Polite Dissent

In the early 1990s, Captain America writer Mark Gruenwald announced that wanted to examine the world of drug addiction through the eyes of Captain America, a super-hero who required a drug to gain his powers. This became the Streets of Poison storyline and ran in issues 372-378 of the title.

In the first issue of the storyline, Captain America was caught in a drug lab explosion. Somehow, the methamphetamine from the explosion bonded to the Super Soldier Serum already in his blood to create a dangerous new drug. This drug made Cap extremely savage and violent. He became paranoid and ultimately started to hallucinate; he became unable to differentiate friend and foe. In the end, it took direct blast from Black Widow to his skull to bring him down.

Hank Pym was called in to assess the situation and he realized that if Captain America weren’t treated quickly, he would die. The only solution he could devise was an exchange transfusion — drain all of Cap’s contaminated blood and replace it with fresh donated blood. It would remove the toxins, but it would also remove the Super Soldier Serum. In other words, it would save Captain America’s life, but remove all his super powers. After suffering repeated nightmares and hallucinations about his drug use, Captain American agrees to the plan.

Streets of Poison was a good storyline for the first two-thirds of its run. The last third came on a little too strong with the anti-drug message, to the point of suggesting that any drug was bad. For instance, in the final issue when Hank Pym tells Cap that he has successfully cleaned all the toxin out of his blood and can transfuse it back into him again — the Super Soldier Serum intact — Cap refuses, telling Pym that he doesn’t need a drug to be a hero. The storyline then ends on a “Just Say No” joke.

It actually all ends up being a moot point. A few issues later, it is quietly explained the Super Soldier Serum and other treatments Captain America endured have permanently changed his DNA and his body now produces its own supply of the serum. And thus Captain America’s powers, and drug use, softly slipped back into the comic.

A previous post on Streets of Poison and other comic book exchange transfusions