1970s

The 1970s brought many political changes within the context of which "As a sworn champion of patriotic values, Captain America had to determine what those values now meant." In the start of the decade Cap is seen mainly tackling social problems reflecting the general feelings of a nation bored of heroics. However the first major event that tested who Captain America was and what he stood for was the Watergate Scandal in 1974.

The Watergate scandal began with Nixon's men breaking into and bugging the Democratic National Committee headquarters in the hope of finding something damaging that could be used against his opponents in the re-election campaign. Nixon (the president at the time) although not having authorised the break in did try to cover it up for months. The scandal broke and the US Supreme court made Nixon release a series of audio recordings taken in the oval office. Neal Smith who had served in congress from 1959 to 1994 said "it was unbelievable what was belong said by the president, what he wanted to do". This all lead to Nixon being the first ever president to resign from office.

A political science professor at Drake University states that "The myth of the President as always a great, trustful, moral leader ended. You went from taking what a politician said with a grain of salt to a huge block of salt." So it's no wonder the issues of patriotism and what being American meant took some negotiating by the people but also of course by Captain America himself. In a drastic response Captain America sheds his identity to become instead "Nomad the Man Without a Country" stating "Nuts to the whole Washington crew! They've had their version of America and I've had mine! But I don't want to be associated with theirs anymore." On the cover of issue ??? Captain America can be seen head turned upwards shouting, fists clenched and a strong stance with a speech bubble containing the large words "CAPTAIN AMERICA MIST DIE!" His response is one of desperation and anger and defiance. These emotions presumably stem from a feeling of betrayal of a country he has dedicated his life to serving.