Quite like how Marvel’s The Punisher keeps being co-opted by those who (including the U.S. Capitol rioters) don’t understand the character, Captain America has also been pulled into the failed MAGA coup. Steve Rogers, of course, stood against fascism and white supremacy, but that didn’t stop last week’s insurrectionists from seizing upon the character for their own twisted ends. Some were photographed while brandishing a Cap shield (adorned with Pepe the Frog) and even wearing specially made “Civil War” sweatshirts with a Marvel-esque font and a “release date” of January 6, 2021.
In response to the insurrection, Cap actor Chris Evans condemned the failed (and deadly) coup as it unfolded, and now, the son of Captain America creator Jack Kirby is speaking out to wholeheartedly denounce the rioters who are calling themselves “patriots” and using the Cap symbols to do so. In a statement to CNN’s Jake Tapper, Neal Kirby explained the sense of horror he felt while watching events unfold:
“While watching one of the horrific videos of the storming of the Capitol, I thought I noticed someone in a Trump/Capt. America t-shirt! I was appalled and mortified. I believe I even caught a quick glance of someone with a Captain America shield. A quick Google search turned up Trump as Captain America on T-shirts, posters, even a flag! These images are disgusting and disgraceful. Captain America is the absolute antithesis of Donald Trump. Where Captain America is selfless, Trump is self-serving. Where Captain America fights for our country and democracy, Trump fights for personal power and autocracy. Where Captain America stands with the common man, Trump stands with the powerful and privileged. Where Captain America is courageous, Trump is a coward. Captain America and Trump couldn’t be more different.”
Neal further explained why his father would be completely horrified. “My father, Jack Kirby, along with his partner Joe Simon, created Captain America in 1941. Perhaps the most iconic symbol of patriotism since the ‘Spirit of 1776,’ Captain America has stood as a symbol and protector of our democracy and the rule of law for the past 79 years,” Neal wrote. “He was created by two Jewish guys from New York who hated Nazis and hated bullies. Captain America stood up for the underdog, and, as the story as written, even before he gained his strength and process from Army scientists, always stood for what was righteous, and never backed down.”
You can read Neal Kirby’s full statement here, and he drives the point home by pointing out that he’s 72 years old, and he’s observed political upheaval since the 1950s Castro revolution, and yet, “the events that transpired at our nations’ Capitol on Jan. 6, an insurrection inspired and fomented by our own president, will be the event that haunts me forever.” He added that his father “would be absolutely sickened” to see his creation co-opted in this way. “If Donald Trump had the qualities and character of Captain America, the White House would be a shining symbol of truth and integrity, not a festering cesspool of lies and hypocrisy,” Neal wrote. “Several of our presidents held the same values as Captain America. Donald Trump is not one of them.”
(Via Jake Tapper on Twitter)