The United States is full of heroes inspired by Steve Rogers, and fans can anticipate another new captain in the form of Joe Gomez, a Kickapoo Tribe member, who dons his own version of the classic costume to join the quest for Cap’s shield.
Joe Gomez is the third new captain (after Aaron Fischer and Nichelle Wright) to debut in The United States of Captain America series (by Christopher Cantwell and Dale Eaglesham) and was created by geoscientist and Lipan Apache writer Darcie Little Badger and Qalipu Mi’kmaq First Nation artist David Cutler.
Little Badger sees Gomez as a working class hero, and as a construction worker, someone who responds “Every time a spaceship crashes into a bridge or a supervillain transforms a whole city block into rubble, people like Joe make things whole again. Work like that may seem thankless, but Joe genuinely enjoys helping his community survive and thrive. That’s why he won’t charge elders for home repair services (the Joe Gomez senior discount is 100%). That’s also why he’s willing to risk his life to save others. I know lots of people like Joe–many of them my Indigenous relatives–so it was wonderful to help develop a character with his values, strength, and extreme crane-operating skills.”
Cutler (the designer of Gomez’ costume) is excited “…to introduce Joe to the world. The Marvel Universe is the biggest stage there is, and bringing a new First Nations hero to that venue means more than I can say.”
As reported by Conskipper in March, the series will bring together “Steve Rogers, Bucky Barnes, Sam Wilson, and even John Walker will team-up to track down Captain America’s missing shield and catch the mysterious thief red-handed in the new series. The story kicks off with a staple of American life, the road trip, with Steve Rogers and Sam Wilson travelling across the USA in search of the shield.”
Issue #3 of United States of Captain America goes on sale this August, continuing the celebration of the Star-Spangled Avenger’s 80th Anniversary.
Check out the cover by Gerald Parel and Cutler’s designs for the new suit below.
