Captain America's New Origin Already Made A Critical Mistake

Miles Morales becomes Marvel's new Captain America, but the story gives him no choice in the matter and ruins what made Cap and Spidey great.

Warning: contains spoilers for What If...Miles Morales Became Captain America #1!

Marvel's new Captain America is none other than Miles Morales - but his debut issue forgets what made both Captain America and Spider-Man great in the first place, and commits a cardinal error that will be difficult to fix in the future. What If...Miles Morales Became Captain America #1 depicts an alternate universe in which Steve Rogers was never found after World War II, and a new hero took up the shield to defend the country. But Miles does not become Captain America by choice, but by accident - and this dooms the story before it starts.

In this reality, Miles Morales' father and uncle are both stationed at an Army base, and Miles no longer lives in Brooklyn. Scientists continue to reverse-engineer Captain America's super-soldier serum, but are mostly met with failure. Uncle Aaron - still a criminal in this universe - steals the serum for himself, but Miles accidentally opens the canister before Aaron has a chance to use it. Thus, Miles Morales becomes the new Captain America.

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Astoundingly, the military doesn't court-martial Aaron for stealing government research (this is explained away through the fact that the serum worked on Miles when it failed to affect anyone else), and Miles is immediately trained to become Captain America. In the very next panel, Miles is already fighting in Russia, complete with star-spangled suit and shield. But the issue skips over the single most important part of the Captain America origin story: the choice to become a hero in the first place.

Steve Rogers wanted to enlist in the United States Army even though he clearly didn't meet the physical requirements and would almost certainly die in Europe. He made a choice to act and there were no accidents involved. Regarding Miles' Ultimate Spider-Man origin, he resisted using his powers to help others until he witnessed the death of Peter Parker and realized he needed to use his gifts for the betterment of the people around him. Again, a choice was made - one that isn't present in this story in the slightest. In one panel, he is Miles. In the next, he is Captain America.

Not every superhero requires a tragic origin that involves the loss of a loved one (like Batman) or the need to atone for one's past mistakes in life (Iron Man). But the pivotal moment in every origin is the choice to act. What If...Miles Morales Became Captain America #1 robs the titular character of this all-important moment, and the new Captain America, heroic though he may be, still suffers as a result.

Next: Marvel Hasn't Committed To Its Diversity Push (And That's Why It Fails)