Warning: Spoilers for CapWolf & the Howling Commandos #1!The comics are getting around to correcting what the MCU got wrong about Nick Fury in regard to the Howling Commandos. It’s common to see the Marvel Cinematic Universe occasionally take onscreen liberties when adapting the comics that came before it. One of those liberties was establishing that Steve Rogers led the Howling Commandos during the 1940s when, in the comics, they were Nick Fury’s team.
The comics have decided to remind fans who the Commandos truly belong to in CapWolf & the Howling Commandos #1 by Stephanie Phillips, Carlos Magno, Espen Grundetjern, and VC’s Travis Lanham. The issue opens in 1942-era France as the Commandos are interlocked in a battle against the Nazis that ends with Sergeant Fury sustaining a serious injury.
It’s made clear that Fury is the leader of the team, with Cap only taking over as a temporary alternate under Fury’s orders.
Nick Fury Leads the Howling Commandos
The Howling Commandos were a World War II-era strike force unit that debuted in 1964’s Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. The original iteration of the team was introduced as an extension of the United States Army Rangers. Over the years, their lore would either evolve or be twisted entirely, but one remaining constant is that Nick Fury would be portrayed as the leader of the team in some shape or form. The Marvel Cinematic Universe would suggest otherwise on the big screen, but the comics are reminding now reminding fans of the impact that the original Nick Fury Sr. had on the group, long before his more recent retirement.
Nick Fury’s Impact on the Howling Commandos
The fact that Captain America is so hesitant and reluctant to lead the Howling Commandos in Fury’s place, even on a temporary basis, really highlights what kind of impact the future S.H.I.E.L.D. director has on the team. In the mind of Cap and (as readers see later) other members, the Howling Commandos are unequivocally Nick Fury’s team. In their view, not even Captain America has the right to take over from him even on a brief basis. Readers will quickly see how drastically different a Howling Commandos unit is without Nick Fury.
Whereas the team led by Fury runs smoothly during the opening battle, the Howling Commandos under Cap can’t even get on the same page before the mission begins. The plane ride to the mission is overshadowed by in-fighting among the members, including Dum Dum Dugan, who takes umbrage with someone else trying to lead Fury’s team, calling Captain America “a gimmick with some special abilities” that’s bound to get them all killed. While the MCU tries to tell the Howling Commandos story without Nick Fury, the comics reiterate just how essential he is to the team both in-universe and narratively.
CapWolf & the Howling Commandos #1 is available now from Marvel Comics.
