Captain America #223
Call Me Animus
While in Washington, DC trying to learn the secrets of his past, Captain America was suddenly attacked by the Lincoln Memorial.[1] After smashing the statue, he is ambushed by the one responsible for animating the national monument. It is a bizarre primitive looking man with a large cranium and a high tech-club named Animus, who is a twisted mockery of humanity’s early and future evolutions. Not only does the brute have tremendous strength, but can also fire mental bolts of energy from his massive head. Eventually, Captain America gains the upper hand and Animus suddenly disappears into thin air, making Cap wonder if the creature was ever there to begin with. However the shattered remains of the Abraham Lincoln statue confirm it was all too real.
Wandering back to his hotel room, Cap once again puzzles over the mysteries of his past and wonders if there is a connection with his present day troubles: The woman Veda who claims to be a relative of Agent-R from World War II, the machinations of the Corporation, Falcon joining SHIELD’s Super-Agents, and the most recent attack from Animus.[2] Heading up to his hotel room, Cap realizes he locked himself out as he had left out the window and left his keys into the room. As he laughs this off, Veda suddenly opens the door, having convinced a hotel manager to let her into the room. When Steve wonders how she knew he was in Washington, DC, she points out that she was related to a secret agent. However, as pleased as he is to see her, Steve tells Veda that he is exhausted and asks her to leave. She is disappointed, but complies with his request. Before Steve can fall asleep he notices that two tracking devices have been planted on his shield. Suspecting SHIELD, Steve makes an angry phone call to Nick Fury to tell him off, but not before asking the spy to investigate Veda’s possible connection to Agent-R.
Falling asleep later that evening, Steve keeps on thinking about his battle with Animus. He recalls the word comes from Jungian psychology and he has a dream from his childhood. He is in a classroom as a boy but the only person he can see clearly is his psychology teacher. Steve suddenly wakes up frustrated that he cannot remember anything else. The following morning, Steve meets up with Veda at a restaurant and tells her about his dream. He is convinced that all of the secrets he is looking for are locked in his mind and that he needs to go back to New York City to find a scientist who can break through his mental block. When he invites Veda to follow him, she declines saying she is staying in Washington for a few more days. Soon after Rogers is gone, Veda gets a phone call from her boss, Kligger — the leader of the Corporation.[3] He informs her that the tracking device they planted on Captain America’s shield has been deactivated. Luckily, she knows which train Rogers is taking back to New York and relays this information back to Kligger.
Later that day, Steve Rogers is enduring the constant babble from his seatmate when suddenly the train is derailed by Animus. Pulling himself from the wreckage, Steve changes into Captain America. He is furious that Animus would maim and murder innocent people to get at him. Animus has the upper hand this time until Steve realizes that the creature can only use his mental powers or his physical strength, not both. He uses this weakness to defeat his foe who teleports away when the battle turns against him. Steve then puts aside his anger when he remembers the injured passengers and races back to the wrecked train.
Recurring Characters
Captain America, Corporation (Kligger, Veda, Animus) Nick Fury
Continuity Notes
In Captain America #215, Steve Rogers realized he no longer remembered much about his past prior to his joining Project: Rebirth and becoming Captain America. He has been on a quest to learn the truth about his past ever since.
Veda has claimed to be a relative of Agent-R, an female operative that was part of Project: Rebirth as seen in literally every Captain America origin story, starting with Captain America Comics #1 (although there she is called Agent X-1) This woman was later identified as Cynthia Glass a Nazi spy who was later killed per Adventures of Captain America #1-4 and Steve Rogers: Super Soldier #1-3. Any connection she might have to Veda remains a mystery. The reason Captain America doesn’t remember the truth about Agent-R here is likely due to the selective memory loss mentioned above.
Kligger’s full name is not given here. In Incredible Hulk #231, he is introduced as Eugene Kligger Stivak.
Topical References
In this story, Veda claims to be the daughter of Agent-R, something that will become impossible due to the Sliding Timescale, which increases the gulf of time between World War II and the Modern Age each year. Marvel does not have an explanation for this. I prefer to believe that Veda’s alleged relation to Agent-R is much the same as the familial relationship between Sharon and Peggy Carter, which has constantly changed over the years due to the way the Sliding Timescale works. As such, my index treats Veda as an alleged descendant of Agent-R, but not her daughter.
The train that Steve Rogers takes from Washington to New York is identified as a Metroliner. These trains were retired in 2006 and replaced with much faster trains. As such, their reference here must be considered topical.
