Marvel Officially Announces Name Of New Captain America

Published Nov 11, 2026, 9:30 AM EST

Robert Wood is a writer and editor based out of Cheshire, England. He is the author of 'The False Elephant: and 99 Other Unreasonably Short Stories' - 100 stories, each told in exactly 100 words.

Rob got into comics via Bendis' Ultimate Spider-Man and the UK anthology 'The Mighty World of Marvel,' which was running Frank Miller's Daredevil, Classic Hulk and Contest of Champions II.

Prior to journalism, he worked in copywriting and copyedited for Oxford University Press. He is on X as @PinchTwigs and Instagram as roobwoodjourno.

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Spoilers for Captain America #17 below.

Marvel has announced its new Captain America, giving Steve Rogers, Bucky Barnes and Sam Wilson a modern successor. The new Captain will wear Steve's classic costume and wield the shield,

While Steve Rogers was the original Captain America (at least in the real world), a lot more people have held the title than most fans think. Even ignoring the nationwide 'Captains Network' and Steve's direct protégés, others like William Burnside and Jeff Mace took the identity when Steve was in the ice.

Indeed, the new Captain America is someone who has used the identity before, during the darkest period of Steve Rogers' life...

Grant Rogers Has Stolen the Captain America Identity

Today's Captain America #17 - from Chip Zdarsky, Ton Lima, Rod Fernandes and Joe Caramagna - is a bizarre read. As Captain America goes on the run with Vic - a young clone of Doctor Doom - he starts espousing some unusual opinions. Cap tells Vic that God gave America to modern-day Americans, and even seems to hint he supports the concept of Manifest Destiny.

The final twist of the issue pays off this strange characterization by revealing this isn't Steve Rogers - it's Grant Rogers, Steve's duplicate who seized control of Hydra and the world in the Secret Empire event. An alt-history copy of Steve created by a Cosmic Cube, Grant Rogers is just as competent as Captain America, but with a fascist outlook that sees him constantly scheming to get the world under his thumb.

Last seen adopting the 'Flag-Smasher' identity in West Coast Avengers, Grant has stolen Steve's shield while he was in a coma and is posing as Captain America in an Odyssey across the country.

Grant Is Raising An American Doctor Doom

The darkest part of Grant Rogers taking the Captain America name is that he has Vic in tow. Vic is a clone of Doctor Doom raised in Latveria, who fled his 'destiny' after learning that Doctor Doom was a dictator. He trusts Steve as his liberator, and is following the hero both to stay out of SHIELD's clutches and in an effort to avoid becoming like his creator.

That makes Vic tragically vulnerable to Grant's brainwashing, and it's clear that the new Captain America is on a mission to train Vic up and give America its own Doctor Doom. Thankfully, the issue ends with Steve discovering Grant has stolen his identity, giving him a chance to rescue Vic.

The Knomads Give Grant His Own Hydra

One of the most disturbing aspects of the Grant Rogers reveal is that he already has an organization backing him up. The issue includes a brief scene showing that Tony Stark has been kidnapped by a nationalist group named the Knomads, taking their name from Steve Rogers' codename when he briefly swore off representing America in the '70s.

Valerio Schiti and Rod Fernandes' cover for Captain America #18 shows Grant Rogers' Captain America and Vic stood in front of Knomad soldiers, suggesting that he gathered this group long before he took the shield, and has been working on a secret uprising for a significant period of time.

Future issues of Captain America tease that "one of Captain America's greatest villains has rewritten history," suggesting that Grant Rogers is back to his Secret Empire tactics of trying to alter reality to put himself on top. Steve Rogers, Iron Man and Vic will have to reckon with Grant Rogers' world - one in which the Captain America identity and Steve Rogers' very face have been turned into the ultimate symbol of evil.