Captain America: Collin Kelly, Jackson Lanzing, and Tochi Onyebuchi Set the Stage for Cold War (Exclusive)

Steve's Mental State Heading Into Cold War

ComicBook.com: What is Cap's mental state heading into Cold War? He seems like he's still reeling from the Bucky Barnes betrayal.

Collin Kelly: That's exactly right. At the end of our New Invaders arc, Jack and I left Steve in a moment of being forced to confront the cruelty of Bucky's choices. After the death of Roger Aubrey, one of their oldest allies, it has been made irrevocably clear that his best friend and brother is now on the other side of the field. But we also looked to ground him by bringing Sharon back into his life – and now his long-lost son, Ian. So yes, while he is still on his back foot, Cap is no longer in disbelief – he understands that Bucky has made his choice, and now both of them have to live with the consequences.

Jackson Lanzing: Yeah, Steve's done trying to get Bucky back onto the side of the angels. It's time to go into hell and take Bucky down, whatever the cost.

Peggy Carter's Return

Bucky's first move in the Century Game was to bring back Peggy Carter. Was this just to distract Steve, or is there more of an ulterior motive at play?

Lanzing: Oh, Peggy's involvement in the Century Game goes much deeper. Like Bucky, she's been used as a Starpoint for most of her life without her knowledge – so Bucky is offering her a way to help him turn the table in their favor. She's not a distraction. She's his spy. And she's growing to understand Bucky Barnes in a way no one else has, even if that's meant giving into some of her darkest impulses and abilities.

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Bucky and the White Wolf

It's poetic that Cold War will see Bucky working with White Wolf after he adopted that mantle in the MCU. How has it been writing their interactions?

Tochi Onyebuchi: It's been a neat bit of cosmic choreography. I think I discovered Hunter around the time or immediately after Bucky began being referred to as White Wolf in the MCU, but I hadn't thought of the connection until just now. If, somehow, Hunter makes an appearance in Black Panther 7 or something, they'll have to come up with a different moniker for him, I guess. Seriously, though, writing those two characters interacting is always interesting because I'm always fascinated by character dynamics of temporary alignment. There's always trouble in Paradise, and I like trouble.

Adding to the Captain America Mythology

When crafting a story of this magnitude, how do you approach adding to the mythology of a character that's been around for over 80 years?

Kelly: First, let's expand the scope – Steve, Bucky and Sam are all woven into the same mythology, the same legacy that is Captain America. As for how we approach it – with humility, obviously, but also with a lifetime of passion for these characters. Returning to the story that we really started in Captain America #0, this is our chance to reunite our heroes and do our best to actually move them forward in an impactful, emotional way.

Lanzing: This was also an opportunity to dig into an aspect of the mythology that's been left behind for far too long: Dimension Z. Rick Remender's landmark run took Steve into some truly bizarre territory and we're excited to re-engage with it with an eye towards how it challenges Steve Rogers, the recently-returned Ian… and now Sam Wilson as well!

Onyebuchi: What's interesting about Sam is that, even though he's been a part of the Cap mythos for so long, his interaction with the Marvel Universe as Cap is relatively small. Which means there's all this territory we get to explore, as far as what he means as Cap to different people. That's some of what made writing the Doom and Deadpool cameos in Sam's first arc so much fun, same with the T'Challa throwdown. But while much of Symbol of Truth has been about carving a path for Sam, Collin and Jackson are absolutely right that all these characters exist in the same pantheon. There's always going to be the question of how Steve and Sam approach being Cap differently, and Cold War has been a wonderful opportunity to really and truly bring that question to the fore. In dramatic, emotional and satisfying fashion.

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Sharon Carter's New Look

We just got the news that Sharon Carter is getting a new costume after the most recent events in Sentinel of Liberty. What can fans expect out of her evolution in not only Cold War, but Sentinel of Liberty moving forward?

Lanzing: All I'll say is this: it's not just a new costume. It's a promise.

Ian Rogers Returns as Nomad, and Falcon's Fate

It was a pleasant surprise to see Ian Rogers return as Nomad. Why was Symbol of Truth the right place for his reintroduction, instead of a reunion with his father, Steve Rogers?

Onyebuchi: Ian was Sam's first partner [as Captain America], so we knew there'd be some complicated emotions for Sam. Ian's return also happened on the heels of Sam losing Falcon during the attack on the Mohanndan Prime Minister, so Sam's struggling not only with his complicated feelings towards Ian and what issues that raises regarding Steve but also his own feelings about having a partner to begin with. Reintroducing Ian this way also gives Ian space to stand outside of Steve's shadow for a bit and we're forced to ask ourselves why exactly did he not immediately let Steve know he was alive.

How worried should fans be about Falcon/Joaquin Torres? He's in a pretty bad state at the moment with his vampiric mutation.

Onyebuchi: My heart breaks for Joaquín. Ooof. We should be very worried. :: crying emoji ::

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Sam and Steve Fight

The cover of Symbol of Truth #13 shows a brawl between Sam and Steve. Can you discuss what brings these two close friends to blows?

Sam and Steve have very different philosophies of what it means to be Captain America. On the surface, both of them look like selfless stewards of the American Ideal. But both have different experiences in America and different pictures in their head of the American Ideal. During the course of Cold War, some hard questions get asked about what it means to hold the shield. And, well...

More Surprise Guest Stars

Team Sam Cap continues to grow, with Misty Knight returning, Ian Rogers, and of course Falcon. Are there any plans to keep adding to the cast with some more additions? I know I'd love to see a reunion between Sam and the most recent Patriot.

Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan. (And I'll leave my answer at that, haha.)

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