ICYMI: A Familiar Face Is Back In 'Captain America: Sam Wilson'

Marvel’s spring event Avengers Standoff rolled into Sam Wilson: Captain America this week, in an oversized special in honor of Captain America’s seventy-fifth anniversary. In an action packed issue featuring stories from Greg Rucka & Mike Perkins, Tim Sale, and Joss Whedon & John Cassaday, the main story by Nick Spencer, Daniel Acuña and Angel Unzueta saw an old favorite return to form, hotter than he’s ever looked.

If you’ve not been following Standoff, the basic premise is that SHIELD manufactured a Cosmic Cube, codenamed Kobik, but the cube gained sentience in the form of a little girl. Using Kobik, Maria Hill created the town of Pleasant Hill, and has been using it as a suburban prison for supervillains who have been brainwashed to have no idea of their true identities.

Naturally, everything blew up in SHIELD’s face, and it was down to Captain America, The Winter Soldier and Steve Rogers to fix everything. Most of this issue features a fight between old-as-heck Rogers and Crossbones, where Crossbones whips the bejeezus out of him. As Crossbones goes for the killing blow, Steve’s life flashes before his eyes, and all of a sudden a vision of a woman appears to him and returns him to full strength. Steve turns the tide and defeats Crossbones just as Sam and Bucky arrive.

First of all, we’re a big fan of the stubble, it’s very hot. Steve Rogers in the comics has always had an air of authority around him that made him seem more like your principal, but Marvel is finally listening to the fans and making Captain America downright sexy, just like his movie counterpart. He doesn’t much resemble Chris Evans, but he’s got the same lantern-jawed vibe about him, that there’s definitely some inspiration there.

As for who the woman is that brought him back, we’re not sure yet, though it could be an adult Kobik from the future? Hopefully we see Steve looking this good in the upcoming Steve Rogers: Captain America series by Spencer and Jesus Saiz, and from the looks of things, Steve's boyfriends approve of his new hotness too.