Captain America's New Era Resurrects Civil War's Best Idea

Published Aug 22, 2026, 9:30 AM EDT Adam has been writing in the entertainment news space for over a decade. Beginning his career of covering film and TV at CinemaBlend, he has also appeared on The Flash Podcast and done several radio spots. 20 years ago, Marvel Comics’ Civil War storyline pitted two factions of superheroes against each other over differing perspectives on the Superhero Registration Act. Captain America led the faction opposing the legislation, while Iron Man led the faction supporting it. The ensuing conflict only ended when Steve Rogers surrendered and turned himself into the authorities when he realized how much the damage from the fighting was affecting the public. Despite its polarizing critical reception, Civil War still ranks as one of Marvel’s biggest events. In 2016, the sequel Civil War II was published (albeit following a significantly different kind of premise), and Captain America: Civil War loosely adapted the original storyline to launch the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Phase Three slate. 10 years later, the Captain America comic book run is harkening back to the best idea of Civil War through Steve’s new, yet familiar status quo. Captain America Is Becoming A Fugitive Again Captain America (Vol. 14) #17, Written By Chip Zdarsky, Art By Ton Lima, Cover Art By Valerio Schiti Marvel Comics Though Doctor Doom sacrificed his life at the end of One World Under Doom so that the Living Tribunal would resurrect Valeria Richards, April’s Captain America #10 introduced a young clone of Victor von Doom, nicknamed Vic. The solicitation for November’s Captain America #17 reveals that in the aftermath of the Armageddon event, Steve will go on the run with Vic after the United Nations-backed S.H.I.E.L.D. demands the long man be turned over. This will pit Steve against Nick Fury, i.e. Nick Fury Jr., who now fills the same kind of spymaster role his father did on Earth-616 before becoming the entity known as The Unseen. The Captain America #17 solicitation also teases that “one of Cap’s oldest enemies returns!” This issue arrives one month before Robert Downey Jr. makes his full debut as Doctor Doom in the upcoming Marvel movie Avengers: Doomsday. Vic is Doctor Doom’s latest “offspring” to be introduced, though unlike the older clone Victor von Doom II, Vic hasn’t had anything to do with the original Victor’s plans. Instead, Vic was raised without implanted memories or a copy of Victor’s consciousness so he could be raised as a “good man.” Unfortunately for Vic, his existence, and its implications for the nation of Latveria, concern the U.N., requiring Steve to protect him. Captain America As A Fugitive Was The Best Part Of Civil War Marvel Comics Though he goes by Captain America, Steve isn’t beholden to the U.S. government. His actions are solely dictated by his moral code, as he embodies the spirit of the American dream, but won’t hesitate to question the country’s practices. Steve’s ideological clashes with the U.S. government saw him temporarily abandon the Captain America identity twice, which, respectively, resulted in him becoming Nomad and John Walker (now known as U.S. Agent) taking his place. Civil War, however, outright made him an enemy of the state. Steve becoming a fugitive was the highlight of the 2006-2007 crossover, showing just how far he would go to stick to his principles. In this case, he felt the Superhero Registration Act was an infringement on privacy and civil liberties, and he created an underground resistance movement in defiance of the legislation. Now Steve finds himself a fugitive once more during Zdarsky’s Captain America run, but this time it’s to protect a young boy. Though Vic shares the same genetic material as Victor von Doom, that doesn’t mean he’s exactly the same as the armored antagonist. While it remains to be seen what specific events will lead Steve to go on the run with Vic, it would be in character for him to argue for the boy’s autonomy and freedom. That’s in sharp contrast with S.H.I.E.L.D. and the U.N. likely being worried that Vic will become another Doctor Doom. In this example of the nature vs. nurture argument, Steve is siding with the latter. Captain America #17 will be released Wednesday, November 11 by Marvel Comics. Created By Joe Simon, Jack Kirby First Appearance Captain America Comics Alias Steve Rogers, John Walker, Sam Wilson Alliance Avengers, Invaders, S.H.I.E.L.D., U.S. Army Race Human Franchise Marvel