As Marvel continues painting Steve Rogers’ journey as Captain America, the publisher has him fighting an enemy that makes Hydra look like child’s play. This is none other than the Outer Circle, who’s been manipulating history for over a century, which is why Bucky Barnes joined as the new Revolution. He wants to break the wheel from the inside, recruiting Peggy Carter as a spy.
However, the Outer Circle has a lot of resources, which means Bucky needs to be as covert as can be, even if he alienates Steve. He just can’t afford to let his best friend’s idealistic worldview ruin things, so if Bucky has to be painted as an enemy to the greater world, then so be it. Luckily, Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty has Steve recruiting backup in the form of his best crew, the Invaders, but there’s one crack in the plan that could lead to their demise.
Captain America Reassembles the Invaders
Captain America has been a paragon of virtue with many Avengers teams, and a symbol of justice with the Howling Commandos. But it’s his stint with the Invaders that truly comes off as his best period. He defeated Nazis with the likes of Namor and the original Human Torch, and since then, different iterations of the team have formed. Still, fans love the original as this was Steve and his allies at their finest, helping liberate the world despite differing morals.
In Sentinel of Liberty #8 (by Jackson Lanzing, Collin Kelly, Carmen Carnero, Nolan Woodard, and VC’s Joe Caramagna), Captain America realizes he needs heavy hitters when A.I.M. takes over New York. He can tell the Outer Circle is making moves, so he rallies a new Invaders squad. It includes Sharon (his beau and Agent 13), Peggy, Nick Fury Jr., the killer robot known as the Redacted, and the Destroyer (one of Steve’s oldest allies). Of course, there’s also the queer Captain America (Aaron Fischer of the Railways), who he can call upon if he needs to expand his ranks. The point is, he needs operatives willing to break superhero rules, going behind enemy lines like back in the days of World War II.
Captain America’s New Invaders Have a Problem
An issue arises, though, related to just before Steve assembled the new team. He ended up in Kansas, missing five days of his life. His peers experienced the same issue, and it’s all due to a new Starpoint — a psychic M.O.D.O.K. that the Outer Circle has in its roster. Luckily, Captain America calls on Emma Frost to dispel the corruption in their minds, but Peggy refuses to let the White Queen in. She doesn’t trust Emma, and rightfully so, but this means if the Outer Circle had an agent in Peggy’s mind, they could have mined her secrets.
Thus, they could know Bucky’s secret plan, making moves to take him out. In addition, if there’s a neural implant in Peggy’s head, she could unknowingly betray the team, becoming a Manchurian Candidate-like traitor. It’d be ironic, nodding to when Bucky was mind-controlled to be the Winter Soldier. As such, Peggy might be compromised, so hopefully, she takes measures to protect herself, and make sure she’s not brainwashed into turning on the team. Ultimately, she needs a psychic cleansing to ensure she can’t be programmed, because as it stands, Peggy is a liability who could break the new Invaders before they make a true impact.
