Captain America: The life and death of an American Icon.

The first time I truly felt the effect of Patriotism happened two year's ago when I read The Ultimates Vol. 1, written by Mark Millar and Illustrated by Bryan Hitch. In the issue, Captain America was discovered frozen at the bottom at the ocean, and when he was unfrozen he awoke to a world he no longer understood. Almost all his friends and his allies were long dead, but he remained. There was a conversation that took place between General Nick Fury and Cap in a cemetery they were visiting. Cap was lonely as he looked around at the graves of those who had passed while he was frozen and he told Gen. Fury that everything he loved was dead. And very calmly Fury responded, "Not everything," as he pointed towards a waving American flag.

Captain America was created in the early 40's (1941, to be exact) by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby. Steve Rogers was a scrawny arts student who was born on July 4th, 1917. Rogers, who wished to serve his country in anyway he could, was turned away from the army (No, seriously, back then they actually refused people) because of his poor condition. Rogers still wished to serve his country even after being turned away, so he enlisted in a top-secret defense project. Eventually, he was injected with Secret Soldier Serum, it was this that turned him from a scrawny arts student to the red, white, and blue avenger that America would grow to love.

He was, and forever will be, a symbol of American Patriotism. Decked out in the stars and stripes, Cap didn't just fight injustice; he represented an entire nation. From fighting off Nazis during WWII, beating down communism with an iron fist, or even slugging Hitler in the jaw, Captain America has always exemplified the American spirit.

Like most other Americans, I was shocked to see Cap's death. (And most people who tell you they weren't are most likely lying.) Marvel killing off Captain America was equal to DC killing off Superman or Disney killing off Mickey Mouse (ha, that'll be the day). Seeing a character that represented so much pass away in so many panels reminds you of how final death truly is. Once you turn the page on Cap, he'll never be 'alive' again. However, Captain America leaves behind a legacy that only few characters could even dream of.

Fortunately, the good thing about death in comics is that it provides the writers and illustrators new challenges and creative opportunities. Marvel Comics has never existed without Captain America, so it's going to be exciting to see where the franchise goes from here. Will there be another Cap? Who would it be? And what is the Winter Soldier (Cap's former sidekick gone mad, Bucky) going to do now that his idol was assassinated? Only time will tell.

But we can be sure that the repercussions that ripple off of such a strong character's death are going to cause earthquakes.

For now though, RIP, Cap.

"We are told to remember the idea, not the man. Because a man can fail. He can be caught, he can be killed and forgotten, but 400 year's, later an idea can still change the world."
-Alan Moore, V for Vendetta