Captain America #16
"Hell's Angel" Part 5
Writer: Chip Zdarsky
Artist: Valerio Schiti
Colorist: Romulo Fajardo Jr.
Publisher: Marvel Comics
The “Hell’s Angel” story arc comes to a close, with big happenings for Steve Rogers, Victor Von Doom, and… (checks notes) Peter Parker? Was he even part of this story?
There's no way I can talk about this issue without SPOILERS, so consider yourself warned.
At the end of issue #15, Victor Von Doom had made a deal with Mephisto to return to life, but with two costs: first, when Doom died again, his soul belonged to the demon, and second, Doom's lost love Valeria was doomed to be tortured for all eternity. Nice guy, that Victor. And as for Steve Rogers, he offered Mephisto his soul in exchange for making the world a better place.
So of course our heroes had a plan. It seems Victor took the shards of the broken Antidivine (the sword that was really a scythe) and implanted them in Steve's soul. So when Mephisto started pulling on that same soul, it really hurt.
Granted, it hurt Steve too, but he can take it.
I have to say, I was impressed with how this played out. Of course I didn't think there was the slightest chance that Steve would really sell his soul, but I was honestly blanking on how he might have gotten out of it. Chip Zdarsky's run on the title up to this point has done a really good job of chipping away at Steve and really making him question himself and his place in the world. So I could almost believe he would do something really dumb and reckless in order to make a difference.
Almost.
New Sheriff in Town
So now that Mephisto is badly hurt and on the ropes, it's time to finish him off. Unfortunately, he's got lots of loyal demons, so it's almost impossible to actually get to him. Doom takes off after him on a literal flaming steed and manages to bring the lord of Hell to his knees. Then Doom... makes him an offer? That's an interesting role reversal.
Anyways, the next thing you know, there's a new lord of Hell: Victor Von Doom.
Since this story arc first introduced the idea of overthrowing Mephisto and putting someone else in his place, I knew it was going to be Doom. First of all, it's Comics 101, but moreover there's just so much drama to mine from this new situation. Plus it's something else for Steve to have to carry around—his role in putting Doom on that throne. If Marvel is going to insist on giving us a movie-synergy menu of Doom, Doom, Doom, more Doom, Doom, and a side of Doom, then at least they're willing to do new and different things with him. And this certainly qualifies.
I Did Nazi That Coming
But wait, we're not done yet. Once Victor appears in his cool new red-and-black armor and angel-wing cape, he assures everyone that he's going to be a good lord of Hell. To prove this, he sends Valeria to Heaven. About time he did something right by her. Then Lord Doom does something truly wild.
Doom decides that he's going to rebuild Hell into an awesome place, but to do that, everyone has to actually want to be there. So he takes every contract Mephisto ever wrote and renders them all null and void. This allows all the denizens of Hell to decide if they genuinely want to stay, or if they want to go elsewhere. The Red Skull immediately chooses to exit, stage left, and I'm sure we'll be seeing him again soon enough. I can only imagine just who else was down there and what decisions they made...
Then it's time for Steve to wake up and find out just how much the world has changed while he's been "away."
Good old Victor Von Doom. Most guys would take the throne of Hell, and they'd just keep things business as usual, nothing new under the (red) sun. But not Victor—no, he's all about big swings. Releasing everyone who's ever signed a contract with Mephisto? That's crazy. First off, the sheer number of dead characters that can be brought back now is insane. And second, do you think the Spider-Man office is aware of this? Because it sure sounds to me like Doom just undid a little something called "One More Day..."
A boy can dream, can't he?
Chip Zdarsky, if you made this so, you will be my hero forever and always.
While You Were Sleeping
Speaking of Chip Zdarsky, he's the madman who's in charge of much of the Marvel universe's direction right now. From Avengers Armageddon and its introduction of Miracleman to the major changes that take place right here in Captain America, he's really setting the stage for some big things to come. This issue he once again hits us with his very strong understanding of the characters of Steve Rogers, Victor Von Doom, and the Red Skull, who has returned to life and will be running around the real world once again.
Valerio Schiti gives us another great issue art-wise, as the big confrontation with Mephisto really delivers. The damage that the demon takes has him shrunken and emaciated-looking, so that really sells how close Steve and company came to really bringing him down. There's some nice action this issue that is well-choreographed as Steve and company take on Mephisto's army of loyal demons, and Doom's new lordly design is very cool-looking—regal yet unnatural at the same time.
Romulo Fajardo Jr. once again fills Hell with different shades of red and orange, giving it the most unnatural appearance that fits the nature of Mephisto's realm. The effects of the Antidivine continue to stand out on the page, and Steve himself always appears as a bright beacon of hope in whatever we do with him.
One More Day to Remember
Captain America #16 is a big issue not just for Steve Rogers and Victor Von Doom, but for the Marvel universe as a whole. The final fight with Mephisto is well-done and doesn't play out as you'd expect. Chip Zdarsky takes a couple of big swings with this issue, and sets the stage for almost anyone to be brought back from the dead going forward. And even the slightest hint of this leading to a major happening for a certain wall-crawler makes Steve's suffering all worth it (sorry, Cap, but it’s true).