Warning: Contains SPOILERS for The Ultimates #2! A character with such an extensive comic book catalog as Captain America is bound to have a few controversial quotes included in their history, though in Steve Rogers’ case, one definitely stands out from the rest. “You think this letter on my head stands for France?” is one of the cringiest examples of early-2000s nonsense ever brought to a comic panel, especially when considering why Captain America said it. But now, that controversial quote is given all-new meaning in the new Ultimate Universe.

In The Ultimates #2 by Deniz Camp and Juan Frigeri, the newly-formed Ultimates of Earth-6160’s Ultimate Universe are storming the White House, as they mean to have a word with the President of the United States. In this reality, the Maker has utterly corrupted the world, forming the Maker’s Council, which controls the planet from the shadows – including the U.S. The Ultimates are working to undo the damage the Maker has done, and they have their sights set on the president, who is nothing more than a puppet controlled by the Maker’s Council.

Before they break into the White House, the Ultimates make their way through a crowd of people, all of whom are running in fear from these superheroes, as they have been told that the Ultimates is actually a terrorist group hellbent on destroying the world. However, among those running away, one little girl stands her ground with her mom, pointing directly at Captain America as she asks, “What does the letter on his head stand for, mommy?”, and Captain America genuinely has no answer.

Captain America’s ‘A’ Doesn’t Currently Stand for Anything in the New Ultimate Universe

While the ‘A’ on Captain America’s helmet obviously stands for ‘America’, in the new Ultimate Universe, that meaning was completely stripped. In the current continuity of the new Ultimate Universe, the Maker’s Council has reduced what was once America to separate territories ruled over by each member. The United States is no longer one united country, meaning Captain America isn’t currently the ‘captain’ of anywhere.

While the Ultimates are trying to fix this (hence their visit to the White House), this is exactly why Captain America had nothing to say to the little girl who asked what the ‘A’ on his helmet stood for. Not only that, but these circumstances put a perfect twist on Captain America’s most controversial quote, which he said in the original Ultimate Universe of Earth-1610. Indeed, the ‘A’ doesn’t stand for ‘France’, but it doesn’t stand for ‘America’ right now, either.

Why Captain America’s Most Controversial Quote was Controversial in the First Place

The Ultimates Vol. 1 #12 by Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch

In The Ultimates #12, Captain America is fighting his main villain of the original Ultimate Universe: Kleiser. Kleiser is a Chitauri infiltrator who tried to conquer the world during World War II, but was stopped by Captain America. In the present day, Kleiser made another play for world domination, leading to a one-on-one fight between him and Captain America – and Kleiser was winning. When Cap was on the ropes, Kleiser was urging him to surrender, or else he’d be forced to kill him. To that, Captain America angrily replied, “Surrender??!! You think this letter on my head stands for France?”.

Captain America’s ‘France’ quote was an insult to the entire country, referencing how France surrendered to Germany during World War II in the most disparaging way, making the controversy surrounding it painfully obvious. But now, it has been totally flipped in the new Ultimate Universe, giving fans a brilliant twist and a perfect callback to Captain America’s most controversial quote.

The Ultimates #2 by Marvel Comics is available now.