Isaiah Bradley and Sam Wilson:
Two Black Captain Americas in a White World
Introduction
Critical Whiteness Theory is a study that focuses on so many categories about the white race and its affects on a societal level. The one category that we will focus on in this paper, though, will be the invisibility of the white race due to it being considered as “normal” or “centric”. Applebaum discusses that white supremacy and racism are rooted in “the continual pattern of widespread, everyday practices and policies that are made invisible through normalisation and thus are often taken for granted as just what is” (4). The reason why it is taken for granted most of the time is because this “normalisation” has created a big bubble for white people to live in and they do not want to get out of that comfort zone now. They do not appreciate any criticism on their privileged or even supremacist thoughts and actions because they feel threatened and attacked not just on a personal level but on a societal level. Steve Rogers’ Captain America is a great representation of the white man’s bubble because for many years, he has, under the name of Captain America, been a symbol of American patriotism. With the help of the serum that made his power unmatched, he’s fought the Reds, the Nazis and even Hitler as the enemy of US. He is also passive when not needed, has good intentions and is portrayed as a saviour for all. His good intentions lead to “colorblindness or the idea that ignoring or overlooking racial difference will promote racial justice” (4). And because he is a very influential character in the American society, his unawareness on racial matters causes the people to ignore those matters too. When more racially inclusive Captain America versions get released, it is until then they realise that their ignorance has turned into unconscious bias against whoever that is not white. Two black men appearing as Captain America in both Truth: Red, White & Black and Captain America: Sam Wilson have, thus, been helpful to examine the characteristics of the white society and what Steve Rogers meant for them through their reactions to those black men.
To sum up Robert Morales’ Truth: Red, White & Black, he introduces the very first Black Captain America to the Marvel universe and its fans. Leaving his pregnant wife at home to fight for his country in WW2, Isaiah Bradley finds himself in a special secret program where the subjects are all black. Having new strength drugs and serums used & experienced on him, Bradley’s storyline does not go parallel with Steve Rogers’. Everything that is used on him is done without his consent and the general atmosphere of Rogers’ heroism in the WW2 is simply not there for Bradley. He goes on to missions not for his country but for his survival and even when he comes back home, his torture does not end. He is thrown into jail right after his return to US for wearing Cap’s suit even though he was forced to wear it for the mission and when he’s out of jail, the side effects of the serums they have used on him starts to show up. Isaiah Bradley’s life is completely ruined and those who are responsible for this wreck of a man all work for the US government. Truth: Red, White and Black is a very realistic depiction of what Black people have to go through because of systemic racism in the US and the fact that this is told from the Black version of Captain America makes this series even more honest.
Captain America: Sam Wilson Vol.1: Not My Captain America shows, however, a much different black Captain America than Morales’ Bradley. As the title hints to the events that Sam Wilson goes through in this series, the American society does not accept Wilson as the new Captain because Wilson wants to be politically active unlike Rogers and fight for what he believes in. Despite the fact that he holds Cap’s shield now, he is penniless and is left without support except a few loyal friends. What he and Bradley have in common, though, is that they both suffer under the meaning Captain America holds for the people because people make it clear that they could never replace Steve Rogers. And this is mostly because a white American soldier has been the face of Captain America since the 1940s, white people do not want to trade him with a Black man who they are unfamiliar with.
Thus, the struggles of the black man behind the same mask and name as Captain America is the focus in rather new 2015 Sam Wilson and 2003 Black Captain America series. In the Truth: Red, White & Black series, Isaiah Bradley is treated much differently in the army and back in US by the government and society than Steve Rogers was. Similarly in theCaptain America: Sam Wilson series, Wilson formerly known as Falcon is overwhelmed by having to carry the Captain America title because his goals differ from his successor and he faces a lot of racist criticism due to his radical actions. It would be a naive thought to relate this aggression towards two Black superheroes to people’s undying love for Rogers’ version of Captain America only: those two black men come with a lot of new things white people have to learn but has decided to ignore for ages in the society like a whole different face of American nationalism, the adapting of a new culture into their comfort zone and having to be politically and racially aware and not stay passive like Rogers usually did. Through such points, thus, we will be able to understand why the American society has a negative attitude towards a racially inclusive version(s) of the same superhero: because they do not want to replace their white, thus invisible, superhero.
Rogers’ Captain America as the embodiment of American nationalism
“I love my country”, says Sam Wilson in Sam Wilson Captain America #1, it is the very first thing the reader hears from the new Captain in the series. Despite not fighting in WW2 like Rogers and Bradley did, he has also served his country several times during his time with the Avengers team. His patriotism does not need any proof as it is Steve Rogers himself who gives him the uniform and the shield and thinks that he is worthy to carry the name. But soon enough, he faces struggles of being Captain America: he does not have the full trust on the US government or the American society but he fully believes that he can at least try to fix this. Rogers is seen to back Wilson up on his actions like when the media pressures on him to comment on Wilson and his actions, he goes: “Would I do things differently today? Maybe. Either way — it’s not my place to comment. Sam doesn’t need any second guessing from an old man” (6) but the fact that he also adds he would do things differently hints to their difference on matters concerning the government. At the end of Vol. 1 of the same series, while Wilson is on a self-assigned mission, Steve Rogers shows up on behalf of S.H.I.E.L.D. and orders him to “stand down” (25). Though this incident turns out to be a misunderstanding, at the end Wilson finally realises that Rogers and he have never shared the same ideologies.
Here was a man I’d been as close as two human beings could be — but in that moment, I saw — maybe for the first time we’d always been miles apart. Because Steve Rogers, in his heart, believes that (…) when its values are at stake — hiscountry will do what’s right. (…) I can only hope it will. (18–19)
The reason why Rogers have always had 100% trust on his country is because it never wronged him like it did to Wilson. Wilson is still a patriot and he promises the people to prove them that if they allow him to but both on a fictional and non-fictional world, the society is not yet ready to count his patriotism as a part of the American identity.
Also looking into Morales’ Captain America, there is the same first and foremost reason why Isaiah Bradley should fit into the frame of American patriotism: he is an American soldier defending his country in a foreign land. But the downside of this is that it is not considered American nationalism without the white face. “Your kind could never be good enough to wear that sacred uniform!’’(16) yells an officer, almost as if to prove that point. Not just that, but after being traumatised in the war, his heroism and patriotism also gets completely overlooked when he comes back from the war and he gets thrown into jail. Hodo explains Bradley’s situation the best: “Bradley is punished, not for disobeying orders, but for stealing the Captain America uniform. He is punished because he dared to use a uniform that was to serve as a symbol for white America” (20). On the other hand, Bradley “gives voice to the American heroes that we don’t talk about, the ones that were hurt by the very country they enlisted to protect” because Bradley is strong enough to carry the weight of a white superhero who has erased minorities struggles as being the representation of the American society.
One other reason why Black Captain Americas could never be known as nationalists is because the invisible mask that is hiding behind the American nationalism has always had a white face. Likewise, Steve Rogers’ powers are not the main reason why he is so popular and loved in the American society: it’s because he’s white and a nationalist. Wanzo describes him as “an average man who can become an idealised first citizen, identifying and vanquishing clear enemies to the state, and, clad in red, white, and blue, making explicit the nationalist trinity of state, soldier, and flag” (339) and the invisibility of the white face comes into the discussion again. The “average man” for Americans is a white man. So it’s not surprising that, as discussed in Budrow’s 2019 article, Captain America’s actions in Nick Spencer’s Secret Empire was misinterpreted and adapted by white nationalist groups. It is argued that “moments such as Hydra Cap picking up Thor’s hammer while battling the other Avengers with the caption ‘They were stronger. They were more powerful. In that moment — they were worthy’” (17) became so popular among alt-right groups that people started using Cap’s shield as a symbol in the protests. And whoever objected to their ideas would object to the “ideals of truth, justice, and democracy purportedly represented by his (Rogers’) symbolic perfection” (340). This link between Steve Rogers’ Captain America and white (racist) nationalist groups is, now, why Americans are having a hard time getting used to the idea of patriotic Black men wearing Rogers’ uniform. Isaiah Bradley and Sam Wilson as Captain America are trying to add more meanings to the American nationalism but white Americans are still far away from being willing to learn.
Black and White Captain Americas: The Cultural Gap
From the very start, Isaiah Bradley’s pre-soldier history is alien to those Americans who grew up reading Captain America without having to be racially aware and there Bradley is, who grew up thinking all men are equal despite having encountered so many racists. Toward the end of the series, when Steve Rogers goes to Bradley’s house to meet with him, he sees Bradley’s pictures with many Black celebrities, popular figures on the wall. It is such a key point in the series that explain how white people do not know anything that is going on in the Black American community and/or in the streets of Queens. Bradley goes through so much partially because of Rogers and Rogers should be the first to know about Bradley and try to save him from jail and yet, it is still (maybe only) Black people who protect, love and respect Bradley. The cultural gap between white and black people in this series is clearly so big that, it is felt throughout the entire book.
In the case of Sam Wilson, we see that the cultural gap between races and communities is not as big as it is in Truth: Red, White & Black but the focus is on Wilson this time who is trying to fit in a world where he’s unfamiliar with, not white people who are having a hard time adjusting to a society where all cultures can fit in. Whenever Wilson feels down, his friends back in Harlem try to cheer him up: “Folks in Harlem are still proud to support their Captain America” (20) because everyone knows he does not have the support of white people. He needs the support of his own people because the white society’s demands is too much and it makes him question whether he is worthy of the uniform or not. But after all, he knows that him carrying the name Captain America will be a good start for his mission to unite everyone and all cultures and chooses to bear every criticism and attack for that goal.
“You’re starting to see characters who can reflect other parts of our culture,” told the writer of Captain America #22, Rick Remender in an interview with a journalist from Vox, “That reflection is important. It’s important to feel like you live in a culture where you are a part of it, and that you can see yourself in your heroes.”
Though so many superhero comic writers are so excited about their characters being racially aware and more inclusive to all cultures, there is still an uncertainty about whether white people will be happy with the change or not. What Morales and Spencer are trying to do is to make white people recognise the difference between two cultures and acknowledge both as a part of the society because when white people see one culture as “inferior” to their culture then white supremacy becomes an issue.
White vs. Black Captain Americas: How they generally react to events
What stands Sam Wilson out the most is that he is not afraid to disagree with people. “(…) This country is as divided as it’s ever been” says the new Captain realising that he cannot stay silent anymore “People are dying. Our streets are burning. Inequality is soaring. It feels like things are about to break wide open. (…) The good guys (…) are getting caught doing things we never dreamt the bad guys would do”. He decides to intervene with politics while still holding the shield and this is very far from what the general Captain America reader is used to. The white Captain America they know obeys to the government no matter its Republican or Democrat, the reader likes him because he knows how to stay in his lane. But that rhetoric is old and that Captain America who follow orders like a robot is gone now; Sam Wilson shows that he’s “more than just a symbol” (11) and is an actual person with his own ideas. In the series, we witness the people’s and the government’s efforts to portray Wilson as a socialist who is determined to fail because they do not like that Wilson is unpredictable unlike Rogers. He is a man who they cannot control and even Rogers, sometimes, becomes the target of his criticism.
After their disagreements over a decision whether a whisperer who helped both S.H.I.E.L.D and Wilson to find the criminals should face trial for using illegal ways to receive information, Wilson bursts with anger: “(…) How many times have you protested against government corruption? Sometimes illegally?” (18) he asks to Rogers. When Rogers tells him that he was always held accountable for his rebellious acts, Wilson says that the whisperer “does not have the luxury of being Captain America” (18). Rogers is not only special because he is a superhero, it is also because he is white and Wilson indicates the both when he says that. The only Captain America in that panel that benefits from that name is Rogers because he holds the white privilege and Wilson is not afraid to tell it to his face. Wilson is aware that to unite the country again, he first has to burst the white man’s bubble and show them the real world where conditions are not as good as it is for them.
The case is similar for Morales’ Truth too. According to Wanzo, Truth displays “three archetypes of black male citizens” and all are capable of choosing violence when they’re angry. How he uses those characters is very smart: “Morales directs readers to understand that their roles are shaped by circumstance and choice. All of their reactions are compensatory, a result of overdetermined destinies in the United States” (10). He puts the blame of “Black stereotypes” on the US and makes this characters’ violent behaviours a problem of theirs. Although Bradley is the only one among those 3 characters who does never act on violence, he is not a man who bows down easily. While the neglect of US army, the Nazis and even Hitler can’t wear him down, it is the injected serums and the solidarity confinement he stayed in for 17 years that turns him into a man who bows down and obeys. Bradley is a man who does not choose to be this way but Rogers is not the same as him.
Upon meeting Bradley for the first time, Rogers is heartbroken by the condition Bradley is in and tells him: “I wish I could undo all the suffering you’ve gone through. If I could’ve taken your place . . . But all I can do is my duty, Isaiah. To you and everyone else. That’s why I’m here” (21–22) Even in such a vulnerable moment, Rogers, once again, chooses to be passive and stand by his duty. It is not about how Morales writes him to be, it is the way he generally is. He is a soldier before a superhero and no one or an event can make him regret for his role as Captain America. This is what the society wants from Captain America -to put his duty above anything else- and this is why they do not feel comfortable with those different versions of Captain America who criticise the government or question their duty especially because it is coming from two black men.
Conclusion
Though the invisibility of Steve Rogers as an average white American have been a comfort to white people for almost a century, the times are changing now. Such studies like Critical Whiteness Theory have proved that the white race is not “normal” or “value neutral” and it should be discussed for a better future. In this paper, such points that analyse the American nationalism, the cultural gap between the white and black community and the general characteristic differences between White vs. Black Captain Americas through two black Captain America series Truth: Red, White & Black and Sam Wilson: Captain America helps to put the lies of the white society on display. Looking into those two racially inclusive comic books and what they discuss within these series, it is obvious that there is still a long way to go.
However, comic book authors and superhero movie/ TV creators are not pessimistic about the future for racially inclusive works and the reactions they get for the people. Sam Wilson: Captain America was the comic book series that was first published in 2015 and lasted until 2017 but it was recently this year that Sam Wilson first appeared on the screen as Captain America in the TV series Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Building up to this result, Marvel has tested the waters with Steve Rogers’ retirement and him passing the shield down to Sam Wilson in the 2019 movie Avengers: Endgame and the reaction from the fans have not altogether been negative. In the new Falcon TV series this year, people do not just get to meet with the new Captain America but also Isaiah Bradley as the first Black Captain America who now completely lost his faith in his country. Though there are differences between comic Bradley and TV version of Bradley as the TV version is seen in a much better condition than the comic version, people can finally hear Bradley’s side of the story and how heartbroken he is deep down. Also it is a historical moment to witness as the very first Black Captain America warns the new Black Captain America for what is to come if he accepts this role. “They will never let a black man be Captain America” (3:18) Bradley tells Wilson, “And if they even did, no self-respecting black man would ever wanna be” (3:29). His anger is not towards Wilson, his anger is for the government and the people who have killed his brothers in the war and erased them all from the history; he wants to protect Wilson from the white America. However, it is a good sign that Bradley is in the series to criticise the government and the white society because that means that people have taken a step towards being willing to listen to the struggles of black people and acknowledge the pain they have caused them for more than 500 years.
