Chapter 144: Captain America 1
In 1943,
A sleek black sedan cruised along a narrow street in New York City.
It was an exceptionally elegant vehicle, its design slightly ahead of its time, and its tires drastically different from the standard issue.
Like a black swan landing among chickens, every movement it made drew attention.
The car rolled steadily through the New York landscape. Women in floral dresses and cloche hats glanced at it, some gasping in surprise, their eyes filled with astonishment.
Privacy windows didn't exist in this era—they wanted to peek through the glass to see who was driving such an impressive vehicle, but the tinted windows blocked their view.
Inside the car, Jake was driving, and a young girl holding a black cat sat in the passenger seat.
"It's incredible!" Matilda exclaimed, her eyes wide as she looked out at the 1940s American buildings and the period clothing people wore.
"Truly remarkable," said the black cat she was holding. "You didn't get sick this time."
"Hey, Princess!" Matilda raised the black cat high with both hands, displeased. "Why are you suddenly so snarky?"
"No snark—I'm just stating facts," the black cat said, elegantly sticking out its tongue and licking its lips as if yawning.
"Let's be clear: you can speak here, but once we leave this world, you'll be an ordinary black cat again," Jake said, eyes fixed on the road ahead, but not forgetting to give them both a proper warning.
"I understand," the black cat nodded its small head with a slightly dejected expression.
Suddenly she yelped, "Matilda, quickly, put me down!"
"Why?" Matilda tilted her head, seemingly confused, her hands still raised high. "Don't cats like being held up?"
"My master can see my undignified position~" the black cat wailed. "What will he think?"
"So what?" Matilda shrugged.
She casually tossed the black cat toward Jake, drawing a scolding from him. "Don't throw her around—I'm driving here."
The black cat nearly tumbled off Jake's lap, frantically stretching out her paws to grab his shirt, then climbed onto his shoulder.
"Once you're up there, behave yourself and don't interfere with my driving," Jake said, barely acknowledging the additional weight on his shoulder.
"Don't worry, Master, I'll be perfectly still," she purred, making soft chirping sounds as if chuckling, then obediently settled on Jake's shoulder, occasionally nuzzling his cheek.
The black car was his modified vehicle, and inside was Jake, who had traveled through dimensions once again.
He'd brought Matilda with him this time, partly because the young girl had been persistent, complaining about not having accompanied him on a mission in a while, and partly because he actually needed her along.
This world was Captain America: The First Avenger, based on Marvel Comics, and the inaugural film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Subsequent films like Iron Man, Thor, The Avengers, and Ant-Man were all connected to this movie, making it part of a vast interconnected film series.
With so many movies interlinked, it was clearly impossible for Jake to simply make a brief cameo appearance.
Therefore, he decided to enter this world early, establishing his presence so that his appearance and involvement wouldn't seem too abrupt when the later Avengers films unfolded.
Steve Rogers was a young man born during the Great Depression into modest circumstances.
Moved by news of Nazi aggression and destruction in Europe, he desperately wanted to enlist, but was repeatedly rejected due to his poor health and small stature.
Dr. Abraham Erskine, having recognized Rogers's true character and determination, decided to give him a chance by selecting him for "Project Rebirth."
After several weeks of testing, Rogers was injected with the Super Soldier Serum and bombarded with Vita-Rays, finally acquiring what was essentially the peak of human physical capability.
He then underwent intensive combat and tactical training.
Eventually, he took on the mantle of "Captain America," wielding an indestructible vibranium shield. Possessing enhanced abilities and a tactical mind, he threw himself into the fight against the Red Skull, ultimately thwarting the villain's plans to dominate the world, but was frozen in ice as a result—not awakening until seventy years later.
This film served as a foundational movie, a necessary setup for future installments. While Marvel's special effects were excellent, the plot heavily emphasized establishing elements for later films. Compared to movies like Iron Man, it was weaker in some aspects, but as a period piece superhero origin story, it was still quite enjoyable.
Jake's purpose in coming here was inseparable from the Super Soldier Serum. If he could obtain the formula and research data for the serum, combined with the expertise of his two scientists back at the base, he believed he could definitely create something extraordinary.
The reason he needed Matilda along was because he planned to establish his own organization in this world. Interestingly, secretive groups and hidden factions had flourished throughout the Marvel Cinematic Universe timeline.
Examples included Hydra within Nazi Germany, the Ten Rings terrorist organization, and various Soviet programs.
If he wanted to position himself advantageously for later events in the timeline—even just to have an interesting identity to work with—there was no better approach.
The reason for choosing this method wasn't excessive caution on Jake's part, but rather that the baseline power level simply wasn't high enough to accommodate something like the modern-day Iron Man technology.
This was why Captain America: The First Avenger was the earliest accessible entry point into the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The sleek vehicle moved gracefully forward when suddenly the black cat perched on Jake's shoulder raised her head, ears twitching. "Master, I'm sensing a rapid heartbeat nearby. This person's body is weak, yet they're engaged in intense physical activity, as if fighting."
This was exactly why Jake had brought the enhanced black cat—the parasite's biological simulation and evolution capabilities were unparalleled, and biological signals were hard to miss.
"Actually, it doesn't really matter whether we find that guy or not," he said, but as soon as he finished speaking, he met Matilda's pleading expression from the passenger seat—she was biting her lip, eyes wide with anticipation.
He wasn't in a rush to find Captain America, but this young girl desperately wanted to.
Especially after Jake had explained to her that countless parallel worlds offered countless possibilities, and he'd discovered a world with actual superheroes. Although the heroes there were different from the comics, there was indeed a scrawny man named Steve Rogers who would become something extraordinary.
Hearing this, how could Matilda possibly resist? She'd immediately begged Jake to take her to see Captain America.
Even though Matilda's favorite franchise was still Transformers.
It was for this reason that Jake had been driving around the streets searching for Steve—the future superhero.
The method of finding a needle in a haystack was also the simplest at this stage.
It was just unexpected that he'd only done it half-heartedly to keep the girl from complaining, but somehow the black cat had actually stumbled upon their target.
[A/N: Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) is set primarily in 1943-1945 during World War II. Steve Rogers (played by Chris Evans) is transformed from a scrawny young man into a super soldier through Dr. Erskine's serum. Jake has entered this timeline to obtain the Super Soldier Serum formula and establish his presence in the MCU timeline before the modern-day events.]
[500 Power Stones → +1 Bonus Chapter]
[10 Reviews → +1 Bonus Chapter]
Enjoyed the chapter? A review helps a lot.
P1treon: Soulforger (20+advance chapters)