Next month, Marvel Comics will celebrate 80 years of Captain America with a new series titled The United States of Captain America. Written by Christopher Cantwell with art by Dale Eaglesham, it will feature both the ultimate Captain America team-up - Steve Rogers, Sam Wilson, Bucky Barnes, and John Walker - and introduce new shield-bearers inspired by the star-spangled Avenger.
Created by a diverse lineup of all-star talent, these new Marvel heroes come from all walks of life and will have their origins, motivations, and futures explored by their creators in special backup tales each issue. Aaron Fischer (a gay teenager) and Nichelle Wright (a Black woman) have previously been revealed, but we now have a third: Joe Gomez, the Captain America of the Kickapoo Tribe.
Created by geoscientist and Lipan Apache writer Darcie Little Badger and Qalipu Mi’kmaq First Nation artist David Cutler, Joe Gomez will debut this August in The United States of Captain America #3.
"Something I love about Joe is his day job. It represents everything he stands for as a hero," Little Badger explained. "See, Joe Gomez is a construction worker, a builder in a world plagued by destruction. Every time a spaceship crashes into a bridge or a supervillain transforms a whole city block into rubble, people like Joe make things whole again. Work like that may seem thankless, but Joe genuinely enjoys helping his community survive and thrive."
"That's why he won't charge elders for home repair services (the Joe Gomez senior discount is 100%)," he continued. "That's also why he's willing to risk his life to save others. I know lots of people like Joe--many of them my Indigenous relatives--so it was wonderful to help develop a character with his values, strength, and extreme crane-operating skills."
Check out a first look at the character below: