"I'm...home?" Rogers says in a quiet voice as he stares out the massive window, out across the sprawling skyline of New York. Unlike the MCU version, who might as well have woken up on a different planet for how much the city had changed in 70 years, this one only has to deal with about 20 years worth, but even then, there are quite a few differences from the city he grew up in. But from up here, most of them aren't visible.
Rogers shakes his head, turning back towards us "Wait, I don't understand, what do you mean 20 years?"
"Well..." I try to think of how to break this as gently as possible "Long story short, as far as we can tell, when the plane crashed, you managed to survive, but since you crashed so far north, your body froze over, and whatever crap they injected you with allowed you to survive this whole time. We found your body, like..." I glance at the clock on the wall "...about 8 hours ago. And here you are."
"Frozen? What, like Buck Rogers?"
I blink "...actually yeah, almost exactly like Buck Rogers, except this isn't a post-apocalyptic hellscape. I mean, not any more of one than it already was."
Rogers looks around the lab, still confused "I.. this is insane, 20 years?! Didn't the army come looking for me?"
"Look where, the entire northern Atlantic?" Stark cuts in "Cap, I know this all sounds crazy, but everyone thought you died, they didn't think there was anything to look for! That WE found you was mostly just luck!"
Rogers is about to say something, then stops himself "...No, you're right, there was a war on, I just... I had accepted I might die, but this... it's like something out of a pulp magazine!"
Buddy, you don't know the half of it.
He looks up suddenly "You" he looks at me "You said we won the war?"
I nod "Oh yeah, things were already pretty much just racing to the finish line when you disappeared, the Russians took down what was left of Germany, and the U.S focused on taking down Japan, and by the end of summer, it was all over. So, you know, silver lining." Of course, then we entered the pos-War period and the Cold War instead, but one shitty surprise at a time.
Rogers gives a helpless chuckle "Well... I've gotten worse news in my life." He looks up, with a curious expression "So, if you're not with the army, who are you people?"
....
"So, you're like a new version of The Invaders, then?"
Unlike DC, where the Justice Society did predate WW2, and mostly fought weird alien threats and fifth column activities until decades of retcons changed it, there were no superhero groups in Marvel until the war broke out. For some odd reason, the first real Marvel group in the comics, The All-Winners Squad, never existed here, if the history books I've been borrowing from Stark's library are correct, but the Invaders, which I know for a fact were a later invention during the 60's, did exist. As far as I've been able to research, the Invaders were a loose alliance of Allied heroes and superhumans who banded together for both actual missions, and propaganda purposes during the war. The main group had consisted of Captain America, Bucky, Namor, the Human Torch, Miss America, and the Whizzer, but they'd also included other Allied heroes like Union Jack, Blazing Skull and Spitfire at various points in the war. To no surprise, the group had fallen apart after Cap and Bucky disappeared and were presumed dead back in '45.
"I mean, only in the loosest sense..." Stark says with a shrug "We don't actually work for the government, we just banded together because there's a ton of weird crap coming out of the woodwork lately, and it's easier for us to face it as a group than on our own. There's a lot more besides Nazi spies and gangsters to punch out there these days, Cap."
Rogers has pulled off the shredded remains of his army uniform, leaving him in his Captain America costume, clutching his shield like a lifeline as he slumps in the couch he's sitting in "I've met more than a few extraordinary people during my time in the war, but this... Do everyone just have superpowers now, or what?"
Stark shakes his head "Nah, it's still pretty uncommon. Me, I got a fancy armor. Pym and Van Dyne over there" he points a thumb at them "got theirs through good old fashioned sciencing. Same with Dr.Banner, though his was a bit more accidental." He looks over at Dr. Blake "...Dr. Blake there is a complicated one. Really, Mr. Sunshine is the only one who were born with his powers."
"Well, they didn't actually kick in until I was already an adult, so the difference is pretty academic."
"We're not even the first post-war group, that title belongs to the Fantastic Four" Pym adds "They've been active for almost two years now."
Rogers nods, staring out at nothing "...do you know... I mean, was it just me and Bucky who disappeared? Do any of you know what happened to the other Invaders?"
The rest of us share an uncomfortable look. Guess we might as well just rip this band aid off and get it over with. Banner clears his throat "Well... I'm afraid things didn't turn out so well for everyone. The Human Torch disappeared in the 50's, no one's really sure WHAT happened to him..."
If the comics were right, he deactivated himself somewhere, but my trivia knowledge isn't good enough to recall exactly where.
"-and as for Namor... I'm not sure how to tell you this, Captain, but-"
"He went nutso!"
"Stark!!"
"What?! What else would you call trying to invade New York with a goddamn army of fish people?!"
I roll my eyes "What Mr. Stark is so eloquently trying to explain is that Namor went back to his old ways a few years after the war, he disappeared for years, and when he came back, he was a destructive jerk again, just like when he first showed up."
Cap blinks, trying to wrap his head around that "He always was a bit standoffish, even when we were on the same side, but I can't belive he'd actually... He really tried to INVADE New York?"
I nod "Oh yeah, had a whole army of Atlanteans with him, but the Fantastic Four managed to get him to stand down. He hasn't been seen in a while though, so who knows what he's up to now."
"And... the others?"
"That's a bit better news" Banner says "From what I've read, Whizzer and Miss America got married and settled down, same with Toro. They've pretty much stayed out of the public eye since the war ended."
Rogers smiles, looking a bit relieved "Atleast some of us got through the war in one piece." He hoists himself out of the couch, walking over to the window. "I need to find a way to get in contact with my superior officer, if he's even still alive. If I ever went awol due to a mission, I was supposed to get back in contact as soon as possible."
"With all due respect, Cap" Stark says as he moves up to join him at the window "I'm pretty sure that was if you were missing for a few days, not two decades!"
"What else am I supposed to do? They must have declared me legally dead by now, I can't just walk into the closest army base and say I'm Captain America!"
Stark gets a thoughtful look "Maybe you don't have to. There's someone I've been working with you might remember..."
....
SHIELD Helicarrier, Atlantic Ocean
"Hey, Director, we're getting a transmission you might want to hear!"
Nick Fury, formerly Sgt. Fury of the Howlin' Commandoes, looked up from the intelligence reports he had been flipping through at his desk, giving Dugan an annoyed look with his single eye "Fer the last time, Dugan, call me Sarge! I don't care what kind of ridiculous title they made me accept for this job, I ain't calling myself Director Fury for all the gold in Struckers vault!"
Dugan smirked behind his massive moustache "Sorry Sarge, but I really do think you want to take this, it's Stark!"
Fury raised an eyebrow "Stark? The hell does he want?"
"No idea, all he said was that it involved an old friend of ours. Oh, and that we're going to want to get PR on standby for some reason."
Fury rolled his eye, reaching for one of his cigars "Perfect, god knows what kind of stunt that rich boy is going to pull this time..."824