Of course it is, what's more American than firearms?

The real question is how did he ever represent the good ol' US of A without a gun?

Sent by ben | 6:52 PM ET | 10-16-2007

So I stand revealed as a comics geek. Steve Rogers as Captain America did carry a gun in WWII, as he was a soldier on the battlefield. After he was re-appeared in the early 60s (after the Comics Code was established), no more guns-- only the shield. The new Captain America? Let's see where that goes. Policemen carry weapons, soldiers carry weapons.

Sent by Rob | 7:40 PM ET | 10-16-2007

I think having a gun is not a big deal; let us just see if he will use it? We are after all living in the age of hired guns.

Sent by Nick A | 8:13 PM ET | 10-16-2007

But he is a superhero, no? A superhero is not so super when s/he needs a gun. And, if he does pack heat, it should be some kind of *super* gun -- not an off-the-shelf 9mm.

Sent by Tobias | 9:12 PM ET | 10-16-2007

I agree that the gun reduces Captain America to a mere mortal...and might further glamorize the notion of carrying a gun. Is it the gun that makes him the superhero--or his wits & super-powers?

Sent by Evelyn | 9:38 AM ET | 10-17-2007

Perhaps people should wait to pass judgment until the story plays out in context. It is fiction after all.

Sent by Frank | 9:40 AM ET | 10-17-2007

Every 10 years or so, the Big 2 decide to shake up a character with some stunt/revamp. With characters as iconic as Captain America, they rarely stick. Someone else comes along and re-establishes the status quo. I'm sure this will be short-lived. Personally, I think a gun cheapens the character, but I suspect it will be a temporary addition, to be disposed of within the storyline.

Sent by jeff | 9:46 AM ET | 10-17-2007

You missed the real story. Capt. America is now a Blackwater employee. Well, of course he's packing heat now. Duh!

Sent by John R. Otten | 4:52 PM ET | 10-18-2007

Cap carrying a gun represents our new foreign policy. 17 years ago we would step in to protect a country from invaders like a shield. Now we step in and point the gun. A natural progression for the character looking at our policy. America is no longer Steve Rogers. America now needs a gun.

Sent by Joe | 8:18 PM ET | 10-21-2007

Cap carring a gun represents nothing but senasationalism at it's best from Marvel to stir the pot and make a buck.

Sent by Mike | 2:15 PM ET | 10-26-2007

In my opinion, when I think about the character who is most likely in line to replace Cap, then the gun, knife, and mostly black costume make sense. Those things may not have fit with Steve Rogers in the Captain America personna, but with the new Cap (who I suspect is going to be Bucky, but that's just my theory) those aspects could be pulled off. Although I was always a Steve Rogers fan, so I hope the new Cap will be short-lived so they bring Steve Rogers back sooner.

Sent by Josh | 11:13 PM ET | 12-03-2007

In the old black-and-white Superman television series, when the bad guy fired his pistol at Superman, good old Superman stood stock straight up, arms akimbo, letting the bullets bounce of his chest.

When the bad guy's pistol ran out of ammunition, the bad guy would throw his pistol at Superman. And Superman would duck.

Which indicates that Superman had a deep seated fear of touching the gun, itself. Bullets are not contaminated. Maybe because bullets move so fast they are near invisible, thus less a frighteningly repulsive totem to the Man of Steel.

George Reeves, who played Superman in the television series, ended his life via suicide by the gun. Yet, there are many fans of True Hollywood Murder Mysteries who insist Reeves was bumped off by the mob or a jilted lover or a studio honcho who was being blackmailed for one Hollywood thing or the other.

The George Reeves murder/suicide mystery launched the Hollywood urban legend that the role of Superman was cursed. Which, some believe, explains the eventually fatal horse riding accident that befell Christopher Reeve, who portrayed Superman in a series of movies.

Meanwhile, Steve Reeves starred in the movies as Hercules. Since there were no guns in the ancient Greece days of Hercules and Zeus, Steve Reeves quietly died at his ranch of natural causes at the age of 74.

Which all proves beyond a shadow of a doubt the evil curse of the gun that becomes a stigma to any superhero who touches a gun.

fred call

Sent by fred call | 9:52 AM ET | 12-04-2007

Nice to see there are more intelligent discussions here then at some of the newspaper sites, regarding this story.
I like who is now Cap and personally I hope he stays for good. Steve fought the good fight but let hem rest. The New Cap is a natural evolution. And the story that Ed Brubaker is weaving is one of the best I've ever read in the Cap mythos.

Sent by David S | 10:59 AM ET | 01-30-2008

Frank Miller wrote a great cameo of Cap in Daredevil, when the "Nuke" character was being used by the evil Kingpin. It's a fine line to bring the character into a real, edgy universe while still keeping the shield pure, as it were. Might be worth picking up an issue or two just to see how (if) it works...

Sent by Mark B. | 11:34 AM ET | 01-30-2008

Does anyone recognize the band who played the music interlude at the conclusion of this story?

Sent by Mark | 1:31 PM ET | 01-30-2008

Actually, the Ultimate Universe version of Captain America (Ultimate Universe being a seperate continuity that was created to modernize some of Marvel's most popular properties) - look up a title from the early 2000's called The Ultimates - has carried a gun, and is largely a battlefield commander who does engage in combat himself. He machinegunned Wolverine in an issue of Ultimate War. Captain America having a gun in this day and age isn't surprising.

Sent by Mr. Webster | 2:36 PM ET | 01-30-2008

It's sad. Captain America was a fountain of democratic idealism, and now he's turned "gothic" and "dark" and morally conflicted. . . the Batman Treatment can wreck a good comic. Putting a gun in Captain America's hand turns him into a thug.

Sent by ToddAOK | 3:43 PM ET | 01-30-2008

Well Marvel has taken another jump over the shark with this decision. Joe Quesada, Editor-in-Chief of Marvel, forced Spider-Man to fight the bastard children of Norman Osborn (Green Goblin) and his dead girlfriend Gwen Stacy. Then he created a Civil War where heroes fight heroes. It was a non-event that made Iron Man into a neo-con fascist and Captain American irrelevant in today's cynical world. The only thing that come out of that stupid thing was Cap's death. Now we have a new Captain America with a pistol who has been a brainwashed Soviet spy/assassin. Just great!! Marvel used to be the House of Ideas. Now its merely the Outhouse of Crap. This is why i don't read marvel anymore.

Sent by Gary Anderson | 7:55 AM ET | 01-31-2008

In response to Fred Wall's comments on the George Reeve's serial, I think that your theory about why Superman would duck are interesting. However, it should be pointed out that the real reason why Superman ducked the gun was because it was the only element of danger to the actor. He could stand and take fake bullets and blanks all day long, but a physically solid object being thrown would have pelted him.

Also, in regards to the Captain America topic, I would like to join the camp of "don't judge it till you read it." You have no idea the context of how his weaponry plays out, nor do a number of you fully realize who has newly taken up the mantle of Cap. This is not Steve Rogers. For his successor, these changes make perfect sense and adhere to the character dynamics established long ago.

Sent by Dustin Miles | 8:18 PM ET | 01-31-2008

It would be generous of NPR to at least take the time to mention the creators of comic book heroes. Joe Simon and Jack Kirby created Captain America in 1940 in response to a surge of patriotism in the country during the early stages of WWII. According to Kirby, Captain America was an expression of frustration that nobody was going out and "kicking Hitler's ass." It was a different time then. Nobody thought about the cost of war, they were just responding to what they saw as an incredible injustice.

Sent by Ray Wyman Jr | 10:28 AM ET | 02-01-2008

I'm a guy who read a hella lotta comics in the 1980s, but then dropped out until now. After trying to return to Fantastic Four, Superman, and Spider-Man, and being disappointed, I've found this current run of Captain America to be refreshingly adult in its characterizations. Perhaps some of the folks squawking about "stunts" and guns ought to try reading a few issues before you read it.

Sent by Nathan | 3:25 PM ET | 02-01-2008

Ok he carries a gun around. But what kind of gun? He's no Punisher after all. If there is a right gun for the red,white,blue man let me know. Becuase his shield was his weapon of choice, right? Please let me know what kind of heat he should pack.

Sent by Anthony Scott | 4:07 PM ET | 02-02-2008

Unless the new Cap is invulnerable it would makes sense for him to have a weapon. Just like a soldier or police officer. The average comic reader won't buy a book that's a monthly installment of some idealized non-violent propaganda.

All the non-violent comics that many folks grew up with came as a result of the self-censorhip adopted by the comic industry after it was nearly shutdown by a McCarthy-like witch hunt based on the unscientific research of Dr. Wertham in his book, "Seduction of the Innocent".

Sent by Stuart | 2:18 PM ET | 02-04-2008