February 11, 2009 5:14 PM

Captain America Killed Outside Courthouse

(CBS/AP)  Captain America, the stars-and-stripes-wearing crimefighter, was gunned down by a sniper as he left a courthouse today. He was 66.

Or at least that's how the latest issue of the comic book series goes.

The venerable superhero — noted for wielding a shield as he'd battled Nazis, Communists and assorted evildoers in a career that began during World War II — is killed in the new Marvel comic book that hits newsstands today, as reported by the New York Daily News.

The hero was created in 1941 by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby as a foe for Adolf Hitler. Over the years, an estimated 210 million copies of "Captain America" comic books, published by New York-based Marvel Entertainment, have been sold in 75 countries.

The superhero, born Steve Rogers, was spawned when the scrawny arts student, ineligible for the army because of his poor health but eager to serve his country, agreed to a "Super Soldier Serum" injection. Armed only with his shield, his strength, his smarts and a command of martial arts, the substance made him a paragon of physical perfection — but not, alas, impervious to an assassin's bullet, as revealed today.

But resurrections are not uncommon in the world of comics, and Marvel Entertainment editor in chief Joe Quesada said a Captain America comeback wasn't impossible. The company has also said it's developing a Captain America movie.

Still, the character's death came as a blow to co-creator Simon.

"We really need him now," the 93-year-old Simon said.

© 2009 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
  • David Morgan

    David Morgan is a senior editor at CBSNews.com and cbssundaymorning.com.

Add a Comment
by XFunc_CaRteR March 8, 2007 6:12 PM EST
What a bloody joke! Jihadists are killing hundreds if not thousands, and who is the big villain that Captain America is fighting? The US government? Because they want to fight the Islamsits?

I think whoever is writing this needs to study up on Jihad. It has been around for hundreds of years. It means "Holy War". To moderate muslims it's interpreted as a spiritual "war" on the self to become a better muslim. Unfortunately, not all muslims interpret it that way...

There's a great books called "A History of Warfare", by the John Keegan, generally regarded as the foremost military historian in the world, that has a chapter on this. People should read this and learn the history of Jihad. Jihad is a *** scary thing because you face an idea, not an army. How do you fight an idea?

So as all the Dem's go rah rah, we're gonna get out of Iraq, they are stupidly unaware that that probably means that not only will Iraq fall (hey, they just have to wait for the US to pull out) but that Afghanistan will also fall, as all the Jihadists switch there attention there.
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by gossimer March 8, 2007 5:39 AM EST
No doubt the bullet was shot by a Right-wing, Religious Zealot, Bush Warmonger! Probably by Cheney, himself!
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by mitywhity March 7, 2007 7:57 PM EST
This is borderline sacrilege. If they had done this when I was a 10 year old boy I would have be shattered. Put him in ICU maybe, but not write him into the grave. I not cool with this at 38. Marvel Comics were like friends to me and the rest of us geeky kids. I am glad we had them.
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by anvilheadsix March 7, 2007 4:32 PM EST
He's dead. Yeah right. Just like when they killed Superman in 1993.
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