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When “Captain America: Steve Rogers” #1 was released, the reaction was intense. Just after Marvel secured the superhero movie win against its rivals with Captain America: Civil War, news broke that a new series by Nick Spencer would revise the iconic hero as a secret HYDRA agent from the very start.

There are two ways to look at this situation that undermines this revision as being “true”: 1. This is just an elaborate marketing tool; 2. This is merely one of many versions of a character, and it does not override the others.

Although these are not mutually exclusive, we will treat them as separate matters.

A Marketing Plot

According to reports, the comic book publishing industry is in dire straits. Every year, press releases by distributors claim that sales are down, and doomsayers are constantly predicting the fall of a major publisher.

The industry is not in a risky place, nor will it collapse. Success should not be measured in sales figures but in stories, and readers will always turn to iconic storylines. However, the business side of the profession will always make high demands and seek to bring in an ever increasing profit. Thus, we get the false iconic story that seek to make money off of controversy rather than an honest movement in the field.

The Death of Superman story arc was extremely controversial, and it brought in a lot of interest to Superman during the 90s because it was controversial. Although it was interesting in concept, with its use of brutality and actual loss, it became just another marketing gimmick. Superman was restored in a very strained manner, and the plot line has been glossed over ever since.

It does not matter if popular demand or corporate executives were the catalyst for Superman’s return. In the end, he returned because there was a lot of profit to be made. There are many similar examples of fake storyline changes for the sake of profit, but this is the quintessential example.

It is very possible that Spencer and those at Marvel wanted to use controversy to gain sales. It is not surprising that so many websites, media groups, and high profile fans have weighed into the controversy. Free publicity is great for marketing.

Spencer also has a history of bait and switch plot lines. It is quite possible that the “Rogers is a HYDRA agent” will be reversed. A fan who dislikes what is happening can either see it as a cynical marketing ploy based on controversy, or a cynical marketing ploy based on fake controversy that will soon be reversed.

But what if this story line sticks and Rogers as HYDRA agent is deemed canonical?

There is No “Canon”

We can call it the George Lucas effect: the author’s attempt to dramatically revise a plot or story because their personal views on the matter have changed. However, once an author has published a work, they no longer have control over it; it has become part of the reader. No matter how many revised editions or later stories are published, the reader can chose to accept or dismiss at will. Some call this “head canon,” but, more appropriately, there is no “canon.”

Author’s have control over what is produced, but they can never control how a work is interpreted. Famously, William Wordsworth tried to revise many of his poems later in life to ground them more firmly in Christianity, yet most critics and readers seemed to ignore the changes. They preferred the earlier works, and the later revisions are practically unknown. The audience is firmly in control, but they seem unable to realize it.

The major problem with fan reaction in general is that everyone has their own version of a comic book hero, either based on a particular run or incarnation of the character or an amalgamation of aspects that form an idealized version. There is a whole field based on studying this reaction called Phenomenology. In general, we react poorly when the realized form of a character does not match our preconceived form. Likewise, we experience a sense of gratitude and security when the character does match.

Art has two purposes: to sooth the soul and to challenge the mind. In many instances, the two functions are in conflict with each other, which is what we are experiencing now.

When a reader begins to see the “Captain America: Steve Rogers” as Spencer’s interpretation and not the interpretation, then this conflict is eased. They can approach the work in a more objective sense and try to see the ramifications of this change. DC has a history of doing this very thing with Superman, especially in “Red Son” and “Kingdom Come.” Marvel, to a lesser extent, has their “What Ifs” and parallel universes, and Marvel NOW! has revised many storylines.

Readers should not expect continuity within a greater whole. Instead, they should focus on smaller segments, and return to those cherished storylines every now and then. Oddly, the Marvel Cinematic Universe diverged in many ways from the comics, especially with “Civil War” (as we explain here), yet there has been little outrage. The ethnicity and gender changes of a few characters have been questioned, but most fans do not care.

“Batman v Superman” did not fair so well. We’ve had many, many television and movie versions of Superman and Batman, yet fans and critics were unwilling to accept a darker version of the characters that has been very prominent in the comics since the 80’s (we touch on it here).

Either we are fine with different iconic characters being used in new and interesting ways, or we are not. It is a strange inconsistency, and it seems that Marvel is finally falling prey to it. However, it could be that Marvel is courting this inconsistency, as explained in the first point.

In the end, this is just another storyline by an author who has never been a great writer and who relies on controversy over substance. Eventually, another writer will take up the mantel of writing on Steve Rogers, and the character may go in yet another direction. That is how the industry works.

There is no reason to panic. In the end, Captain America or Steve Roger’s Captain America is not a HYDRA agent, unless you really want him to be one.