Yesterday, the world was thrown for a loop when a shocking twist changed everything for Captain America in a story by writer Nick Spencer and artist Jesus Saiz. But a particular comic fan’s theory has us looking at the twist in a whole new way.

Warning: this article contains spoilers for Steve Rogers: Captain America #1!



This will be a story, most likely, of Cap's allies fighting to save Cap and his legacy -- from CAP HIMSELF. — Brett White (@brettwhite) May 26, 2016

At the end of the first issue of Steve Rogers: Captain America #1, we see Cap throw his teammate, Jack Flag, out of a jet and declare, “Hail Hydra.” Instantly, we are meant to believe that everything we’ve ever known about Cap is a lie because he’s secretly been a Hydra sleeper agent the whole time. Flashbacks in the issue support this, showing how when Steve was a child, a mysterious woman named Elisa Sinclair lured his mother to a secret Hydra meeting in order to get close enough to corrupt him.But comic journalist, comedian, and swimsuit enthusiast Brett White pointed out on Twitter that there’s a big clue to this twist: the Cosmic Cube.In a recent story called Avengers Standoff, also crafted by Spencer, we learn that there’s a little girl named Kobik who is a sentient Cosmic Cube. The Cube has long been an item of vast power, often used for nefarious means, and can even manipulate reality.Kobik doesn't seem all that bad, especially because she’s the one who gave Cap his powers back. He was drained of his super soldier serum during a fight with a villain called the Iron Nail, turning him into a wrinkly senior citizen, but now he’s young, strong, and handsome again thanks to Kobik.Want to know who else was around when all that happened? Baron Zemo. And who did Cap save on that jet as he declared his allegiance for Hydra? Baron Zemo.Exactly how Zemo could have manipulated Kobik and who (or what) Sinclair is, we don’t know, but given that Kobik has the power to alter reality, it stands to reason she could have manipulated Cap’s timeline so that he was set on the path of being a Hydra sleeper agent instead of the Sentinel of Liberty, all so Zemo could turn his greatest enemy into his most trusted ally.Kobik was even shown in this issue during a flashback, reminding the reader that there’s an all-powerful entity out there with a direct connection to Cap. With so much internet rage focused squarely on the last page, it’s easy to miss the glowing youngster with off-the-chart power levels who clearly has the ability to make such a twist happen.As for what this means for the story, White says it best.

Joshua is IGN’s Comics Editor. If Pokemon, Green Lantern, or Game of Thrones are frequently used words in your vocabulary, you’ll want to follow him on Twitter @JoshuaYehl and IGN