Editor's Note: The following story reveals information about the Marvel Comics' "Civil War" storyline and a key character. If you'd rather not know, stop reading now.

NEW YORK (CNN) -- He fought and triumphed over Hitler, Tojo, international Communism and a host of supervillains, but he could not dodge a sniper's bullet.

Comic book hero Captain America is dead.

After close to 60 years in print, Marvel Comics has killed off Steve Rogers, aka Captain America, one of its most famous and beloved superheroes amid an already controversial story line, "Civil War," which is pitting the heroes of Marvel's universe against one another.

In the comic series, Rogers was to stand trial for defying a superhero registration law passed after a hero's tragic mistake causes a 9/11-like event.

Steve Rogers eventually surrenders to police. He is later mortally wounded as he climbs the courthouse steps.

Marvel says the comic story line was intentionally written as an allegory to current real-life issues like the Patriot Act, the War on Terror and the September 11 attacks.

"Every child knew about 9/11," says Dan Buckley, president of Marvel Comics. "If [he]could see a TV he knew what 9/11 was. The other similarities [to] things going on are just part of storytelling."

It was a violent and strange end for an American hero.

Captain America first appeared in 1941, just as the United States entered World War II. He was a symbol of American strength and resolve in fighting the Axis powers, and later Communism.

As originally conceived by creators Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, Rogers was a man born before the Great Depression in a very different America. He disappeared after the war and reappeared only recently in the Marvel timeline. For a superhero many thought perfect, it was perhaps a fatal flaw for "Cap," as he became known.

"He hasn't been living in the modern world and the world does move," says Marvel Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada.

Quesada said he wanted to readers find their own meaning in Cap's end.

"There is a lot to be read in there. But I'm not one who is going to tell people, this is what you should read into it, because I could look into it and read several different types of messages," he told CNN.

Still, one has to wonder: Is Captain America really dead? Comic book characters have routinely died, only to be resurrected when necessary to storylines.

Joe Quesada agrees -- but said times are different now.

"There was period in comics where characters would just die and then be resurrected. And the death had very little meaning and the resurrection had very little meaning," he said. "All I ask of my writers is if you're going to kill a character off, please let that death have some meaning in the overall scope of things."

Besides, he said, there are other important questions left unanswered.

"What happens with the costume? And what happens to the characters that are friends and enemies of Cap?" Quesada said with a smile. "You're going to have to read the books to find out."

EDIT: also, stating Cap's death in the title byline doesn't really help keeping it spoiler-free.

Possable SPOILER_______
















Caps not going to die. Ronin anyone?

I was thinking that too. However, I honeslty would prefer that not to be the case, because it would simply be too obvious. And I doubt Tony would allow Steve to just go.

..unless it is part of his (as in, Tony's) grand scheme.

I didn't say how he was getting it. Besides in comic book land everyone dies at least once so that should not be any spoiler. Spider-Man even died in the Spider-Man line and came back to life.

...."Cap gets capped"? OK, I'll allow.

I'm pretty sure Marvel has officially had its' Worst Idea Ever.

LOLZ

IMO, I don't think that "Captain America" is dead. Steve Rogers? Certainly, but I'll bet we'll have a new Cap in the works or something ghey like that. Marvel is good at turning one character into another. God knows they do it enough

LOLZ

IMO, I don't think that "Captain America" is dead. Steve Rogers? Certainly, but I'll bet we'll have a new Cap in the works or something ghey like that. Marvel is good at turning one character into another. God knows they do it enough

Brubaker said in an interview he already has the next two years of Captain America planned out, so he'll either come back or be replaced.

I don't really get the hate against death and resurections in comics. It's part of the genre.

USAgent?

One of the biggest questions is "Why?" Few have shown the strength, let alone have had the training, to properly wield the shield, so its use as a weapon seems negligible

When you say "Superhero Makeover", DC springs to my mind. All of their first-tier superheroes have been repalced at one time or another. Or get a completely new set of superhero powers.

So Cap is not dead according to Civil War Initiative. Maybe the Punisher will fill in for him for a time. Kinda makes sense what Spidey said about him now.

or a mullet

or a mullet


Quesada said that Ms Marvel was lieing to make SW realize something or do something...I dunno. I didn't read it. Anyway, both Brubaker and Quesada say that Cap is definately dead, not hiding.

Well the way whoever wrote "Civil War: Initiative" makes Tony say something to the effect that Cap is on life support and well hidden but doesn't go into length about it.

not to mention the body the new avengers found wasnt cap, but a trap
had the new avengers admiral ackbar on thier team, theyd been smarter

So Cap is not dead according to Civil War Initiative. Maybe the Punisher will fill in for him for a time. Kinda makes sense what Spidey said about him now.

Funny!

Personally, I'd like to have the New Avengers have, well, you know, an AVENGER on their team. Are there any classic Avengers left in NA?

Marvel Comics Buries Captain America
Jun 30, 7:15 PM EST
It's a funeral fit for a superhero.

In the drizzling rain at Arlington National Cemetery, thousands of grieving patriots solemnly watch as the pallbearers — Iron Man, the Black Panther, Ben Grimm and Ms. Marvel — carry a casket draped with an American flag.

Yes, folks, Captain America is dead and buried in the latest issue of Marvel Comics' "Fallen Son," due on newsstands the morning after Independence Day. After 66 years of battling villains from Adolf Hitler to the Red Skull, the red, white and blue leader of the Avengers was felled by an assassin's bullet on the steps of a New York federal courthouse.

He was headed to court after refusing to sign the government's Superhero Registration Act, a move that would have revealed his true identity. A sniper who fired from a rooftop was captured as police and Captain America's military escort were left to cope with chaos in the streets.

But the sniper didn't act alone, and didn't even fire the shot that killed the captain.

Writer Jeph Loeb has been busy working through the stages of grief in his most recent titles. A book centered on Wolverine dealt with denial; one with the Avengers covered anger; and Spider-Man battled depression.

With the story line so relevant to present-day politics, and the timing of the latest issue so precise, it's hard not to think the whole thing is one big slam on the government.

"Part of it grew out of the fact that we are a country that's at war, we are being perceived differently in the world," Loeb said. "He wears the flag and he is assassinated — it's impossible not to have it at least be a metaphor for the complications of present day."

But Loeb says he was working with more personal material: the death of his 17-year-old son from cancer.

"So many people have lost their sons and daughters over the years, for the greater good or to cancer or other horrible things," said Loeb, an executive producer for NBC's "Heroes." "I wanted this to be something people would identify with."

In the final frames of the book, the Falcon delivers a eulogy asking superheros old and young to stand up and honor Captain America.

(Story Continues On Next Page...)



(...Story Continued from Previous Page)

Loeb did a similar thing at his son's funeral.

"It was this moment where I realized that we were all different, but this boy, my son, made us all connected," he said. "It was powerful."

Captain America, whose secret identity was Steve Rogers, was an early member of the pantheon of comic book heroes that began with Superman in the 1930s.

He landed on newsstands in March 1941, nine months before Pearl Harbor — delivering a punch to Hitler on the cover of his first issue, a sock-in-the-jaw reminder that there was a war on and the United States was not involved.

Since then, Marvel Entertainment Inc., has sold more than 200 million copies of Captain America magazine in 75 countries.

In the most recent story line, he became involved in a superhero "civil war," taking up sides against Iron Man in the registration controversy, climaxed by his arrest and assassination.

Marvel says you never know what will happen. He may make it back from the dead after all, although Loeb says that question isn't really important right now.

"The question is, how does the world continue without this hero?" he said. "If that story of his return gets told further down the line, great. But everyone's still been dealing with his loss.

"They aren't going to wake up and it's a dream, like it's some episode of 'Dallas.'"

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