What Stan Lee Said About The Captain America Hydra Twist Will Surprise You
Stan Lee has finally weighed in on the controversial comic book twist that turned Captain America into a Hydra agent. While the news that Steve Rogers is a traitor is sending fans into a frenzied state, the creator of Marvel Comics seems amused and impressed with the premise that our patriotic hero is being painted as a double agent in the new comic book series, Captain America: Steve Rogers.
Entertainment Weekly featured a video of a Q&A session with Stan Lee at MegaCon, and when an audience member asked Lee what he thought about Captain America being friendly with Hydra, his response was a little unexpected. After all, he is the father of Marvel Comics — how does he feel about his legacy being tampered with?
“It’s a hell of a clever idea. I don’t know that I would ever have thought of it for him to be a double agent, but it’s going to make you curious, it’s going to make you want to read the books, they’ll probably do a movie based on it.”
He surprisingly doesn’t seem to mind the new twist and even took to time to see dollar signs, indicating another cameo for himself. There’s money to be had from those 31 — and counting — cameos.
Last week was a weird one for the Captain. First, the hashtag #GiveCaptainAmericaABoyfriend went viral because a certain sect of the population was banking on “Stucky” emerging in Captain America: Civil War and all they got was a make out session with Sharon Carter, the niece of his former love Peggy Carter.
#GiveCaptainAmericaABoyfriend bc steve sparking up a relationship w/ his dead ex’s niece after her funeral is less weird than him being bi
— marnie (@thorlokid) May 24, 2016
#GiveCaptainAmericaABoyfriend because he’s Bi and he has a type. A dangerous brunette great with guns pic.twitter.com/LoPwNY1zYh
— lorein (@miss_lorein) May 24, 2016
As upset as social media and prolific thinkers were over Captain America kissing a girl and liking it, the reaction to him being a Hydra agent was much more explosive. Captain America: Steve Rogers #1 revealed that he isn’t gay, he’s a traitor; a horrible label to slap on the wholesome and patriotic fighter for truth and justice for all.
nick spencer: so what do u think of the new comic??
chris: pic.twitter.com/dGr8jUAhSB— jen (@sebqstians) May 25, 2016
Exactly! #SayNoToHydraCap #SayItAintSo pic.twitter.com/UJAFR5JLaF
— Sebastiene Elston (@SebastieneE) May 26, 2016
Nick Spencer, the writer responsible for this latest twist in the Captain America saga was overwhelmed with the negative response to the premise, and predictably, even got death threats.
@nickspencer So you’re the man who turned Captain America into a Nazi? Congratulations, you’ve just ruined one of my favorite heroes.
— autumn skye (@a_anne99) May 25, 2016
Many see the storyline as a short-lived stunt from a not-so-creative mind, but Spencer says he got the idea to out Captain America as a double agent for global evil from the All New Captain America series written by Rick Remender. That comic book series introduced the idea of Hydra’s reach extending to government institutions and other superhero organizations.
“I thought that sounded like too big of a story. I drilled it down and thought, what if there’s just one very valuable Hydra plant? What if they’re looking for 100 people, but there’s just one?”
Still, there are some who are coming to Marvel’s defense. CinemaBlend writes that fans aren’t giving this newest incarnation a chance.
“After only one issue, the fans have seemingly turned against the comic book giant for allegedly ruining Steve Rogers as a character. It’s almost as if everyone has forgotten that there’s plenty more of this story to tell, and that Steve Rogers likely won’t remain a permanent fixture among HYDRA’s ranks.”
Perhaps fans are directing some misplaced aggression onto Spencer because they are upset over Captain America and Bucky’s love not being realized onscreen. Stan Lee has no problem with the Hydra agent twist, and in the end, his opinion is the only one that matters.
[Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images]