Spoilers ahead for AXIS: Judgment Day #3!
The Super-Soldier Serum gives Captain America a nice array of abilities that allow him to fight side-by-side with some of Marvel’s most powerful heroes, but Steve Rogers’ most underrated and most effective power is actually his pragmatism. Cap is always unfazed, even in the most difficult of circumstances, prioritizing his duties above anything else, and Judgment Day proved that his pragmatism is unshaken even by the presence and judgment of an almighty god.
While Captain America may not be Marvel’s most powerful hero, he’s always proven himself worthy of the respect everyone gives him. The Super-Soldier Serum makes him technically a superhuman and gives Steve advanced human physical abilities including strength, speed, agility, reflexes, and durability. His abilities, however, pale in comparison to some of his Avengers teammates, such as Thor or Captain Marvel, who could destroy entire worlds if they wanted. Despite this, Cap’s leadership and tactical skills, along with his unwavering spirit and moral fiber, make him capable of playing in the “big leagues”, but his real power lies elsewhere.
In AXIS: Judgment Day, to end the catastrophic conflict between the Eternals and the X-Men, the Avengers and a rogue group of Eternals decide to resurrect the Progenitor, a Celestial who died on Earth eons ago and whose body the Avengers use as a base. . Once alive, the Ancestor decides it is his duty to “judge” every sentient being on Earth, to see if they are worthy of living on their planet. In issue #3 of the series, written by Kieron Gillen with art by Valerio Schiti and Marte Gracia, the Celestial begins with Captain America, and the verdict is that Steve Rogers has failed in his duty to inspire America to become a best leader for the world. . However, Cap is utterly indifferent to the verdict, and he completely ignores the Progenitor, focusing on what he needs to do to keep the world calm during this crisis.
Although history doesn’t give it enough importance, it was one of the most epic moments in Captain America’s long history. Here’s a colossal space god, power incarnate, standing before the all-seeing, all-knowing Steve, running Cap’s entire existence through a scanner and telling him that his life’s mission was essentially a failure. For Captain America, none of this matters. His only thought is for the safety of the world. His first action is to go on the air and reassure civilians that everything will be fine, to avoid widespread panic and causalities. This is what sets Captain America apart from his peers: he looks more like a firefighter than a superhero. Steve’s priority has always been the safety of civilians, his mind operates with the pragmatism of a soldier or a rescuer, who has no time to worry about what a space giant thinks of him.
The world of superheroes tends to be crazy most of the time, but in this context, Captain Americahis stoicism and pragmatism make him strong. In fact, he’s so strong that he’s even able to give a mighty celestial the cold shoulder.
AXIS: Judgment Day #3 is available now from Marvel Comics.
