Captain America #9

Part three of "The Extremists" finds Captain America dwarfed by a looming gallery of villains — a skull-faced figure prominently centered above him, flanked by an array of menacing faces rendered in a striking blood-red palette, while Cap himself stands resolute in cool grayscale below, shield raised. John Cassaday's cover composition makes the odds feel genuinely overwhelming, the contrast between the lone hero and the mass of threats above him doing quiet, effective work. With Rieber and Austen co-writing and Trevor Hairsine on interior art, this 2003 Marvel Knights entry is a compelling midpoint in a five-part arc that clearly isn't pulling its punches.