Punisher/Captain America: Blood & Glory #2
Eternal Vigilance
The Punisher has shot Captain America after being tricked into thinking that Cap is involved in a government operation to exchange drugs from the Central American nation of Medisuela for weapons to keep its dictator, Miguel Navatilas, in power. Cap is then rushed to a local hospital where doctors rush to try and save his life. Interfering with their efforts is SHIELD Director Nick Fury who wants to find out what’s going on. As the doctors treat Cap as best they can, Steve tells Nick about the conspiracy to deal weapons to Navtilas that he has uncovered. However, in order to investigate this conspiracy further, Steve tells Nick that he needs to die. Soon, it is announced that Captain America has died and a state funeral is quickly arranged.
As the Avengers participate in a state funeral for Captain America, the Punisher is meeting with an informant to learn more about the guns-for-drugs plot at a local diner. As the two men talk, the diner owner and a patron — both veterans of past wars — argue with one another based on their experiences in the military. Frank’s informant confirms something that Frank was already suspicious about — that much of the intel he had been given, particularly that regarding Captain America’s involvement — was fabricated. He concludes that only someone very high up in the government would have the ability to fake such documents. That’s when a report comes on about Attorney General Roger Mollech’s commitment to stamping out illegal drugs in America. This prompts the disgruntled soldier to comment on how this is all a lie and that its just a money making scheme. Frank wants to know why he was the one tricked into becoming their trigger man. All the informant can tell him is that in the current political climate those in power seek to get the job done and avoid as much red tape as possible.
At that same moment, Attorney General Roger Mollech and his assistant, Angela Stone, are meeting with General Miguel Navatilas aboard a yacht off the coast of Medisuela. They have come to discuss Navatilas image problem. Due to reporting on his brutal actions as dictator, his approval rating in the United States is incredibly low. They need to improve his public relations so they can continue their arm’s dealings as they need Navatilas to go after neighboring countries less friendly with the United States so they can replace leadership with people more palatable to deal with while also maintaining plausible deniability. Navatilas agrees to work on focusing on operations that will appear that he is furthering the cause of democracy and improve his image. After the dictator leaves, Mollech and Stone meet with Colonel Max Klee of the DIA. Klee and his men have finalized their plan to eliminate the final loose end of their conspiracy: Eliminating the Punisher.
Later, Klee and his minions begin trailing the Punisher just as he is finishing his meeting with his informant. After knocking the man out, the soldiers chase after Frank on motorcycles. As they take off, Steve Rogers ambushes the lone soldier left to clean up the body and tells the diner patrons to call 911 for their would-be victim.
Meanwhile, the chase is on as Frank notices that he is being followed. Although he manages to shoot one of the pursing bikers in the head, he is forced to bail on his own motorcycle rolls over a pile of caltrops. However, before his two pursuers can execute Frank in a ditch, Steve Rogers races by and grabs the guns from their hands. After recovering from the crash, Frank is too pre-occupied snapping necks to see a speeding big rig driven by Colonel Klee’s right hand man, Theopolus. Luckily, Steve is able to race back and pull him out of the oncoming path. After recovering a motorcycle, the Punisher and Cap give Theopolus chase. When the rig whirls around and begins barreling down on them again, the two men put on the speed. Then, at the last minute, both bail on their bikes just seconds before impact. This allows them to grab hold of the truck’s undercarriage. While the Punisher gets to work sabotaging the break lines, Cap climbs into the cab to attack the driver.
When Theopolus pulls a knife, Castle comes in the driver side door and uses a knife of his own to pin the merc’s foot to the accelerator. Frank then shoves himself and Rogers out of the cab just seconds before the big rig drives over a cliff and explodes on impact with the ground. With the immediate danger over, Steve demands to know why the Punisher attempted to kill him. Frank hands over the doctored file and explains everything. As the pair compare notes, they both come to terms with the fact that they operate under vastly different ideologies. While Steve despises the Punisher for killing his foes, Frank dislikes Captain America for his unwavering patriotism.[1] Regardless of their differences, both men are in too deep and realize that in order to uncover this government conspiracy, they’re going to have to work together.
Meanwhile, Roger Mollech is making another visit to Medisuela, to continue discussing the politicial situation with Navatilas. Mollech assures him that the news out of America is all rhetoric to maintain plausible deniability and that he has the backing of the US government. With this business out of the way, Roger reluctantly participates in a sacrificial ceremony that involves immolating a young woman with a torch.
At the same time, Steve and Frank have gone undercover to try and learn who the buyers were of the tampered firearms. They speak with a sales rep at the munitions company but she refuses to divulge any client information, forcing them to leave empty handed. As they leave, Steve hurts himself sitting up due to his healing bullet wound. When the woman expresses concern, he tells her that it’s only an old war wound. That evening, they do things Frank’s way, by breaking into the facility in the middle of the night. After slipping past the security, the pair hack into the computer database and learn that the weapons were originally purchased by the Department of Defense. This is the final piece of the puzzle they have been looking for, the DOD bought the weapons, the DIA sabotaged the weapons and sold them in exchange for drugs, they then sold the drugs on the street for money to finance more weapons procurement.
The following day, the security breach is learned about by Angela Stone, who pays a visit to the arms manufacturer. Although she is reluctant to say much about a potential client does give a physical description of the two men who came by. This confirms to Angela that the Punisher and Captain America are working together. In order to cover this up, Angela has her men kill the woman. She then calls Mollech to so he can tip Navatilas off about the coming trouble.
Sometime later, Captain America and the Punisher have smuggled themselves onto the island of Medesuela. Although Cap has insisted that the Punisher not bring any guns, the vigilante has brought bladed weapons that will help them cut through the thick jungle, including a war quoit, a mambele, and an Asanda throwing knife. They soon make their way to a deserted village. Searching the huts, they discover crates full of weapons that have the same imperfections which will make them explode after firing more than one round. This confirms Cap’s suspicion that the government is giving Navatilas defective weapons to wipe out his armies and depose him. As they continue to look around, Cap discovers a time bomb that is about to explode. He has just enough time to toss his shield to the Punisher.
While both men are caught in the explosion, the Punisher is saved by Cap’s shield and knocked clear into the jungle. Captain America survives and is captured by soldiers. When they report in to Navatilas, he orders his men to eliminate him. While in the jungle, the Punisher remains unconscious following the blast.
Recurring Characters
Punisher, Captain America, Roger Mollech, Miguel Navatilas, Angela Stone, Max Klee, SHIELD (Nick Fury, Dum Dum Dugan, Countess de la Fontaine), Avengers (Iron Man, Thor, Vision, Hawkeye, She-Hulk)
Continuity Notes
The Punisher despising Captain America is an interesting choice as later depictions in Civil War #1-7 and Punisher War Journal (vol. 2) #1-11 show Frank Castle as having an almost reverent respect for Cap as a soldier. One could assume that Castle’s attitude changed like the wind the moment that Angela Stone framed Cap for the illegal arms deal. His gruff attitude later on in this series could be attributed to Frank maintaining a façade to distance his mission from his reverence toward Cap, I guess.
Topical References
The TVs and computer models in this story are depicted as CRT models. This should be considered a topical reference as this is an obsolete technology.
The man who runs the diner at the beginning of this story states that he fought in World War II. Due to the Sliding Timescale, it is increasingly impossible for someone who was alive during the 1940s to still be alive today, let alone still working a job. In rare occasions, these anachronisms are explained away by a process of slowing or stopping the aging process. However, the likelihood of this being the case with a one-off character like this are unlikely. Modern readers could assume that the man served in some other general military conflict and just has a great deal of respect for Captain America. Perhaps he had a distant family member fight alongside Cap during the war.
A patron of the diner and Frank Castle both make a number of references of serving in the Vietnam War. This is also increasingly impossible for the same reasons as characters stating they fought in World War II. That said, since History of the Marvel Universe #2, all Modern Age characters who have stated they fought in Vietnam now have fought in the Sin-Cong Conflict instead.
When referencing Roger Mollech, a news reporter mentions his part on the so-called “War on Drugs”. This was the official name for the United States government’s efforts to stamp out illicit drug use in the United States. This seemingly endless crusade began in 1971. This war effort has softened a bit since the liberalization of certain drugs (particularly marijuana) in the 21st Century. That said, this story was published during the height of the “War” and references to this conflict should be considered topical since attitudes towards drugs and policing them continues to change.
The last thing the disgruntled soldier gripes about “some boys go sunbathin’ in an Arabian desert!” This is in reference to the then current Gulf War which took place in the Persian Gulf from August 1990 to February 1991. This is yet another topical reference, naturally.
While meeting with Navatilas, Mollech makes reference to putting a “Noriega into federal lock up.” This is in reference to Manuel Noriega, the real world military leader of Panama who had similar dealings with the United States as the fictional Navatilas. When Noriega fell out of favor in the United States, his country was invaded in late 1989 early 1990 and Noriega was captured. He remained incarcerated in one country or another until his death in 2012.
Angela Stone’s cell phone is depicted as an analogue model with push buttons, no screen, and an antennae to pick up signals. This should be considered a topical reference as these styles of phones are now obsolete.
The Punisher refers to his mambele as a “Congolese hunga-munga”, this is a dated term to describe the weapon which is no longer used.
