Things I Think About #24

Somehow on Sunday, I found myself at a Newsarama article about Civil War. I guess I followed a link there, since I usually ignore it. The comments thread, when it wasn't delving into an argument about how much responsibility all Americans bear for George W. Bush's actions, raised a few interesting points.

One commentater felt that it was a mistake to have Captain America immediately choose a side, which he felt was being implied, because that would mean that stance was automatically the "right" side of the conflict. The argument went that Cap should take his time, deliberate, and then choose a side. Meanwhile, things might be proceeding without him, which would only lend a sense of urgency to the need for Cap to choose a side and unify those on that side (if necessary). It might turn out later that he'd been wrong, and then he'd switch allegiances, but having him choose a side right off would render the whole argument about who was "right" moot. Of course that whole argument hinged on the person's stance that Marvel will never allow Captain America to be wrong, so take from that what you will. The way I saw it, Cap has a perfectly good reason to not support the Metahuman Registration Act.

He knows what the Metahuman Investigation Committee is all about. Back in the Captain America #332, the Commision on Superhuman Activity came along, telling him that he was still a commissioned officer of the United States Armed Forces, and so was still subject to their orders. Over the course of that issue, we saw what Captain America had gone through in trying to decide what his response should be. He talked to a lawyer friend of his about his ability to fight it, he discussed it with his sidekicks, even the kid who ran his hotline. He contemplated what the government would make him do, like leaving the Avengers to lead Freedom Force, or go to Nicaragua to aid the Contras. After it was all said and done, he could not agree to let them dictate how he would operate. He felt that he served the American Dream, the people, not a small group of men in the government, so he turned in the uniform, and the shield, and walked away.

Based on that past history, I can't see Cap really needing a whole lot of time to consider whether giving the government, at the very least, knowledge of all superhumans' identities is a good idea or not. He's already walked this path, he doesn't need to spend much time deliberating. This new committee may not be a scheme set up by the Red Skull - or is it? - but it does seem to be pushing to get the 'capes' under its supervision. Again. Could Captain America really support it now, when he's already rejected the idea once?

Then again, when he walked away it opened the door for "Super-Patriot" John Walker to become Captain America, and now we have U.S. Agent. I guess no moral stand is perfect.