CAPTAIN AMERICA Elected President of the United States of Ultimates

In his book The Comic Book Makers, Joe Simon, the creator of Captain America writes,

“Our government’s propaganda was preparing us for the day when the U.S. would enter the war. It was time of intense patriotism. Children played soldiers, shooting war toys at imaginary Hitlers. Wouldn’t they love to see him lambasted in a comic book. By a soldier. A meek, bumbling private with muscles of steel and a colorful, star spangled costume under his khaki uniform. Wouldn’t we all!

…[M]y mind burned with the idea. This was an opportunity for big money if I could make the right deal, not to mention the chance to make a mockery of the Nazis and their mad leader.” (p. 50)

In other words, Captain America, the sentinel of liberty, was created as part of a cynical attempt to cash in on government war propaganda, while at the same time promoting the government’s pro-war agenda.

And now, today, that great piece of agitprop is being elected President of the United States of Ultimates, and no less a news organization than the Washington Post has the story:

Sometimes, desperate times call for politically disparate measures. So Marvel Comics — in a story line laced with comment on the current climate — will elect the First Avenger as the country’s next commander in chief in Ultimate Comics Ultimates No. 15-16, a story arc that hits stores and shelves Wednesday.

…

“This is a United States that’s being torn asunder by special interest groups — by opportunists looking to divide and conquer,” Marvel Entertainment Editor-in-Chief Axel Alonso says in an exclusive to The Washington Post. “This is a metaphor for what goes on in real life, but on steroids.”

It’s interesting that Alonso used the term “on steroids” in this context, since Captain America, in addition to being a cynical piece of agitprop, is also a shining example of the wonders of performance enhancing drugs:

Captain America owes all his success to steroids. If you've got 3-D glasses, you can see this sad pro-drug message in eye-popping 3-D.

To summarize: Captain America is pro-war. If he were a bicyclist, he would lose his Tour de France titles. And this man is now the president of the United States.

Well, he’s not MY president!

Ladies and gentlemen, the President of the United States!

Source: WASHINGTON POST. Seriously.