Marvel Read-Through: Celestial Madonna (and Nomad)
Comic books, especially superhero ones, are often overlooked as a valid form of literature, but I will always defend them. Sure, they can be dumb, silly, escapism full of battles and adventure with no deeper meaning, but they can also be great commentary on our society. I am very happy to say I’ve reached a point where Marvel comics have a lot to say about America in the 1970s — and this is the reason why Captain America is one of my favorites (and why he is a symbol for progress, freedom, and equality for all people in America despite being often appropriated by the far-right as a symbol of their values). I don’t want this blog to get political, I have my own strong opinions and this is not the forum where I will be sharing them since it is overall just to review Marvel’s epic history, but it would be impossible to go over Captain America’s stint as Nomad without mentioning politics.
As you can see in the image above, Steve Rogers quits as Captain America. He spends an entire issue coming to this decision after he discovers corruption and evil in the American government. According to Marvel Unlimited, this comic’s publication date is December 1974, just a few months after President Nixon resigned amid the Watergate scandal. The overall specifics of what Cap discovers about the government differs from Watergate; someone with a high level in American politics was the leader of the evil Secret Empire who framed Cap and turned the public on him, but it is clearly the Marvel universe stand-in for a major political scandal a là Watergate. Upon further research I’ve learned that Steve Englehart has revealed his intention was for the the leader of the Secret Empire to be Nixon. Disillusioned with the government and country he has served and represented since the 1940s, Steve decides he can no longer be Captain America. There’s a lot of thought-provoking questions Steve asks about Cap and what he represents. He was created to fight against Nazis (he even fought them before America officially entered the war. Yup, Timely Comics was fighting Nazis before America was) and uphold freedom, but he is no longer sure that he is fighting for the same America as he was thirty years prior. Here’s some of my favorite moments from Captain America #176:
It’s a hell of an issue. Completely devoid of action or any superheroics, it is entirely Steve coming to terms with his decision, and I loved it. He cannot serve a government or country that doesn’t uphold the true American values. It also nails Captain America’s values: freedom, equality, safety, etc. for everyone and that he is not afraid to question authority when they are wrong. In fact, from here out, Cap vs. the government becomes a recurring part of his character. He wouldn’t stand for abuse of power or bigotry. The guy had his own universe’s version of Watergate and questioned his entire existence! I love this issue. I love this character. It’s a milestone in Marvel history. Steve Englehart has made up for everything I didn’t like before this.
Steve’s personal crisis comes to turning point in issue #180 where he debuts his new superhero persona: Nomad. Hawkeye convinces him that he can still be a superhero and fight for good under a new name. I love that Hawkeye returns for that. Steve gave him a second chance and now he’s here to return the favor. With this new Nomad identity, Steve now represents anyone; he is a wanderer, he has no country that he represents anymore. He is still the same superhero but he is no longer a living symbol of a country he cannot support. It’s a great step for the character. I know he’ll be back to Captain America soon enough but this is such an important and impactful arc.
All that serious stuff aside, now it’s time for The Celestial Madonna Saga. I’m sure that this is one of the most convoluted and complex stories ever published in comics. Twists, turns, sidetracks, time travel… this one has all the confusing elements of superhero comics. Last time I read Avengers they were off fighting Thanos and had also learned a secondary version of Mantis’ past. This arc wraps all that up, while also giving us Vision’s true origin, multiple fights against Kang, and a brief battle with Dormammu. Look, I like the complexity of the history of Marvel and I love learning the lore (why else would I be doing this blog?) but this arc was way too convoluted. I won’t even try to give you a run-down of the plot details because even I’m having trouble piecing them all together in the right order in a way that would make any sense to anyone reading this.
Okay here’s the gist of it: Kang kidnaps Mantis since she is supposedly the Celestial Madonna. He wants to marry her so his child will be the Celestial Messiah and he will be all-powerful. With the help of Rama-Tut (a future version of Kang) the Avengers rescue Mantis, but Swordsman dies to save her. They bury his body in a garden at the temple where Mantis was raised. Kang returns and makes the Avengers fight villains from throughout time. This goes on for three issues (one of which is Giant-Sized) but once again Kang is defeated. Immortus (a version of Kang from even more in the future) then sends the team through history to learn Mantis’ true origin. The Priests of Pama are descendants of pacifist Kree who allied with the Cotati, a species of living plants with telepathy. She is, in fact, Libra’s daughter and his story is confirmed as true. She was raised to be the Celestial Madonna by the Priests of Pama. Also, the garden where Swordsman was buried is a garden of Cotati. The most advanced one possesses his body and explains that he is to mate with Mantis to bear the Celestial Messiah.
Meanwhile, Immortus has sent Vision on his own journey through time to learn his own history. He learns that his body is reformatted from the original 1939 Human Torch android. Meanwhile again, Agatha Harkness is training Scarlet Witch in the ways of magic. Dormammu kidnaps them and with Vision’s help they defeat him. They join the rest of the team in Vietnam and there’s a double wedding: Mantis & Cotati-Swordsman and Vision & Scarlet Witch. Mantis and the Cotati-Swordsman then turn into pure energy and fly off into space. Oh also Hawkeye rejoins the team.
And that was just the gist of it! Trust me, I left out a lot. It takes 7 regular issues and 3 Giant-Sized ones to tell this tale. It’s not too long but it feels longer when you spend the whole time just trying to keep up with the plot. Not to say I didn’t like it, there’s a lot to like in the Celestial Madonna Saga. Mantis’ full history being revealed is great (although complex) and her entire arc is resolved satisfactorily. It feels like Englehart’s run on Avengers was leading up to this massive arc, and in that regard, as a finale to the first part of his run, he nails it. I do take issue with her marrying the Cotati in Swordsman’s body though. Swordsman, who Mantis loved, is dead. That’s not him but it looks like him and it’s weird she marries Swordsman’s body but not Sowrdsman. I love that Scarlet Witch and Vision marry as well. The love-triangle with Mantis was boring and unnecessary so I’m glad that’s over and Vision and Wanda are firmly together. I did not like the middle part where Kang pits the team against old villains. It did nothing for the main arc other than get the Avengers to Immortus so he could reveal the origins of Mantis and Vision. There was no need for it to be three-issues long. The first battle with Kang (only one regular issue and one Giant-Sized) was really good too. It re-introduced Mantis’ origin well and was just a fun Avengers tale.
Englehart may have redeemed himself with the Captain America arc I discussed above, but he’s right back to his old ways with this one. There’s odd choices (Swordsman body being used in the marriage, for one) and some really unnecessary filler. He does write the team well. The characters are all well-defined and have their proper personalities. In that regard, the writing is great, but in terms of plot, I’m still trying to wrap my head around the whole thing. The Celestial Madonna Saga is a major arc in Avengers history, but it’s far from the best.
To wrap things up, I headed back to Captain America — er Nomad — because apparently the whole Nomad thing only lasts about four issues. In Captain America #183 Steve is looking for a missing Falcon, and along the way he finds himself. After a search that sees Nomad interrogating career criminals, investigating bank robberies, fighting off an angry mob, being forced to stop investigating by S.H.I.E.L.D., and fighting a rooster-themed villain named Gamecock (scraping the bottom of the barrel here, aren’t we?), it is Falcon’s trusty animal sidekick Redwing, the literal falcon, who leads Nomad to his destination. He finds a beat-up Falcon and a dead kid who decided to take up the Captain America mantle, all thanks to the Red Skull. And then, Steve has a moral dilemma. He realizes that the America he fights for now isn’t the same America from 1941; there are domestic threats in the government and Captain America needs to fight those threats and protect America no matter what. He can still represent the country. It’s another politically charged issue and Steve’s epiphany is really well-written. It’s an evolution of his character, and a moment that has defined Steve Rogers ever since. He doesn’t blindly fight for America anymore, he will oppose the government when necessary to protect the people of his country and fight for what’s right. I’m disappointed the Nomad stint only lasted a few issues because it makes the return to being Cap less impactful, but it is so well-written and thought provoking that it works regardless. Good job with this one, Englehart.
Issues Read:
Captain America #176, #180
Avengers #129
Giant-Size Avengers #2
Avengers #130–132
Giant-Size Avengers #3
Avengers #133–135
Giant-Size Avengers #4
Captain America #183
Favorite issue: no question it’s Cap #176
