Captain America #308 Review

Issue Review
Captain America #308

Direct Market Release Date: April 9, 1985

Credits

Title: The Body In Question
Writer: Mark Gruenwald
Penciler: Paul Neary
Inker: Dennis Janke
Letterer: Diana Albers
Colorist: Ken Feduniewicz
Editor: Mike Carlin
Editor in Chief: Jim Shooter

Summary

Captain America, in Los Angeles heeding Professor X's frantic call for help with the Beyonder, enters the West Coast Avengers compound. In search of an Avengers Quinjet, he evades numerous traps on his way to the hanger, all the while being observed by a portion of the Beyonder's consciousness.

At the hangar, Captain America discovers another intruder - the Armadillo. After a brief battle, Cap learns that the Armadillo, under the employ of Dr. Karl Malus, was sent to the West Coast Avengers compound to retrieve the imprisoned Goliath. It is revealed that the Armadillo used to be a street criminal named Antonio Rodriguez, who agreed to transform himself into the Armadillo in exchange for Dr. Malus' aid in curing his wife Bonita of a mysterious paralysis.

After hearing the Armadillo's tale, Captain America follows the Armadillo to Dr. Malus' headquarters. Cap leaves Malus with the Armadillo and tells him to wait for the police to arrive. While Cap is on the phone with the authorities, the Beyonder's consciousness, which has been following Cap for the last 6 hours, comes to the conclusion that Steve Rodgers is the perfect specimen of humanity, and uses his body as the template for his own physical form.

Quotes

Caption: Although a mere human with no extraordinary powers, this being has honed his every skill to the very limits of human perfection -- his body is fast, agile, strong, tough.. His mind is keen, quick, focused, capable.. yet there's still something else about him... something special that his fellow beings respond to... defer to. Truly, this being, this "Captain America" is the ONE... the one among the four billion human beings who shall serve as the ideal template...

Commentary

A fairly important crossover issue, if only for the fact that the Beyonder decides to pattern his physical form after Steve Rodgers. If you had read Secret Wars II#1 and then ignored the crossovers and went straight to issue #2, you'd be left wondering how the Beyonder went from looking like the Molecule Man, to a blonde guy in a white jumpsuit. Captain America #308 explains it all.

It's also important to note here that the Beyonder splits himself in two after Secret Wars II #1. While he is busy interrupting the New Mutants' activities in New Mutants #30, a part of his consciousness followed Steve Rogers, as we see in this issue.

The story behind the Armadillo is nice, but the wrap up to this issue is inexplicable. Captain America decides to make a citizen's arrest, and take Dr. Malus in, at which point, Malus threatens that if he goes to jail, the Armadillo's wife will not be cured, and may possibly die. Caps' solution? The Armadillo will stay here and watch Malus, while Cap goes and phones the police anyway. I'm not sure how taking Malus to the police, versus phoning them to come and get him, is any different, or how that solves the problem of treating Bonita Rodriguez.

Also, be on the lookout for Captain America's nose, which has disappeared from his face on the last panel of page 8!

Up next...

Secret Wars II continues in Uncanny X-Men #196!