Sergeant Major Lemar Hoskins was a member of the United States Army and John Walker's partner. Once Walker became appointed as the second Captain America, Hoskins stood by his side as Battlestar. In 2024, Hoskins and Walker led the pursuit of the Flag Smashers on the behalf of the Global Repatriation Council. Along their way, they would be forced to work with Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes, who were leading their own investigation. During a skirmish with the Flag Smashers, Karli Morgenthau punched Hoskins with excessive force, killing him.
Hoskins and John Walker performed numerous courageous acts during their time in the United States Army, particularly in Afghanistan, with Walker notably earned numerous recognitions.[1] However, Hoskins and Walker remembered those days as some of the worst time of their lives.[4]
"Star-spangled man with a plan and all that. It's always been in the job description. Listen, this suit, it comes with expectations, brother. You can't just punch your way out of problems anymore, you know? Time to go to work."
Once John Walker had been recruited by the Government to replace Steve Rogers as Captain America, Hoskins had joined his friend as they returned to Custer's Grove High School to present him to the world. Before the ceremony, Hoskins went to speak to him, passing by Olivia Walker on the way into the changing room, questioning if he had thrown up yet, which Olivia denied. Hoskins then found Walker practicing his speech, as Hoskins reminded him of how he had failed his drama class.
Upon seeing him, Walker smiled and questioned if Hoskins could believe what was happening, as Hoskins reminded him about how two weeks prior, they had been prepping teams for the United States Army in Chile. Although Walker insisted that this was a great situation, he also complained to Hoskins about the amount of meetings he took and speeches he made, with Walker noting that he did not want to meet with United States Congress anymore, but he wanted to do the job he had been given.
However, Hoskins insisted that all of this was the job, calling the "Star-Spangled Man" the job description, and that Walker was always expected to attend these meetings and play the role of Captain America, being the symbol for American heroics. Hoskins looked at the uniform Walker had been given, noting how it came with expectations, meaning he could not punch his way out of problems anymore. Hoskins then told Walker that it was time for them to go to work.
With that, Hoskins then rejoined Olivia and his fellow soldiers in the High School football pitch, as Walker came out, wearing the uniform, and holding up shield, as Hoskins celebrated for his friend, watching him pose for photographs and sign autographs. Hoskins then stood by and watched Walker being interviewed by Sara Haines, who commented on his military history, and asked him about the responsibility of becoming Captain America, specifically replacing Rogers.[1]
Seeking a lead on the Flag Smashers' current location, Battlestar and Captain America had managed to gain access to Redwing's private databanks, which they used to track down Falcon and Winter Soldier to Munich, Germany, where they had already been following the Flag Smashers. Once they arrived, they flew a helicopter to Munich, where Battlestar swung into the fight, knocking Flag Smasher off her feet, before he and Captain America introduced themselves to Falcon and Winter Soldier.
During the fight, the Flag Smashers were able to gain an advantage over Battlestar and his allies, as Falcon was thrown off the truck by DeeDee, forcing him to use his EXO-7 Falcon to fly to safety, while Winter Soldier was forced to hold onto the undercarriage of the truck with his Prosthetic Arm, while Dovich then attempted to knock him off. Battlestar also soon found himself being choked out by Matias, as he called out to Captain America for some more assistance.
While Falcon and Winter Soldier came off the truck and fell behind, Captain America managed to shoot Matias, causing him to release Battlestar. However, while Gigi checked on the wounded Matias, Flag Smasher then grabbed Battlestar and kicked him off the truck, only for Captain America to throw his shield, which landed under Battlestar and saved him from the impact. As Battlestar thanked him, Captain America had attempted to fight Flag Smasher, only to be thrown off the truck.[1]
Following the clash, Hoskins and John Walker had been collected in a Jeep and driven towards the airport. Along the way, they caught up with Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes, who initially rejected their offer for a lift, as they drove alongside and discussed the situation, with Wilson noting that the Flag Smashers were super soldiers, much to Hoskins' surprise. Noting that they would still have a twenty-mile walk ahead of them, Hoskins and Walker had convinced Wilson and Barnes to accept a lift.
As they drove to the airport, Wilson explained that the Flag Smashers wanted to return the world to how it was before the Blip, with Walker noting that this Super Soldier Serum did not have a great history. As Wilson questioned how they tracked them down to Munich, Hoskins confessed that they have actually tracked Wilson and Barnes, having hacked Redwing, with Walker simply noting that as Redwing was Government property, they had been able to gain access to it.
Hoskins discusses the state of the world
As Hoskins and Walker noted how chaotic the world was, they noted that the GRC were trying to put the world back in order, with Hoskins explaining how they did this and noting that the GRC provided their resources as they kept things running smoothly. As Barnes rejected the offer to team up, Hoskins noted that they were losing to the Flag Smashers until they arrived, once Barnes and Wilson then ended the conversation and left, annoyed by Hoskins and Walker's attitudes.[1]
"Our satellites have found their symbol popping up in various displaced communities all across Central and Eastern Europe." "We think she's taking medicine she just stole to one of these camps."
Having returned to the United States of America, Hoskins had joined John Walker as they travelled to the Baltimore Police Station to free Bucky Barnes from their custody, after he had been arrested for violating his parole. Once Barnes had left the station alongside Sam Wilson, Hoskins and Walker caught their attention, as Walker once again suggested that they work together, insisting that if they divided, they would not stand a chance.
As Wilson questioned what they knew, Walker explained that Karli Morgenthau was the leader of the Flag Smashers, with Hoskins noting that they had been able to avoid detection as they travelled around the world, although they were able to track their symbols to locations across Europe. Walker noted that they believed that Morgenthau was taken their stolen medicine to displacement camps, with Barnes noting that there were hundreds of those camps across the planet.
As Barnes questioned where Morgenthau was now, Walker had to admit that they did not know, as Barnes noted that Walker clearly had a lot of pressure on him since becoming Captain America. Although they had attempted to get them to work with them again, Wilson and Barnes refused, noting that they were free agents who were more flexible. In response, Walker insisted that they stay out of their way, as he and Hoskins then walked away to continue hunting the Flag Smashers alone.[1]
"She's giving displaced people shelter and medicine. That kind of thing creates loyalty, man. I know you want this, I get it, but we've literally tried everything we can here, so has Langley. We keep drawing blanks."
Having gotten a lead on the Flag Smashers' current location, Battlestar had joined Captain America on a mission to Munich, where they arrived at the 1337 Connect, where they believed the Flag Smashers had been hiding. Once Battlestar and Captain America burst inside, alongside the GRC agents, they took Rudy into custody, with Captain America ordering Battlestar to assist him with translating his demands to Rudy.
Battlestar noted that Rudy had clearly heard Captain America use the name Karli Morgenthau, and questioned who she was, as Rudy insisted that he did not know what they were talking about. As Rudy claimed that the United States of America had become brutes, Battlestar told Captain America that he did not know where the Flag Smashers were, although this was not believed, as he noted that they knew Morgenthau had come through there and questioned where she and the others had gone.
Battlestar leaves the facility empty handed
In response to this, Rudy defiantly spat in Captain America's face, causing him to furiously pin Rudy against the wall, demanding to know if he knew who he was, although Rudy claimed to not care. As they left, Battlestar insisted that they would never find the Flag Smashers, as not even CIA could locate them. Battlestar noted that Morgenthau was providing medicine and shelter, which had allowed her to gain fierce loyalties, although they suggested that they try a new tactic.[5]
"So, you seriously believe Sam and Bucky would've broken a guy like Zemo out of prison?" "That's exactly what I think they did. They were just as desperate for leads as we were."
Battlestar and Captain America had then traveled to the Berlin Correctional Facility, where they were informed that Helmut Zemo had been able to escape from their custody, which had occurred on the same day that he was visited by Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes. Battlestar questioned if Captain America actually believed Wilson and Barnes helped Zemo's escape, which Captain America confirmed, noting that they were also clearly desperate for leads in their case.
However, Battlestar merely scoffed at this, noting that they could not accuse them without evidence, to which Captain America suggested that they run with this theory on their own. In response, Battlestar questioned if what they would do next would be by the book, to which Captain America noted that if they had successfully captured both Zemo and the Flag Smashers, it would be unlikely that the GRC would question exactly how they had been able to complete this mission.[5]
Battlestar and Captain America traveled to Riga, Latvia and found Sam Wilson, Bucky Barnes, and Helmut Zemo in the streets going to Donya Madani's funeral. As they attempted to stop them, Barnes questioned how they had been able to find them, to which Battlestar simply explained that the sight of Avengers in Latvia had been drawing attention, while Captain America demanded to know why they broke Zemo out of prison, although Barnes dismissed the question.
While Wilson attempted to control the situation, Zemo explained that he knew that Karli Morgenthau would be at Madani's funeral, with Battlestar noting that this would mean there would also be civilians and a high risk of casualties. Although Captain America suggested moving in fast and arresting Morgenthau, Wilson insisted that he be allowed to talk to her alone first, only for Captain America and Battlestar to block their path, with Battlestar noting that Morgenthau could kill Wilson.
Despite Wilson insisting that if they went in hot they would risk Morgenthau killing more people, Captain America turned to Barnes for support, only for Barnes to insist that Wilson could handle it. Battlestar listened to Wilson explaining that he used to run a Support Group, and could therefore speak to Morgenthau, as Battlestar advised Captain America that they should give Wilson a chance to try. With that decided on, Battlestar and the others followed Zemo's lead.
Arriving at the GRCResettlement Camp, Battlestar stood by as they allowed Wilson to go and speak to Morgenthau alone, while Captain America took the opportunity to handcuff Zemo, while also advising Wilson that he only had ten minutes to speak to Morgenthau. Battlestar then stood by Captain America, as they waited for Wilson to return, with Captain America growing impatient and insisting that this was a bad plan, while Barnes insisted that the ten minutes were not done yet.
Eventually, the waiting became too much, as Captain America picked up his shield and attempted to rush inside, only for Barnes to block his way. Battlestar had then watched as Captain America questioned how easy it must be for Barnes, due to having the Super Soldier Serum within his veins, which Barnes did not respond to. Battlestar stood by as Captain America suggested that Wilson needed their backup, suggesting that Morgenthau might have killed him, blaming this on Barnes.
Despite Barnes' best efforts, Captain America and Battlestar stormed past him to arrest Morgenthau, with Battlestar holding Barnes back. However, this caused Morgenthau to run for safety, with Barnes pushing his way past Battlestar and chasing after her. Although they ran through the facility to find her, Battlestar eventually caught up with Captain America who explained to him, Wilson and Barnes that Morgenthau had escaped, while Zemo had been knocked unconscious during the clash.[4]
Frustrated by the situation, Battlestar and Captain America arrived into the residence of Helmut Zemo and attempted to take him back into the custody of the Berlin Correctional Facility. However, those orders were ignored by Sam Wilson, who had insisted to them that he had come close to bringing Karli Morgenthau into their custody peacefully, before Captain America then stormed inside, and ruined the situation. Battlestar watched on with concern as Captain America challenged Wilson to fight over Zemo.
However, before a fight could break out, a Vibranium Spear had been thrown just in front of Captain America's face by Nomble, before she was joined by Ayo and Yama, who demanded that they hand Zemo over to the custody of the Dora Milaje. Battlestar had then stood by, as Captain America then attempted to introduce himself to Ayo and control the situation, which Wilson advised him against, noting that they should fight Bucky Barnes before fighting the Dora Milaje.
As Captain America attempted to place his hand on Ayo's shoulder, this resulted in a fight breaking out between him and the Dora Milaje, as Battlestar attempted to come to his aid. While Wilson and Barnes stood by and watched, Battlestar was overpowered by Nomble and Yama, who had held him back by his neck with their Vibranium Spears, before he was then kicked over a table, while Captain America had fought against Ayo and was also overpowered and defeated.
Although Nomble attempted to execute Battlestar, he was saved by Wilson coming to his aid. Their fight was then ended, once Captain America's shield had been trapped by Nomble's spear, and Barnes' Prosthetic Arm was removed by Ayo. However, they then realized that Zemo had escaped during the chaos, as Battlestar went over to Captain America's aid, who sadly commented that the Dora Milaje had defeated them both, despite them not being super soldiers.[4]
Following their humiliating defeat at the hands of the Dora Milaje, Hoskins and John Walker went to get a drink at a nearby café. During their talk, Hoskins noting that both the Super Soldier Serum, and Wilfred Nagel were now gone, insisting that, even if everything had not gone exactly to plan, it was still a good outcome. They were then interrupted by one of Walker's fans, who asked him to sign a poster, with Hoskins questioning if this was annoying him yet.
Walker teased Hoskins that he was annoyed that the woman had not asked for his autograph, to which he jokingly insisted that she missed out on the Battlestar logo that he would have drawn. Changing the subject, Walker had then asked Hoskins if he would take the Serum if he had been given the chance, which Hoskins insisted that he would without hesitation. As Walker questioned if the serum might change his personality, Hoskins noted that the serum would just make him more of himself.
Hoskins compared how the serum had effected Karli Morgenthau and Steve Rogers, to which Walker asked how it might change him. However, Hoskins noted that Walker already had three Medals of Honor from his time in the United States Army and had proven his worth. Walker then commented that those days in Afghanistan had been the worst of their lives, with Hoskins suggesting that they could have saved many more lives that day if they had the serum in their veins.[4]
Back on their mission, Battlestar and Captain America were given the location of the Flag Smashers, and arrived at the GRCResettlement Camp. Kicking down the door, Battlestar followed behind Captain America with his gun raised, with Captain America protecting them both with his shield. However, as they moved up the stairs, Battlestar began leading the way, keeping his gun raised, before he was found and captured by the Flag Smashers.
Battlestar was then dragged inside of the building's bathroom by DeeDee and Gigi, who knocked him unconscious with a punch to the head as he attempted to stand, before Gigi ordered DeeDee to tie him up, ensuring that Captain America had no protection. However, Battlestar eventually regained consciousness, and began awkwardly reaching for a blade that he had hidden in his uniform, as he managed to cut through the ties that were trapping his arms, before then freeing his legs and escaping.
Battlestar was eventually able to find Captain America, who was battling against all of the Flag Smashers alongside Falcon and Winter Soldier. Battlestar arrived just in time to witness Captain America being held in place by Nico, as Karli Morgenthau ran towards him armed with a knife, prepared to murder him. In order to protect his friend, Battlestar charged into the room and had tackled Morgenthau, mere moments before she would have killed Captain America.
However, as soon as Battlestar got back to his feet after tackling Morgenthau, he was then punched in the chest by Morgenthau, with enough force that he was launched backwards and smashed his back into a column, with the impact being so forceful that Battlestar was killed upon impact. As everyone reacted in shock over Battlestar's death, the Flag Smashers made their escape, while Captain America desperately attempted to get his friend to awake, before seeking revenge.[4]
Legacy[]
Misplaced Retribution[]
"You saw what happened. You know what I had to do. I killed him because I had to! He killed Lemar!" "He didn’t kill Lemar, John."
Without Hoskins to temper his violent tendencies, and with said violent tendencies exacerbated by both the Super Soldier Serum and his unimaginable grief, John Walker completely snapped. With the Flag Smashers having scattered upon realizing what had happened, Walker began hunting them down, intent on killing the first Flag Smasher he came across, regardless of whether or not they happened to be Karli Morgenthau, the actual killer; Nico was unfortunate enough to be that Flag Smasher, and was killed in public despite frantically telling Walker it wasn't him.[4] To avoid confronting the fact he killed the wrong Flag Smasher, Walker convinced himself that Nico, not Morgenthau, had killed Hoskins.[6]
However, in the end, Walker would learn the error of his ways and with Bucky Barnes, would apprehend the remaining Flag Smashers during their attack on the Global Repatriation Council's Patch Act vote. During the attack, Karli assured Walker that she didn't mean to kill Lemar and that she didn't intend to kill people, who didn't matter to her cause, enraging Walker. After defeating the Flag Smashers, Sharon Carter would shoot and kill Morgenthau, avenging Hoskins.[7]
Personality[]
"Power just makes a person more of themselves, right?"
Mirroring the friendship between Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes, Lemar Hoskins held a similar bond with John Walker, whom he had known since high school. Whenever Walker was worried about his circumstances, Hoskins anchored his friend, assuring him he would do the right thing in the end, displaying his faith in Walker. Working alongside Walker as the new Captain America, he proved to be capable in teamwork and combat, despite being outmatched against the Flag Smashers and the Dora Milaje. Hoskins also had respect and trust in Sam Wilson and Barnes too. As Walker became increasingly impatient to capture Karli Morgenthau, Hoskins advised Walker to give Falcon the chance to try to turn Flag Smasher to good, believing in the duo even though Walker was slightly hostile towards them.
Hoskins was also a loyal friend, as he died saving Walker from getting killed by Morgenthau despite knowing he would not stand a chance against the super-powered Flag Smashers. Hoskins proved to be an emotional support and a great friend of Walker as he stayed beside Walker when the latter was facing the harshest difficulties due to his new role, and Hoskins' death greatly shook Walker, prompting Walker to exact revenge.
As a soldier, Hoskins was trained in hand-to-hand combat. He was able to hold his own fairly well against Yama, whom he only got taken down by due to another Dora assisting the latter. Lamar also fought against several Flag Smashers and had much more trouble against them. Hoskins has some proficiency at using knives, being able to free himself from restraints without looking on the back.
Expert Marksman: Hoskins was trained in wielding firearms. He carried a pistol as his sidearm.
Bilingualism: Hoskins was fluent in his native English, as well as German, this had shown when he provided translation for John Walker when interrogating Rudy.
Equipment[]
Weapons[]
Glock 17: Battlestar carried this handgun as his sidearm, however, he preferred to focus on hand-to-hand combat during battles. As Battlestar and Captain America raided the GRCResettlement Camp, Battlestar kept his gun raised, only for him to be found and captured by the Flag Smashers, resulting in him dropping his gun.
Knife: Having been tied up by DeeDee and Gigi, Battlestar eventually awoke and used a knife that was hidden in his uniform to free himself from his restraints.
Other Equipment[]
Battlestar Uniform: Equipped with a bulletproof vest, Hoskins wore this protective uniform when operating as Battlestar.
Jeep: In order to return to the airport following their defeat at the hands of the Flag Smashers, Hoskins and Walker rode a military Jeep, and offered Wilson and Barnes a lift with them, which they rejected.
Facilities[]
Custer's Grove High School: Hoskins attended this high school along with John Walker and Olivia Walker. Hoskins returned to the high school when Walker was to give a ceremony to the world as Captain America, with Hoskins giving Walker some advice in the changing rooms before going out onto the football pitch to support his friend.
Baltimore Police Station: Hoskins and Walker visited the Baltimore Police Station to free Bucky Barnes when the latter failed to attend his mandated court therapy session.
1337 Connect: Hoskins and Walker raided 1337 Connect to interrogate the sympathizers of the Flag Smashers.
In the comics, Lemar Hoskins is a United States Army soldier and a friend of John Walker. When Walker was selected to succeed Captain America, Hoskins became his partner, adopting the codename Battlestar.
