In the waking world, Captain America managed to do well enough to warrant another attempt. Captain America II: Death Too Soon first aired in the fall 1979, leading into 'Salem's Lot funny enough. So, assuming I had some pull at NBC back at the day, what would I do?
We see a black and white flashback to the war. Captain America (Reb Brown) and Bucky (Jackie Earle Haley) are fighting against hordes of Nazi stormtroopers, but they're slowly overrun. A sinister shadow falls over them, in which we see a flash of red before Steve Rogers (Brown) wakes up.
He's been living in basically a retirement village. All his neighbors are senior citizens, some of whom find it odd that an young man is not only so polite but has an interest in big bands and Jimmy Durante. His apartment is also a throw back (big radio, no TV, etc.). Dr. Mills (Len Birman) is concerned that Rogers isn't adjusting to the modern day, but Dr. Day (Connie Sellecca) insists that Steve needs more time.
Steve's been mostly working various odd jobs around the neighborhood and painting portraits on the side. When his neighbor Mrs. Shaw (Susan French) mentions that a group of hoods are rolling the seniors when they get their monthly checks, Steve steps up and beats the bums.
Mills has other problems though; it seems one of his scientists has gone missing. Professor Ilson has vanished, shortly before he was due to testify before the Senate too. Mills and Steve check out the man's remote lab and find it trashed. They do find a message though. Ilson managed to scribble MIGU under a table.
We see Ilson. He's currently being held at a supermax prison. He wasn't arrested though. No, it seems the prison is currently by General Miguel (Christopher Lee). He took over the prison complex and staffed it with his own men. He also wants the good professor to hurry up and finish work on his project.
Mills and Cap are looking for Ilson though, and his project might be the key. All Mills knows is that Ilson was trying to recreate a biological weapon from the war, but there were no notes on it. One of the key components is a rare flower only found in Central America. It's rare and highly illegal.
All of the flowers were burned in Ilson's lab, so they know whoever took them will need more. Checking the shipping manifests reveals one boat came in from Ecuador that morning. Steve heads down to the yards to check it out.
He seems a strange red powder leaking from a create. One of the ship's crew sees him and attacks. he introduces himself to Cap. His name is Batroc, Batroc ze Leaper (John Saxon)! and soon Cap is having to fight off the entire ship. The crate is loaded onto a separate truck and driven off as Cap has the crew arrested. Batroc escapes with the crate though, but Cap finds out his destination.
The quaint town of Bellville is home to the supermax prison. It also seems to be a ghost town, populated by a few thugs. Steve runs into them on the road in and wrecks his van. He's taken by Helen and her son. He rest for a bit on their farm outside of town and gets some info. Basically the prison was the main job supplier but it shutdown. It seemed to open back up but no goes in or out anymore. Her son Pete is taken with Steve, but freaks out when his lamb goes missing. Steve finds it, or rather something like it. It's hideously deformed, scarred and bright red. This makes Steve flashback to the war. "No, it's impossible!"
A similarly deformed cat is sent to DC. Unless certain demands are met, then the entire city of Portland will be next. Steve is spotted in town and picked up by the sheriff. Seems when Miguel took over the prison, he started pumping funky chemicals into the water. Unless everyone in town gets a booster shot regularly they'll end up like that lamb. No one can move or say anything...but Steve's new here. If he could maybe escape and get word out?
Steve obliges and makes a get away in the sheriff's car. He gets back to his van and changes to Captain America and readies his bike. He races back to town and storms the prison. He fights his way through the guards and red faced Dobermans before crashing into the warden's office.
"Ah Captain, excellent to see you again." Miguel pours himself a drink as Chopin's Funeral March plays in the background.
"That voice...it can't be!"
Miguel picks up a red skull faced masked. "Surprised? I was trapped in a bunker near the war's end when an experimental gas flooded it. The gas kept me in suspended animation until I was revived a few years ago. In that time I've gone through many names; currently my men know me as General Miguel but for old time's sake..."
"The Red Skull!" Cap launches himself at the Skull and the two fight. Batroc sees the fight but doesn't intervene. The Skull gases Cap and orders him tied up downstairs. Batroc follows orders but when alone with the Captain, he unlocks his cell door. "Batroc never breaks a contract, but my orders were to take you to a cell. Having done so, I consider my employment terminated." He leaves a vial marked antidote before he leaves.
Cap fights his way out of the prison and chases after the Skull. He wrecks the car with his bike's missiles and chases him into the woods. "We're more alike than you think Captain!" the Skull's voice taunts him. "Both orphans of the Great War, both made into symbols for our countries." The Skull tries to ambush Cap but only stabs his helmet stuck on a branch.
They eye each other from across the wood. They both charge, with the Skull pulling out a vial of red death and tossing it just as Cap throws his shield. The vial explodes into the Skull's face, shriveling his head to that of a red skull. Cap grimly picks up his shield.
Soon the antidote is passed out to the town and Cap heads back to Mills and Day.
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