COMICS: Stan Lee, Ed Brubaker, James Gunn, And More Weigh In On Controversial CAPTAIN AMERICA Twist
Captain America secretly being an Agent of HYDRA has sent shockwaves through the internet, and everyone from Stan Lee to Ed Brubaker and GOTG director James Gunn have weighed in on the controversy...
Unless you've been living under a rock since Wednesday, you'll know that Captain America breaking bad and saying "Hail Hydra!" has pretty much broken the internet, with Marvel's latest stunt (in a long and very tedious line of them) seemingly proving too much for some. Needless to say, a lot of people have weighed in on the matter, and below you'll find some of the most noteworthy and interesting.
"It's a helluva clever idea," the always pro-Marvel Stan Lee says in the video above (via CBR) in response to a fan at MegaCon in Orlando, Florida. "I don't know that I would ever have thought of it, for him to be a double agent. But it's going to make you curious, it's going to make you want to read the books ... they'll probably do a movie based on it, so I can't fault it. It's a good idea. I think it's crazy, but it's a good idea." Of course, Lee knows all about reinventing Steve Rogers as he's the one who took the Hitler punching piece of World War II propaganda and made him an Avenger!
Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn has also been rather vocal about the twist, admitting he's not necessarily a fan of the idea, but asking fans (hardly an unreasonable request) not to threaten writer Nick Spencer with, you know, death. After sharing his thoughts on Twitter however, the director faced a lot of backlash via his Facebook page, and as you can see, was rightly disgusted by some of the downright deranged responses and threats he received from some so-called comic book fans there.
Tom Brevoort, Marvel Executive Editor (a very divisive figure among comic book readers) meanwhile was quick to take aim at those who have said Captain America is basically a Nazi now, and if you don't like what they're doing with the character right now...well, either wait and see - all is going to be revealed in issue #2 apparently - or accept that not every comic they put out is going to be for you.
"Not every story is for every reader. This situation surprises me – and it really shouldn’t because I’ve lived through this sort of thing with Captain America at least twice before. We’re on the anniversary of Civil WarCivil War II #1. This is what it was like when we had Captain America killed at the end of Civil War. It’s just in 2006, the internet wasn’t quite the presence it is now.
Even then, while it was a factor, it wasn’t what it is today. But the reactions here, and a lot of the letters I’m getting, could have been written about Cap’s death. You cross out “killed” and you write “Hydra” and it’s the same basic message, the same basic sentiment. The reporting on this, and the sort of game of telephone on the internet about this went from it being “Captain America is Hydra,” to “Captain America is a Nazi” – which is already a leap – to “This is anti-semitism,” which is ridiculous, in that, if you look at the comic book that we put out, there is nothing in it that, in any way, shape, or form, is even slightly anti-semitic.
But because people were able to go “Hydra = Nazi, and Nazi = anti-semitism," that's what reactions became about."
However, one person not interested in listening to your complaints is former Marvel writer Ed Brubaker. After asking fans on Twitter to stop directing their anger at him, The Winter Soldier scribe sent out a message via his mailing list and made it clear why he decided to leave Marvel in the first place. Needless to say, it's the same reason a lot of readers have stopped picking up their books!
"I get loving superhero comics and I get following characters, believe me. And I love when I see people dressed as the Winter Soldier or shipping “Stucky” but I feel like way too many comic readers act almost like they’re forced to buy Marvel and DC books, like it’s a government program or something. It’s not.
There are plenty of great comics where the art is by the same people every issue, where there is never a fill-in issue or a reboot or a retcon. In fact, many of the creators who you love on Marvel and DC books are doing their finest work outside those big companies – Jason Aaron’s Southern Bastards and The Goddamned are two of my favorite comics, Kieron and Jamie did a great run on Young Avengers, but Wicked + Divine is them unfiltered. I don’t have to tell you about Saga and Bitch Planet and Sex Criminals, I’m sure. All by creators who made big names at Marvel or DC, all of whom are happier doing work that they totally control.
Look, anyway, you all know this, most likely if you’re on my mailing list is because you read my current comics. But after a day of people screeching at me about a comic I had nothing to do with, I remembered how happy I was not to be part of that world anymore. People are constantly asking why I don’t go back to Marvel, assuming there was some huge problem that caused me to leave, but really it was just a slow burnout, tiring of endless events and stunts and reboots."
Are you still raging over HydraCap or are you over it already? Let us know in the usual place...