Captain America / Black Widow plothole explained
The Blind Eternities forum
Posted on Aug. 20, 2022, 11:21 a.m. by TypicalTimmy
I've posted this on Facebook, Reddit, YouTube and told it in person and for some reason all I get is hate for it, and I am trying to understand why.
The supposed plot hole, if you can call it that, is during the scene in Black Widow when Alexei Shostakov - aka Red Guardian, is in prison and telling about how he fought Captain America during the 80s when he was retrieving the nuclear launch codes.
In the clip, Ursa Major (the big dude who gets his wrist broken), asks if it was during '83-'84, because Captain America was frozen in ice still. Hence, Alexei's story being impossible.
- Here's why Alexei was telling the truth.
When Steve Rogers went back in time, we know he had to go under the radar. The military likely kept his identity a closely guarded secret, otherwise the entire world would have slowly learned Steve was at home in Brooklyn. We know he married Peggy Carter. We can assume he was given a new identity and the documents sealed as this is completely reasonable to think the military would do something as simple as that.
So if the military knew Steve was around, and keeping it the most closely guarded secret, we can also assume that this came with a few conditions. Conditions, such as, working as an active soldier.
Now, we all know Steve couldn't interfere with historical events. He couldn't stop 9/11. He couldn't stop the JFK assassination. He couldn't stop the Waco Texas massacre. He couldn't stop events he knew were meant to happen.
What he COULD stop, however, were events that were NOT meant to happen.
So ask yourself this. Do you recall in modern history, during the 80s, when Russia launched nuclear warheads?
Does that war ring a bell?
The nuclear war of '83-'84?
No. Because it never happened.
Because Steve Rogers stopped Alexei Shostakov.
So just as Steve Rogers could not intervene with events that were supposed to happen, he also had to prevent events that never did happen.
Ergo, Steve Rogers was an active soldier that the military knew about, and his deal was that he would do top secret missions, in order to keep his identity sealed.
Meaning... Yes. Red Guardian really did fight Captain America in the early 80s.
TypicalTimmy says... #3
See, my issue with that is if the military had a replacement Captain America, then historically speaking we would have seen his mantle passed down and it would be know that the "original" Captain America has returned.
If someone was assuming his moniker, the world would have continued to believe in him. Hence, Res Guardian wouldn't be questioned because the criminal world would know that Captain America was still out there.
But nobody believes him. Which means that name and title wasn't being used. Which means he wasn't replaced.
August 20, 2022 12:51 p.m.
TheOfficialCreator says... #4
I always assumed it was a small easter egg hinting at the existence of an actual Nomad for the MCU. You know, the clone of Cap that went crazy after a while but then picked up a new life.
But I like this theory more. Cap, the defender of time! :D
August 20, 2022 2:09 p.m.
TypicalTimmy says... #5
It also jives with the idea that the TSA didn't just wipe him.
He was needed.
August 20, 2022 2:45 p.m.
TypicalTimmy Fair point. I guess your explanation works.
legendofa says... #2
The interpretation I've heard, and I don't quite remember the points used to back it up, was that someone else had assumed the Captain America identity during that time. It wasn't a super soldier, since the government needed a figurehead and morale booster at home more than an actual special ops force abroad, but this replacement Captain America would still be military elite and ready to fight as needed.
So, the Captain America who Red Guardian fought was a non-superpowered mascot (or at least not as much as Steve Rogers), but was still pulled from Delta Force or whatever. Since this time period hasn't get much focus in the MCU, replacement Captain America is more or less anonymous.
August 20, 2022 12:30 p.m.