Marvel held one of their "Next Bg Thing" press calls today. Writer Nick Spencer and Executive Editor Tom Brevoort were in attendance to discuss the fallout of the Avengers Standoff crossover and the impending launch of Captain America: Steve Rogers. How does Steve Rogers feel about having his youth and strength restored? How will the two Captains America co-exist going forward? What part will Steve Rogers play in Civil War II? These were just some of the topics Spencer and Brevoort addressed.

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The New Series Looks Fantastic

captain america steve rogers preview 5 IMAGES

Marvel Wasn't Ready to Bring Back Steve Rogers

Steve and Sam Will Be on Friendly Terms

Steve Rogers Is the Switzerland of Civil War II

Red Skull Is Rebuilding Hydra

S.H.I.E.L.D. Is Facing Upheaval

The New Quasar Is a Big Player

Scroll down to see what we learned during the call and feast your eyes on some newly revealed interior art from Captain America: Steve Rogers artist Jesus Saiz.Jesus Saiz recently made the jump to Marvel, illustrating one of the opening chapters of the Avengers Standoff crossover and designing a brand new costume for the Star-Spangled Avenger. Now he'll be helping Spencer to launch Marvel's second concurrent Captain America series. Brevoort praised Saiz's work, saying the the artist has reached a new level of storytelling ability with this project. "People say this all the time but this is genuine. Jesus Saiz took a real leap forward. Whether it's just he's energized to be at Marvel or on Captain America or part of Standoff, his work has never looked better."But you don't have to take Brevoort's word for it. Check out this gallery of several unlettered pages from the Captain America FCBD Special and Captain America: Steve Rogers #1:It's not exactly surprising that Marvel is making Steve Rogers Captain America again mere days before Captain America: Civil War hits theaters. What is surprising, however, is that apparently this wasn't part of the original plan. Brevoort noted that Marvel actually planned on leaving Steve as a powerless senior citizen for a while longer. It was Spencer who campaigned for the change to happen now in time for the character's 75th anniversary."No one will ever believe that," admitted Spencer. "We've said it a million times, but every time I do a show, people are still convinced that it was handed down. It was my idea completely. I felt like the 75th was something we couldn't pass up and it was the moment to do it. There's a lot of great story to have with two Captain Americas, and Sam is a central part of the story. We have big plans for him."Spencer has focused a great deal in his early issues of Captain America: Sam Wilson on the growing rift between Sam Wilson and Steve Rogers. Though Steve willingly passed the mantle and the shield to his old partner, he hasn't exactly seen eye to eye with Sam and the various political stances he's taken during his tenure as Captain America.However, look for their friendship to return now that Steve is back in top physical shape. And expect plenty of interconnectivity between the two books. Spencer said, "Every since we showed the rift, we said both characters weren't comfortable with the distance and how it played out. They're eager to work together again and will be a part of each other's book and story. Steve shows up in Captain America: Sam Wilson #9, and Sam will show up in Steve's in fairly short order. They're all in each other's orbits. The same is true of Bucky. They're all reconnected as a result of Standoff."Spencer also elaborated on the new support team that Steve will be gathering in his series. That team will include Sharon Carter (who is struggling with the fact that she's now physically older than Steve) and Rick Jones (who is serving out a sentence for his political crimes as The Whisperer). That team will include other characters, but Spencer declined to reveal their names just yet. When asked, Spencer did note that he requested permission to use Ian Zola. "I've asked for everyone," the writer said.One thing that was made very clear from the press call is that Steve Rogers will play a very different role in Civil War II compared to the original mini-series. Not only won't he be one of the figureheads of this battle between heroes, he'll be doing his best to remain neutral in the conflict. According to Spencer, Steve is the "Switzerland" of this particular war. "His desire is to end the fighting. He doesn't want a second civil war because he knows the cost of it. He's trying to be Switzerland. It may not be that easy as it goes on. It's going to be challenging for him to remain on the sidelines. His position is that heroes should work together and if we're divided, things will fall apart. That's what he's trying to get through to Tony and Carol."While both Captains America will play a role in the core Civil War II series, their respective solo series will also tie into the event (starting with June's Captain America: Sam Wilson #10 and July's Captain America: Steve Rogers #4).Spencer returned to the subject of the renewed friendship between Steve and Sam when he discussed how the two heroes will respond to the events of Civil War II. Basically, don't look for the conflict to spark a major philosophical divide between the two characters. "Sam's approach as Cap is not changing because [Steve is] back. Steve has made his piece with it and doesn't view his role as telling Sam how to do his job. He trusted him with the role and from there it's Sam's to do as he sees fit. If anything, Steve is a little worried he's taking Sam's spotlight. It was Sam's idea to share the role, and that was Sam's decision. Steve, when he was de-aged, felt completely the opposite. He thought he would go off and do something else. So no, the two are at peace with Sam's activist take and Sam will take a clearer choice in Civil War II."One major difference between Captain America: Sam Wilson and Captain America: Steve Rogers will involve the types of villains Spencer uses. Whereas Captain America: Sam Wilson has focused on newer or less familiar villains, its sister series will focus squarely on the major icons like Red Skull and Baron Zemo. Captain America: Steve Rogers will pick up where Avengers Standoff left off with both villains, as Red Skull rebuilds Hydra from the ground up and Zemo leads a captive Dr. Erik Selvig towards an unknown destination. In fact, the new series will pit the two villains against one another.Spencer spoke about his love for the Cap/Hydra feud, describing himself as "the reigning Secret Warriors fanboy" in the Marvel offices. "In terms of why they're always the perfect opponent for Steve, they're entirely ideological," said Spencer. "They're diametrically opposed to his worldview and belief system."He continued, "Red Skull has thrown out the playbook but they're the same at it's core. It's still rooted in fascism and has roots that are dark and sinister and a worldview built on control. To put that against Steve, you get something out of that. I've always wanted to firm up the bond between Red Skull and Hydra. I think there's a natural fit there that hasn't been there. Zemo built up Hydra in an old-school way, and combining it and merging it with his standard Masters of Evil approach, so it's great to have the Skull come in and stop with that and tear it down and see how Zemo reacts to that."One of the other big developments in Avengers Standoff: Assault on Pleasant Hill Omega #1 is the fact that Maria Hill is now facing the consequences of her actions as S.H.I.E.L.D. Director. In the aftermath of a scandal that resulted in the deaths of several agents, a massive supervillain jailbreak and the disappearance of sentient Cosmic Cube, the members of the World Security Council are none too happy with Ms. Hill.That particular storyline will be a major focus in Captain America: Steve Rogers. Spencer said, "Maria Hill is finally being written up. She'd finally being held accountable... Obviously the things that happened in Pleasant Hill and the Kobik program in general were sort of a new level of risk-taking for Maria, and [the World Securty Council] are clearly not happy. The trial of Maria Hill is a big story for us."Brevoort said that Hill's trial will also be explored in the pages of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and New Avengers in the months to come.One major twist in Avengers Standoff didn't directly involve Captain America at all. The finale introduced a brand new Quasar in the form of S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Avril Kincaid, with original Quasar Wendell Vaughn serving as her mentor. Spencer confirmed that the new Quasar will have a role to play in both Captain America books, but that Marvel also has more ambitious plans for the character. Spencer said to expect Quasar to appear, "not just in the Captain America books but in the broader Marvel universe over the next year or two. She's a major character. Obviously it's exciting to have a new Quasar, but where she fits and what she'll deal with are going to be really big deal stories. You'll definitely see her in the Captain America books, but there are big plans."

Jesse is a mild-mannered writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter , or Kicksplode on MyIGN