With Civil War II done and dusted, Marvel has its eyes on the next big event to change everything forever. The publisher has shared teasers for an upcoming storyline titled "Secret Empire," but no further information has been revealed.

Given the current storyline in Captain America: Steve Rogers, in which Rogers has been rewritten as a secret fascist, and the events of the original "Secret Empire" story, in which the US government was infiltrated by extremists at the highest levels, it seems likely that the new "Secret Empire" story will see Rogers' HYDRA insinuate its way further into the Marvel Universe --- and the groundwork has been laid with the appointment of a new director of SHIELD in this week's Marvel comics.

Spoilers follow for Captain America: Steve Rogers #10 and Civil War II: The Oath #1.

In Captain America: Steve Rogers, most recent SHIELD director Maria Hill has been on trial for her part on the "Pleasant Hill" scandal, and is officially out of a job. Rogers suggested that Sharon Carter replace her, but Carter refused the job and asked that the committee offer it to Rogers instead. He accepted.

 

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However, don't forget that Steve Rogers is a total Nazi now, due to The Red Skull's meddling with the Cosmic Cube. Thanks to the bipartisan support of the "SHIELD Act" in Congress, the organization has more power over law-enforcement and mass surveillance, plus the director can assume authority over any other agency in times of national emergency.

Civil War II: The Oath reveals Steve Rogers' vision for a HYDRA America. Thanks to the precognitive Inhuman Ulysses, Rogers got a glimpse of a future where HYDRA won. It's a future where armed terrorists are present during newscasts, aliens are kept in camps, and non-white children are chased with rocks by white kids.

 

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Marvel Comics
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As far as Rogers is concerned, this is his country's future, and he couldn't be happier. The seeds have been planted here for the "Secret Empire" event, and it looks like it's going to offer very little relief from the stresses of the real world right now.

 

 

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