Captain America Isaiah Bradley

Isaiah Bradley is one of the superheroes who held the title of Captain America, but his story is starkly, and tragically, different than that of Steve Rogers. He was created 20 years ago by Axel Alonso, Robert Morales, and Kyle Baker, who introduced him in Truth: Red, White & Black #1 (January 2003).

Isaiah was born in 1920 and grew up in the Lower East Side of Manhattan. He and his wife, Faith, got married in 1940, then after Pearl Harbor was bombed, he enlisted in the military. A few months later, his battalion of black soldiers at Camp Cathcart became the test subjects for Project Super Soldier, which hoped to create more super soldiers like Steve Rogers.

The project was horrific from the start, first when those running it killed everyone else at Camp Cathcart and told their test subjects’ families that they had died – all to keep the project secret. Head scientist Dr. Josef Reinstein did unethical tests on the men, which ended in all but seven of them dying in the process.

The soldiers were sent to Germany to stop a supply shipment heading to Camp Schwarzebitte. One by one the other soldiers perished until Isaiah was the sole survivor on what became a suicide mission. He found a Captain America costume and wore it into battle, then he was captured while trying to free captors at Schwarzebitte. On the way to Auschwitz, the anti-Nazi resistance attacked, and he was freed.

Isaiah was returned to the Allies and taken back to the US where he was court martialed for stealing the Captain America costume. He received a sentence of life in prison for the trumped up charge, which was really a way for the government to keep him quiet and out of the public eye.

After 17 years spent in solitary confinement, combined with the effects of the imperfect serum, left Isaiah with brain damage. Despite attempts to keep his story secret, black communities spread stories about the Black Captain America. Faith, who had finally been told that her husband was actually still alive, persistently wrote letters to President Eisenhower asking for his freedom. The president pardoned Isaiah and he was released to the care of his family who were sworn to secrecy.

Steve Rogers finally learned about Isaiah, the experiments that were done to him, and the unfair imprisonment he’d suffered. Steve tracked him down and gave Isaiah the Captain America costume he’d worn when he attacked Schwarzebitte. When Bucky Barnes became Captain America, he also visited Isaiah to pay respect and talk to him about his experiences. After several decades of carrying a secret legacy, the world at large learned about his heroics and what he’d been put through.