Captain America #343
Slippery People
The new Captain America and Battlestar are pursuing a quilled mutant that has refused to sign up under the government’s Mutant Registration Act.[1] They capture the rogue mutant pretty easily, but this mission doesn’t sit very well with Battlestar who wonders why mutants are treated so differently then others in society.
Meanwhile, the Captain — aka Steve Rogers — and his allies have been trying to stop Viper from usurping control of the Serpent Society. In the ensuing fight, Viper escapes in one of the Serpent Saucers. Rogers manages to grab onto the landing gear as the saucer takes off. Following behind are his friends the Falcon, Nomad, D-Man, as well as the Serpent Squad member known as Diamondback. They are concerned about catching the Viper because she has a load of canisters containing what they believe might be snake venom. Having captured Viper’s second-in-command, the serpentine mutant known as Slither, Nomad looks forward to roughing him up to get answers.
Elsewhere, Captain America and Battlestar are making their way back to base when their helicopter is attacked by the Resistants. They are a group of renegades against mutant registration and have come to liberate the prisoner. Floating on a chunk of rock levitated by their leader, appropriately named Meteor, they attack the chopper. As Crucible and Paralyzer deal with the two heroes, they rescue the young mutant prisoner. Once the prisoner is free, Occult uses his eye beams to shatter the rotor, making the helicopter crash.
Back in east, Viper radios in to check on her loyal followers — Copperhead, Cobra, and Boomslang — who have infiltrated the water treatment facility that serves Washington, DC. After dealing the guards they begin dumping the contents of the canisters into the filtration system, per Viper’s orders.
As this is happening, Diamondhead and the others are catching up in their own Serpent Saucer. Unaware that Cap is on board Viper’s ship, Nomad insists that they fire the onboard missiles at the enemy ship. Unfortunately, Viper sees the oncoming missiles and uses her teleportation ring to bail out. The Captain, holding on for dear life, isn’t quite so lucky. When the ship is hit and begins going down, Steve takes a gamble by letting go and hoping his new Vibranium shield will soften his fall. Thanks to the properties of the rare metal, Steve luckily manages to reach the ground without injury. He finds Viper on the ground and while she unsuccessfully tries to use her venomous fangs to bite through the chainmail mesh of his costume, Cap is able to knock her out with a single punch. Soon, Diamondback and the others land their ship and are relieved to learn that Steve is alive. Cap then sends the Falcon to the nearest phone to call for help while the others head to Washington to try and foil the Viper’s plot.
Elsewhere, Captain America and Battlestar emerge from the wreckage of their helicopter and discover that they are the only survivors. Disappointed that they botched this mission, Cap vows to find the Resistant’s and make them pay for the lives they took that day.
That evening, at the White House, the President and the First Lady are winding down for the evening. Before going to bed, the President has a glass of water and remarks how tasty it is.
Recurring Characters
The Captain, Captain America, The Resistants (Occult, Meteorite, Paralyzer, Crucible, Quill), Serpent Society (Viper, Cobra, Slither, Rattler, Copperhead, Rock Python, Anaconda, Boomslang), Battlestar, Diamondback, Falcon, Nomad, Demolition Man, Redwing
Continuity Notes
The Mutant Registration Act was a government law put in place in order to regulate the every growing mutant population in the United States. Intended to deal with so-called evil mutants, it was widely viewed as a bigoted law that unfairly targeted a vulnerable segment of society. It first drafted Uncanny X-Men #181, legislated in issue #183, and finally came into law in issue #188 of that series.
Topical References
In this story, Nomad finds himself attracted to Diamondback and wonders to himself if she is “safe”. Being “safe” was a colloquial term that was used during the height of the AIDS epidemic that was ongoing at the time this story was written. Someone who is “safe” was someone who was not infected with AIDS or another STI. The term has a negative connotation and was a product of the ass-backwards logic the American government took dealing with this health crisis at the time, as it tended to focus more on abstinence and stigmatized contraceptives and other safe sex measures, such as using a condom. If anything, it’s a real look into how much of a sleaze bag Nomad is. That said, the usage here should be considered topical as treatment and prevention of STIs has greatly advanced in the years since this story was published and the AIDS virus is not the death sentence it once was.
Although not clearly depicted here, by the manner of their way of speaking and their appearances next issue, the President and the First Lady are intended to be Ronald and Nancy Reagan. This should be considered a topical reference since Reagan’s ended his term as President of the United States in 1989 and subsequently died in 2004. His wife later died in 2016.
