Sharon Carter History, 1995-2004

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Captain America 443 [ 6 ]
"Twilight’s Last Gleaming"
Writer: Mark Gruenwald
Penciller: Dave Hoover
Inker: Daniel Bulanadi
Letterer: Joseph Rosen
Colorist: Ashley Posella
Editor: Ralph Macchio
On Sale Date: July 13, 1995

6 – Everything Steve cares enough to keep, he keeps in a trunk. Inside is a picture of Sharon – of all the women he’s loved, Sharon is the one who hung on the longest… and having the most painful exit. He still thinks of her at least once a week. And he asks her to save him a seat, because he’ll be joining her in less than 24 hours.


Captain America 444 [ 19 20 ]
"Hope and Glory"
Writer: Mark Waid
Penciller: Ron Garney
Inker: Mike Sellers
Letterer: John Costanza
Colorist: John Kalisz
Editor: Ralph Macchio
On Sale Date: August 17, 1995

19 – Two mysterious figures watch a live broadcast of Natasha Romanoff telling everyone that Steve Rogers is dead. Presumably, the shorter one is Sharon (not dead!), and the larger one is the Red Skull. Sharon tells the Skull that as usual, he perplexes her. Why did he have to take it so far? The Skull says she asked to be left out of planning – it’s need to know, and she doesn’t need to know. All he wanted was for the Avengers to reveal that Captain America is dead. Sharon asks how he thinks Captain America would feel about that. The Skull doesn’t know.

20 – But she can ask him when he wakes up! Because guess who else is alive!


Captain America 445 [ 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14-15 16 17 18 20 21 22 ]
"Old Soldiers Never Die"
Writer: Mark Waid
Penciller: Ron Garney
Inker: Scott Koblish
Letterer: John Costanza
Colorist: John Kalisz
Editor: Ralph Macchio
On Sale Date: September 7, 1995

6 – Steve has woken up from a block of ice and finds his shield, but it feels different. A voice tells him to step along – he doesn’t have time to linger over a striped hunk of metal.

7 – Steve thinks that the voice sounds pretty ticked off. The voice taunts him with how he muttered names while he was dying. She wonders who greeted him on the other side. His mother? Bucky? Sharon, the “little fluffbrain” who worshiped him? The voice also knows that Steve wasn’t with his mother when she died, and only saw Sharon die on a videotape.

8 – Steve finds the source of the voice and asks how dare she talk to him like that, only to realize – gasp! – it’s Sharon! He joyfully grabs her, asking if it’s really her, but she tells him to keep his hands off of her.

9 – She fills him in on what she can tell him. That she owes his life to a third party. While Sharon and a med crew stole his body from Avengers Mansion moments before his death (and left behind his armor), the cryogenics wasn’t enough to save him. She had to go with a more radical treatment.

10 – When she explains that they needed to essentially replace his blood and marrow, he asks how much of him is still a super soldier. She says, “Good question. Let’s find out.” And lets a bunch of bad guys in for him to fight.

11 – He throws the shield, but it doesn’t work. He realizes that the shield is the same, but he isn’t. And despite her tough-gal exterior, Sharon seems shaken by it, too.

12 – Steve is overwhelmed by his five attackers. She calls him off, and Steve demands to know what she’s done to him. She tells him to get over it – they have work to do.

13 – She tells him they’re on a timetable, and they need to go meet his benefactor. He refuses to budge until she tells him who the benefactor is, but she says the fate of the free world is at stake. He’s still doubtful, and she responds, “He who hesitates is toast. I don’t care what kind of moral see-saw you’re riding, the mission is all that counts.” He follows her through a portal, and she tells him to try not to get himself killed.

14/15 – They wind up at an enemy compound seventy miles west of Green Bay. Steve’s benefactor isn’t there yet, but it’ll be a mission for just the three of them. She and Steve take out some bad guys trying to sneak up behind them together.

16 – While they fight, she asks if he’s dead back there. He says he’s fine, so she tells him to cover her while she checks their weapons… and finds an ultrasonic cannon. She takes out the bad guys; he says he didn’t realize she was up on ordnance, and she casually mentions that it’s a survival technique and tells him to grab one for himself.

17 – She says the shield is a target and a liability. He throws the shield again; it works better this time, but he still misses it on the return.

18 – He realizes who his donor is – the Red Skull.

20 – The Skull hits Steve, who isn’t up to full strength, and tells Steve that he’s in the Skull’s debt. The Skull asks Sharon how much she’s told Steve, and she replies nothing about the enemy or the Skull. They both know Steve will have to see to believe.

21 – Steve accuses Sharon – who he now thinks might not be Sharon – of leading him into a trap. She tells him she understands, she doesn’t like it either, but they need him for this – this is the fight Captain America was made for. He tells her to stop being cryptic but is interrupted by a bright light.

22 – The factory has been transformed to something more modern and more dangerous. Sharon welcomes him to the new fatherland – and World War Three.


Captain America 446 [ Cover 1 2-3 4 5 6 7 8-9 10 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 21 22 24 ]
"The Devil You Know"
Writer: Mark Waid
Penciller: Ron Garney
Inker: Denis Rodier
Letterer: John Costanza
Colorist: John Kalisz
Editor: Ralph Macchio
On Sale Date: October 12, 1995

Cover – Sharon and Steve leap into action.

1 – Sharon, Steve, and the Skull race toward something that used to be a military compound but has turned into something more.

2-3 – As they run toward the supertech fortress, Sharon exclaims that she never dreamed they’d do so much too soon – this proves that they’re way behind. The Skull says it’s only a test for the Cube, and reveals that the Cube’s owners are trying to build a new world Reich – of the Kubekult!

4 – Sharon and the others watch the Kubekult hail the Cube, a picture of Hitler in the background and say that the Fuhrer will rise again. Steve says that not even the Cube can raise the dead, and Sharon says Hitler is still alive. He’s in the Cube!

5 – Steve tells her Hitler is dead, and she moves her arm away from his hand and snaps at him not to patronize her. The Skull explains that Sharon is correct.

6 – The Skull continues to explain that Hate Monger, trapped in the Cube, can rewrite reality. Cap doesn’t understand why the Skull would want to stop that, and Sharon points out that the Skull is the one who trapped Hate Monger/Hitler in the Cube, and that Hitler will want revenge. And how good is the new reich to the Skull if he’s not in charge? Like it or not, the Skull is the devil they know.

7 – Steve says he doesn’t believe this. Sharon asks which part. He says all of it and leaps into action.

8-9 – Sharon and the Skull fight the Kubekultists with Steve.

10 – He uses the shield to knock the Cube toward Sharon and tells her to get it – she does but is immediately hit in the head by a Kubekultist and falls to the ground.

12 – Sharon beats one of the Kubekultists for information, and he says she was one of them! Turns out she took on the identity of Fraulein Rogers. She also took the information she needs. Steve tells her they should keep it to themselves, but she rips her arm out of his grasp and tells the Skull to listen up.

13 – On the plane, Steve questions her about perverting his name with Fraulein Rogers, and she replies she takes her shots where she can. They talk about working with the Skull, which Steve doesn’t enjoy, and Sharon tells him again that the mission is all that counts. Steve says a lot of things used to count to her, him for one. He thought she was dead.

14 – Sharon tells him how SHIELD dropped her into a top-secret hot spot and likely told him she was dead to keep him from following her. She doesn’t know what happened, but she was cut loose behind enemy lines. She thought she’d been abandoned by her country and by Steve. She stayed alive in deep cover, becoming a soldier of fortune and freelance spy. She had to do things to survive – some violent, some degrading. All of them gave her a new perspective.

15 – She wormed her way into Kubekult and found the Skull. Steve tells her this is an opportunity to rebuild her life. She doesn’t want that life back. She “learned a lot more about America from the outside than [she] ever did from the inside. Only an idiot trusts his country enough to give them his all. No offense.” Steve asks about the future, and she’s not sure she believes in that, either. She thinks this might be the mission that takes her out in a blaze of glory.

16 – The Skull wants her to live longer – there’s plenty for her to do. Without the Avengers, they’ll have to take over the fortified installation the Kultists are sheltering in on their own.

17 – Steve tries to handle the troops on his own and talk them down, but then the troops see the Skull and Sharon and – thinking the real Cap would never partner with the Skull – open fire.

18 – Sharon joins the others in fighting the troops.

19 – While Steve fights the troops, Sharon and the Skull break into the base.

21 – Sharon fights the Kultists.

22 – Steve punches out a Kultist right before he can shoot Sharon. Sharon demands to know where Steve’s been. Did he hesitate? How many times does she have to tell him, the mission is all that- But as she reaches for the Cube, there’s an explosion.

24 – Steve realizes that both the Cube and Sharon are gone.


Captain America 447 [ 2-3 14-15 16 17 18 19 ]
"Triumph of the Will"
Writer: Mark Waid
Penciller: Ron Garney
Inker: Mike Manley
Letterer: John Costanza
Colorist: John Kalisz
Editor: Ralph Macchio
On Sale Date: November 9, 1995

2-3 – Recap of the last issue!

14-15 – Steve finds Sharon on a catwalk holding the Cosmic Cube and calls out to her. She tells him to get back, and he calls for her more as explosions loosen the catwalk. Sharon tells him that the Kultists are getting stronger with each pulse of the Cube, threatening to rewrite reality. She can change that. She suggests rewriting the reality the Kultists want with one of her own.

16 – Steve tells her that it isn’t for her to decide; the Kultists announce that they have Steve and Sharon (Fraulein Rogers) surrounded. She agrees with Steve and says it’s for Captain America to decide and holds the Cube out to her as the Red Skull sneaks up behind Steve.

17 – Steve won’t take the Cube, and Sharon mocks him. Steve takes the Cube.

18 – She tells him how to use the Cube, and for a moment, he replaces her with the version of her from before he believed she was dead.

19 – Before he can say what he’s decided, Steve blasts the Skull with the Cube. He orders he Cube to self destruct, but it falls out of his hands – and into the Skull’s.


Captain America 448 [ 4 5 9 10 18 26 27 31 32 33 34 35 ]
"American Dream"
Writer: Mark Waid
Penciller: Ron Garney
Inker: Denis Rodier
Letterer: John Costanza
Colorist: John Kalisz
Editor: Ralph Macchio
On Sale Date: December 7, 1995

4 – The Skull has trapped Steve in the Cosmic Cube, where he goes on adventures with Bucky. Sharon realizes that the Skull brought Steve in so Steve could overthrow Hitler in the Cube – on the Skull’s terms. The Skull says Captain America was created to defeat Hitler. Sharon counters that Hitler created the Skull – did he bring in Steve because he was the right man for the job, or because the Skull is afraid to take Hitler on himself? The Skull hits her.

5 – They’re discovered by Kultists; the Skull tries to defeat them with the Cube, but it doesn’t work. Sharon grabs the Skull and runs. She wants to keep him alive until they can work out what’s happening. She locks them in a room with a bunch of weapons.

9 – The Skull puts nitro glycerin against the door, and they run.

10 – He pushes Sharon into an inner room, hoping that the fire in the armory will force the Kultists to retreat long enough that Steve can defeat Hitler and the Skull can control the Cube.

18 – The Skull tells Sharon she’ll be rewarded. She refuses and tries to take the Cube. He hits her again.

26 – They’re interrupted by Steve himself.

27 – He beats the crap out of the Skull.

31 – There’s an explosion.

32 – Sharon asks Steve, “… Well?”

33 – Steve looks at the silhouette of the Skull on the wall, indicating that the Skull was vaporized. He says it’s over.

34 – They take stock of everything. Sharon asks after the American soldiers, who are now back to normal. Steve climbs into a jeep and tells her to come on. She asks to where. If he’s thinking about rekindling their romance, he can think again.

35 – Steve says it’s her call. He’s headed to SHIELD to find out why they kept her fate a secret from him. He thought she’d want to know, too, but she can send him a postcard sometime. Sharon hesitates, then joins him. She wants answers to who kept them apart – not because she cares, she’s just curious. The moment she has answers, she’s gone. They talk about learning new moves as they drive into the distance.


Captain America 449 [ 1 2-3 4 5 6 7 8 9 ]
"I’ll Take Manhattan"
Writer: Mark Waid
Penciller: Ron Garney
Inker: Scott Koblish
Letterer: Michael Higgins
Colorist: John Kalisz
Editor: Ralph Macchio
On Sale Date: January 4, 1996

1 – Sharon dangles a man out a window, urging him to talk before she sneezes.

2-3 – They’re on the Helicarrier! Well. Sharon is, at least. And Steve isn’t appreciative. He tells her to put the man down, and she says she’d love to.

4 – Steve clarifies that he means getting him inside the Helicarrier. He pulls the man in, seals the window, and now Sharon isn’t appreciative. She had him!

5 – Steve argues that they got into SHIELD HQ through his Avengers ID, not her charm. They argue about how to get answers as to why Sharon was cut loose behind enemy lines and Steve was told she was dead. Steve says they need to go straight to Nick Fury for answers, but they’re immediately informed by Contessa Valentina that Nick Fury is dead.

6 – Steve points out that Nick’s been dead at least three times before. He’s not buying it. Val says no one comes back from the dead, and Sharon and Steve look at each other. Steve tries to get information out of Val instead, but she wants it from Sharon. As a returning agent, Sharon will be debriefed willingly or unwillingly, and she’s under house arrest.

7 – Sharon is about to fight the guys trying to arrest her, but Steve catches her arm. He challenges Val.

8 – They’re zoomed down to the Brooklyn Bridge. Sharon knows they’ll be watching her from there on out. She also tells Steve he doesn’t have to keep an eye on her. Even though Sharon is the one leading the way, Steve suggests they go to his place in Brooklyn and work out what Sharon should do next. But he’s soon distracted by...

9 – A light! And then there’s a barrier running between him and Sharon!


Captain America 450 [ 1 2 3 4 5 7 8 13 17 18 19 20 21 ]
"Executive Action"
Writer: Mark Waid
Penciller: Ron Garney
Inker: Scott Koblish
Letterer: John Costanza
Colorist: John Kalisz
Editor: Ralph Macchio
On Sale Date: February 8, 1996

1 – Sharon’s hanging out at Steve’s place and trying to avoid thinking about his life without her as she goes through his stuff and finds pictures of Bernie and Rachel. She hears the door and calls out to Steve – calling him “Rogers.”

2 – Men break in, claiming they’re going to take her in dead or alive.

3 – She fights them off, clearly not impressed by them at all.

4 – She escapes out a window and criticizes the people who are trying to shoot her but can’t find her. She realizes they probably came after her because she stayed in one place for too long. She decides to leave.

5 – In her wake, the men wonder who she was. Steve comes in, and it turns out they’re with the US Army’s Criminal Investigations Department, there to arrest Steve for treason.

7 – He’s being arrested for the attack on the military based. They have footage of him, Sharon, and the Skull fighting the soldiers.

8 – Steve explains himself to the President (Clinton) and General Chapman and says Sharon Carter can confirm what he’s said. The President is instead more focused on how Sharon is a disenfranchised SHIELD agent in the country illegally.

13 – Sharon, in an outfit that hides her features, watches Steve through special binoculars from a tree.

17 – She follows Steve to Heathrow.

18 – She grabs Steve’s arm as he hails a cab and tells him no cabs - he’s coming with her.

19 – He throws her away, and she ducks as he swings at her.

20 – He manages to throw her in a phone booth and demands to know who she is. She takes off her mask, calls him a dope, and says he’s coming with her because she knows he doesn’t have cab fare.

21 – They dodge the cops their fight attracted, and he wants to know what’s up with her outfit. She’s been too busy following him to change. Turns out, she stuck around long enough to see the feds take him away and has been following him ever since. She asks what he’s going to do, and he says he’s going to find the person framing him and get his life back. Is she coming? She responds that she’s right behind him.


Captain America 451 [ 2 3 4 5 6 8 9 10 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 ]
"Plan A"
Writer: Mark Waid
Penciller: Ron Garney
Inker: Scott Koblish
Letterer: John Costanza
Colorist: John Kalisz
Editor: Ralph Macchio
On Sale Date: March 7, 1996

2 – Sharon returns from running errands, thinking about the frame job, what the President’s constituents would think, and how Steve will pull through so long as he keeps his confidence.

3 – Only to find Steve having a crisis of confidence (lol) while sitting on the floor and having taken a single bit out of his burger, decorated with a solitary, stiff American flag.

4 – She shoos him along to get into the costume she’s bought while he gives her sass.

5 – Sharon declares that the mission is to clear Steve’s name. She has weapons, but Steve’s never been a fan of offensive weaponry. After taunting him with the costume, she taunts him over how he’s disappointed her with his choice in weapons, too. But she’s still gone out of her way to get him a plasma shield.

6 – Steve wants to know who her contact (the Rat) is, and where she got the money for all this. She tells him not to think about it and asks where they’re going: Moldavia! Apparently, that’s where Machinesmith built an anti-aircraft cannon (Argus cannon), something only Steve had access to, there. Sharon reacts to the name.

8 – Sharon gives Steve his new passport on the train – his new name is Nathan Hale, after the American spy who was captured by the British during the Revolutionary War and executed. He has a plan for how to get into Moldavia, but instead of telling Sharon what it is, he asks about her reaction to Machinesmith’s name. She says that the Skull brought in Machinesmith to help revive Steve, but the Skull made a point of not letting her see exactly what Machinesmith did.

9 – Whatever Machinesmith did, though, it nearly fried him. Sharon and Steve theorize that Machinesmith tried to download Steve’s brain, and it’s unlikely he only took one bit of information. Before they can talk more, they’re attacked.

10 – Steve, i.e., the “primary target,” is thrown from the train. The men grab Sharon and hold her out of the window by her neck, waiting for the train to pass through the tunnel.

12 – Steve saves her and pulls her back in, only for them to get blasted through the roof of the train. Steve asks if she has anything that can match them, and she simply replies “taser” as she tasers the one closest to them.

13 – The tased guy accidentally pushes another off the train, but there are more shooting at Steve’s shield; he covers himself and Sharon as she asks, “Now what?” and he says they just have to hold them for 50 more yards. He has a plan, remember?

14 – They jump from the train into the snow, and Sharon worries that his plan is to hike the rest of the way. He tells her to trust him.

15 – He leads her to an American Air Force Base and thinks that she can hack around until she finds the Argus Cannon, but they’ll have to sneak in. She tells him the cyberops are right behind them, shooting at them and blowing their cover.

16 – American soldiers attack them, and Steve and Sharon fight their way through. Sharon asks if he ever takes his dates anywhere new.

17 – Sharon and Steve steal an F-15.

18 – Steve tells Sharon that she’s a bad influence. She’s not impressed and asks where they’re going. He says they’re headed toward Moldavia’s no-fly zone.

19 – Yep. The plan is to figure out where the Argus Cannon is by becoming a target.

20 – They aren’t hit, so Steve goes back to get hit. Sharon looks like she’s started to worry about him on a whole new level.


Captain America 452 [ Cover 1 2-3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 22 ]
"Plan B"
Writer: Mark Waid
Penciller: Ron Garney
Inker: Scott Koblish
Letterer: John Costanza
Colorist: John Kalisz
Editor: Ralph Macchio
On Sale Date: April 3, 1996

Cover – Steve grasps the fastenings holding Sharon in her seat as they fall through the air with no parachute.

1 – Sharon dreams of her and Steve getting back together, but even the thought makes her nauseous. She comes to, still thinking she’s in the dream.

2-3 – Only to see him hurtling toward her in the air.

4 – Recap of the story so far (trying to clear Steve’s name, etc) as Steve speeds toward her aircraft seat.

5 – He reaches Sharon and tells her they’re above Moldavia. His chute opened, hers didn’t, and she tells him off for ditching his parachute to save her, gambling that her chute works.

6 – He opens the chute and tells her that he’s not crazy, just loyal.

7 – He gets her free of the chair, and it crashes into a frozen lake. He tells her they need to find shelter.

8 – They talk in the cave, with Sharon rebuilding the distance between them. He suggests they stay warm by pooling their body temperatures and sleeping side-by-side. She sleeps on the other side of the cave.

9 – She dreams of them together and groggily admits when someone strokes her cheek that she has missed him, but as she wakes more, she realizes that it’s actually four Moldavian soldiers who have woken her up. She calls for Rogers as she fights them off.

10 – She escapes, and Steve shows up with a jeep. She accuses him of bailing on her, and he says she knows she can take care of herself and went to find transportation (note: would have been better if he’d woken her up beforehand). He tells her to dig around for something useful, and after a bit of sarcasm, he asks if those are uniforms.

11 – Uniformed, they approach a checkpoint (Steve still has his non-regulation mask on; Sharon has a loaded gun). She says this won’t work; he asks if she can ever be positive. She’s positive this won’t work. She tells him that when she shoots, he floors it, but he shoves the gun up as she fires.

12 – They get into an argument about killing, even though Sharon insists she wasn’t going to kill him. She yells that they’ve only got one chance – while they’re confused, he needs to hit her – hard. And he does. She lands in the middle of the group of soldiers and fake cries about the bad man hurting her before getting them close enough to attack them.

13 – While Sharon holds them off, Steve runs for it and mentally promises Sharon to come back for her… which is not the same thing as making the promise out loud. She realizes he’s going after the Argus Cannon alone and runs after him.

14 – He blows up the Argus Cannon, and she runs after him as he goes flying.

15 – She gives him mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, which he uses to pull her into a kiss. For a moment, she seems to sink into it...

16 – Before punching him so hard he goes flying again. She tells him off, almost admitting that she’s dreamed of them, which means that when a missile comes their way, she says, “Oh, thank God.” Steve tells her to run, but the missile goes off, and neither of them can breathe.

17 – They wake up tied to chairs as Machinesmith starts to monologue about starting a war between the US and Moldavia.

18 – Machinesmith is presumably about to explain why he’s no longer Tony Stark’s assistant – while flipping a coin – when Steve breaks the ropes and the chair while using muscles alone.

22 – A SHIELD helicarrier is headed straight for a mountain, and another Machinesmith is with the President at Camp David. Steve and Sharon watch the screens – while Sharon is still tied to a chair. Thanks, Steve!


Captain America 453 [ 2 3 4 5 ]
"Executive Action"
Writer: Mark Waid
Penciller: Ron Garney
Inker: Scott Koblish
Letterer: John Costanza
Colorist: John Kalisz
Editor: Ralph Macchio
On Sale Date: May 8, 1996

2 – Recap of the story while Steve attacks machines (no smiths), and Sharon bends over a computer panel.

3 – She gives him a status update on hacking into the Helicarrier – she’s basically hacking around everything Steve knows, because it’s all microinscribed in the gold coin Machinesmith has been playing with. Steve finds the access panel and tells her to keep working on the Helicarrier – he’ll stop the presidential assassination. She asks how, but every second counts. She tells him to go, that SHIELD’s in her hands, and he promises he’ll be back for her. She thinks, “Yeah, right. Auld lang syne, Rogers. See you in another five…” Meaning it’s been five years since they last saw each other. (In the grand comic book timeline, that could be different as of now.)

4 – Sharon is denied access to the Helicarrier’s navigation; they have two minutes until impact.

5 – Maybe inspired by Rogers (shh), she uses everything she’s learned over the years, including from Sitwell, from Micro, from Ultron, she keeps trying, and manages to avert the collision. Someone on the Helicarrier notes that they’ve got an angel of mercy looking out for them. Sharon just says, “If you only knew...”


Captain America 454 [ 1 2 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17-18 19 20 21 ]
"Sanctuary"
Writer: Mark Waid
Penciller: Ron Garney
Inker: Scott Koblish
Letterer: John Costanza
Colorist: John Kalisz
Editor: Ralph Macchio
On Sale Date: June 5, 1996

1 – Sharon taunts Hong Fan in Club Yankee; he greets her by name and wants to know what she’s trying to sell him. She describes Machinesmith’s coin, but says she only wants to deal with Tap-Kwai’s ruler – X12. When Hong Fan says X12 is a myth, she says she’s the Easter Bunny and demands he be brought out. X12 presents himself and politely asks how she came by the coin.

2 – She says she boosted it after Cap abandoned her; selling the coin is payback. When she tries to show him something, X12 threatens her with a taser that could take out a platoon. He wants to know what she wants for the coin; she says a high commission in his army. In other words, sanctuary. He laughs and says it’s a good deal all around and wants to study the coin more closely. She approaches, drawing a knife as one of X12’s men pulls a gun behind her. X12 says he’ll let his men finalize the deal.

4 – Steve flies into the room on a motorcycle. X12 tries to tase him, and he blocks the blow with his shield. Sharon takes out X12, promising to be back later, then hops on Steve’s bike and asks what he’s doing there.

5 – He’s been trying to find her since Moldavia; she tells him off for tanking her entire plan, a plan which didn’t involve having the entire Tap-Kwai militia after them. She asks how far he thinks they can get on a Kawasaki and points out that they’re headed straight for the water. Something Steve knows.

6 – Sharon’s glad they cleared that up; and they go into the water.

7 – They switch to a jet ski and go until they run out of gas. Steve says they’re on foot from now on, and Sharon tells him off again for ruining her plan. She helps him get the jet ski on land as he notes that last time, she was upset that he didn’t find her, but this time he did – doesn’t that count for something? Sharon, still angry, runs off and says, “Under the circumstances? No.”

8 – Steve gets in front of her and says they’re rendezvousing with something 15-20 miles away. He wants to know if she was actually going to sell the coin; she says it was only bait. Or that’s what she thinks he’s going to ask – he actually says he wants to know if she was in Yankeetown long; he never thought she’d sell his secrets. She says he shouldn’t have come back for her. He’s ruined a perfect record.

9 – And then she falls into the mud. He goes back to help her up and asks what’s wrong with her. She slaps his hand away and says if he wants to know more, he can follow her.

10 – She takes him to a prison camp and explains that she was trying to take out X12 so Tap-Kwai’s government would topple like dominoes, which would include the release of his political prisoners.

11 - None of them can get home so long as X12 is in power. She takes him to the building and punches the guard out front. Steve tells her to cut to the chase – they don’t have time for a tour. What’s so important inside? Sharon tells him that it’s important – it’s home.

12 – She guides him through a fly-filled prison and tells him that she spent eight months there right after being cut loose by SHIELD. Security was tougher then. He asks how she escaped, and she tells him not to ask questions if he doesn’t want to hear the answers. She shows him her cell, which became her sanctuary from all the pawing guards and the prisoners who never stopped begging her from help. She muses that she might belong there – it’s the only stable place she’s had since the SHIELD days, the only place that’s been hers. That’s why she’s in Tap-Kwai.

13 – Steve tells her this isn’t real, that the only true sanctuary she has is in her head. She pushes him away again and says they have to roll. She runs away, explaining how ousting or whacking X12 will give guerilla fighters a chance to save the prisoners. But Steve isn’t behind her.

14 – He’s freed all the prisoners and has ordered them to follow him. She says they’re not up to a march, that they don’t remember what freedom or home is. Steve insists they remember.

15 – Sharon lists the problems facing them and asks if they can make it. They’re attacked by X12’s army, tanks and helicopters included, and Steve says he doesn’t see why not.

16 – He tells her where the rendezvous is and tells her to keep the men moving toward it while he holds off the army. She gets the men over the horizon and finds a SHIELD helicarrier. She tells the prisoners to get into the tractor beam and tells them to hurry. All this rests on the shoulders of one man.

17/18 – Splash page of Steve fighting the army as Sharon notes that all that stands between them and Armageddon is Captain America.

19 – The Helicarrier has to leave in ten seconds. Sharon stands beside the tractor beam and tells him that all refugees are accounted for, Sarge. He says there are still the two of them, but she refuses – she’s still technically an outlaw. She doesn’t want anything to do with SHIELD, and they’re not happy about it. In the meantime… She tosses the coin away and says it’s fake before getting the real one from her boot.

20 – He asks again if she’ll come, but she refuses. He tells her not even Sharon Carter can take on an army, and she holds up X12’s taser and says she’ll be okay. She thinks this is the end, but he says he thinks their paths will cross again. She notes that he really did come back for her, and for a moment, they seem like they’ll almost kiss, but then Sharon pulls back.

21 – She salutes him, and he moves into the tractor beam and salutes her back as he’s pulled up to the Helicarrier.


Heroes Reborn: The Return 4 [ 22 ]
"Fourth & Goal"
Writer: Peter A David
Penciller: Salvador Larroca
Inker: Scott Hanna
Letterer: Richard Starkings
Colorist: Steven J Buccellato
Editor: Bobbi Chase
On Sale Date: October 29, 1997

22 – The heroes, trapped in an alternate dimension, remember their real lives. Steve sees a life of battle, of dedication, and of service to a cause. One of the people he sees, right beside him, is Sharon.


Captain America V3 01 [ 32 34 ]
"The Return of Steve Rogers"
Writer: Mark Waid
Penciller: Ron Garney
Inker: Bob Wiacek
Letterer: John Costanza
Colorist: Joe Rosas
Editor: Matt Idelson
On Sale Date: November 19, 1997

32 – Sharon’s taking out a bar full of guys in Istanbul when a news story comes on saying that Captain America has turned up alive and well. She can’t believe that man. She asks how many times he’s going to drop in and out of her life, and the guy she’s beating up says he doesn’t know, he doesn’t know, he doesn’t know. The radio announces that American is celebrating the joyous occasion, and she smashes the guy’s head into the radio and says, “Oh, shut up,” before telling Renny to send a clean-up crew and book her a plane ticket to New York. Note: She still calls herself Agent 13 here.

34 – Kang the Conqueror, up to no good, is watching both Steve and Sharon.


Captain America V3 03 [ 16 ]
"Museum Piece"
Writer: Mark Waid
Penciller: Ron Garney
Inker: Bob Wiacek
Letterer: John Costanza
Colorist: Joe Rosas
Editor: Matt Idelson
On Sale Date: January 21, 1998

16 – In New York, Sharon asks for a shave and a haircut at the barber’s that secretly an entrance to SHIELD HQ. The “barber” tells her she wants the hairdresser down the street. She tells him what’s what, and he sends her down while telling her that he’s also sent them an alarm. She replies “Good,” and is greeted by several SHIELD agents, including Dum Dum Dugan. When someone says Agent 13 is there to brighten their day, he says that she’s Sharon Carter. He’s curious why she’s reactivated her field status, and suspects she’s sniffing around for something. She plays innocent – a little too innocent… “Li’l ol’ me?”


Captain America V3 04 [ 6 ]
"Capmania"
Writer: Mark Waid
Penciller: Ron Garney
Inker: Bob Wiacek
Letterer: John Costanza
Colorist: Joe Rosas
Editor: Matt Idelson
On Sale Date: March 4, 1998

6 – Sharon is in her bedroom at SHIELD HQ – complete with cot – and it’s revealed that she’s rejoined SHIELD because she needs to know why Fury cut her loose behind enemy lines, and she could only access the classified documents from within SHIELD. She finds out that his body has been moved to a cryonics unit...


Fury/Agent 13 01 [ Cover 00 3 4 5 6 7 8 12 13 14 15 16 17 18-19 24 25 26 27 30 33 34 35 37 38 39 40 ]
"Search..."
Writer: Terry Kavanagh
Penciller: Ramon Bernado
Inker: Keith Aiken
Letterer: Emerson Miranda
Colorist: Kevin Tinsley
Editor: Matt Idelson
On Sale Date: April 8, 1998

Cover – Sharon, armed with something like a laser, goes through a portal designed to look like Fury’s picture. Text reads, “The hunt begins… for the truth!”

00 – Recap of cast and story so far. Sharon’s bio reads, “Sharon Carter joined SHIELD at a young age as Agent 13. She performed various missions for SHIELD, working closely with its then-Director, Colonel Fury. Headstrong and not easily deceived, Sharon has made it her personal mission to exact vengeance on Nick for what she perceives to be a great betrayal on his part.” Recap: “Some time ago, Agent 13 apparently died while on an undercover mission for SHIELD. In reality, her death had been staged by Nick Fury in order to send her on an even more dangerous assignment. But something went hideously wrong, and Agent 13, now presumed dead, was abandoned behind enemy lines, never to be rescued. Alone and without help, Sharon was forced to join the very forces she had been sent to bring down. As the months passed, Sharon’s bitterness grew as she came to believe that Nick Fury was responsible for her abandonment. Eventually, she allied herself with Captain America’s foe, the Red Skull, to stop a common foe. In the process, she was reunited with Captain America and returned to the United States. Unbeknownst to her, Nick Fury was sent on a mission to stop the vigilante killer, the Punisher. But the mission didn’t go as planned, and Nick was shot and killed before the Punisher could be apprehended. Her plans of vengeance ruined, Sharon rejoined SHIELD in order to dig up information from the now-deceased Fury’s personal files in hopes of learning why he left her to die. She has learned that Fury’s funeral at Arlington Cemetery was staged, and that he wasn’t buried there at all, suggesting that he might still be alive. Which brings us to the present...

3 – Sharon sets a fire at the morgue and slips in, wearing a coat to hide herself from the cameras.

4 – She knows that Nick’s body had a “special secret,” meaning his body would be kept here, and she needs to see the body for herself.

5 – She finds his body and is amazed that the Punisher actually did kill him.

6 – She scratches his cheek and draws blood, thinking that she’s one of the few who wanted him alive – just so she could kill him again.

7 – As she leaves, wondering what she’ll do now, Fury straightens – an LMD – and aims a gun at her. She kicks his head off, yelling that she knew he was alive.

8 – She just wishes that he were the real thing. She takes his head and hand and gets out as SHIELD’s clean-up crew starts to investigate.

12 - She delivers the head to Tony Stark, having easily gotten through his security (he let her after he was first notified). He’s currently SHIELD’s chief armorer. He offers her a position on his staff. She tells him that he hasn’t changed a bit and asks him about the LMD’s head.

13 – The LMD is a good enough copy that she figured he’s the only one who could fake it. Tony admits that Nick came to him the year before, hurting and asking questions about his position as director, the weight of the responsibility, and how dirty it could get.

14 – Tony had no idea that the LMD died instead of Nick. He’d gotten so caught up in his own life, he’d forgotten he’d made the LMD. Sharon says she knows how it is, she knows how people can get lost and forgotten.

15 – But she won’t forget. She can’t. So, using the LMD’s biometrics, she gets into his files and finds out he was after something called “Fallen Angel” when he activated the LMD.

16 – She remembers everything, with Steve and with SHIELD, and she’d been qualified for that mission. She earned it.

17 – She deserved it. She got in straight and clean, did the operation, despite what it cost her. And then Fury sent her on another mission. Getting out was a problem, but nobody came after her, no one went looking, no one even asked twice, and she deserved better.

18-19 – She dives to a scuttled Helicarrier.

24 – She hacks into Nick’s private computer (sort of) and searches for “Fallen Angel.”

25 – She’s discovered by SHIELD security and flashes them with a phosphor charge, swimming away and taking their harpoons with her as she goes.

26 – She switches their breathing hoses, connecting them to each other. There are four more guards, and they fire at her with laser-teeth harpoons.

27 – She escapes with a winged costume. SHIELD will be on her trail from now on; she’s got to decode that data she got fast. She hopes it can lead her to Fury.

30 – Contessa Valentina de Allegra watches the security footage and realizes it’s Sharon. Another agent, Agent Williams, briefs her on Agent 13 going rogue. They know she got into SHIELD’s early Shadow Cabinet days, but they haven’t been able to get through the encryptions Sharon herself added. Valentina tells him to take as many agents as he needs and bring Sharon down.

33 – Sharon uses the LMD’s eye and hand to get access to one of Nick’s safe houses.

34 – Sort of. It’s actually the site of SHIELD’s original headquarters, Fury’s first real home away from home. It’s the only relevant info she could get from the decoded data.

35 – She can’t find anything, and she knows it’s a matter of time before SHIELD crashes the party. (They’re actually at the entrance already. Whoops!)

37 – She can feel SHIELD nearby, so she ditches the LMD’s eye and hand since they can’t help her anymore… only for the inside of the chute to recognize Fury’s fingerprint.

38 – A portal opens. Williams and a squad of SHIELD agents show up to arrest Sharon for treason.

39 – Sharon jumps through the portal. She finds Nick in the water, injured, and tells him not to bother getting up.

40 – She aims a gun at him and tells him, “You are so dead already.”


Fury/Agent 13 02 [ Cover 1 3 4 5 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 ]
"… And Destroy"
Writer: Terry Kavanagh
Penciller: Ramon Bernado
Inker: Ian Akin
Letterer: Emerson Miranda
Colorist: Kevin Tinsley
Editor: Matt Idelson
On Sale Date: May 13, 1998

Cover – Nick pulls Sharon into battle alongside the Howling Commandos.

1 – Sharon holds Nick at gunpoint and says she’s going to take him apart for what he did to her.

3 – He tackles her and tells her not to fire that gun.

4 – He tells her off, then slowly recognizes her… and also remembers that she’s dead. He asks if he’s dead but thinks that he has to remember that none of this is real. She lifts the gun again and tells him that he’s wrong. Dead wrong.

5 – She tells him she’s real and recaps how she got there. And he can ask the Nazi she just shot behind him – nobody gets to kill Fury but her. He shoots the people behind her and says if she’s not with the locals, she’s against them.

8 – The lead each other past traps as they run, with Fury saying they need to catch up. When they stop, they’re surrounded by the Commandos, who aim guns at her. Fury makes introductions.

9 – Fury tells Sharon that he got messages about many agents abandoned by SHIELD, shot, kidnapped… he didn’t have a reason to doubt them. So he went underground to find Fallen Angel, his predecessor who was supposedly sending the messages, and left the LMD in his place.

10 – He tracked Fallen Angel to a supposedly empty pocket dimension that Fallen Angel had tried but failed to make into a wormhole (Fury shut the program down after too many agents died). But it was a trap. Fallen Angel pushed him into the pocket dimension as revenge for being abandoned by SHIELD.

11 – Fury and Fallen Angel now battle for control of the pocket dimension. Sharon bandages him up a little too tight as he explains that he understand she’s got an axe to grind with him, but first he needs her. The castle on the hill is the temp-portal back home. She thinks Fallen Angel is trying to stop them from getting there.

12 – Fury says Fallen Angel shot himself minutes after they arrived and he realized Fury was telling the truth, unable to accept that this was a pocket dimension, not a time travel technique. And they still can’t get to the castle.

13 – Sharon tells Dino off for leering at her, and Fury tells her it’s a different time. She calls him out on that, too, saying the Howlers aren’t real.

14 – Fury says they’re as real as anything else there. She calls him out on that, too, telling him there’s no legitimate reason Fury couldn’t have walked out whenever he wanted. She argues that he wants to be stuck in the past because he’s afraid to move forward. Fury insists that it’s Angel’s will trapping them there.

15 – Sharon continues arguing that he’s just playing with toy soldiers because while war is hell for most, for Fury, it’s heaven – Fury’s allowing all this to happen. He turns from her and get his gun, and she grabs his shoulder and tells him not to dare to turn his back on her again. The LMD material she used to get in has been compromised.

16 – Which means the only reason she’s let Fury live is because she needs him to get out. Meanwhile, Tony Stark’s shown up on the other side of the pocket dimension with information about Sharon Carter, among other things.

17 – Fury admits that there’s something to fight for now – he’ll get Sharon out of there. But he thinks that if her theory about the place is right, her hatred for him – and for herself – is going to have an impact. For instance, before their eyes, the castle turns into the old SHIELD building.

19 – … Where Sharon was first inducted into Fury’s ranks. Meanwhile, Tony explains to SHIELD that Sharon had figured out that the “dead” Fury was actually an LMD. And Tony thinks he can track Sharon through the LMD. Valentina asks what “Fallen Angel” is, and Tony almost answers with his best guess before pointing out that they’re the spies with the big budget.

20 – Sharon and Nick attack some Nazis, and Sharon takes a shot to protect Nick.

21 – While he patches her up, he asks what’s to stop her from just taking his body parts and busting out. Sharon doesn’t answer, and he says that this is about everything they’re not saying. She holds a grudge against him for leaving her behind enemy lines in the midst of an ongoing political action with a 17% chance of success and survival. He remembers every painful detail of that decision.

22 – He says she’d understood them back in the day, too. Meanwhile, Valentina says that if there was a chance that their own little Alice in Wonderland was right, they have to keep going. Tony tries to get into the pocket dimension. Back in the pocket dimension, Nick tells Sharon that the job’s all about losing good people.

23 – Nick says he had to believe she was dead. There’s no other way to make the call. She – showering under a waterfall naked except for bandages and underwear? – says she knows.

24 – She just wishes she could forget. Forget the last years, forget the hunger, forget what it’s like to be forgotten.

25 – She wishes she remembered her dreams instead of nightmares. But before she can say more, they’re attacked. She dresses while she runs after Fury and asks if Fury’s trying to lose her again. He tells her to give him a break and just aim for home, shoot at anything that moves in between.

26 – The enemies keep shooting and don’t stay dead. Sharon acknowledges that this is her nightmare. He asks if she recognizes anything else as their surroundings change.

27 – They find themselves in a cityscape, where Sharon was left behind. Fury tells her not to let it get to her and a bunch of other things – she stops punching and starts shooting as she tells him not to give her orders.

28 – She tells him how to neutralize their enemies and says they’re working together or not at all. But they’ve got another problem – the tem-portal is an old Helicarrier now, meaning they can’t reach it from the ground.

29 – Tony needs Directors’ codes they don’t have and is brainstorming how to force the portal open. An agent shoots a static-ionization field at it before Tony can stop him. Nick and Sharon realize that the Helicarrier was the last place they saw and worked together.

30 – They’re scaling a building. It’s not going well.

31 – They manage to take out the fliers shooting at them. Sharon gets the top, but Nick’s foothold crumbles, and he falls back.

32 – Sharon catches him. He tells her to let him go – the portal’s been opened from the other side somehow, and they can both hear the fliers coming back. She pulls him up. Maybe if she could forg- And then BOMBS!

33 – It’s actually worse. The pocket dimension is collapsing. They have to jump 12 feet to the Helicarrier, and now!

34 – Fury jumps and makes it, but someone grabs Sharon’s arm from behind. Someone tells her that she’s not done there yet, not by a long shot.

35 – Nick makes it to the other side and turns back to the portal, murmuring Sharon’s name.

36 – Sharon is surrounded by enemies. Nick goes back through the portal and realizes that not only is she buried under them as she tries to fight, but even the Helicarrier has started to shake as the portal begins to collapse.

37 – Nick, remembering that this is his Helicarrier, grabs his favorite flying car and goes to rescue Sharon. He shoots at her attackers.

38 – Sharon can’t believe he’s there; he apologizes for being late, and he drives straight into the portal as Fury and Sharon dump all their ammunition – including grenades – into the pocket dimension.

39 – Sharon and Nick go through the portal, but when the light fades, Sharon stands alone in front of a bunch of armed SHIELD agents.


Sentinel of Liberty 1 [ Cover Wraparound Cover 4 5 6-7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 17 18 22 23 24 25 26 ]
"Sentinel of Liberty"
Writer: Mark Waid
Penciller: Ron Garney
Inker: Dan Panosian
Letterer: John Costanza
Colorist: Joe Rosas
Editor: Matt Idelson
On Sale Date: July 1, 1998

Cover – Steve blocks with the shield and provides cover for Sharon as she shoots at enemies over the shield.

Wraparound Cover – The same cover as before, but now with a collage of enemies and allies in the background.

4 – Sharon shoots at an enemy before he can shoot Steve.

5 – Steve compliments her shooting, and she says she knows he could have dodged out of his way; she just wanted the target practice. She’s wearing a SHIELD-branded hat, and a SHIELD-branded jacket over her SHIELD uniform, holding a SHIELD gun. No word on if the toothpick in her mouth is also SHIELD-issued. Steve has a rendezvous with the head of SHIELD, and she tells him they can share a transport beam. Steve looks at her, reflecting on their past and wondering what they are to each other now. He remembers another July 4th in Philly, years ago...

6-7 – They were the only agents alive who could stop a hijacked SHIELD Helicarrier from bombing the city to kingdom come. He’s trying to get her to tell him her real name; she says he should go first. They discuss Agent 9, who’s hijacked the Carrier with the help of his men and his photographic memory – a memory that includes SHIELD agents’ dossiers, security codes, and so forth. Steve says that once they’re aboard, she should let him cover her. He doesn’t want her hurt.

8 – Sharon dismisses his concern and says she can handle herself. He asks if she has their orders from Nick, and she says they actually came from the President. She reads the order, and he asks what’s wrong. She says nothing and asks if they’re there yet. Answer: Yes. And now it’s action time!

9 – While fighting, Steve saves one of the bad guys from going overboard and splatting on the concrete. Sharon watches him tell the guy, “Relax. No one dies on my watch.”

10 – They head to the bridge.

11 – Sharon and Steve realize the reason the place isn’t full os SHIELD agents is because Agent 9 used a nerve toxin on them. A nerve toxin that makes the agents look like the Red Skull… which tells Sharon and Steve who’s behind Agent 9.

12 – Sharon and Steve see Agent 9 on the catwalk, and Sharon worries they won’t catch up. Steve knocks him – and his files – off the catwalk with Steve’s SHIELD. Agent 9 starts shooting at them, giving orders to send exterminators after Steve while he takes care of Agent 13, or should he say Sharon Carter, whose parents live outside Roanoke, Virginia, and are very vulnerable.

13 – The Helicarrier pulls hard to starboard, sending Agent 9’s files back toward them. Sharon yells at Agent 9 that it’s over, but he says it’s only just begun and runs off as he declares that he won’t rest until the whole world knows his name. Sharon starts picking up the papers, relieved that they’ve at least recovered those, and… picks up Cap’s file. “Steve? Your name is Steve? Funny. I had you pegged for a Jim, or maybe a-”

14 – Meanwhile, Steve has picked up the paper with their orders on it. He wants to know why she didn’t tell him it was a termination order. Sharon tries to focus on the mission, and they’re soon surrounded by Agent 9’s goons.

15 – Sharon holds her own only four men grab her at once and hold on. They hold her over an opening portal as one of them strangles her.

17 – Steve beats them up, and Sharon asks if he killed any of them. He’s adamant that he didn’t, and she explains that that’s why she didn’t tell him. She can carry out this order this now. He’s a perfect soldier, but not an assassin. Sharon argues that she’s a soldier, too, and there are times she’s had to kill. She wants to spare him the burden. The only way she can keep going is to know there’s still one man out there who can always do the job clean. He asks if she has a moral problem with it. She replies that she has a personal problem – she’s afraid it might change how he feels about her.

18 – Before Steve can answer, they realize it’s awfully quiet all of a sudden. Sharon realizes they’re over DC. The lights go out, which means there’s massive teleport activity. He tells her to get to the bridge and see if she can regain control of navigation while he hits the teleporter.

22 – Agent 9 is shot and writhes out of existence.

23 – Sharon holds the gun, not speaking. After a moment, she throws the files into the fire and fills Steve in, declaring the mission a success.

24 – Steve still isn’t speaking. Sharon looks at him, and Steve says, “Today, I had to wrestle with two questions. What would I do, and how do I feel about you. Because of you, I never had to answer the first. The other…” And they kiss.

25 – In the present day, he wonders if any of it still matters to her, wonders what happened to that Sharon.

26 – He goes to his meeting with the new director. Sharon, in the Director’s chair, tells him, the guy in the flag suit, to wipe that smirk off his face. He challenges her about hating SHIELD a while back, and she says that actually qualifies her to be the boss. She’ll order her soldiers to do their jobs, but move heaven and earth to do them clean. Steve salutes her before he heads out.


Captain America V3 09 [ 2 8 9 10 11 12 13-14 15 17 18 19 20 21 ]
"The Bite of Madness"
Writer: Mark Waid
Penciller: Andy Kubert
Inker: Jesse Delperdang
Letterer: Todd Klein
Colorist: Chris Sotomayor
Editor: Matt Idelson
On Sale Date: July 15, 1998

2 – Sharon and a police lieutenant watch as cops tackle Jack Patterson. The lieutenant explains to Sharon, who’s investigating on behalf of SHIELD, that a fan asked for Jack’s autograph, and Jack started bludgeoning fans right and left with his bat while screaming about being unappreciated. Sharon studies a Daily Bugle issue about a general sending troops to death and being arrested for treason.

8 – She goes to Steve’s place to ask for help, even though she thinks it’s a bad idea. She spies on him through the glass – last time she dropped in on him, he was memorizing the vice presidents. He’s so stiff… He’ll never change. Sharon’s mood quickly changes to shock when she finds him juggling and laughing with some children.

9 – She enters through the doorway. Since she’s been away for a few months, she asks to get to Sesame Street. Steve reassures the people there that she’s not with Social Services, and Sharon says that it kills her, but she needs help from you-know-who. As they go to the back to talk, the others say they’ll leave Steve and his girlfriend alone. Sharon and Steve blather about how they’re not together, they used to be, but they’re not interested in each other now. Alone, she says he never wanted a family, but as Steve recalls, Sharon was the one who was hesitant about having kids. She asks if Fury was going to babysit for them. Steve asks if they’re going to fight until she tells him why she’s there. She says probably. He gets to the point.

10 – They talk about Tony Stark and Steve’s tech abilities (indicating that Sharon has known for a very, very long time that Steve is more technologically proficient than most people believe). Steve starts changing, and Sharon studies his busted shield as she teases him. She asks him what happened to his sorry excuse of a shield, only to see the mirror and realize he’s changing. He asks if she’s watching. She watches harder and denies that she’s watching. She brought him something, though. A new shield built into a glove.

11 – It’s a limited-range photon-accelerator – A force-field synth. It’s like the one US Agent uses, but much better. He can’t through it, but it’s better than the dented one. There are other whiz-bangs built in, too. He asks if it’s a gift, and she says she just needs him fully equipped if she’s going to let him tag along on a mission. He’s surprised she’s working for SHIELD, and she explains that she works for them when it suits her.

12 – She thinks General Chapman’s treason and Jack Patterson’s tantrum are connected. They add Lightman, a shuttle astronaut, to the list, and Sharon says that they’re all connected by being American heroes. Which brings her to Steve. He teases her for having trouble keeping up, which she denies as she tries to catch her breath. She says there’s some other connection she can’t quite put her finger on. Steve agrees to help and tells her to follow him – he’s got a more immediate problem to solve. She’s concerned about leaving the family behind with his new laptop, and he calls her pessimistic.

13-14 – The problem is finding a job for the man in his apartment. Sharon glares at some ogling construction men until they take flight. She and Steve quietly argue wither Ranier, the business owner, will come through, with Sharon pessimistically against. Ranier is against, but Sharon says she recognizes the look in his eyes… And then there’s a rumbling...

15 – Steve tells Sharon to get the men off the higher floors while he tries to stop the Rhino.

17 – Above the fight, Sharon evacuates the construction workers.

18 – Sharon calls to Steve and gestures, but he can’t hear her. Then he sees the Rhino charging and realizes what she’d been saying.

19 – Sharon watches as Steve uses the new shield, and the Rhino not only charges at it but is forced backward with a force equal to the hit.

20 – Steve admires the shield, and Sharon says Ranier’s been bitten by the same insanity as the others. But at least Steve got the Rhino on the run! … Except the Rhino isn’t running away – he’s bringing a crane down to finish the job.

21 – As they run, Sharon says that she knew seeing him again was a mistake. He asks why she always has to blame him for everything, and then asks if she’s sure she got everyone out. She’s sure! … Except there’s a worker dangling from above. Instead of letting Steve go in after him alone, she goes with him.


Captain America V3 10 [ Cover 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 12 13 14 16 18 19 22 ]
"The Growing Darkness"
Writer: Mark Waid
Penciller: Andy Kubert
Inker: Jesse Delperdang
Letterer: Todd Klein
Colorist: Chris Sotomayor
Editor: Matt Idelson
On Sale Date: August 19, 1998

Cover – Steve uses his shield to protect himself and Sharon as the weight of the building presses down on them.

1 – Recap of the last issue with Steve, Sharon, and the construction worker all trapped beneath the rubble.

2 – Sharon, not realizing that Steve’s will is fading behind her, asks the construction worker if he’s sure this is the spot. He thinks so, and she decides to risk it and shoots downward.

3 – They all fall downward.

4 – Sharon lands and thinks they’re safe, but Steve says they’re probably not the only thing coming through. They run away just in time to avoid rubble coming through behind them. Steve says the ceiling above won’t hold for long. Sharon says that should be easy enough, they only have an entire skyscraper above them and a very limited air supply. He tells her not to waste time complaining… and then someone lights a match.

5 – It’s the Rhino! Steve tells her to get the construction worker out, and she pulls the man away as she asks where they’re supposed to go – they’re under a collapsing building. Part of which hits her in the head.

6 – Sharon tells Steve off for taunting the Rhino.

7 – With the Rhino defeated, he runs to check on the others; Sharon’s holding her head and starts talking about if they don’t make it out, she wants him to know… And then they’re interrupted by rescuers. He asks her what she was saying, and she says, “Nothing.” Not that he believes her.

8 – They return to Steve’s apartment, trying to figure out the case as they go. Sharon still thinks Steve might see a pattern between the people that she’s missed. He says he’s mostly disappointed Ranier couldn’t help him find a home for the Ramirez family. Sharon points out that they’re squatters.

9 – Sharon and Steve change out of their work clothes as they continue bickering. The Ramirezes think the two have been in there this whole time.

10 – Sharon and Steve are walking along the street when Steve snaps about how all politicians in this stinking country are liars and thieves. Sharon looks at him in shock and asks what that was about. He says he isn’t himself today, that he felt macabre cynicism earlier. She asks if it might be connected to Ranier and the other, and he tells her to follow him.

12 – At Avengers Mansion, she sits on the back of a chair as they watch the satellite feeds together. Cases are spreading.

13 – Sharon notes that it’s happening faster and faster and asks about his lead. He points out that the denominator is the American dream, and she tells him off. She doesn’t even believe in the American dream. Steve says that what matters is that the victims do. Just then, Jarvis comes in to tell them that the latest victim is US Agent.

14 – Steve tackles US Agent as Sharon tackles his hostage out of the way.

16 – Sharon yells at Steve to let US Agent go in the jet… that Steve is clinging to... that he isn’t worth it. The soldiers behind her ask if she knows who she’s talking to and agree she doesn’t.

18 – At SHIELD headquarters, Dugan fills them in. Apparently, all the victims are sleep-walking. It’s like they’re held captive by some weird nightmare.

19 – Steve goes under to see what they’re seeing, despite Sharon’s gut telling her this is a really bad idea. Dugan asks if it’s women’s intuition, and she says, “Like my years as an operative don’t count for something. Don’t make me flatten you, Dugan.”

22 – Sharon was right. Steve is now asleep and beating Dugan’s ass.


Captain America V3 11 [ Cover 1 2-3 4 5 6 9 10 11 12 13-14 17 18 19 20 21 22 ]
"Finger on the Pulse"
Writer: Mark Waid
Penciller: Andy Kubert
Inker: Jesse Delperdang
Letterer: Todd Klein
Colorist: Chris Sotomayor
Editor: Matt Idelson
On Sale Date: September 16, 1998

Cover – Steve is about to decapitate Sharon with his shield as Nightmare watches.

1 – Sharon tries to get to the center of a fight, leaping by SHIELD agents who are being thrown around like rag dolls.

2-3 – She tries to reach Steve and stop him from hurting people, telling him he’s not in control. He insists he knows exactly what he’s doing and crashes her to the ground headfirst.

4 – He tells her how easily he could kill her to warn her not to get in his way, and then runs for it. Agent Tyler checks on her, and she says band-aids are for later. She explains the situation to him and the other SHIELD agents. She realizes Steve is headed for the aircraft hangar.

5 – She tries to get the hangar crew to seal all bay doors immediately – Captain America is about to blow out of there with one of the new J-49 Pocket Rockets. Hangar crew replies that they’re not going to stop him – it’ll be good for a book deal. She steals a jet, too, and takes off after him, thanking God that she doesn’t believe in that “American dream” crap.

6 – Nightmare watches the chase from his world.

9 – Sharon figures out that Steve is headed for the Fort Carstairs Mission Silo, meaning whoever is pulling Steve’s strings won’t have any trouble getting access to a nuclear arsenal. Her one advantage is that Steve hasn’t trained in the J-49 like she has. He evades her shots and starts shooting back.

10 – Even asleep, Steve’s a crack shot. Sharon makes a hail Mary and ejects, realizing too late that the missiles are targeting hot. They hit Steve’s plane.

11 – In Nightmare’s world, Nightmare and Steve are horrified that Sharon’s killed Steve. In reality, Sharon is horrified that she’s killed Steve. Except… who’s snapping the cords of her chute?

12 – That’s right. It’s possessed Steve. i.e., Halloween Steve!

13-14 – Sharon punches him to try to wake him up, and they fight, with her realizing too late that he’s given her his chute on top of hers and has only used her to slow his descent until he could safely free fall. She lands and prepares to catch him.

17 – While the guards are talking about how something is off with Captain America, Sharon sneaks up behind them and knocks their heads together.

18 – Sharon shoots Steve as he makes his way to the arsenal. She tells him that she’ll do one whatever it takes to keep him away from those missiles. She’s asking him one last time to wake up, or she’ll drop him where he stands. He tells her to shoot, and when she hesitates and calls him Steve, he says, “As I figured. All talk, no-”

19 – She shoots him in the leg; he tells her she’ll have to do better than that.

20 – She shoots him in the shoulder and warns him that the last shot goes through the head. He tells her to do it. “Be the woman who not only murdered Captain America but gunned down the American dream.”

21 – She puts the gun down and tries to kick him but starts losing consciousness.

22 – She comes to in Nightmare’s world, a captive of the American dream. When she argues, Nightmare tells her that if she didn’t really believe in the American dream, she would have fired. She didn’t, and now she’s his. He shows them reality, where Sharon and Steve’s sleepwalking bodies are on their way to cause what Nightmare calls Eternal Night.


Captain America V3 12 [ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 18 19 20 27 28 29 ]
"Nuclear Dawn"
Writer: Mark Waid
Penciller: Andy Kubert
Inker: Jesse Delperdang
Letterer: Todd Klein
Colorist: Chris Sotomayor
Editor: Matt Idelson
On Sale Date: October 21, 1998

1 – Nightmare is fascinated that Sharon’s nightmares aren’t imagination but are actually reality. He’s amazed that any part of her can still believe in the American dream. He recaps some of her story and notes that something has been fanning the spark of belief in her lately – it must be the company she keeps.

2 – Sharon, like so many others, is now under Nightmare’s command, increasing Nightmare’s power. And he’s going to have Steve cause nuclear winter to test his control.

3 – He invites them to watch the waking world’s version of Sharon and Steve with him.

4 – Sharon and Steve’s sleepwalking bodies fight their way to the nuclear missiles and have one last door to get through.

5 – While sleepwalking Steve can’t get past the retina scan, Steve and Sharon escape from Nightmare.

6 – Sharon and Steve try to wake up the sleepers. Among them, they find Dum Dum, and they realize that the rest of SHIELD won’t be far behind.

7 – Steve keeps trying to wake people up. Sharon warns him that Nightmare’s minions are coming.

8 – Steve keeps trying to wake them up… (copy paste copy paste). He and Sharon fight the minions; they carry off Steve. And now, Sharon is pissed off and starts telling the sleepers off.

9 – In the waking world, Sharon and Steve break into the control room and tell them to fire all the missiles.

10 – Sharon continues to tell off the sleepers.

11 – Sharon notices the dreams temporarily turn to nightmares.

12 – As the nightmares take over again, Sharon starts marshaling the dreamers.

13 – In the waking world, Sharon and Steve punch out the only remaining people between them and nuclear winter.

14 – Sharon storms the castle with the dreamers.

15 – Sharon helps Steve up – they’re running out of time to stop themselves in the waking world.

18 – Steve convinces Nightmare to send everyone home.

19 – Steve and Sharon come to in their own bodies. The launch has been activated.

20 – Steve tries to stop the nukes physically while Sharon tries to hack into the system to stop them from going off.

27 – Steve yells Sharon’s name.

28 – Sharon and Steve observe others recovering from their experience. Dun Dum asks how they’re holding up. Sharon says she’ll live. As they walk away, Sharon asks Steve what’s wrong, and Nightmare watches as Steve explains that Dum Dum talked about supernatural forces as the most natural think in the world, and he should expect to encounter Nightmare again.

29- Sharon taunts him about how Steve has already encounter supernatural stuff before, he taunts her about being a believer again, she denies that she is, and they banter into the distance.


Captain America V3 13 [ 1 2 3 4 19 21 ]
"Plausible Deniability"
Writer: Mark Waid
Penciller: Doug C Braithwaite
Inker: Robin Riggs
Letterer: Todd Klein
Colorist: Shannon Blanchard
Editor: Matt Idelson
On Sale Date: November 18, 1998

1 – Sharon looks over Steve’s shoulder at a Daily Bugle headline asking if Cap has endorsed a politician (Bolt) and says it’s a good photo, though.

2 – They walk along the street; the grocer asks if Sharon is his girlfriend. He denies it, she asks if Steve is eating right; the grocer tells Steve to bring his girlfriend to dinner. Steve denies she’s his girlfriend. Steve explains to Sharon that he wants to help Bolt after Skrull!Steve endorsed Bolt and made Bolt look like a fool. Sharon says she doubts Bolt’s worth helping – all politicians are crooked. Steve argues that he’s never trusted a man more.

3 – Sharon and Steve argue about heroes v villains; Steve wonders if Cap should get more involved in politics. They chat with his roomies, who again treat Sharon as his girlfriend. She denies it.

4 – Javier is being secretive about the books he’s reading. Steve challenges her to find out why Javier’s so secretive. She argues against babysitting – she’s got appointments in Afghanistan and Paris. He reminds her that she shot him last week. She tells him off for guilting her when she was saving the world. He tells her that with her skills, she shouldn’t have any trouble. And if she does it, he’ll take her to Paris himself.

19 – Steve leaves a voicemail for Sharon saying he’s going to campaign for Bolt.

21 – Sharon meets up with him as he’s going door-to-door as Steve Rogers, campaigning for Bolt. She admits this isn’t what she thought he meant from his message. He says that Steve Rogers’ politics are his own. She says, “I swear, sometimes when you talk, I hear the National Anthem.” And then she shows him that morning’s Daily Bugle, where Oxnard has resigned from all committees. She tells him Bolt’s race is now a bit more even, and she’ll treat him to a celebratory piece of apple pie. They’ve both earned their merit badges for the day; he’ll never believe what she found out about Javier Ramirez.


Captain America V3 15 [ 7 8 9 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20-21 22 23 ]
"First Gleaming"
Writer: Mark Waid
Penciller: Andy Kubert
Inker: Jesse Delperdang
Letterer: Todd Klein
Colorist: Chris Sotomayor
Editor: Matt Idelson
On Sale Date: January 20, 1999

7 – Flashback to when the Skull supposedly died, with Steve and Sharon looking at the Skull’s shadow on the wall.

8 – Sharon’s gotten her guy to expand the capabilities of Steve’s shield. It can now take different shapes, though the force field is rough on the batteries. Steve isn’t particularly interested.

9 – Sharon drags him outside to get his head out of his… “apartment.” She takes him to the law office, where they’ve got an appointment with the Ramirez family. Mr. Ramirez thanks Steve for all he’s done, but Steve gives credit to Javier. Sharon learned why Javier always had his nose in a law book.

11 – Sharon found out that Javier is a prodigy who was convinced their original eviction was illegal. And he was right. Sharon asks why Javier didn’t tell them him any of this straight out, and Steve says Javier has pride. Besides, Javier has never said one word to him before, why would that change now. Javier, arms full of books, walks past them, smiles up at them, and when he’s off-panel, says, “Thanks.”

12 – Steve meets Connie Ferrari (like the car). They talk (a lot), and Sharon rolls her eyes.

13 – Sharon finally grabs him by the collar and drags him out. Connie tells him that Steve and his girlfriend are welcome any time. He denies Sharon is his girlfriend. Outside, Sharon tease him. Steve teases her for being jealous. They go to his apartment...

14 – And find the Watcher, who points them toward a doorway.

15 – The Red Skull, dressed in golden armor, greets them, and Sharon and Steve run to attack him.

16 – The Skull uses his new Cube powers to use the floorboards to bind them.

17 – He frees them, telling them they’re in no immediate danger. Steve shoots anyway, the Skull monologues… and turns them both into Red Skulls.

18 – The Skull leaves, freeing them, and Sharon asks how he could have the Cube inside him. Steve opts to go find out.

19 – He confronts the Watcher, who shows him and and Sharon a glimpse of the future.

20-21 – Spoiler: The future under the Red Skull is bad.

22 – Steve asks where the Avengers are… and the Watcher points out that they’re all dead and put on display on the Capitol steps.

23 – Sharon finds a newspaper that indicates this will happen in less than a day.


Captain America V3 16 [ 1 3 6 7 10 11 13 14 15 16 17 18 ]
"Red Glare"
Writer: Mark Waid
Penciller: Andy Kubert
Inkers: Jesse Delperdang, Joe Kubert
Letterer: Todd Klein
Colorists: Chris Sotomayor, Jean Segarra
Editor: Matt Idelson
On Sale Date: February 17, 1999

1 – Sharon looks on in terror as we get a recap of the future. She’s also one of the bodies on the Capitol steps.

3 – Back to last issue when Steve confronts the Watcher as Sharon looks on.

6 – The Watcher takes them on a tour of a spaceship and describes part of the Skull’s and Kang’s working relationship.

7 – Sharon and Steve continue to listen to the Watcher’s monologue (for a silent observer, he’s very chatty). He tells Steve that to stop the future, he has to kill the Skull. Sharon is shocked when Steve refuses… and she pockets a space gun on the sly.

10 – Steve and the Red Skull fight as Sharon begs the Watcher to help Steve. The Watcher says he’s already done too much.

11 – Steve brainstorms how to beat the Red Skull; Sharon says they could just kill him, but Steve says he doesn’t operate that way. He tells the Watcher to take them to the Skull.

13 – Sharon watches as Steve fights the Skull underwater.

14 – Sharon watches as Steve fights the Skull in LA.

15 – Sharon studies the space gun as the Watcher asks what hope humanity has if Steve falls. When Steve is attacked by desperate citizens, Sharon attacks the Skull, and Steve throws his shield.

16 – The Red Skull encapsulates Steve in a block of ice while Sharon shouts Steve’s name in horror.

17 – Sharon runs to get a stick and attacks the block of ice until it breaks.

18 – Sharon is horrified when she realizes what the Skull meant by “turn back the clock” – Steve’s lost the serum!


Captain America V3 17 [ 1 3 6 8 9 10 12-13 15 16 17 18 ]
"Extreme Prejudice"
Writer: Mark Waid
Penciller: Andy Kubert
Inker: Jesse Delperdang
Letterer: Todd Klein
Colorist: Christie Scheele
Editor: Matt Idelson
On Sale Date: March17, 1999

1 – Welcome to the recap, kids.

3 – Sharon asks Steve if he’s all right. Steve says they may as well… Sharon refuses to give up and says to let her handle him, but Steve argues that she’d kill him. They argue, and Steve asks if she’s got his back. She checks her gun, hesitates, and says, “Yep.”

6 – Only for the Skull to zap Steve, and when Sharon yells Steve’s name, he zaps her, too. While Steve is still on the ground, she tells off the Skull for kicking the tail of a 98-pound weakling. The Skull says his victory would have been more satisfactory against a genuinely worthy opponent, and Sharon draws the gun and says he’ll see worthy… though only the Watcher is paying attention.

8 – Steve, now restored, fights the Skull again, and Sharon urges him to hang on. She just needs one clear shot.

9 – Sharon shoots the Skull while his back is turned.

10 – Only for the Skull to lift a finger and send the shot right back to her.

12-13 – We get a shot of Sharon’s body on display on the Capitol steps as Steve goes to confront the Skull again.

15 – With the Skull defeated, Sharon runs toward Steve. Both of them back up as the cube’s energy leaves the Skull’s body and goes to the Watcher’s… only the Watcher is actually… Kang!

16 – Who is actually… Korvac (a very dramatic Korvac).

17 – Kang monologues. Sharon and Steve listen.

18 – Kang disappears into a portal. Sharon knows Steve well enough to tell him not to even think what he’s thinking. So he pushes her away and dives into the portal as she calls after him.


Black Panther V3 8 [ 2-3 4 5 ]
"That Business With the Avengers"
Writer: Christopher Priest
Penciller: Amanda Connor
Inkers: Jimmy Palmiotti, Vince Evans
Letterer: Richard Starkings
Colorist: Brian Haberlin
Editor: Joe Quesada
On Sale Date: March 31, 1999

2-3 – Flashback to Captain America 100, when Sharon is ordered by “Zemo” to shoot and kill Captain America.

4 – Flashback to Captain America 100, where Sharon fights alongside Cap and T’Challa.

5 – Flashback to Captain America 100, where Sharon, Cap, and T’Challa escape.


Captain America V3 18 [ 11 36 ]
"Man Out of Time"
Writer: Mark Waid
Penciller: Lee Weeks
Inkers: Jesse Delperdang, Bob McLeod, Allen Milgrom, Tom Palmer
Letterer: Todd Klein
Colorists: Christie Scheele, Gregory A Wright
Editor: Matt Idelson
On Sale Date: April 21, 1999

11 – Recap of Captain America 17 with Steve following Korvac as Sharon reaches for him.

36 – Narrative recap of Sharon giving Steve the energy shield. “Fortunately, Sharon Carter – Agent 13 – gave Steve an energy shield similar to the one he used years ago while temporarily exiled from the United States for treason. This energy shield successfully deflected a charge from the Rhino and saved Cap and Sharon from a collapsing skyscraper.


Captain America V3 19 [ Cover 1 2-3 5 6 7 8 9 10 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 ]
"Triumph of the Will"
Writer: Mark Waid
Penciller: Andy Kubert
Inker: Jesse Delperdang
Letterer: Todd Klein
Colorist: Gregory A Wright
Editor: Bobbie Chase
On Sale Date: May 19, 1999

Cover – Sharon, taken over by the Red Skull, is ripping at Steve with her nails. (He is not complaining.)

1 – Sharon is confused, thinking she saw Captain America kill the Red Skull. But then there was a flash of light, and she’s gone backward in time.

2-3 – Does it matter, though? The Skull is alive again, and nigh unbeatable. Sharon is still horrified that Steve might actually kill the Skull. The only thing that shocks her more is how it makes the Watcher smile.

5 – The Skull bats Steve away, and Sharon hurries over to him as she calls his name. Only Steve remembers the Watcher is actually Korvac. Once Korvac realizes he knows, Steve fills Sharon in.

6 – Sharon doesn’t actually care who it is – they have to stop the Skull’s future, and Steve blew it by not killing the Skull. Steve asks Korvac if Korvac wants to tell her, or should Steve… and then Steve tells her that Korvac tricked them.

7 – Steve’s actually been in the future, fighting Korvac hundreds of times until he could trick Korvac into returning them both to the past. Sharon listens, but the Skull has a bit of a hissy fit over being ignored.

8 – Sharon asks if they’re in this mess because Steve can’t kill the Skull, or because he won’t… And a blast from Galactus’s spaceship throws them all into the air. Steve says to forget it – either way, they’re caught between two madmen. Sharon asks if that means they’re going to lose no matter what, and Steve theorizes it all hinges on Korvac.

9 – Korvac hears Steve call him a coward and whisks them off to Galactus’s ship and tells them he’s a very brave boy, actually, just super smart (er, “don’t confuse cowardice with strategy”). Sharon realizes where they are and gets upset that Korvac left Earth to the Skull. Steve tells her to let it go – he needs Korvac’s fear.

10 – Sharon watches as Steve challenges Korvac… and maybe wins?

14 – You know how in futuristic spaceships, they have those walkways that go above a giant abyss and end halfway? Supposedly they’re like that for maintenance, but they’re actually like that for the cool design and the fight scene later. Sharon, Steve, and Korvac are on one of those, with Sharon looking into the abyss. Korvac has some issues and explodes, forcing Steve and Sharon to jump for cover.

15 – The Skull shoots Steve as Sharon gasps.

16 – He keeps attacking Steve, and Sharon attacks him. He grabs her and holds her by the throat, declaring that perhaps it’s time he finally corrupted Steve’s greatest asset.

17 – Steve tells her to get away from the Skull, but it’s too late. She attacks him. The Skull explains that he’s eliminated the Sharon he knows, compressed and sublimated whatever pathetic part of her that cares about him, and creating in her place a consummate killing machine. As long as she has breath in her body, Sharon won’t stop fighting. The only way to get to the Skull through Sharon is to kill her. Steve doesn’t fight back as Sharon pummels him.

18 – He blocks a hit with the shield, but the Skull has added spikes to it to hurt Sharon – and Steve’s feelings? Steve can’t reason with her, so he decides to try to find his Sharon again and make her vulnerable. As Sharon bares her nails at him, he tells her he can’t kill her...

19 – … He loves her. Sharon looks at him in shock, back to herself, and Steve punches her.

20 – Sharon lies unconscious on the walkway as the Skull goes into the data beam… that isn’t a data beam.

21 – It’s actually the antimatter engine core. Steve helps Sharon up, and they watch as the Skull in the beam as the ship starts to fall apart.

22 – Sharon says the ship is falling apart, and without Korvac, they’ve got no exit. This is it, isn’t it? They’re going to die. And then she starts yelling as Steve, who’s jumping into the engine core. He barely gets to the cosmic cube in time.

23 – They find themselves safe on Earth. While Steve is monologuing, Sharon slips away. So when he starts talking about what he said to her up there, he can’t find her.


Captain America V3 20 [ Cover 7 9 10 ]
"Danger in the Air”
Writer: Mark Waid
Penciller: Andy Kubert
Inker: Jesse Delperdang
Letterer: Todd Klein
Colorist: Gregory A Wright
Editor: Bobbie Chase
On Sale Date: June 16, 1999

Cover – Sharon and Steve stand very seriously on the remnants of Steve’s broken, smoking shield.

7 – Steve’s hanging out with Connie Ferrari (like the car), who asks who the woman was with him on the day they met. He replies, “Her name is Sharon. We used to… work together. She vanished recently… left after I… said something to her.” Flashback to the last issue when he told her he loved her! Steve’s worried about Sharon. Connie asks if he meant what he said, and he says he’s not sure.

9 – Sharon is in a bar in Turkey. He asks what’s her sign. She replies, “Do not disturb.” The conversation continues in that vein before he says he’s from Oklahoma and is lonesome for English. They make the introductions – he swears the last thing he wants to do is remind her of her problems – and introduces himself as Steve. She punches him head over heels.

10 – Steve tells Dugan it’s too personal to tell what happened between him and Sharon but worries that he’s compromised her effectiveness in the field by messing with her mind. Dugan says he’d be shocked – Sharon’s probably already forgotten it. Dugan says he’d tell Steve where to find her if he could, but Sharon enjoys a special status as a freelance agent employed by SHIELD only sometimes. She could be anywhere, and if she doesn’t want to be found, Steve’s chances of finding her are… let’s say… bad.


X-Men Annual 1999 [ 8 ]
"Metal Works”
Writer: Terry Kavanagh
Penciller: Rick Leonardi
Inker: Bob Wiacek
Letterer: David Sharpe
Colorist: Joe Rosas
Editor: Mark Powers
On Sale Date: June 23, 1999

8 – Flashback to Captain America 19, where Sharon and Steve watch the Red Skull supposedly die.


Captain America V3 21 [ 5 6 7 ]
"Soundquake”
Writer: Mark Waid
Penciller: Andy Kubert
Inker: Jesse Delperdang
Letterer: Todd Klein
Colorist: Gregory A Wright
Editor: Bobbie Chase
On Sale Date: July 21, 1999

5 – Sharon kicks back her drink and asks if anyone else has a pickup line. Sharon mentally berates herself for drawing attention. Now where the hell Is her contact?

6 – The contact shows up and gives Sharon a fresh bottle that will help put hair on her chest – and help her fit in with the crowd. The contact introduces herself as Alanya. Sharon is worried about her cover, but Alanya tells her that no one there would notice if she set herself on fire. They take a taxi.

7 – A man tells her he likes the feel of her leg, and Sharon asks what he’d like on her tombstone. Alanya fills her in on the mission… they want to know what happened to Mehmet Kemel, who came back from a recent mission a changed man. Alanya introduces her to Director Kemel… who is currently a dinosaur.


Captain America V3 23 [ 6-7 ]
"Land of the Free”
Writer: Mark Waid
Penciller: Patrick Zircher
Inker: Denis Rodier
Letterer: Todd Klein
Colorist: Gregory A Wright
Editor: Bobbie Chase
On Sale Date: September 15, 1999

6-7 – Steve thinks of Sharon and how only a fool like him would use the words “I love you” as a combat strategy.” He guesses he can’t blame her for disappearing.


Captain America V3 25 [ 21-22 23 24 25 27 ]
"Twisted Tomorrows Part 1”
Writer: Dan Jurgens
Penciller: Andy Kubert
Inker: Daniel Green
Letterer: Todd Klein
Colorist: Gregory A Wright
Editor: Bobbie Chase
On Sale Date: November 17, 1999

21-22 – Dum Dum tells Steve they’ve sent their best agent to ferret out white supremacists in Idaho. Steve thinks he means Sharon, but in this case, it’s actually Nick Fury.

23 – He asks if there’s any word on Sharon, but Dugan says wherever she is and whatever she’s gotten herself into, it’s a mystery to SHIELD.

24 – Meanwhile, in Turkey, Sharon is griping about how far she’s fallen while she’s trying to hijack a plane. Director Kemel takes offense, and she shushes him… but the men guarding the plane have already heard them.

25 – She beats them up and tells Kemel to buckle up as she gets in the pilot’s seat. He says nothing fits and asks if she’s sure she can fly this thing. She tells him to shut up and sit down, and when he suggests she be more civil, she says she’s being plenty nice, “Barney.” After all, she’s taking him home.

27 – While Steve and Sam are ostensibly fishing – and trying to draw out the white supremacists, Sam starts talking about the women in Steve’s life, saying, “Sharon Carter’s enough to drive any man nuts.” Damn, Sam.


Captain America V3 26 [ 15 ]
"Twisted Tomorrows Part 2”
Writer: Dan Jurgens
Penciller: Andy Kubert
Inker: Daniel Green
Letterer: Todd Klein
Colorist: Gregory A Wright
Editor: Bobbie Chase
On Sale Date: December 15, 1999

15 – Though Sharon is normally an excellent pilot, there are extenuating factors… so the plane’s going down in the Antarctic.


Captain America V3 27 [ 16 ]
"Twisted Tomorrows Part 3”
Writer: Dan Jurgens
Penciller: Andy Kubert
Inker: Daniel Green
Letterer: Todd Klein
Colorist: Gregory A Wright
Editor: Bobbie Chase
On Sale Date: January 19, 2000

16 – Sharon and Kemel are in the Savage Land, something that Sharon has previously only read about. She thinks it’s intoxicating. Kemel thanks her for bringing him home, but she didn’t need to stay. She points out that their plane crashed, so it’s not as if she had a choice. Besides, this gives her a chance to find out what’s happening. Strange as the place is, mutated, talking dinosaurs are hardly the norm. He warns her that danger is a way of life there, but she assures him that she can take care of herself. Please ignore how they get caught in a trap before she can finish that sentence.


Captain America V3 28 [ 1 9 10 15 16 ]
"Grotesqueries”
Writer: Dan Jurgens
Penciller: Andy Kubert
Inker: Daniel Green
Letterer: Todd Klein
Colorist: Gregory A Wright
Editor: Bobbie Chase
On Sale Date: February 16, 2000

1 – Sharon is asleep in a cage when someone wakes her up with a spear.

9 – Nick shows up to talk to Steve. They finally got word from Sharon – a coded SOS that her plane was going down in the Antarctic. Steve asks if Nick sent out a rescue team, but Nick can’t. Since she’s freelance, he’s supposed to ignore it.

10 – Those are the rules according to the Congressional Oversight Committee. Steve argues with him, saying that when Nick needs a job done, he always finds a way to – and then he realizes what Nick’s up to. Nick tells Steve to take Nick’s car. It might coincidentally have some coordinates programmed in. Might be a nice time to visit the Antarctic.

15 – Steve finds the plane and goes in to find if Sharon’s inside. There’s no sign of her, meaning she survived… and then the plane falls off the cliff.

16 – He realizes he’s in the Savage Land and declares that Sharon must be here...


Captain America V3 29 [ 11 12 13 14 15 ]
"The Savage Man”
Writer: Dan Jurgens
Penciller: Brent Eric Anderson
Inker: Daniel Green
Letterer: Todd Klein
Colorist: Gregory A Wright
Editor: Bobbie Chase
On Sale Date: March 15, 2000

11 – Kazar, on his death bed, tells Captain America that a woman from the outer world arrived and distracted Stox, who keyed in on her because she returned with one of his experiments. Kazar then dies.

12 – Steve tells Shana and Kazar’s son, Matthew, that he thinks he knows who the woman is. Even though Matthew says she’s probably dead by now, he agrees to take Steve to Stox’s compound.

13 – Stox and Sharon exchange “civilities,” and then both Sharon and Kemel are dragged out of the cage.

14 – Sharon fights off the mutated dinosaurs holding her and runs to save Barney, but she’s shot in the back and falls to the floor.

15 – Just then, Steve runs in. He’s distracted by Stox, but Sharon is still on the ground.


Captain America V3 30 [ 4-5 6 7 8 10 14 ]
“Waste of Dreams”
Writer: Dan Jurgens
Penciller: Andy Kubert
Inker: Daniel Green
Letterer: Todd Klein
Colorist: Gregory A Wright
Editor: Bobbie Chase
On Sale Date: April 19, 2000

4-5 – Sharon, Matthew, and Steve have all been caged by Stox/Nefaria as Kemel/Barney is subjected to experiments by Doctor Manning. Nefaria tells them to accept their plight.

6 – Sharon replies, “Accept your brand of evil? I’d rather have my hair set on fire.”

7 – Nefaria reveals his intention to experiment on Sharon, Steve, and Matthew next.

8 – Steve tells Sharon it’s good to see her again, even under these circumstances. She tells him is isn’t the time for a personal discussion. He tells her he thought he’d mention before she ran off again. An argument ensues, leading to Steve saying she should never have come to the Savage Land without SHIELD or the Avengers. She tells him off for expecting her to follow his orders like so many others do – she can’t be that way.

10 – She apologizes to Kemel/Barney; she should never have brought him back.

14 – Ignoring their discussion on page 8, Steve tells Sharon to secure the lab. Freed by Steve’s shield, she asks if he can handle Nefaria alone.


Captain America V3 31 [ Cover 1 2 3 4/a> 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 21 ]
“Hidden Paths”
Writer: Dan Jurgens
Penciller: Andy Kubert
Inker: Daniel Green
Letterer: Todd Klein
Colorist: Gregory A Wright
Editor: Bobbie Chase
On Sale Date: May 24, 2000

Cover – Sharon and Steve hold each other while looking upward.

1 – Sharon attacks mutated dinosaur guards, recaps part of the story so far, and blows stuff up.

2 – Sharon recaps part of the story so far, attacks mutated dinosaur guards, and shoots stuff up. She invites others to the party.

3 – Steve gives Matthew orders and says he’ll clear Sharon, to which Sharon – pinned down by mutated dinosaur guards – asks what makes him think she needs help.

4 – Steve tells her that she’s good, but she can’t take on all of them. She insists she doesn’t need a shining knight to rescue her; she can handle this without his help. When he quotes her from earlier, she asks if he’s patronizing her.

5 – They continue to fight and argue while they fight, with Sharon tell him to remember that their team days are over. Steve says he didn’t know they were a team, and she takes off, saying, “Good! That makes us even!”

6 – She’s still thinking about how he said he loves her. With those three stinking words, he turned her whole world upside down and inside out.

7 – Matthew tells her to slow down, that he can’t keep up, and Steve asks what she’s trying to prove. He notes that she won’t even look at him – she’s frenetic, angry. She angrily hits a mutated dinosaur guard while saying she. Is. Not. Angry. She only stops when Matthew says he doesn’t feel well.

8 – Matthew has aged and is now dying. She kneels on the floor with him and tells him to lean back and relax. She muses about halting the age acceleration process, but it’s too late. They take a moment, and then she says, “It’s over. Let’s move on.”

9 – Steve tells her off for acting like Matthew’s death was nothing. Where’s her compassion? She tells him that his death doesn’t change anything. While she focuses on Nefaria’s lab, Steve says she can’t shut off her emotions like that. She can’t deny her feelings for him. She tells him that he shouldn’t dare give himself that much credit. She’ll act however she likes, regardless of what he likes. She tells him to open the doors, or she will.

10 – He angrily opens the doors, telling her that if giving him orders makes her feel in control, so be it. But he knows she’s lying to herself. Sharon, peeking over his shoulder, says, “Speaking of lies...”

11 – They find the entirety of humanity in the Savage Land in pods.

12 – Happy ending recap while Sharon and Matthew play with Zabu. Steve says he and Sharon will take Nefaria back to pay for his crimes, but Kazar and Shanna say Nefaria violated their laws, so he’ll answer to their system of justice.

13 – Shanna invites Steve and Sharon to stay, but Steve says, “Some other time.” He tells Sharon to saddle up (he truly has learned nothing), and she asks if he knows the way. They head out.

14 – As they head through caverns, Steve asks if they’re ever going to talk or if she’s going to run away from him forever. And off they go again, with Sharon walking (not running) away.

15 – She wants to know how he sees them, and says they’d never work as a couple. He doesn’t understand how they couldn’t. She argues that they’re not Ward and June Cleaver. She’s a SHIELD agent, and he’s a living symbol. She doesn’t want to lose herself to someone who’s patriotism personified.

16 – She likes her life simple. Uncomplicated. Controllable. He takes off his masks and says that he’s as uncomplicated as they come. She asks what he wants from her.

17 – She knows he doesn’t know. She knows he must feel alone, a man out of time… he’s isolated. He is just about the most complicated person she knows – besides, she doesn’t even like old radio shows. He stops her with a hand on her shoulder, and she asks if they can just go home.

18 – He tells her they can’t go until she tells him why she’s so afraid of love. She says he’s confusing her… they almost kiss… and then a spotlight finds them. Both of them say, “Not now! and turn away from each other as Fury lands and asks if he interrupted with a smirk.

21 – Sharon seeks out Steve to tell him about her new job – she’s the new head of SHIELD. Fury finds her watching Steve on a date with Connie Ferrari (like the car). She wants to know why he’d pick Sharon as the new director instead of Dugan. He asks if she’s going to interrupt Steve’s evening, and she says no. Fury walks away, saying, “See? Yer smart. That’s why ya get my chair.”


Captain America V3 33 [ 12 ]
“Impending Rage”
Writer/Penciller: Dan Jurgens
Inker: Art Thibert
Letterer: Todd Klein
Colorist: Gregory A Wright
Editor: Bobbie Chase
On Sale Date: July 19, 2000

12 – Sharon is distracted while Dum Dum Dugan is giving her a daily wrap. When he calls her out on it, she admits that it’s weird being back on active duty, but when he tells her not to let Nick down, she tells him she doesn’t need him to tell her her job. Now tell her more about AIM.


Avengers V3 32 [ 2 3 ]
“Behind the Masque”
Writer: Kurt Busiek
Penciller: George Perez
Inker: Al Vey
Letterer: Richard Starkings
Colorist: Tom Smith
Editor: Tom Brevort
On Sale Date: July 26, 2000

2 – Iron Man/Tony Stark and the other Avengers are coordinating with SHIELD via early-Zoom. He refers to has a Director Carter and says she has their reports on the fracas in Chicago, and they’ll stand ready if she gets a line on the Reaper.

3 – He asks that the Avengers get first crack at bringing in Madame Masque. Sharon says she doesn’t like to make deals like that – Fury wouldn’t have. Tony points out that Fury’s not in charge now, and Sharon should do things her way, not Nicks. Sitwell tells him to show some respect. Besides, the Avengers’ report says Madame Masque died in Chicago. Tony says they won’t mind humoring him. He cuts the feed.


Captain America V3 34 [ 5 6 7 ]
“Cache Is King”
Writer/Penciller: Dan Jurgens
Inker: Art Thibert
Letterer: Todd Klein
Colorist: Gregory A Wright
Editor: Bobbie Chase
On Sale Date: August 16, 2000

5 – Don Blake/Thor and another EMT are interrupting while giving US Agent medical treatment by someone saying he’s coming with them.

6 – It’s SHIELD. Sharon explains why they’re taking US Agent with them. When Don Blake says they don’t have the legal authority to take him, she shows him her SHIELD Director ID. She assures him he’ll have the finest care possible. They have to find out what happened to him...

7 – Before it happens to others.


Captain America V3 35 [ 12 13-14 18 20 21 22 ]
“When Strikes Protocide”
Writer/Penciller: Dan Jurgens
Inker: Walden Wong
Letterer: Todd Klein
Colorist: Gregory A Wright
Editor: Bobbie Chase
On Sale Date: September 20, 2000

12 – The doctor gives Sharon an update on US Agent’s surgery, and Dum Dum Dugan says it’s a good thing they got to him in time – any longer and he’d be dead. They talk about transporting a vial of Omega Compound out of New York. Sharon still can’t believe the Red Skull has the Helicarrier, but Dum Dum tells her she can consider that temporary.

13-14 – As soon as the Minute Max is done, he tells her, they’re gonna take the Helicarrier back from the Red Skull.

18 – Sharon gets word that someone is after the Omega Compound, and she and Dum Dum are on their way. He wonders if it’s the Skull, but Sharon can’t help but wonder if it’s someone worse.

20 – Sharon and Dum Dum come up on Captain America and Protocide, with Cap on the ground. Dum Dum says Protocide matches the description of the guy who took out US Agent, and Sharon says they’re going in.

21 – Steve bounces back enough to fight a little more, but now Omega is in play. Dum Dum tells her that if a single drop spills, New York City is history. She already knows that, though, and she hopes Cap knows what to do. Steve feebly calls to her.

22 – She flies the craft over him, and he grabs the wheel. She thinks he’ll be scrambling inside any second… but he doesn’t. She lands, and Steve is barely alive.


Captain America Annual 2000 [ 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 26 29 30 32 33-34 35 37 ]
“Who Is… Protocide?”
Writer: Dan Jurgens
Penciller: Greg Scott
Inker: Daniel Green
Letterer: Jonathan Babcock
Colorist: Marie Javins
Editor: Bobbie Chase
On Sale Date: September 27, 2000

11 – Sharon assures Dum Dum Dugan that Cap is alive. Not by much, but he’s alive.

12 – Steve managed to hold onto the Omega Compound, and Sharon gives it to Dum Dum and tells him to get it out of New York. He runs off with it, and Sharon holds Steve and tells him to wake up, to please not do this to her.

13 – Steve starts to come to, and she welcomes him back. He asks, “Connie?” And she says, “Hardly, Rogers. She helps him up, and they watch a plane as it flies off with the Omega Compound.

14 – He fills her in on Protocide, and she does a computer search on him. The computer comes up blank, and Steve thinks he might know a better source.

15 – They go to a military prison, where Sharon stands aside with a smile as the guards heap praise on Cap. She asks if he ever gets used to the adulation, and he says they’re just showing him respect for the nation. They go to visit Cache.

16 – Cache doesn’t want to help. Cap tries to bargain.

17 – He offers more to Cache if he helps. Sharon says she will not welcome him into SHIELD. While they argue, Sharon mentions Protocide’s name, which catches… Cache’s… attention.

18 – Sharon asks who Cache is, and Steve fills her in.

19 – Cache tells them that Protocide is a contemporary of Steve’s named Clinton McIntyre. By all accounts, he’s the one who should have been Captain America.

20 – Steve responds emotionally, and Sharon stops him with an arm and responds less emotionally, saying that the details of Captain America’s creation are known only to Captain America. Cache says that while that’s true, he still knows plenty about the initial failure – i.e., Operation Prototype.

21 – Steve actually goes to attack Cache, and Sharon stops him. Cache tries again to provide Steve with the answers to his questions.

26 – Steve believes Cache, and Sharon points out that Cache could be lying.

29 – Sharon asks that, if it’s true, who brought McIntyre back? Cache says he’ll leave that mystery for them. He warns them that McIntyre is stronger and more savage – a ruthless, immoral killer even before taking the serum. Steve and Sharon look at him before leaving together. But Sharon’s right. He’s telling them what other people want them to know.

30 – We see those people watching Sharon and Steve walk out and commending Cache.

“The Test”
Writer: Bill Roseman
Penciller: Scot Eaton
Inker: Bud LaRosa
Letterer: Jonathan Babcock
Colorist: Paul Tutrone
Editor: Bobbie Chase
On Sale Date: September 2, 2000

32 – Dum Dum Dugan asks Sharon if she’s sure the team is ready – half their gear isn’t even authorized. She tells him if he lets their equipment slide, she’ll let his hat slide. She wouldn’t have given them the assignment if she didn’t think they could handle it. She introduces him to the team. Silicon...

33-34 – The team, according to Sharon: Gerald Simms, a.k.a., Silicon; John Skulinowski, a.k.a., Skul; EB Farrell, a.k.a., The Kid; Sayuri Kyoto, a.k.a., M-80. They’re after a SHIELD car that’s up for auction at a black-market bazaar.

35 – And Nails.

37 – Dum Dum compliments her on the team; they remind him of the Howlers. But was one experimental car worth risking the lives of five agents? She says the mission is exactly why she formed that group (a.k.a. The Elite Agents of SHIELD) – they’re crazy enough to want it. And if she can work on their quirks while she’s at it, so much the better. And not only did they recover a valuable piece of SHIELD property, but Fury asked her personally to bring it home – it was the car he drove on his last mission. He warned her that it has sensitive information from cameras that were rolling when he picked up Sharon and Steve from the Savage Land. Sure enough, there’s footage of her and Steve almost kissing. She breaks the disc and thinks to herself that she thinks she passed his test. She hopes he doesn’t get made when her team starts breaking school rules.


X-Men V2 106 [ 23 24 ]
“Search and Rescue”
Writer: Christopher S Claremont
Penciller: Leinil Francis Yu
Inker: Mark Morales
Letterer: Richard Starkings
Colorist: Christian Lichtner
Editor: Mark Powers
On Sale Date: September 27, 2000

23 – Sharon and Dr. Val Cooper watch Senator Robert Kelly campaign for President, with Sharon pointing out that people are afraid of mutants, and Kelly’s making it respectable to act on that fear. When Val disagrees, Sharon points out that as Interim Director of SHIELD, she’s part spy, part cop, and people tend to hear what they want on both sides. Kelly is making himself a flashpoint for the most dangerous racial issue in the world today.

24 – Kelly meets with them on his bus, and Sharon tells him he’s in danger. SHIELD has evidence that Mystique is tracking him. He basically laughs it off, and though Sharon isn’t sure of his judgment, she can’t fault his courage. He politically proselytizes to her.


Iron Man V3 36 [ 5 ]
“Danger Deep”
Writer: Chuck Dixon
Penciller: Paul C Ryan
Inker: Mark Pennington
Letterer: Richard Starkings
Colorist: Steve Oliff
Editor: Bobbie Chase
On Sale Date: November 8, 2000

5 – Despite how it’s killing Sharon to ask for help (per Tony Stark), she sends Jasper Sitwell to ask for his help with a problem SHIELD can’t solve on its own – recovering a submarine.


Captain America V3 37 [ 1 2-3 4 6 12 13 ]
“Brothers”
Writer/Penciller: Dan Jurgens
Inker: Art Thibert
Letterer: Todd Klein
Colorist: Gregory A Wright
Editor: Bobbie Chase
On Sale Date: November 15, 2000

1 – Watching Sharon Carter take control makes Steve feel out of place and alienated. Sharon tells them that the news is bad and getting worse by the minute.

2-3 – HYDRA facilities have been obliterated worldwide, and the level of violence is escalating conflict between HYDRA and their attackers. It’s the equivalent of two well-armed nations going to war. Steve thinks about how when he was a kid, women were never in charge.

4 – Sharon tells them that Protocide is working on AIM’s behalf to take down HYDRA.

6 – AIM used to sell HYDRA weapons, but Sharon explains that they have new leadership. She asks Agent Klein who the leader might be, but they don’t know yet. Sharon notes that Steve’s been unusually silent and asks his take; he says that she needs to find Protocide for him, and he’ll bring the guy in.

12 – Sharon gave Steve a SHIELD pager to contact him as soon as they identify AIM’s next target, but he doesn’t appreciate their timing.

13 – Sharon sends Steve a message telling him that Protocide is currently attacking HYDRA’s waterfront facility. SHIELD will get there as soon as they can, but without the Helicarrier, they’re limited. They’re taking the Helicarrier back from the Skull soon, though, he can count on that.


Iron Fist & Wolverine 3 [ 5 6 ]
“Against the Wall”
Writer: Jay Faerber
Penciller: Jamal Yaseem Igle
Inker: Rich Perrotta
Letterer: Troy Peteri
Colorist: Christian Lichtner
Editor: Bobbie Chase
On Sale Date: November 15, 2000

5 – Sharon briefs the President on the situation in Tokyo.

6 – The briefing continues.


Captain America V3 38 [ 7 10 11 12 14 15 19 ]
“Across the Rubicon”
Writer/Penciller: Dan Jurgens
Inker: Bob Layton
Letterer: Todd Klein
Colorist: Gregory A Wright
Editor: Bobbie Chase
On Sale Date: December 20, 2000

7 – SHIELD goes through a HYDRA base but can’t find any sign of anyone still alive. Sharon doesn’t know where Cap is, but she remembers the pager she gave him. She realizes he’s inside the energy core (they don’t make pagers like that anymore).

10 – SHIELD batters through the energy core on one side while Steve works on the other, and Steve makes it out.

11 – Sharon calls a medic for Steve and insists he wait to fight Protocide until after. Steve doesn’t appreciate it at all.

12 – Sharon tells him she would never send a wounded agent into harm’s way, and she won’t do it with him, either. So he steals her locator. Sharon stares after him, dumbfounded.

14 – Back at SHIELD headquarters, Sharon makes plans so Steve doesn’t have to take on all of AIM on his own. Agent Klein tells them Steve didn’t just steal a personal assault vehicle – he took something else, too.

15 – Sharon realizes Steve took the Omega Compound.

19 – Sharon doesn’t think Steve will use it – he’s not a killer. Dugan tells her not to be naive.


Iron Fist & Wolverine 4 [ 1 ]
“Endgame”
Writer: Jay Faerber
Penciller: Jamal Yaseem Igle
Inker: Rich Perrotta
Letterer: Troy Peteri
Colorist: Christian Lichtner
Editor: Bobbie Chase
On Sale Date: December 20, 2000

1 – The news reports that SHIELD Director Sharon Carter recently issued a statement reporting that a handful of American super heroes have managed to gain entrance into Tokyo, but with the communications blackout, they have no way of knowing how they’re faring.


Spider-Man & Marrow [ 28 29 30 31 32 33 ]
“Bad to the Bone”
Writer: Scott Lobdell
Penciller: Alejandro Garza
Inker: Pierre-Andre Dery
Letterer: Albert W Deschesne
Colorist: Steven J Buccellato
Editor: Matt Hicks
On Sale Date: December 28, 2000

28 – Sharon shows up, armed and armored, asking Spider-Man to trust them and let them help Sarah/Marrow. Spider-Man doesn’t believe her.

29 – Marrow attacks Sharon with… sharpened bones? Okay… Sharon shoots one out of the way, and Spider-Man catches the other before it can pierce her helmet. Sharon is less than grateful – he took his time with the save, and gave the target time to escape.

30 – Sharon drives in pursuit and explains to Spider-Man that Sarah Rushman was never real – a SHIELD agent found her in a sewer beneath Manhattan, supposedly kicked out by the X-Men. Spider-Man says they don’t work that way, but Sharon doesn’t believe him.

31 – Sarah Rushman was an implanted memory to help Marrow find peace. Spider-Man accuses her of just wanting someone to kill for her, and Sharon gets livid. She wouldn’t let any operative not in control of their faculties do such a mission – Marrow was sent after rogue Life Model Decoys.

32 – Marrow’s medicine was to help her stay focused; Sharon says that without it, she’s a danger to herself and everyone around her. SHIELD intelligence says she was raised in a hostile alternate dimension, and Sarah says Marrow is easily the most dangerous woman she’s ever met. They have to find her before she finds them. Too late!

33 – Marrow takes out the ship’s gyros. She tries to get control of the transport before it crash-lands into traffic; Spider-Man goes to handle Marrow.


Captain America V3 39 [ 2-3 6 7 8 12 13 14 15 16 18 22 ]
“A Gulf So Wide”
Writer/Penciller: Dan Jurgens
Inker: Bob Layton
Letterer: Todd Klein
Colorist: Lovern Kindzierski
Editor: Bobbie Chase
On Sale Date: January 17, 2001

2-3 – Steve is on a field mission against AIM with Sharon (probably the second best intelligence operative he’s ever met), Dum Dum Dugan, and Agent Cameron Klein. He doesn’t like how Sharon uses the word “war.”

6 – Sharon and Klein “happen to” run into Steve at the cemetery while he’s there with Connie Ferrari (like the car). Sharon and Klein pretend to be old pals, and Klein distracts Connie so Steve and Sharon can talk privately – Klein doesn’t know Steve is Cap.

7 – Sharon assures Steve that as far as Klein is concerned, Steve is just a freelance SHIELD agent she wants to consult with. And no, she didn’t enjoy interrupting his date (at the cemetery, visiting romance, which is apparently dead), she’s just telling him the latest on AIM and their leader. Their leader isn’t only still alive, but Klein knows where he is. SHIELD is moving in on him immediately – it looks like AIM is trying to grow another Protocide.

8 – She invites him along for the mission.

12 – Sharon, Dugan, Klein, and Cap are securing the facility, searching for the leader.

13 – After Steve takes out some guns with perfect timing and aim, Sharon compliments him and tells him, “You still never cease to amaze me.” He tells her not to get overconfident… (Because she was complimenting him? Okay...)

14– They fall through a hole in the floor and into Mephisto’s world.

15 – Mephisto’s agents attack the SHIELD agents, but Steve suspects it isn’t Mephisto at all.

16 – Cache reveals himself, but something goes wrong, and he starts to change into light? Looks painful. Sharon asks what Steve did, but he tells her this isn’t his doing.

18 – AIM’s leader blasts past them in Mandroid armor.

22 – The unmask AIM’s leader, Chet Madden, only to get warned off by his lawyer – Connie Ferrari! (Like the car!)


Thunderbolts 48 [ 48 ]
“The Beginning of the End...”
Writer: Fabian Nicieza
Penciller: Mark Bagley
Inker: Greg Adams
Letterer: Richard Starkings
Colorist: Joe Rosas
Editor: Tom Brevoort
On Sale Date: January 24, 2001

48 – Sharon and GW discuss the priorities of a mission as the Thunderbolts leave their base, which has recently been secured by SHIELD.


Captain America V3 40 [ 7 8 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 ]
“Fighting Back”
Writer/Penciller: Dan Jurgens
Inker: Bob Layton
Letterer: Todd Klein
Colorist: Lovern Kindzierski
Editor: Bobbie Chase
On Sale Date: February 1, 2001

7 – Steve leaves the courtroom and is greeted by Sharon, who of course knows what just happened in there. She confirms that there’s no evidence against Chet Madden.

8 – Steve insists they just have to find it. Sharon tells him that the case will likely be dismissed this time tomorrow. Before he leaves to prove Madden’s guilt, she tells him to try to remember who his real friends are. He tells her Connie’s just doing her job.

10 – Steve asks Klein about an eyewitness Sharon mentioned, but no one knows who the witness is.

11 – Two AIM agents help Billups escape from a SHIELD maximum security facility.

12 – The agents and SHIELD (including Dugan) fight. One of the AIM agents is injured.

13 – The agents help Billups escape after Billups takes out Dugan.

14– The two agents convince Billups to take them to Far Point, instead of Shadow Haven as protocol dictates.

15 – The AIM agents are in AIM’s top facility… (and there’s a reason this is in the Sharon write-up, which you’ve probably already guessed.)

16 – One of the agents tries to get Billups to take them to the tracking center. When he doesn’t tell them, Billups gets a beating and realized… they’re not AIM!

17 – Cap and Sharon unmask. Cap offers a good word with the judge on Billups’ behalf if Billups cooperates; Sharon wants to beat the cooperation into him. Billups, very smartly, realizes he’s been set up.

18 – Steve takes out some frustration on Billups; Sharon, using code name “Predator,” nonchalantly sends a message to Monitor.

19 – She tells Klein to launch the storm. Dugan tells her it’s already on the way. As SHIELD drops bombs on the base, AIM thinks Billups sold them out.

20 – While Dugan waxes eloquent about Steve’s ability to survive and fight, Sharon – also surviving and fighting – is right there with him, telling Steve where the communications tracking room is.


Thunderbolts 49 [ 5 ]
“The End of the Beginning...”
Writer: Fabian Nicieza
Penciller: Patrick Zircher
Inker: Al Vey
Letterer: Richard Starkings
Colorist: Joe Rosas
Editor: Tom Brevoort
On Sale Date: February 21, 2001

5 – Sharon tells GW that SHIELD has to leave the Thunderbolts’ former headquarters. But she negotiated the right to keep a small SHIELD unit to serve as liaisons with the Commission on Superhuman Activities. But someone is listening in on their conversation.


X-Men V2 111 [ 11 ]
“Prelude to Destruction”
Writer: Scott Lobdell
Penciller: Leinil Francis Yu
Inker: Mark Morales
Letterer: Richard Starkings
Colorists: Christian Lichtner
Editor: Mark Powers
On Sale Date: March 14, 2001

11 – Sharon, wearing glasses, announces at a press conference that SHIELD will take no action against Genosha at this time. If Magneto gives them justification, though, SHIELD is prepared to strike back.


Captain America V3 41 [ 8 9 10 11 ]
“Duel”
Writer/Penciller: Dan Jurgens
Inker: Bob Layton
Letterer: Todd Klein
Colorist: Lovern Kindzierski
Editor: Bobbie Chase
On Sale Date: March 21, 2001

8 – Dugan is spying on Steve, who’s making out with Connie (Ferrari. Like the car). Sharon, with no binoculars, asks what’s going on. He tells them Steve and Connie are playing cards. Maybe hearts? She doesn’t believe him and tells him to get Steve out here.

9 – Dugan tells her he doesn’t think their boy’s going to like that, and Sharon says then he shouldn’t have asked them to help track down Batroc. If Steve wants to be the one to bring him in, he’ll have to play cards another time. She tells Dugan to call him.

10 – Sharon tells Steve that Batroc didn’t download the launch codes. He was after battle plans for a high risk SHIELD offensive maneuver. They think someone hired Batroc to make a move on the Red Skull and steal the SHIELD helicarrier from him.

11 – Steve goes after Batroc alone, even though Sharon wanted to send an entire STRIKE Force, but he talked her out of it.


Captain America V3 42 [ 8 9 10 ]
“Fractured”
Writer/Penciller: Dan Jurgens
Inker: Bob Layton
Letterer: Todd Klein
Colorist: Bart Avalon
Editor: Bobbie Chase
On Sale Date: April 18, 2001

8 – Sharon waits to call Steve until Connie leaves. She has news he’ll find interesting.

9 – Fury’s in Khamiskan. Sharon’s sending Steve in alone to get Fury out.

10 – She warns him that the situation is even worse than it appears, and he goes.


Thunderbolts 51 [ 9 ]
“New Beginnings”
Writer: Fabian Nicieza
Penciller: Mark Bagley
Inker: Al Vey
Letterer: Richard Starkings
Colorist: Jennifer Schellinger
Editor: Tom Brevoort
On Sale Date: April 18, 2001

9 – Sharon calls Steve while he’s training some Thunderbolts. She wants their team to take care of a situation SHIELD and the Avengers can’t get involved in.


Wolverine V2 163 [ 6 7 ]
“The Hunted Part 2”
Writer: Frank Tieri
Penciller: Mark Texeira
Inker: Norman Rapmund
Letterer: Richard Starkings
Colorist: Raymund Lee
Editor: Michael Marts
On Sale Date: April 25, 2001

6 – Nick Fury storms Sharon’s office, demanding to know why he isn’t the one heading up Wolverine’s manhunt. She tells him the order came from the President himself, given that Nick has a prior relationship with Logan.

7 – They’re interrupted by Special Agent Brent Jackson, the man who’s heading up the operation. They start to argue, with Jackson taunting Nick, and Sharon gets between them to separate them. She gives them both orders, which are greeted with varying degrees of grace, and advises Jackson that he’s pushing the wrong man… Big time.


Wolverine V2 164 [ 11 ]
“The Hunted Part 3”
Writer: Frank Tieri
Penciller: Sean Chen
Inker: Norman Rapmund
Letterer: Richard Starkings
Colorist: Raymund Lee
Editor: Michael Marts
On Sale Date: May 31, 2001

11 – Sharon is talking to Jackson after a successful mission, telling him again that she can’t condone how he treated Fury. Jackson responds with mockery, and Fury interrupts the meeting and punches him out cold. Sharon asks if this would be a bad time to tell Jackson she told him so.


Captain America V3 45 [ 11 12 13 18 19 20 ]
“America Lost Part I”
Writer/Penciller: Dan Jurgens
Inker: Bob Layton
Letterer: Todd Klein
Colorist: Bart Avalon
Editor: Bobbie Chase
On Sale Date: July 18, 2001

11 – Sharon goes to Avengers Mansion to confront Fury, who’s reassumed his position as Director of SHIELD without telling her. He tells her that Connie knows that Steve is Captain America.

12 – She asks if someone told Connie, and Steve says that the topic is off limits. Sharon refuses to drop anything and insists she did a fine job as director; he tells her she knew it was only temporary. He just had to finish some business. She responds, “So you kick me out like I’m nothing.” Fury denies it and says he’s putting her on a more important assignment because she’s the best field agent he’s got.

13 – Sharon’s supposed to help get the Helicarrier back from the Red Skull. She says they’ve been looking for it, but it’s vanished. She and Fury debate where it might be, and Steve, after all this time, suggests that maybe the Avengers’ computers have information SHIELD’s don’t.

18 – Sharon and Fury watch as Iron Man and Steve debate how to find the Helicarrier.

19 – Tony realizes it’s in the Gulf of Mexico. Sharon’s looking up stuff, too.

20 – She finds a hate crime. They suspect it’s the Red Skull’s work.


Captain America V3 46 [ 1 2-3 4 16 17 22 ]
“America Lost Part II”
Writer/Penciller: Dan Jurgens
Inker: Bob Layton
Letterer: Todd Klein
Colorist: Bart Avalon
Editor: Bobbie Chase
On Sale Date: August 15, 2001

1 – Sharon walks toward a meeting, talking about how she knows it’s no one’s idea of a fun time, but she expected more people.

2-3 – She meets up with Fury and Dugan in a cemetery for a funeral. Steve is apparently dead again.

4 – Sharon liaises between Cap and Iron Man to find the Helicarrier while she drives/flies/flives over the Gulf of Mexico.

16 – Iron Man is worried about how long Cap has been incommunicado. Fury, too. She wants to give Cap two more minutes, and then she’ll call in the underwater assault squads.

17 – The Helicarrier surfaces beneath Sharon’s car. She tells Iron Man to call off the search – they found it. Or it found her. She still doesn’t see Cap, though.

22 – Everyone else shows up for the party. Er. Funeral.


Marvel Knights 14 [ 20 21 22 ]
“Everything Dies”
Writer: Chuck Dixon
Penciller: Michael Lilly
Inker: Nelson Faro DeCastro
Letterer: Saida Temofonte
Colorist: Dan Kemp
Editor: Nanci Dakesian
On Sale Date: August 22, 2001

20 – Natasha and Dagger go to confront Fury at SHIELD without going through proper channels, which Sharon is upset about.

21 – Natasha says she can’t trust anything other than face-to-face confrontation because of a conspiracy. Sharon asks for details. She also asks who Dagger is and if she’s authorized. Natasha vouches for Dagger, who can sense human souls – and thus, LMDs.

22 – Speaking of, everyone there is an LMD, including Sharon.


Captain America V3 47 [ 2-3 4 5 6 9 10 11 12 16 17 18 19 20 22 ]
“America Lost Part III”
Writer/Penciller: Dan Jurgens
Inker: Bob Layton
Letterer: Todd Klein
Colorist: Lovern Kindzierski
Editor: Bobbie Chase
On Sale Date: September 19, 2001

2-3 – Sharon tells everyone that she’s glad they’re there; he deserved nothing less.

4 – Steve falls to the ocean, and Sharon, fliving beside him, tells him to control his dive and she’ll match his speed.

5 – He tells her it can’t be done; she tells him to watch her, and Iron Man tells her to mind her attitude. Steve grabs the door handle but can’t hold on.

6 – Sharon goes to come around again. He tells her it’s too dangerous, and she says, “What’s a little danger between lo- friends?” This time, he manages to grab the door handle, and she tells him to get inside fast.

9 – The Skull fires on them, sending them both unconscious into the water. Namor picks them up.

10 – Sharon says that drowning was the least of their troubles – they’ve got major trouble on their hands!

11 – Sharon and Steve fill Namor in on the Skull, and Namor says that sounds like a non-Atlantis problem there, pal. Steve chastises him.

12 – Steve keeps chastising him. Namor gives in.

16 – They spy on goings-on on the Helicarrier and realize that the Red Skull has captured Fury.

17 – Namor rushes into battle, and Sharon asks if they had to bring him. Steve says it was the only way to get on board.

18 – They start fighting the Skull’s forces. The Skull starts monologuing, and Sharon asks what he’s talking about while she punches people.

19 – They brainstorm to decode what he says while they fight and realize it might be the psych gear SHIELD has on board.

20 – Hatemonger zaps them all and freezes them.

22 – Sharon and Fury fill the Avengers in on Hauser – i.e., Hatemonger.


Marvel Knights 15 [ 1 2-3 9 ]
“The Unreal World”
Writer: Chuck Dixon
Penciller: Eduardo Barreto
Inker: Nelson Faro DeCastro
Letterer: Jason Levine
Colorist: Dan Kemp
Editor: Nanci Dakesian
On Sale Date: October 10, 2001

1 – Natasha and Dagger are surrounded by the SHIELD LMDs, including Sharon’s.

2-3 – Natasha wants to know where the real Fury and Director Carter are as she fights the LMDs.

9 – Natasha goes to the mainframe to find out if the LMDs killed the agents they replaced. According to her findings, Fury, Director Carter, Sitwell, and the others are away on assignment.


Captain America V3 48 [ 2-3 4 7 9 13 15 21 ]
“America Lost Part IV”
Writer/Penciller: Dan Jurgens
Inker: Bob Layton
Letterer: Todd Klein
Colorist: Brian Haberlin
Editor: Bobbie Chase
On Sale Date: October 17, 2001

2-3 – Fury starts to pick a fight with Namor, and Sharon tells him that while he’s head of SHIELD, that doesn’t give him the right to start trouble.

4 – Sharon, Fury, Cap, and Namor and immobilized as Hatemonger taunts Steve.

7 – The Skull confirms they’re using the Helicarrier for SHIELD’s psi-division equipment.

9 – They use it on Cap, and Sharon tells Cap not to give in, that all his life, he’s represented the best of them all. Nick tells her it’s too late; he’s gone.

13 – With Cap supposedly gone, Sharon says freedom won’t do them much good as she and Fury fight the Skull’s goons. Fury tells her that better not mean she’s giving up, and she says, “Never!”

15 – Sharon and Fury are overwhelmed; Sharon says they can’t handle everyone there, and he tells her to keep punchin’ and hope for the best. The Red Skull and Hatemonger watch.

21 – Awww, it’s a psych-out. The funeral’s not for Steve at all. It’s for Bucky.


Elektra V2 4 [ 1-2 3-4 5-6 7-8 9-10 11-12 13-14 15-16 17-18 19-20 ]
“(Total Media Blackout)”
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Artist: Chuck Austen
Letterer: Wes Abbott
Colorist: Nathan Eyring
Editor: Stuart Moore
On Sale Date: November 14, 2001

1-2 – Sharon is a guest on a news show to talk about the Iraqi/Hydra situation, along with Republican Senator Tony Roberts, who’s leading the anti-SHIELD bill on the House floor.

3-4 – The anchor asks how to address Sharon – Ms. Carter? Director Carter? She says to call her Sharon.

5-6 – Sharon talks about how SHIELD has tried to help Saddam understand his responsibilities – like not attacking other countries. The recent addition of HYDRA to their political organizations is another slap in the face of everything decent people are trying to do to keep global peace as their first priority. The anchor asks about rumors SHIELD is going to be playing a major military role in- She cuts him off, telling him that if it were true, she certainly wouldn’t go on international television to announce it. And also if it were true, how could she possibly have time to sit there and chat with him. He notes that they’re living in tense and emotional times, and she asks when they aren’t and reminds him that the UN put out strict and enforceable guidelines for Iraq.

7-8 – She lists off Saddam’s crimes. The anchor asks if she’s speaking for the President, the UN, or her own feelings. She says it’s her own feelings, but international human rights groups as well as the UN are gathering evidence for an international criminal court for Saddam and his senior aides.

9-10 – She clarifies that the problem is with Saddam, not the Iraqi people. Roberts says he almost changed the channel because he thought the show had become a SHIELD infomercial. She scoffs.

11-12 – He accuses her of using tragedy to promote SHIELD, using fear to increase their budget. He brings up LMDs, and she says this isn’t the time or the place to discuss this. So Roberts naturally goes into detail about LMDs, and how he doesn’t get to see all the paperwork. She reminds him that SHIELD is a spy organization, and that public discussion of their budget is not appropriate. Meanwhile, the folks at SHIELD are rooting for her.

13-14 – Roberts says it’s up to the public to discuss how their money is spent. Sharon disagrees. The argument pivots to Roberts promoting his bill, and Sharon tries to steer to conversation back on topic. She’s not even allowed to involve herself in a debate on these matters, and he accuses her of putting on a little convenient show. Maybe SHIELD got it’s name from being a shield from the truth. Sharon might be losing her temper.

15-16 – Sharon argues that Roberts is trying to make her debate matters of national security. That he knows this and still prances onto the show to wave his (bleep) around and point fingers is just disgusting to her. He tells her not to pretend she’s here for some nobler cause – she’s just there to put a pretty face on a war. She asks how the literacy rate is in Louisiana, drug use, homelessness, employment. They must be pretty good, because otherwise, what on Earth is he doing on the show? Roberts thinks SHIELD and HYDRA are both using the situation in Iraq to grab attention for themselves.

17-18 – Roberts argues that Fury creates enemies to fight so he can make himself useful. Sharon asks for details, then accuses Roberts of impugning Fury’s good name. Roberts says he’d say the same to Fury’s face if he’d shown up himself instead of sending a public affairs girl.

19-20 – She points out her credential and asks the anchor, Rob, why he’s letting this maniac go on like this. Roberts says the truth hurts. Sharon leaves the show.


Captain America V3 49 [ Cover 7 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 ]
“Closure”
Writer: Dan Jurgens
Penciller: Juan Bobillo
Inker: Marcelo
Letterer: Todd Klein
Colorist: Edgar Tadeo
Editor: Andrew Lis
On Sale Date: November 21, 2001

Cover – Sharon stands at a computer console, seemingly just realizing that Steve is behind her with a smoking-hot bod.

7 – Sam and Steve are fishing together, and Sam advises Steve to find her. They debate a little, and then Steve hops off the boat and swims to shore. Sam watches him go and muses that he wanted to tell Steve how Sharon Carter fits into it all first.

14 – He says good-bye to Connie and thanks her for helping him realize who he really is, and who he really wants.

15 – Sharon is busy breaking into a building in New York.

16 – She’s attacked by sumo warriors.

17 – She explains that she’s worse than a thief – she’s SHIELD. As they all grab at her, Steve’s shield flies out to help, and he tells them to leave her alone. She tells him off – “I was doing fine! I don’t need to be rescued!”

18 – He apologizes and leaves the rest to her. She thanks him and starts fighting as he promises to never again ruin her day by preventing someone from slicing her in two. She tells him that sarcasm doesn’t become him.

19 – One of the warriors lands on her, and he asks, “Now?” She elbows the guy in the face and says, “Not yet!” He asks if she’s got a minute to talk, and she tells him to hold on while she tells Tango Leader the perimeter is secure and to send in the clean-up squad. They tell her to take care of the virus.

20 – She tells Steve he can talk while she stops a computer virus from getting out. He goes into his spiel, realizing belatedly that he hopes the room isn’t bugged. She assures him that it’s clean. He continues, saying it’s time for them to be honest with each other. She says this really would’ve worked better over dinner and wine.

21 – She accuses him of looking for rebound material, but he insists he’s here because of how dumb they’ve been. He asks her to cut him some slack – he’s laying in on the line here, and she’s not making it easy. He admits he was wrong, trying to be two people when he’s only one. Sam and Connie helped him see that, but his heart brought him to Sharon. He offers her a flower.

22 – They kiss, and the computer announces that the virus has been deactivated… Steve’s hand is on the keyboard.


Captain America V3 50 [ 33 34 35 Letter 44 45 46 47 72 73 74 ]
“To the Core”
Writer/Penciller: Dan Jurgens
Inker: Bob Layton
Letterer: Todd Klein
Colorist: Edgar Tadeo
Editor: Andrew Lis
On Sale Date: December 19, 2001

33 – Steve talks about how all the relationships he’s had have offered him lessons on who he is and what he should be.

34 – He’s made Sharon watch him expose himself to hallucinogenic gas, making him recap his life, to he could show her who the real him is; it acts like a truth serum. Steve tells her they’ve been the most on-again, off-again couple ever, and he wants her to know she can believe in him. She tells him that that’s sweet, but it isn’t something you just give to someone.

35 – He can think he knows what he wants, but he can’t make that decision for her. It isn’t a small thing – he knows she cares about him, but she needs more time to work this out. He’s sorry she feels that way – she’ll always be special to him. And he’ll be there for her when she’s thought it through. They kiss again for old time’s sake and watch the sunset.

Letter – Scrappy requests a comic book that would follow characters such as Nick Fury, Sharon Carter, Dugan, US Agents, SHIELD agents, and Cap. Marvel says there could be one, but probably not anytime soon. Shon suggests bringing back Rachel Leighton as Cap’s girlfriend so he won’t have to bend agency policies to be with Sharon, current director of SHIELD. Marvel replies that Shon can catch a glimpse of Rachel in this issue.

“Relics”
Writer: Brian David-Marshall
Artist: Igor Kordey
Letterer: Todd Klein
Colorist: Brian Haberlin
Editor: Andrew Lis
On Sale Date: December 19, 2001

44 – Sharon and Steve talk over the phone. She’s still reeling from all the crap they’ve gone through; she needs some time to make her own decisions about herself, about the two of them. Steve asks if there’s still going to be an “us.”

45 – She just needs some time. She doesn’t think he’ll be disappointed. He says he might not understand it, but he’ll respect it. Just don’t take too long. She tells him that when they hang up, he needs to get some sleep and not to stay up watching TV. He says he hardly watches that stuff (he’s watching TV) and asks why she’d even mention it. She says she doesn’t know and almost tells him she loves him before catching herself. She says she’ll talk to him in a couple days.

46 – His phone rings, and he thinks it’s Sharon.

47 – Nick tells him that Sharon loves Steve; he doesn’t know why she can’t just cut to the chase.

“A Moment of Silence”
Writer: Jen Van Meter
Penciller: Brian Hurtt
Inker: Jim Mahfood
Letterer: Todd Klein
Colorist: Brian Haberlin
Editor: Andrew Lis
On Sale Date: December 19, 2001

72 – Sharon cries against Nick Fury, saying, “I loved him so much...”

73 – Sharon attends Steve’s latest funeral.

74 – She’s still at Steve’s latest funeral.


Captain America V4 4 [ 15 16 ]
“(Warlords)”
Writer: John Ney Rieber
Artist: John Cassaday
Letterer: Wes Abbott
Colorist: David Stewart
Editor: Stuart Moore
On Sale Date: August 21, 2002

15 – Steve daydreams about not being Cap anymore, with Sharon working on her tan. The text reads, “The one you love. The one who loves you.”

16 – The text continues with, “You’d look at her and she’d look back at you. And smile. And you’d know she was wondering, too. How beautiful they’d have to be. The children you’d have someday.” And he daydreams about kissing her as, in reality, an explosion goes off. He thinks that he could have had that. He could have had it all.


Captain America V4: Red, White, & Blue [ 4 ]
“A Winter’s Tale”
Writer: Scott Ciencin
Artist: Pascal Ferry
Letterer: David Sharpe
Colorist: Jose Villarrubia
Editors: Andrew Lis, Lynne Yoshii
On Sale Date: September 11, 2002

4 – The Skull is trying to convince Steve that Steve is insane. In the “mental hospital,” Steve is told of his ex-fiancee, Sharon, who has written several times.


Captain America V4 10 [ 12 13 ]
“(The Extremists)”
Writer: Chuck Austen
Artist: Jae Lee
Letterer: David Sharpe
Colorist: Jose Villarrubia
Editor: Joe Quesada
On Sale Date: March 12, 2003

12 – Steve has been drugged and hallucinates that Hana is Sharon. When Hana asks if he’s all right, he tells “Sharon” that he’s fine, and he thinks she knows him well enough by now to call him Steve. She tries to say that she’s not Sharon, but Steve keeps talking to her as Sharon and saying this new memory is so clear...

13 – Still thinking she’s Sharon, he tells her that she’s so beautiful. He never told her that enough, but he should have. She’s more beautiful than anyone he’s ever seen in all his millions of days fighting across this angry world. She insists that she’s not Sharon.


Captain America V4 16 [ 3 4 5 6 7 8 11 12 13 14 ]
“(Ice)”
Writer: Chuck Austen
Artist: Jae Lee
Letterer: Rus Wooton
Colorist: Jose Villarrubia
Editor: Joe Quesada
On Sale Date: August 13, 2003

3 – Steve hallucinates that Fury and Sharon pick up him and Hana. Sharon asks who Hana was, and he says someone who saved his life more than once. Sharon asks if he knows anything more than her name and that she was Atlantean. Steve says he thought Sharon had left SHIELD. (Note: That places these hallucinations during V3.)

4 – She says no one ever really leaves SHIELD before noting that Hana’s death has affected Steve. She invites him to dinner so he can tell her about it. At dinner, she asks if he thinks his new memories of the American government freezing him and Bucky might be real. Steve can’t say for sure.

5 – Sharon asks if he was in love with Hana. He says it wasn’t like how he loved Sharon, if that’s what she means. She says it’s a good answer. He says he’s glad she likes it. They’re in her “Director of SHIELD” office. (Again: V3.)

6 – As she undresses, she asks him to promise her that he isn’t doing this because he can’t be with Hana, but because he really does want to be with her. He says, “Sharon. You have to believe that, when I’m with you, it’s the only place I want to be.”

7 – In bed, she questions him about what happened and plants seeds about how some people deserve to be killed – for the greater good. He doesn’t fall for it.

8 – He and Sharon kiss.

11 – Sharon greets him after his fight with Baron Blood and asks him if he’s all right. He admits that ever mission he goes on is worse, every villain more deserving to be… She asks, “To be what? To be killed?” He says yes, and that it’s almost like he was being...

12 – Sharon calls him her darling husband and proposes a date night until he feels better. They go to a nice hotel and get a hot bath, where again, Steve thinks she’s asking too many questions. She offers to talk about her and says she’s pregnant.

13 – Steve says he’s thinking it’s time to retire. At dinner, he says he’s looking at a piece of property in Wyoming. Sharon insists on access to a city from time to time. Sharon says she’s glad he seems to have finally realized there will always be another war to fight, and that it’s okay for him to come home to his loved ones.

14 – Sharon is shot multiple times and also falls through the window that isn’t anywhere nearby.


Secret War 1 [ 4 5 16 17 ]
“Book One”
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Artist: Gabriele Dell’Otto
Letterer: Cory Petit
Editor: Andy Schmidt
On Sale Date: February 11, 2004

4 – Sharon leads a briefing at SHIELD.

5 – Sharon continues the briefing. Fury interrupts when she mentions that Luke Cage is in a coma, and she adds some details.

16 – Sharon gives Fury a tour of a tunnel system not in the building plans.

17 – Sharon stands by as Fury talks with Natasha.


Wolverine Captain America 1 [ 16 17 18 ]
“First Blood”
Writer: RA Jones
Artist: Thomas Derenick
Letterer: Jonathan Babcock
Colorist: Brian Miller
Editor: Michael Marts
On Sale Date: February 4, 2004

16 – Steve, in Avengers Mansion, calls up Sharon at SHIELD. He asks if she’s having security issues. She claims not to know what he means, and he accuses her essentially of lying. She grudgingly admits to some breaches, but everything’s locked down now. He says he’s not a child and doesn’t need her assurances – he needs to know about the Contingency.

17 – She tells him that Project Contingency was a Black Ops project developed at SHIELD – souped-up assassins that went rogue.

18 – He asks if they’re freelance mercenaries now, but Sharon says Rapture, the leader, would never work for someone else. She thinks they’re in it for themselves. He asks about their targets, and she says she’s sorry, she’s told him everything she knows. She’s very busy now, sorry. And then she signs out.


Wolverine Captain America 2 [ 4 9 ]
“Seeds of Destruction”
Writer: RA Jones
Artist: Thomas Derenick
Letterer: Jonathan Babcock
Colorist: Brian Miller
Editor: Michael Marts
On Sale Date: February 11, 2004

4 – Steve, Wolverine, and Warbird are attacked; Steve thinks it must be Rapture and the rest of Project: Contingency that Sharon told him about.

9 – Colburn finds Sharon at SHIELD headquarters, who tells her there’s been a huge traffic spike on the Project: Contingency file… He thought she’d want to know since she was heading up the project and all. Sharon tells Colburn to lose those files – they can’t afford to have any more eyeballs on this one.


Wolverine Captain America 3 [ 4 8 17 18 19 ]
“The Invasion of New York”
Writer: RA Jones
Artist: Thomas Derenick
Letterer: Jonathan Babcock
Colorist: Brian Miller
Editor: Michael Marts
On Sale Date: February 18, 2004

4 – Warbird/Carol Danvers takes a dying Wolverine to SHIELD and asks Sharon if she thinks they can save him. Sharon says it’s always difficult to say with mutants. She wants to know what happened with the Contingency and where’s Cap? Carol just says “Shame on anyone at SHIELD who had a hand in creating the Contingency.”

8 – Sharon oversees SHIELD trying to revive Wolverine.

17 – Sharon’s chatting with Steve (who lost the Contingency) and Carol when they’re interrupted by the doctor who says that whoever did this to Wolverine knew what they were up against – the rounds were meant for express use against Wolverine.

18 – Sharon goes with the others to watch the “surgery” on Wolverine.

19 – She and the others watch the “surgery,” which uses magnets to pull the bullets out of Wolverine.


Wolverine Captain America 4 [ 2-3 6 20 21 22 ]
“No Title)”
Writer: RA Jones
Artist: Thomas Derenick
Letterer: Jonathan Babcock
Colorist: Brian Miller
Editor: Michael Marts
On Sale Date: February 25, 2004

2-3 – Sharon oversees the hunt for the Contingency at SHIELD’s Flying Headquarters.

6 – Sharon breaks up an argument between Steve and Wolverine and tells Wolverine to think with his head.

20 – Sharon is surprised to find Steve in her office. He’s realized that Sharon was in charge of Project: Contingency, a team trained to kill known mutants.

21 – Sharon says she was brought in at the tail end – Brent Jackson developed it, and Sharon could only do so much. When she defends the contingency plan, arguing national security, Steve cuts her off and cites the Holocaust.

22 – He tells her if he hears a rumor of Project: Contingency resurfacing, he’ll do everything he can to take Sharon and SHIELD down.

Note: RA Jones has never written Sharon outside of this appearance. It wouldn’t surprise me if he were using Sharon’s name without caring much about the character.


Captain America V4 31 [ 12 ]
“Super Patriot Part 3”
Writer: Robert Kirkman
Penciller: Scot Eaton
Inker: Drew Geraci
Letterer: Randy Gentile
Colorist: Rob Schwager
Editor: Tom Brevoort
On Sale Date: September 9, 2004

12 – Sharon helps Nick Fury and Dugan overthrow a SHIELD coup.


Captain America V4 32 [ 6 7 19 20 21 22 23 ]
“Super Patriot Part 4”
Writer: Robert Kirkman
Penciller: Scot Eaton
Inker: Drew Geraci
Letterer: Randy Gentile
Colorist: Rob Schwager
Editor: Tom Brevoort
On Sale Date: October 13, 2004

6 – Steve finds Rachel Leighton, supposedly dead. The Red Skull tells him he shouldn’t be shocked, it was bound to happen some day – Cynthia Glass, Bernie Rosenthal, Sharon Carter...

7 – The Skull says Steve’s women always made such lovely victims. This one wasn’t even the first to die. Which might be allusion to Sharon.

19 – Sharon helps the real Rachel from her captivity.

20 – Sharon helps Sharon down some unstable rubble.

21 – Sharon looks at the ground as Rachel strikes a confident pose, Steve asks where the real Rachel is, and Fury tells Steve to look behind him.

22 – Sharon reacts as LMD Rachel calls out to Steve for help.

23 – Sharon and Cap greet each other as Cap gets patched up, and Sharon walks away.


Captain America V5 1 [ Cover 9 10 11 12-13 19 20 21 22 23 ]
“Out of Time Part 1”
Writer: Ed Brubaker
Artist: Steve Epting
Letterer: Randy Gentile
Colorist: Frank D’Armata
Editor: Tom Brevoort
On Sale Date: November 17, 2004

Cover – Sharon holds a large gun in the background of the cover.

9 – Sharon asks Steve how he really is, but he’s distracted by his memories and asks her to repeat the question.

10 – Sharon asks again how he is, and when Steve says he’s fine, she says he doesn’t seem fine. He asks how he seems, and she says angry… Then she asks him to stop working out, because she’s getting dizzy just looking at him. Steve says she wouldn’t get dizzy standing on a moving helicopter blade, and she says that only Steve would try that. Steve says he’s trying to figure out why his ex-girlfriend is there. He asks if there was something wrong with his annual evaluation.

11 – Sharon tells him SHIELD wants personal liaisons for all government-funded operatives, and she volunteered for the job. She thought he’d need someone who treated him like a person, not a living legend, and it might help him open up. She read his evaluation – if she’d done the evaluation, he might not have his security clearance levels anymore. He asks what that’s supposed to mean, and she says, “It means that SHIELD may not be worried about you yet, Steve, but I am.” He asks if she’s a life model decoy. She tells him she’s being serious – his actions have been extreme lately.

12-13 – Sharon recaps the incident from the week before, with terrorists on the train.

19 – They argue about if he was lucky or reckless. Sharon points out that two of the terrorists died falling from the train, including one who landed on a minivan and caused four other serious injuries. Steve says she’s right – he should’ve just blown up the train. She says that’s not what she meant and he knows it, but the man she knew didn’t hit that hard unless he had to. It seems to her that ever since the Red Skull escaped last month, Steve’s been more violent.

20 – Steve tells Sharon that when he dreams, he still sees the war and all the people he couldn’t save.

21 – He doesn’t think it’s fair that in his dreams, it’s still 1944. She tries to reassure him, but he says she doesn’t have to say anything.

22 – He says he really is fine, and they reminisce a bit, which turns sad again very quickly as Sharon talks about how he has the weight of the world on his shoulders. She says, “You truly are one of a kind, Steve Rogers.”

23 – Steve walks Sharon out, and she talks about how she’ll check in with him in a week or two; he knows how to get in touch with her. She asks how he likes his new place, complete with a holo-wall. He asks who the men were, and she tells him that they’re part of a branch of AIM that’s supposed to be defunct. They don’t know what their motive is. He asks about the Skull, but she says there hasn’t been a peep. When he does surface, SHIELD will get him. Steve says, “And I’m supposed to be the optimistic one.


Sharon Carter's History

Info Post

Sharon Carter History 1965-1974

Sharon Carter History 1975-1984

Sharon Carter History 1985-1994

Sharon Carter History 1995-2004

Part 4
Captain America Vol 6 #1 - Captain America Vol 7 #25

Part 5
Sam Wilson: Captain America #1 - Sam Wilson: Captain America #6