The son of Captain America’s co-creator, Jack Kirby, strongly condemned the insurrectionists who invaded the Capitol last week using or brandishing symbols of the Marvel superhero, saying his father would have been “absolutely nauseated” at the sight.
In a statement issued for Jake Tapper, CNN reporter, Neal Kirby, 72, said he was “shocked and mortified” to see Trump supporters dressed in Captain America costumes or displaying his iconic star shield on January 6. His father Jack, along with Joe Simon, created Captain America in 1941, with the first issue of the comic showing the famous superhero punching Adolf Hitler in the face.
“Captain America has been a symbol and protector of our democracy and the rule of law for the past 79 years,” wrote Kirby. “He was raised by two Jewish boys from New York who hated Nazis and hated bullies. Captain America defended the oppressed and, as history was written, even before he gained strength and prosecution from Army scientists, he always defended what was just and never gave up. “
While watching the footage of the Capitol attack on January 6, he wrote: “I thought I saw someone wearing a Trump / Captain America T-shirt! I was shocked and mortified. I think I even took a quick look at someone with a Captain America shield. A quick Google search revealed Trump as Captain America on t-shirts, posters and even a flag!
“These images are disgusting and shameful. Captain America is the absolute antithesis of Donald Trump. Where Captain America is selfless, Trump is selfish. Where Captain America fights for our country and democracy, Trump fights for personal power and autocracy. Where Captain America is with the common man, Trump is with the powerful and privileged. Where Captain America is brave, Trump is a coward. Captain America and Trump couldn’t be more different. “
Kirby said her father, who died in 1994, and Simon, who died in 2011, would have been “absolutely disgusted by these images”.
“These images are an insult to the memories of both. If Trump had the qualities and character of Captain America, the White House would be a shining symbol of truth and integrity, not a fiery pit of lies and hypocrisy. ” he added. “Several of our presidents had the same values as Captain America. Trump is not one of them ”.
In Kirby: King of Comics, biographer Mark Evanier described an incident in which Kirby received a call at the offices of Timely Comics, which would become Marvel: “A voice on the other side said, ‘There are three of us in the lobby. We want to see the guy who makes this disgusting comic and show him what the real Nazis would do with Captain America. To the horror of the others in the office, Kirby rolled up his sleeves and went down the stairs. The people who called, however, were already gone when he arrived. “
Marvel has yet to comment on the use of Captain America’s iconography by the rebels, nor on the use of the skull logo made famous by the Punisher, another Marvel character. The skull has been worn by US police in their uniforms for years and has come to mean white supremacy and vigilantism in their ranks. In 2020, character creator Gerry Conway launched a Black Lives Matter fundraiser in an effort to remove the symbol from the far right.
In an interview with Syfy, Punisher writer Garth Ennis called those who invaded Capitol “idiots”.
“People who use the logo in this context are kidding themselves, as are the cops who used it in the summer,” he said. “What they really want is to wear a seemingly scary symbol on a T-shirt, shed their weight a little, then go home with their wife and children and resume their daily lives. They didn’t think more about the Punisher symbol than the idiots I saw [on Wednesday], those who wave the stars and stripes while invading the Capitol building. “