The Captain America of the Kickapoo Tribe is Marvel's latest addition to the Cap pantheon

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Joe Gomez is Marvel's newest shield-bearer debuting in The United States of Captain America #3

United States of Captain America #3 cover
(Image credit: Marvel Comics)

Marvel Comics has revealed the third of what will be five new "local" Captain Americas that will debut during the upcoming monthly five-issue limited series The United States of Captain America, which celebrates the character's 80th anniversary. 

(Image credit: David Cutler (Marvel Comics))

Joe Gomez, the Captain America of the Kickapoo Tribe, will debut in a backup story by geoscientist and Lipan Apache writer Darcie Little Badger and Qalipu Mi'kmaq First Nation artist David Cutler in August's The United States of Captain America #3.

"Something I love about Joe is his day job. It represents everything he stands for as a hero," Little Badger explains in Marvel's announcement. 

"See, Joe Gomez is a construction worker, a builder in a world plagued by destruction. Every time a spaceship crashes into a bridge or a supervillain transforms a whole city block into rubble, people like Joe make things whole again. 

"Work like that may seem thankless, but Joe genuinely enjoys helping his community survive and thrive. That's why he won't charge elders for home repair services (the Joe Gomez senior discount is 100%). That's also why he's willing to risk his life to save others. I know lots of people like Joe - many of them my Indigenous relatives - so it was wonderful to help develop a character with his values, strength, and extreme crane-operating skills."

"I can't really express the pride I feel being a part of the team that gets to introduce Joe to the world," Cutler adds. "The Marvel Universe is the biggest stage there is, and bringing a new First Nations hero to that venue means more than I can say."

The June-debuting United States of Captain America is written by Christopher Cantwell and illustrated by Dale Eaglesham and stars Steve Rogers, Sam Wilson, Bucky Barnes, and John Walker (who all at one time held the mantle of Captain America) as they travel across the US in pursuit of the Cap's iconic shield, which was stolen. 

(Image credit: Gerald Parel (Marvel Comics))

"And when the mysterious shield thief targets a cultural landmark in Kansas, hoping to put a permanent stain on Captain America's image, Steve Rogers and Sam Wilson are hot on his trail when they meet the Kickapoo Tribe's own Captain America," reads Marvel's description of The United States of Captain America #3. "But there's more to the thief's agenda than meets the eye and the three Caps may be headed straight into a trap!"

Here are the rest of the local Captain America-inspired heroes who will debut in The United States of Captain America #1:

Steve Rogers, Sam Wilson, Bucky Barnes, and John Walker all appear on Newsarama's list of the greatest heroes to wield Captain America's shield. Maybe Aaron, Nichelle, or Joe will be added to the list someday. 

Michael Doran

I'm not just the Newsarama founder and editor-in-chief, I'm also a reader. And that reference is just a little bit older than the beginning of my Newsarama journey. I founded what would become the comic book news site in 1996, and except for a brief sojourn at Marvel Comics as its marketing and communications manager in 2003, I've been writing about new comic book titles, creative changes, and occasionally offering my perspective on important industry events and developments for the 25 years since. Despite many changes to Newsarama, my passion for the medium of comic books and the characters makes the last quarter-century (it's crazy to see that in writing) time spent doing what I love most.