100 Greatest Superhero Stories Ever
By Steve Lam
Image Courtesy of Marvel Comics
#85. Captain America #25–#42: “The Death of Captain America”
Medium
Comic Book
Release Dates
April 2007–November 2008
Credits
Writer: Ed Brubaker
Artists: Steve Epting, Mike Perkins, Butch Guice, Roberto De La Torre, Luke Ross
The Reason It’s Great
Just the title alone will make any fan do a double-take. When the event happened, ABC News reported it and equated the shock and despair to that of 9/11. That’s how iconic and symbolic Captain America is to the collective conscious.
After Civil War, the Red Skull orchestrates the assassination of Captain America. Crossbones snipes the hero and Sharon Carter, brainwashed by Doctor Faustus, performs the killing shot. The event had huge ramifications across all of Marvel.
Bucky Barnes continues the mantle of Captain America, and the Red Skull unsuccessfully tries to infiltrate the US government’s highest ranks in an attempt to control the country. In the end, S.H.I.E.L.D. raids the Red Skull’s compound. However, the Red Skull is able to escape capture by transferring his consciousness into a robot body.
The first issue of the story arc, Captain America #25, became the highest selling comic of 2007. A follow-up limited series, Fallen Son: The Death of Captain America, dealt with the superheroes coming to terms with his death. Each issue of that series was named after a stage in the Five Stages of Grief model.