Marvel editor Tom Brevoort on New Cap

Marvel editor Tom Brevoort was nice enough to respond to a few of my questions about the new Captain America. Look for extended coverage of the New Cap in Friday’s Weekend Look.

Matt Price: When Captain America has been at his most relevant, he’s often reflected the United States of that era. Does the new Captain America reflect the current state of the union, and how?

Tom Brevoort: I could always just default to, “Because he carries a firearm now”, but I think there’s a lot more to it than that. For Steve Rogers, patriotism and idealism came naturally. He had this unshakable belief in the principles upon which our nation was founded, and tried to embody those principles as best he could. Bucky, though, is more conflicted. He’s been through some hard times, done some bad things, and isn’t entirely certain how he feels about the nation. For him, patriotism and idealism are a quest, which I think is very reflective of where we are as a nation at this moment. He’s not certain what he’s supposed to be doing, or how to go about it—he’s not sure how to stand for something larger than himself, and he’s a bti uneasy being placed in that situation. He just realizes that there’s this expectation, and this burden, in being Captain America. Whereas Steve’s inspiration was the country, Bucky’s inspiration is Steve.