The United States of Captain America #1
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeThe United States of Captain America #1 is a historically significant issue because it marks the first appearance of Aaron Fischer — the first openly gay character to carry the Captain America mantle in Marvel's eight-decade publishing history — making it a genuine milestone for LGBTQ+ representation within one of comics' most recognizable legacies. The issue simultaneously introduces the 'Captains Network,' a concept that fundamentally reframes the Captain America identity from a singular, government-sanctioned hero into a decentralized, grassroots ideal belonging to ordinary Americans of every background. Released during Pride Month 2021 as part of the character's 80th anniversary celebration, the issue uses its dual-story structure to argue that the shield's meaning has always exceeded any one person, a pointed and resonant statement for its cultural moment. The diverse roster of new Captains it seeds — each co-created by writers and artists from communities those characters represent — made this miniseries one of the more deliberate efforts of the era to match Marvel's creative teams to the stories they were telling.
In "You Brought Two Too Many," Steve Rogers finds his apartment invaded by a masked imposter wielding his iconic shield—only to discover the real threat is a fan named Aaron Fischer, who's been targeted by a mysterious sniper. As Steve and Sam race to uncover who's behind the attack, the line between hero and imitator blurs in a story written by Christopher Cantwell and illustrated by Dale Eaglesham, with colors by Matt Milla and letters by Joe Caramagna. The cover, a striking portrait by Alex Ross, captures the tension of a nation divided—and one shield at the center of it all.
In "You Brought Two Too Many," Steve Rogers’ quiet moment is shattered when a stranger in a Captain America suit steals his shield, sparking a chase that leads him and Falcon to Aaron Fischer—a man who’s taken up the mantle with earnest, if untested, resolve. When a sniper targets Fischer, the trio must unravel who’s behind the attack, uncovering a web of deception that blurs the line between hero and imposter.
In a world where corporate power eclipses justice, young Aaron Fischer finds himself imprisoned in a Roxxon facility after daring to challenge the system. With no allies but his resolve, he embraces the mantle of Captain America—not as a symbol of a bygone era, but as a defiant act of resistance against Adrian and the empire that seeks to silence him.
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We Buy Collections ▸History
The series was conceived as a five-issue limited run to celebrate Captain America's 80th anniversary, with lead writer Christopher Cantwell (then also writing Marvel's Iron Man) and artist Dale Eaglesham anchoring the main narrative. Marvel's editorial structure for the book was unusually collaborative: each new community Captain America was handed off to a separate creative team, with the backup story in issue #1 written by Josh Trujillo and drawn by Jan Bazaldua, the co-creators of Aaron Fischer. Trujillo, who is gay, has spoken publicly about how important it was to him that Fischer be rooted in real hardships facing LGBTQ+ youth — particularly homelessness — rather than existing purely as a symbolic gesture. The issue shipped June 30, 2021, a date that placed it squarely within Pride Month, a timing Marvel made deliberately.
Trivia · 8 facts
- First appearance of Aaron Fischer (Captain America of the Railways), the first openly gay character to hold the Captain America mantle in Marvel Comics history, on Earth-616 (issue #1, June 30, 2021).
- First appearance of the Captains Network, the loose coalition of community-level Captain Americas whose members drive the plot of the entire miniseries.
- Main story written by Christopher Cantwell with art by Dale Eaglesham and colors by Matt Milla; backup story (Aaron Fischer's origin) written by Josh Trujillo with art by Jan Bazaldua.
- Aaron Fischer was co-created by writer Josh Trujillo and artist Jan Bazaldua; Fischer is depicted as a gay Jewish teenager who became unhoused after being rejected by his family and now protects LGBTQ+ runaways and unhoused people riding the railways.
- The issue shipped June 30, 2021 — during Pride Month — as the opening chapter of a five-issue miniseries marking Captain America's 80th anniversary (the character debuted in March 1941).
- The miniseries employed a rotating creative-team model across its five issues: other new Captains include Joe Gomez (Captain America of the Kickapoo Tribe, first appearing in issue #3, co-created by Darcie Little Badger and David Cutler) and Arielle Agbayani (the Campus Captain America, first appearing in issue #4, co-created by Alyssa Wong and Jodi Nishijima).
- Aaron Fischer subsequently returned in Marvel continuity in Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty #8 (2023), confirming the character's ongoing presence in Earth-616.
- The complete miniseries (issues #1–5) was collected in a trade paperback edition (ISBN 9781302930257) featuring art by Cantwell, Eaglesham, Ron Lim, and Matt Milla.
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Reprints
Reprinted in The United States of Captain America #[nn] (2021), Captain America - Les États-Unis de Captain America #[nn] (2022), Marvel's Voices: Pride #[nn] (2022)
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