| For alternate versions of the Battle in the Valkyrie, see the Battle in the Valkyrie's Event Hub |
- "Why did you have to crash the plane, anyway?"
"Bombs on board."
"'Bombs on board'... And you couldn't have jumped out of the plane before you crashed it?" - ―James Rhodes and Steve Rogers[src]
The Battle in the Valkyrie was the final battle that Captain America participated in during World War II, where he battled and finally defeated Red Skull aboard the Valkyrie bomber-plane that was en route to destroy the United States of America.
Background[]
- "I'm going after Schmidt. I'm not gonna stop till all of HYDRA is dead or captured."
- ―Steve Rogers to Peggy Carter[src]
Captain America, the Howling Commandos, and the Strategic Scientific Reserve managed to destroy many HYDRA bases across Europe and thwarted many of their attacks. Unable to locate Johann Schmidt and his headquarters, Captain America and the Commandos went to attack the Schnellzug EB912, a train transporting Arnim Zola.
In the attack, Gabe Jones succeeded in capturing Zola, but Bucky Barnes, Steve Rogers' best friend, fell off the train and down the mountain and was presumed dead. Zola eventually confessed to Colonel Chester Phillips that Red Skull was planning to attack the United States of America, and gave out his location.
Rogers prepared to attack HYDRA at their headquarters with support of the Howling Commandos and the Strategic Scientific Reserve to infiltrate the base allowing being captured to masquerade a full frontal assault.
Red Skull managed to escape in the Valkyrie, and Colonel Phillips and Peggy Carter took Red Skull's car and used it to chase the plane and get Rogers onto it. Before jumping to the plane, Rogers and Carter shared their first and last kiss.[4]
Battle[]
- "You could have the power of the gods! Yet you wear a flag on your chest and think you fight a battle of nations! I have seen the future, Captain. There are no flags!"
"Not my future!" - ―Red Skull and Captain America[src]
Captain America boarded the Valkyrie and located a number of HYDRA Parasits, a series of piloted Tesseract-powered atomic bombs meant to decimate major cities in the United States of America, including New York City, Rogers' hometown.
Captain America fights on a HYDRA Parasit
Rogers disabled several of the bombs and defeated their pilots, but as he was trying to stop the one for Chicago, he was stopped by a HYDRA Soldier and fell out of the Valkyrie with the bomb. Rogers managed to knock one of the soldiers into the propeller and eject the pilot. Avoiding fire from the plane's cannons, Rogers flew the bomb back onto the ship.
Grabbing his shield, Rogers headed for the bridge, where he was attacked from behind by Red Skull with a Arnimhilation 99L Assault Weapon. Rogers blocked the blast with his shield and knocked the rifle from Red Skull's hands, dropping his shield in the process.
The two of them fought hand to hand and knocked the controls, causing the plane to plummet until Red Skull reengaged the auto-pilot. The plane leveled off and Red Skull fired at Rogers with his HYDRA Pistol. Rogers grabbed his shield and threw it into Red Skull's chest, knocking him into the Tesseract's containment device. Red Skull picked up the Tesseract, but the cube opened a wormhole and transported him[4] to the planet Vormir.[5] The active Tesseract then melted through the steel floors and fell out of the Valkyrie, where it landed in the Atlantic Ocean below.[4]
Aftermath[]
Captain America's Sacrifice[]
Peggy Carter is heartbroken
- "Please, don't do this. We have time, we can work it out."
"Right now, I'm in the middle of nowhere. If I wait any longer a lot of people are going to die. Peggy... This is my choice." - ―Peggy Carter and Captain America[src]
Even though Captain America defeated Red Skull, the Valkyrie was still on autopilot, flying towards New York City. Rogers managed to contact the HYDRA Headquarters with a radio connected to the Valkyrie. The radio was answered by Jim Morita, but he was interrupted by Peggy Carter. He told her that Red Skull had died and that he had to land the plane in the ocean. They talked until he finally crashed the plane into the Arctic. Howard Stark went looking for him in a submarine but only found the Tesseract.[4]
Captain America's Return[]
Nick Fury tells Captain America the truth
- "Sorry about that little show back there, but we thought it best to break it to you slowly."
"Break what?"
"You've been asleep, Cap. For almost seventy years." - ―Nick Fury and Steve Rogers[src]
Nearly 70 years after these events, Steve Rogers' frozen body was found and freed from the ice by S.H.I.E.L.D.. When Rogers awakened, they tried to trick him into thinking that he was still in the 1940s in order to control how he discovered the truth, knowing he would be devastated. This trick failed and Rogers ran outside, discovering that he was in modern-day New York City. He met Nick Fury, who told him that he helped save the world in the 1940s.[4]
Fate of Red Skull[]
Johann Schmidt would also survive the battle being instead transported to the planet Vormir. He would remain stranded there, tasked with guarding the Soul Stone for over seventy years, until he was visited by Thanos and his adopted daughter Gamora, the former of which who was seeking the Stone.[5]
Appearances[]
In chronological order:
- Captain America: The First Avenger
- Captain America: The First Avenger Adaptation (concurrent events)
- The Avengers (flashback; concurrent events)
- Marvel One-Shot: Agent Carter (flashback; concurrent events)
- Agent Carter
- Season One
- Now is Not the End (flashback; concurrent events)
- Season One
- The Avengers Prelude: Fury's Big Week (flashback; concurrent events)
- Avengers: Infinity War Prelude (flashback; concurrent events)
- Captain America: The Winter Soldier (indirectly mentioned)
- Avengers: Infinity War (mentioned)
- Avengers: Endgame Prelude (mentioned; concurrent events)
- Avengers: Endgame (mentioned; mentioned in deleted scene)
- She-Hulk: Attorney at Law
- Season One
- A Normal Amount of Rage (indirectly mentioned)
- Season One