Rating: *** 1/2

After a delay of about a month, the mini-series Captain America: Reborn continues. I’ve really enjoyed this series so far and would recommend it to non-Cap fans as a good example of a good Captain America story. After reading this issue, however, I’m starting to get a bit disappointed. We know Steve Rogers will be “resurrected” and return as Captain America, but we’ve wondered exactly how the story will end with that conclusion. Well, after reading this issue, I think I’ve got the conclusion figured out. It should be good, but I was hoping for something new and different. Maybe I’m wrong and there will be something different, but I doubt it. Before I give my theory of the conclusion, a quick recap.

The Red Skull has more than nine lives. He’s cheated death once again and is now inhabiting a new robotic body. The Red Skull, his daughter Sin, and her boyfriend Crossbones have arrived in Latveria the homeland of Dr. Doom. Doom has the machine that the Skull needs to recover Captain America, who is currently stuck in time. Sharon Carter is the key to getting Steve back; she has surrendered herself because the Skull’s accomplice Norman Osborn revealed to the media that she was the second shooter in the assassination of Captain America.

While Sharon is in the company of the Red Skull and Dr. Doom, her allies are working frantically to both rescue both her and Steve. In our last issue, Steve met up with the Vision in the past and recorded a message for his allies in the future so they can try and find a way to save him. The Vision reveals that message to Reed Richards and Hank Pym. Pym reveals that Sharon has nano-particles in her blood stream that will be used to guide Steve back to the present.

The machine is turned on and Steve finds himself hurtling faster through time only to meet up with the Red Skull himself. We flash to the present in Latveria and Captain America rises from the table, but it’s not Steve Rogers. No, the Red Skull is now inhabiting the body of Captain America and we end there. A very cool ending, but I think you can guess what will happen. Steve’s essence will somehow regain control of his body and the Red Skull will be defeated. He will be defeated and it will appear that he’s dead, but we know that he will return sometime soon. This could be the ending, but I really hope that writer Ed Brubaker somehow throws a twist in there somehow.

If the future solicitations of various Marvel titles didn’t show Steve back in action, I could say that maybe the twist would be that the Red Skull remains in Steve’s body at the end of the series with Steve’s essence somehow trapped in his own body, but powerless to prevent the Red Skull from committing atrocities in his name. If I were writing the title, that’s how I would have ended the series, but I’m neither the writer nor editor of the story.

As I said, this is still a good series. Bryan Hitch continues with the artwork and does a magnificent job. Next month is the final issue and then we’ll have Steve back as Cap, but what about Bucky? He’ll be around I’m sure; maybe a new costume and identity. Maybe Marvel will launch a new solo series for him. Hopefully Brubaker is the writer if they go in that direction. I also wouldn’t mind Cap and his own team separate from the Avengers. A team consisting of Bucky, Falcon, and Sharon Carter. The 1950s Cap will also showing up after the Reborn series. Can’t wait to see where Brubaker takes him. See you soon.