security prison similar to The Vault.  This version of it is called The Compass, which is about the least intimidating name I’ve ever seen for a prison.The bulk of the issue, including the final showdown with John and Jacqueline Falsworth.

I was hoping the over-arching villains of this story would be this alternate Earth’s version of Red Skull or Arnim Zola.  I’ve always felt John Falsworth (aka Baron Blood on Earth-616) was a D-grade member of Captain America’s Rogues Gallery, and in this mini-series, he seems equally feckless.

Captain Carter’s at her best when battling hordes of enemy soldiers, devastating them with her shield and fists.  Confronting John Falsworth becomes terribly anti-climactic, his defeat the same cliché ending we’ve seen in countless Hammer Horror films.   I expected Peter Cushing to pop up in a panel suddenly and fight at Peggy’s side.

On the good side, I love this Earth’s version of Betsy Braddock, who up until this issue has barely used her powers, but here, cuts loose to great effect.   She’s paranoid about revealing too much about herself.  It seems mutants are just as mistrusted and hated here as on they are on good old Earth-616.  I hope we get a regular series with Peggy and Betsy because I’d love to explore more about the mutant population of this Earth in the future.

I’d also like to see more of Peggy and Tony Stark’s wonderfully platonic relationship.  Maybe they could eventually form a version of The Avengers on their Earth?

The Art

Marika Cresta’s art on Captain Carter #5 is beautifully streamlined. When Betsy uses her abilities, the wavy lines around her eyes convey the pulsating power emanating from her. The high-security prison The Compass is drawn effectively, looking very much like a daunting place to be locked in, all heavy steel and rows of ominously blinking security terminals.

Final Thoughts

Captain Carter #5 is an okay ending to the mini-series.  There are some good moments between the characters and Betsy gets some time to shine, but the main villains are lackluster, and Peggy Carter doesn’t get much to do in this final issue. Hopefully in the future Marvel will continue Peggy’s story and give us a more expansive view of her Earth.

8/10