Fallen Son: Death of Captain America (Comics) | Review

How do you process the death of someone who represented everything good about humanity? Fallen Son: The Death of Captain America tackles that impossible question through the lens of Marvel's most iconic heroes, each struggling to accept that Steve Rogers is gone.

Published in 2007 as a direct response to Ed Brubaker's shocking Captain America #25, where Steve Rogers died on the courthouse steps after Civil War, this five-issue miniseries became more than just an event tie-in. It transformed into something genuinely affecting.

Written by Jeph Loeb (Superman/Batman: Public Enemies, Superman/Batman: Supergirl from Krypton), the series uses Elisabeth Kübler-Ross' five stages of grief as its structural foundation: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance represented through different heroes.

Five legendary illustrators bring the stages to life: David Finch (Brightest Day, Ultimatum), Ed McGuinness (Nova: Nova Corpse, Nova: Origin), John Cassaday, John Romita Jr. (Iron Man: Armor Wars II, Iron Man: Doomquest) and Leinil Francis Yu (Superman: Birthright, X-Men: Operation Zero Tolerance) each handling one issue.

Issue one opens with Wolverine refusing to believe Captain America is dead. Logan knows how stories work in their world. People come back. He recruits Daredevil and Doctor Strange to infiltrate the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier where Cap's body is held, determined to prove it's fake.

The infiltration sequence plays out with tension. Doctor Strange cloaks them in invisibility. Daredevil's senses guide them through security. When they reach the holding chamber and interrogate Crossbones, the man who pulled the trigger, Wolverine gets the confirmation he's been dreading. That's Steve Rogers in the coffin.

Issue two shifts to anger, splitting focus between two groups processing rage differently. The Mighty Avengers take out their frustration on Tiger Shark, who's stolen the Horn of Gabriel from Atlantis. The fight becomes cathartic violence, heroes channeling grief into punches.

Meanwhile, Ben Grimm hosts a poker game with the underground New Avengers in a closed barbershop. Cards get dealt. Tensions rise steadily. Someone makes a comment about whether Cap is really dead and the room explodes into brawling. Everyone needs to hit something, anything, to make the pain stop for a moment.

Bargaining arrives in issue three with Clint Barton, the recently resurrected Hawkeye who died during Avengers Disassembled and came back during House of M. Tony Stark approaches him with an offer: take up the Captain America mantle. Wear the costume. Carry the shield.

Barton initially accepts, donning the suit and carrying the shield on patrol. But when he confronts Kate Bishop and Patriot from the Young Avengers, who accuse him of disgracing Cap's memory by trying to replace him, reality crashes down. Kate wore the Hawkeye name to honor Clint, not to replace him. The distinction matters.

Depression consumes issue four, centering on Spider-Man wearing his black suit in mourning. Peter Parker gets jumped by the Rhino in a vicious beatdown. Spider-Man flashes back to an earlier fight where Captain America intervened, turning the tide through tactical brilliance.

This time, no one's coming to save him. Peter realizes he has to be his own Captain America now, channeling Steve's determination to will himself back to his feet despite broken ribs and internal bleeding. He defeats Rhino using the same techniques Cap used: patience, strategy, enduring until his opponent makes a mistake.

The final issue brings acceptance through Tony Stark organizing a funeral at Arlington National Cemetery. But that's the public ceremony, the performance for a nation that needs closure. The real funeral happens afterward in the Arctic, where Steve Rogers' body will rest.

Namor appears, promising that as long as he rules the oceans, Steve will rest undisturbed. The collected heroes gather, saying private goodbyes as the casket sinks into the frozen depths. Janet Van Dyne asks Tony if this means the old era is finally over, if a new age must begin.

Throughout all five issues, Loeb weaves in flashbacks to Steve Rogers in action. We see him during World War II with the Howling Commandos. We see him leading Avengers through impossible situations. These aren't nostalgic montages. They're reminders of what the Marvel Universe lost: a moral center who made everyone better.

Five artists handling five issues creates inevitable stylistic whiplash but each choice serves the emotional tone. Leinil Francis Yu's scratchy, shadowy line work for the denial issue makes everything feel uncertain and unstable, mirroring Wolverine's refusal to accept reality.

Ed McGuinness brings kinetic energy to the anger issue with exaggerated proportions and dynamic action sequences. Characters hit harder. Bodies fly further. The violence feels cathartic, grief channeled into destruction. His poker game brawl becomes chaos, capturing how anger needs release regardless of a target.

John Romita Jr. handles bargaining with his trademark blocky approach. David Finch illustrates depression with detailed realism that makes every punch painful. John Cassaday closes with acceptance, bringing clean, cinematic style to the funeral issue, dignified and respectful.

Loeb's writing carries personal weight from understanding grief intimately. His dialogue favors smaller, honest moments over grand speeches. Characters stumble over words or say nothing at all. The structure uses grief stages as guidance rather than restriction.

Fallen Son: The Death of Captain America accomplishes something difficult for event tie-ins: it justifies its existence beyond commercial opportunism. The series could have been a quick cash grab. Instead, Loeb and his collaborators created a genuine examination of loss that resonates beyond superhero genre conventions and event fatigue.

The five-issue structure works better than it should, with each stage of grief represented by a character whose personality makes them natural embodiments of that emotion. The rotating art teams create visual variety that enhances each issue's distinct emotional register.

Personal grief clearly informs Loeb's approach. Having lost his son Sam two years before writing this series, he brings authenticity to how grief doesn't follow neat timelines or offer resolution. Characters don't heal by the final page. They simply reach a point where they can acknowledge Steve is gone and consider what comes next.

The series also functions as effective connective tissue between Captain America #25, where Steve dies and the eventual reveal of Bucky Barnes taking up the shield in Captain America #34. It gives the Marvel Universe some time to process the loss before moving forward.

You can find Fallen Son: The Death of Captain America as trade paperback or hardcover physical editions via local comic-book shops, Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Digital editions are also available on ComiXology, Kindle and Marvel Unlimited– offering full access to the five-issue arc exploring the aftermath of Captain America's death.