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In one brach of Marvel’s vast Multiverse, Captain America and Rogue have a daughter – a character whose brief appearance in Marvel lore belies her exciting design and superheroic lineage, both of which are reasons that, even decades after her introduction, fans want to see more of Crusader, whether it is by integrating her into the mainstream Marvel Universe, or revisiting the classic What If…? story where she originated.
Released in 1998, What If…?#114– writtenby Jay Faerber with art by Gregg Schigiel – presents a radical reinterpretation of the ending of 1984’s classic Secret Wars crossover. In the story, the fate of Battleworld has been passed down to the next generation. In the 25 years since their abduction, many of the heroes and villains now coexist.
Yet, while the elder class has maintained peace, Battleworld’s young inhabitants face a violent power struggle. Amidst the fresh new heroes is Crusader, the daughter of Captain America and Rogue, who possesses a mix of her parents’ power and Cap’s propensity for leadership.
Crusader Possesses All The Powers Of & Positive Attributes Her Heroic Parents
What If…? #114 (1998) –Written By Jay Faerber; Art By Gregg Schigiel; Ink By Jose Marzan Jr.; Color By Paul Tutrone; Lettering By Chris Eliopoulos
In this alternate take on events, Captain America, Rogue and the rest of Marvel’s greatest heroes and villains remained trapped in the Beyonder’s Battleworld following the 1984 Secret Wars event; of course, Marvel lore, the characters all returned to the end of the crossover, but this story examines what could have happened otherwise. Twenty-five years after their capture, a new generation follows in their parents’ footsteps. Without a Gambit variant by her side, Rogue found love with Captain America and the two bore a daughter. Despite the unusual matchup, Marvel needs to bring their daughter back.
Crusader, aka Sarah Rogers, is an all-around “perfect” hero for her age; among her fellow Battleworld natives, Sarah stands out as a noble leader, like her father. When Vincent Von Doom, aka Malefactor, kills his father and attempts to take over Battleworld, Crusader rallies her young allies and leads the charge against Doom’s army of Doombots. Crusader’s wild strength nearly parallels her gamma-powered friend, Mustang. Likewise, Sarah inherited her mother’s ability to fly, which far overpowers other flying heroes like Firefly (son of
the Wasp and the Human Torch
.)
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Crusader isn’t just a powerful leader; she’s been blessed by the gods. At the beginning of this comic, we see Bravado (Thor and Enchantress’s son) unsuccessfully
attempting to lift Mjolnir
. In the 25 years of relative peace, the heroes and villains have long decided to lay down their weapons, but that hasn’t stopped the kids from proving their worthiness. When Doom later unleashes his assault on Battleworld, Mjolnir finally breaks from its bed on the ground and flies toward its next worthy wielder: Crusader. Later, after the battle, even Thor affirms that Mjolnir now belongs to Sarah as Bravado sulks.
Marvel’s Dormant “Exiles” Series Would Be The Perfect Way To Revisit Crusader
The Multiverse Is An Endless Playground
In 1998, it wasn’t very common for superheroes to have kids. The idea had been played with in similar non-canon stories, but comics as a whole treated heroism like a full-time job, one that didn’t allow for family life. Consequently, Crusader and the rest of her Battleworld generation stand out as a rarity. However, while readers will most likely never witness
Earth-616’s Captain America
and Rogue have kids, that doesn’t mean there’s not a place for Sarah Rogers in modern Marvel Comics. In 2001, Marvel debuted the Exiles, a team of time/space-displaced mutants from across the Multiverse.
Because the Exiles were explicitly comprised of mostly non-Earth-616 characters, the series’ writers are allowed to break many of the unspoken Marvel rules of conduct, to essentially see what sticks.
Similar to other Multiversal organizations like
the Spider Society
, the Exiles travel the Marvel Comics Multiverse helping right the wrongs of the often twisted realities they encounter. The early versions of the team were random grab-gabs of uncanny but familiar heroes and villains, whose stories took them across numerous What If…? style realities. Because the Exiles were explicitly comprised of mostly non-Earth-616 characters, the series’ writers are allowed to break many of the unspoken Marvel rules of conduct, to essentially see what sticks. However, Marvel hasn’t released any new Exiles comics since its last run concluded in 2019.
Marvel Can Use A New Exiles Team, Including Crusaders, To Explore Contemporary Topics
What If… Crusader Met Hydra Captain America?
If Marvel were ever to bring Crusader back from the obscure annals of the pre-2000s What If…? comics, it should be in a new Exiles series; Sarah Rogers is admittedly very overpowered, especially for her age, but is perfectly suited to joining the fantastical ranks of the Exiles. Alongside odder characters like the MCU’s Valkyrie and a chibi Wolverine or more sinister allies like Iron Lad or the
Age of Apocalypse
variant of Sabretooth, Crusader would be in good, wacky, company for their journeys beyond the reaches of space and time.
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Marvel has the chance to tell some amazing Exiles stories with Crusader; the team could face evil variants of Sarah’s parents, like Hydra Captain America. Crusader could have a chance to forge her own identity, separate from the legacy of her parents, while interactions with versions of them could spark an emotionally rich journey fans would gravitate toward Just in the few years since the last Exiles series’ conclusion, the Marvel Universe has faced dozens of new apocalyptic threats that the team, including Captain America and Rogue’s alternate reality daughter, could face on their own.
What If…?#114 is available now from Marvel Comics.
“}]] Bring back Cap & Rogue’s daughter, Marvel. Read More