The Horrors of War
Cover to “Captain America #8” (Published March 18th, 2026) written by Chip Zdarsky with art by Jan Bazaldua and colors by Romulo Fajardo Jr
Cover art by Valerio Schiti and Frank Martin
In the previous issue of Captain America, Alina, head of the Homeland Party of Latveria, revealed to our hero that she needed his help to save the country. More than that, she also revealed that she was related to the infamous dictator and former Sorcerer Supreme himself, Doctor Victor Von Doom! With that revelation, the Latverian situation has become even more complicated. And it’s only bound to get even messier before the end. How messy, you ask? Let’s find out together, true believers!
Warning: This article will contain spoilers for “Captain America #8”.
Doom’s Shadow, Part 3
General Ross barely keeps it together when it comes to the subject of Latveria.
We briefly return stateside at the beginning of our issue, namely to the nation’s capital, inside the White House. A decidedly non-Red Hulking-out, General Ross is in a heated debate with Secretary of State Brooke concerning the current situation in Latveria. Ross wants to talk to the President of the United States directly, but Brooke plainly states that is a no-go. Ross urges Brooke to move on to Latveria immediately, citing Salvation as a threat the likes of which could become the next Victor Von Doom, given his predecessor’s array of weapon stashes. Ross’ frustration gets the better of him as his eyes take on a glowing crimson shade, something Brooke points out before informing him he is being reassigned. His efforts are appreciated by the President, but Doom tortured him, and as such he’s made the Latverian situation far too personal as a result. Brooke takes his leave as Ross stews in anger, clearly far from pleased about his return trip to America.
Alina reveals she’s Dr. Doom’s cousin, a fact that could be used for good…or make things even worse.
Back in Latveria, Captain America travels on foot alongside Alina Von Doom, who had just revealed her secret heritage in the last issue. Steve questions her as to why she doesn’t capitalize on being a Von Doom, to which she responds that it could be powerful to do so, but the name carries with it too much pain and history. She pointedly asks how people would react if another Hitler rose from Adolf’s defeat, even a peaceful one. Being from the Second World War, Steve acknowledges her point but still isn’t sure if it’s a good idea for her to hide her surname as they travel through sewer tunnels underground. She responds by telling him that the Homeland Party is bigger than her or her name and that secrecy is needed. That same secrecy is needed as they navigate the tunnels, avoiding wayward eyes and ears and spies as they approach a meeting spot. Steve is wary, asking who exactly they are supposed to meet while his S.H.I.E.L.D team is looking for weapons of mass destruction. Alina is coy as the two hunker down, discussing her motivation to stop the True Latveria party and Salvation.. Steve commends her pacifist nature but warns her that the world is dangerous and violent. She agrees, and she says the only way she’s able to continue in her role is because there are men who exist who can fill the role of another: the warrior.
S.H.I.E.L.D turns up no nuclear weapons as they search for Doom’s alleged stockpile of super weapons.
Elsewhere in Latveria, the S.H.I.E.L.D team come across a hidden silo of ICBMs but they don’t qualify as being WMDs due to their payload not being nuclear and zero trace of any radiation to have ever suggested that they were. As Joe and Trevor discuss the payloads of the missiles, Charles and Red Widow share a quiet moment that could possibly be interpreted as flirtatious as they discuss the inherent grace and beauty in their lethal skill sets. The others attempt to hail Captain America to report in, but curiously cannot establish contact.
Captain America immediately sets his sights on Melor Sandu.
Back in the underground tunnels, Steve and Alina continue to wait for whoever it is they’re supposed to meet as the former confides that the idea of America is so large in both his head and heart that he wonders if he’s able to have anything left for anyone else, making for a lonely life. The two are then suddenly joined by Melor and Mara Sandu, the two heads of the third faction involved in the Latverian Civil War, the Latverian Liberators. Steve instantly reacts, grasping Melor by the collar and condemning his brutal murder of civilians as Mara quickly levels her rifle at the Sentinel of Liberty. Alina quickly intervenes, trying to keep the peace as the Sandu siblings explain that they regret every death but that Latveria must be free by any means. Alina eases the tension somewhat by explaining that she trusts and believes that the sibling revolutionaries have Latveria’s best interest at heart, despite their methods. Melor tells Steve that they aren’t all different, given the latter’s service record, to which Steve coolly responds, “I don’t kill people”. Melor scoffs and reminds him that this is war. More so, he believes that Salvation knows where the weapons really are and may even control them. And if that is the case, Salvation could destroy the country before the U.N. could even vote as to what to do with it. Ultimately, the siblings agree to share the intel they gleaned from a master list of weapon locations with Steve, provided he takes the weapons from Salvation before they kill him.
The implication behind this scene is pretty worrisome.
We return back to America as General Ross arrives at some sort of military installation, greeted by a group of soldiers. Ross tells the soldiers to be at ease as he pointedly explains how his rank apparently amounts to nothing these days. They ask if the meeting with the President went well, to which he confirms as much. Ross explains to the unit that they’re at a watershed moment and that America is under threat. The soldiers under his command are loyal patriots to America, and they’re not paid shills running it into the ground. The soldiers all reaffirm their commitment to the general despite potentially being labeled as traitors, as Ross says that they’re committed to freedom itself, and freedom lies in being bold…as the computer screen pulls up an image of the Hulk in a rather ominous fashion.
Marius Wolf aka Salvation is prepared to do whatever he feels necessary to free Latveria.
Back at the farmhouse silo, Fury’s S.H.I.E.L.D team informs him of their lack of findings as he directs them towards their next stop, a former American Embassy. Trevor asks if Captain America is with Fury, as he’s been MIA. Fury, with frustration, confirms Rogers is not with him and orders radio silence as he informs the team he’s coming to meet them at the embassy. He signs off as he tells the team they don’t know who might be listening. As if to prove his point, we see Salvation, aka Marius Wolf, spying on the S.H.I.E.L.D team as he informs his forces to wait on pursuing them, instead opting to let them find Doom’s super weapon(s) and, as soon as they do, blow them to pieces.
Captain America leads the Sandu siblings and a small fighting force to the location of where they suspect a list of weapons could be found.
Elsewhere in Latveria, Captain America and the Sandu siblings, accompanied by a small contingent of freedom fighters, surveil outside of what appears to be a base of some kind. Steve tells them to keep it to stealth as Melor confirms radio communications are jammed so they can keep the situation confirmed. The three of them infiltrate the area as Steve pointedly stops things from getting bloody needlessly. It goes pretty well…until it doesn’t, as Melor blows their cover and the alarm is raised. Steve races after a jeep en route to get reinforcements, knowing that if he can’t stop it, the whole mission is for naught. He manages to catch the jeep and is moments away from taking control of the vehicle when enemy soldiers fire an RPG directly at it. The jeep explodes as Cap is sent flying and crashes back down to earth.
Cap comes to after surviving a direct RPG strike on a runaway jeep to find himself in a mass grave filled with bodies.
Steve comes to and upon doing so, makes a horrifying realization: he has landed in a pit filled with dead bodies, the countless victims of Salvation’s designs of controlling and leading Latveria. The shock and horror Cap feels soon give way to overwhelming rage as he rises from the pit. The super soldier dismantles the enemy combatants in raw unmitigated anger over the brutal sight, only stopping when Mara grasps his arm, snapping him back to reality. Meanwhile, Fury is busy chewing Steve out for going off on his own but his words fall on deaf words. Mara confesses that the list they were looking for was never a list of weapons, but rather a list of the dead, perceived enemies of Salvation, all of whom were civilians. Steve finally answers Fury’s hail, informing him he found a mass grave of people Salvation has murdered. Fury suspects as much and tells Steve he’ll alert the people above them who in turn will get the U.N. involved once the coalition is formed and ratified. Salvation will deny it of course, but Fury’s confident that the forensics will prove their case. We near the end of our comic as Fury’s response isn’t good enough for Captain America, who in no uncertain terms, tells Fury this ends now. He vows he’s going after Salvation with or without Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D.
Captain America is now more resolved than ever to bring Salvation down.
And God help him if he stands in his way.
The Wrath of a Righteous Man and the Schemes of the Wicked
Captain America fights so others don’t have to.
Issue #8 of Captain America dials up the action and the stakes to say the least. I’ve enjoyed this run - courtesy of Chip Zdarsky - since the first issue for a multitude of reasons, all of which are displayed in this issue. First and foremost, it’s a great Captain America run so far when you strip away the details and world building and how this sets up the upcoming Armageddon event. At its core, this series tells you everything you need to know about Captain America, both as a superhero/soldier and as a man. It goes to show you that someone who is often branded as the “boring Lawful Good” character can be a dynamic one and anything but boring. Secondly, the run as a whole and this specific issue really do wonders for Latveria as a setting. You become invested in the nation that is, more often than not, used as a backdrop for Dr. Doom. Here, the fictional small Eastern European is granted more identity and agency beyond just being the place of birth for one of Marvel’s greatest villains. Finally, both the run and issue itself has a long running narrative story that is complex without being convoluted. When the homeland of perhaps the single greatest threat to Earth is without its despotic ruler, what comes next? Should Latveria be allowed to rebuild on its own? Does America - or the world at large - have a right to step in? And how far are Latverian citizens willing to go to be free in a world without Victor Von Doom? These questions and more is what elevates this title to the upper echelon of Marvel’s ongoing series and, in my humble opinion, make it worth reading.
We have a couple of big reveals here, so let’s start with the first one: General Thunderbolt Ross has been formally dismissed and reassigned from the Latverian assignment. This…does not sit well with the man who is also a (red) Hulk. Secretary Brooke wasn’t wrong, either. Ross was tortured by Doom and endured things that would have broken lesser men. That does make him entirely too close to the situation. And yet, Ross isn’t exactly wrong about Salvation. He rightfully fears what he could do with Doom’s weapons, especially given what we find out later. It’s the combination of being admonished by Captain America, Fury, and the Secretary of State to push Ross to take matters into his own gamma-irradiated hands. And if solicits and cover previews are anything to take into account, I think it’s safe to say that Ross won’t be the only gamma-irradiated figure in this powder keg of a situation.
The fact Fury has his suspicions all along does not sit well with Cap.
The second big reveal is that Salvation is every bit the monster he was accused of being. In his zeal to keep Latveria free, he and his men have literally dug a mass grave to bury the bodies of those he deems enemies to Latveria (and himself). It’s horrific, a war crime in every sense of the word. Coupled with the fact that he has been spying on Fury and the others and has given the go-ahead to his forces to blow them to hell the moment they find Doom’s weapons, it’s clear that the years have radicalized Marius Wolf even further. Given the fact that he was leading an assassination attempt on Dr. Doom years ago, it speaks volumes that he would take his war to even more unsavory levels, all for the benefit of Latveria. It stands to reason that Steve will stop at nothing to see Marius brought to justice, and woe be unto anyone who tries to stop him.
Moving on to the titular character himself, Captain America’s integrity remains unwavering as he is placed into increasingly more desperate situations, all the better to see how our hero endures and emerges from them. His visceral reaction to the mass grave, while unspoken in the issue, seems to be a clear recognition of the same type of evil he fought against during WWII. If you’re a student of history or even just someone who has surface-level knowledge of WWII and the events that led up to it, you know exactly what such a sight would likely trigger in terms of Cap’s memories. The ever-shifting alliances he finds himself in is intriguing as well. Between Alina and the Sandus, Steve ultimately wants to do what’s best for the civilians of Latveria and acts accordingly. The inevitable confrontation between Steve and his former ally from years ago is looking to come to a head very soon, and that’s without factoring in Ross’ inevitable return to Latveria or how Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D will further complicate things.
Rounding out our cast, we get some nice rapport with Fury’s team. Trevor and Joe are somewhat flat in comparison to Charles and Red Widow; perhaps it’s by design, perhaps not. Fury himself also comes across as the consummate spymaster like his father, but is clearly struggling to keep things tight and orderly due to Steve going off on his own and following his conscience rather than orders. It remains to be seen if Fury will stand between Cap and Salvation, but if he does, you can imagine he’ll have his operatives on standby (assuming they don’t decide to follow Cap). On the Latverian side of things, Alina has become a captivating character, revealed to be Dr. Doom’s cousin. And you can’t blame her for keeping it quiet, either. Melor and Mara are rough around the edges and more than a bit sloppy, which wind up being the reason why Cap winds up discovering the mass grave in the first place. Coincidence? Hard to say.
An incensed Captain America dismantles multiple soldiers in the wake of discovering the mass grave.
The art in this issue, courtesy of Jan Bazaldua with colors by Romulo Fjardo Jr., is kinetic and to the point. Being honest, it’s not my favorite work as it pertains to expressions as mid issue the details seem to be hazy specifically during General Ross returning to the soldiers under his command. Aside from that, we do get a lot of good scenes brought to life. Between the quieter, more intimate moments of reflection between Alina and Steve and the horror of Steve discovering he’s in a body filled with the countless dead civilians Salvation has murdered, we get a full gamut of emotional scenes from beginning to end. The art, coupled with Zdarsky’s writing, really ties things together and delivers an installment in the current arc that captures the vibe and energy of a high-octane and intense espionage thriller. You almost forget this is a superhero comic, which is obviously not a slight towards the genre but rather an acknowledgment of how the art elevates the story beyond the scope of what is normally expected of these stories.
Final Thoughts and Review
Chip Zdarsky has not missed since taking the reins of Captain America and there’s no reason to believe he’s going to anytime soon. He sure as hell did not miss here in issue #8. Between the rising tensions of the three distinct Latverian parties all vying to seize control of the nation, the presence of Nick Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D, and the looming threat of the Red Hulk (who certainly won’t be alone), Steve Rogers looks to be in the fight of his life defending a country that it is not his own.
A pissed off Captain America is one of the last people you want to be standing opposite of.
Final Review: 8.5/10
As we march towards Armageddon, Captain America #8 puts Steve Rogers in the center of an ever increasingly desperate conflict for the future of Latveria in a thrilling and literally explosive entry in Chip Zdarsky’s ongoing series. This title sustains its high quality story telling and is a must read for fans keen to see how the next era of the Avengers and Marvel as a whole gets laid out before us.