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Writer Nick Spencer’s Secret Empire has been making waves in the comic book world. The book that started it all, Captain America: Steve Rogers, continues the major narrative in between issues of Secret Empire. Hydra’s supreme leader addresses the media in issue #17 this week.

***SPOILERS LIE AHEAD***

The U.S. has been aggressively taken over by Hydra. Their supreme leader, Steve Rogers, has volunteered to do an interview and address the regime change.

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He shares Hydra’s position on Inhuman camps, the sovereign Mutant territory, altering historical events, and the means by which this power was obtained. The only topic off the table is the crater he recently turned Las Vegas into.

This is exactly the tie-in issue that Secret Empire needed. Now that the concept has settled in and internet fools are up in arms, we get into the details of this event. Readers explore both what Steve shares to the public, and what actually happened.

Hydra Steve is most enjoyable the more he waves his Hydra flag. In the main event book, he’s showed some remorse and reluctance about what’s happening. In this issue, he’s all-in on Hydra propaganda and it’s highly entertaining.

The further Nick Spencer takes Steve Rogers away from his Captain America ideals, the more fun this event is. Despite misguided internet fan anger, Spencer should turn the Hydra knob to eleven and let his story reach its maximum potential.

Captain America: Steve Rogers #17 is a dark issue. Spencer gives readers a better look at what a Hydra takeover looks like, and it’s grim. On the surface, somehow Rogers has supposedly won over the public and people are more than willing to hail Hydra. Is this accurate or a symptom of Steve’s delirium?

How the world, and its superhuman champions, react to this new power will continue to be the driving force. We finally get to see how the mutants fit into this mess. The scene between Steve and Magneto is a powerful one.

Effectively taking mutants off the board and asking Magneto to stay in hiding is bold. Appointing Xorn as the mutant overseer isn’t going to sit well with the master of magnetism. One would imagine the mutant nation of New Tia won’t be silent forever.

Bringing in the reporter who previously humiliated Cap to conduct this interview pays off in a big way by issues end. Not only does Steve show how ruthless he can be, but also that he’s a bit petty as this was clearly a trap.

This characterization of supreme leader Rogers needs to be the standard for all Secret Empire books. The further committed to the concept, the more effective this experience will be in the end.

Regardless of how you feel about Cap ditching the stars & stripes, his villainy in Secret Empire is classic comic book entertainment. Nothing sticks forever, especially with knowing that Legacy is right around the corner. This is a story to be enjoyed while it lasts. Comic books are supposed to be fun after all, right?

This tie-in issue was mostly dialogue between seated characters. It’s a two-sided news report, filling us in on the details of a hostile takeover. It also wasn’t a boring read despite that. This was more exciting than any issue of Bendis’ Civil War II.

Nick Spencer may not be the best at handling scrutiny on Twitter, but he’s delivering a worthwhile Marvel event.

Where do you stand on Secret Empire? Let us know in the comments below!