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Sam Wilson may be the one and only Captain America for the MCU, but for Marvel’s new Captain America comic book series, the focus is shifting back onto Steve Rogers — and telling a story that has only been hinted at before about the hero’s complicated past.

Announced during the annual ComicsPro event focused on comic book retailers, former Batman writer Chip Zdarsky will return to Marvel for the new series, teaming with Avengers and X-Men veteran Valerio Schiti for a series that opens in the little-explored period between Steve Rogers’ awakening in the present day and his officially signing on as one of the Avengers; Marvel is describing it as “declassifying” Cap’s first modern adventure, as he signs back up with the US Army and takes on Doctor Doom for the first time… another previously unseen storyline that the publisher teases will have implications as the series heads into more contemporary storytelling.

“I’ve been a massive Captain America fan for decades,” Zdarsky says in a statement from Marvel. “I loved writing the grizzled, older Cap in Avengers: Twilight, so getting to write the actual Captain America title feels like a dream! We’re exploring Cap’s early days in the modern era with a twist that I think is going to really surprise readers! I’m pretty excited to get this out there in the world, especially with Valerio and Frank’s amazing art! [Frank D’Armata will be coloring the series, per Marvel.] I’ve been approaching this title the way I approached my run on Daredevil, really trying to get in Cap’s head with a grounded, human look at who he is in this new world. Steve Rogers is the best of us, and I want that to come through on every page.”

Schiti adds that he’s most excited about getting to concentrate on Steve Rogers as a character, as opposed to an icon, in the series: “Chip's script is so clever and compelling that I’m sure readers will be dragged with us inside Steve's heart and soul. He’s a man that became the living embodiment of truth, justice and freedom. He fought a war against Nazism, ‘died’ in that war, and came back to life to do his duty and fight again. That’s a lot of pressure, and if you do the math, he’s only in this late twenties in the era we’re exploring!”

The announcement of the series — which will launch this summer — was accompanied by a teaser image by Schiti and D’Armata:

In current Marvel comic book continuity, Steve Rogers is one of two active Captains America alongside Sam Wilson — but he’s taken somewhat of a back seat, with Wilson a member of the primary Avengers team, and currently headlining the Captain America comic book series. That series, a five-issue miniseries, is scheduled to release its final issue in May. It’s unclear if Marvel’s June schedules will be absent any Captain America title, with the first issue of the Zdarsky/Schiti series scheduled for July 2.

Keep up to date on Popverse's Marvel coverage, with these highlights:

• The MCU needs Anya Taylor-Joy's Magik in it (and not just for the X-Men connection)
• How Disney+'s What If...? is the moonshot for the next 50 years of Marvel Studios & the MCU
• Marvel Studios has accidentally created a new Phase that predates Phases 1 - 6: the MCU Phase Zero
• Overgrown children of the atom: Marvel's X-Men can't evolve past their '90s commercial peak
• The biggest outstanding questions of the Marvel Studios' movies & TV shows
• Donald Trump is the landlord for Marvel's House of Ideas
• Marvel Studios swapping out Doctor Doom for Kang offers the chance to jettison the Multiverse Saga
• What Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige is saying (and not saying) about the MCU X-Men franchise says a lot about the future of the Mutant Saga
• If Marvel is going to bring Loki back for Secret Wars, it's time to give him an upgrade
• In 2021, Sony's boss said people won't miss Spider-Man in its Spider-adjacent movie. Turns out, they do.