Warning: contains spoilers for Avengers: Twilight #2!!As a superhero, Captain America tangles with death on a daily basis, but his new war against the Dark Avengers may actually be the ending Steve Rogers deserves. Avengers: Twilight has sees Captain America grow old as the Dream he fought for dies all around him. Now, he’s suiting up to fight back, facing the corrupted SHIELD and their superhero lackeys the New Avengers – new versions of Captain America, Iron Man, and Captain Marvel who are hiding a terrible secret.
In Avengers: Twilight #2 – by Chip Zdarsky, Daniel Acuña, and Cory Petit – Captain America and his allies are getting serious about their strategy. They’re intent on restoring freedom and subverting the fascist state that America has become. Steve can’t do it alone, though, and begins seeking out allies for a new Avengers roster, calling on former Ms. Marvel Kamala Khan.
As he reaches out to recruit Kamala, he drops a phrase that speaks to the gravity of their situation. He tells her that the “Dark Avengers Protocols” are in effect – a reference to 2008’s Dark Reign era of Marvel Comics, where the Avengers were disbanded and replaced by villains. Steve’s words confirm how he sees the new generation of superheroes working with SHIELD.
Captain America Calls Out the New Dark Avengers
Steve Is Facing the Total Corruption of the Avengers Legacy
In the potential future of Avengers: Twilight, the public have turned on superheroes after a devastating plan by Ultron caused the disastrous “H-Day.” In the aftermath, a new fascist government has risen up – SHIELD’s Iron Cops now patrol the streets handing out beatings to anyone who crosses them, and the New Avengers are celebrated thanks to unchallenged propaganda. Worse still, Captain America’s underground allies have handed him evidence that the team are engaging in secret war crimes.
It makes sense that this would make Cap think of the original Dark Avengers. The first Dark Avengers team was established during Dark Reign with villains taking on the Avengers’ roles. It featured Bullseye as Hawkeye, Daken as Wolverine, Toxie Doxie as Scarlet Witch, and several other killers masquerading as heroes. The battle to beat the Dark Avengers was as much political as physical, as their presentation made the public think of them as heroes. Now, as Cap enacts the Dark Avengers Protocols, it’s clear he sees SHIELD’s New Avengers as the same kind of corruption of what the Avengers are meant to be.
Captain America Is Ready to Give Everything
A Final Fight for the Avengers Legacy Is Steve’s Perfect Ending
As Captain America’s Avengers and SHIELD’s Dark Avengers head towards conflict, it’s easy to see two possible outcomes: Steve Rogers is victorious and leads his Avengers into a better tomorrow, or he dies in battle and inspires a new age of heroism that topples SHIELD. While any Cap fan wants to see him win out, the latter option would actually make for a better story. Captain America has fought for many things over his life, but Avengers: Twilight makes it clear that the Avengers’ legacy now encapsulates all of them. Fans have seen a lot of stories where Captain America beats a team of villains, but this time feels very different.
Avengers: Twilight is already shaping up to be a modern classic, but to truly claim that title, it needs to nail the ending. Cap surviving with a new team opens the door to a potential sequel series, but Steve Rogers giving everything – even his life – against the Dark Avengers would carry far more weight. Captain America always finds a way to win, but in a battle for the hearts and minds of America, stopping the Dark Avengers isn’t enough – Steve has to bring back the Dream, and that may only be believable with an almighty sacrifice.
AVENGERS: TWILIGHT #2 (2024) | |
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Avengers: Twilight #2 is available now from Marvel Comics.
