Captain America Annual #3
The Thing from the Black Hole Star
Invited on a talk show to speak on super-heroes, fantasy, and UFO’s, Captain America receives a request to visit a farm run by Jim Hendricks who has made an astonishing discovery. There, Captain America is shown an alien craft that landed on the farmer’s property. While exploring they are attacked by a massive alien creature. Luckily, Hendricks is able to slay the creature with a powerful alien weapon. Cap is surprised by all of this wonders how Hendricks knows that this alien ship has come to capture an alien who came from a blackhole. The Avenger is in for an even bigger surprise when Jim reveals that the escapee is currently staying at his farmhouse.
High above the Earth, an alien warship maintains orbit above the planet. They are trying to capture the rogue alien who escaped from the so-called Blackhole Star. Not wanting to alert the people of Earth to their presence and after their Stalker was destroyed, they deploy a Combatron to try and collect the fugitive.[1]
Back on the planet’s surface, Jim takes Captain America into his home to meet the alien in his home. This creature is paranoid of Captain America and will only refer to himself as the Captive. When Cap forces the alien to unmask he is surprised to see the Captive resembles a human being. He tells them how he spent a million years trapped in a blackhole until he recently escaped and is afraid that his pursuers will force him to return to his prison. That’s when they hear another craft touch down on the property. Captain America and Jim go out to investigate and are attacked by the Combatron, a powerful war machine. However, when Captain America begins besting it in battle, it’s masters destroy the robot from orbit, eliminating any trace that it was ever on Earth. Fearing that the invaders may send an army next, Cap suggests that they call the authorities.
Cap’s hunch proves correct as the aliens try to figure out their next plan. Since they dare not send any organic beings down to recover the Captive, they send down an army of Magnoids instead. While back on Earth, Jim’s attempts to get the authorities to listen to his story fail. As the Magnoid ship lands on the property, Captain America sends Jim and the Captive to recover another weapon from his ship. However, once inside the ship, the Captive tells Jim that he can destroy the invaders if he can restore his full strength by drawing energy from Jim. Unaware of the danger, Jim agrees to lend his power to the Captive.
Meanwhile, Captain America fights the Magnoids but is greatly outnumbered. Running to the Captive’s ship for cover he is welcomed by the alien who assures the Avenger that he has the power to face his pursuers. Noticing Jim is nowhere to be seen, Cap asks where the famer is. When the Captive points him to Jim’s location, Captain America is horrified to discovered that Jim’s lifeforce has been drained leaving him a lifeless husk. That’s when the Captive transforms into a monstrous form and explains that he is a living parasite that feeds on the life energies of other living beings. Realizing that he has been duped, Captain America tries battling the creature but is weakened when it absorbs some of his energy. However, before the Captive can kill his next victim, the Magnoids rush in and after Captain America stuns the alien with his shield, he is restrained in bonds that even it cannot break. As Captain America flees the alien ship with Jim’s body, the aliens take off with their prisoner. The Captive is then shot into the burning sun of Epsilon Four. As he is consumed in cosmic flame, the Captive vows to return and get his revenge.[2]
Later, Captain America reports his encounter to the government. After hearing his tale, the military officials say that his story is hard to believe without any evidence. They decide to make a file on the encounter but tell Cap that they must keep the events a secret as knowledge of alien invaders could send the country into a panic. Captain America understands but as he knows that aliens do exist he hopes that the rest of the human race can as well when they next look into the stars.[3]
Recurring Characters
Captain America, Threkker
Continuity Notes
In typical Jack Kirby fashion, the aliens in this story aren’t given anything but perfunctory names. They have since been given names in other places:
The Captive’s real name is Threkker, his real name was revealed in Starblast #1, however this is not confirmed until he was given a profile in Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z Update #3. His species was identified as the Epsilon in the Alien Appendix in Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe #3.
Likewise the leader of the aliens hunting the Captive is identified as King Kirjak, also revealed in Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z Update #3.
Threkker is retrieved from Epsilon Four by the Stranger and is next seen on his prison planet in Quasar #14.
It should be noted here that by this time in Marvel continuity the Earth had plenty of visits by alien invaders and the public was already aware of both the Kree and Skrulls. Particularly during the Kree/Skrull war depicted in Avenges #89-97, which featured a plot involving the US government forming a Committee on Alien Affairs. This is probably a case of Kirby trying to do his own thing and ignoring continuity, which he was prone to doing in the 70s. One explanation is that a lot of these early alien encounters were dismissed as hysteria or hoaxes. This was usually tossed out as an explanation in profiles for the Skrulls in various Marvel Handbooks.
