Superhero Smash Season II—Audio Issue #37: Captain America Returns!

Original Air Date

January 15th, 2025

Part 1 Begins

Hero Song (3:20)

“Hero” by Chad Kroeger Featuring Josey Scott

Super Show ID 1: Superhero Smash (0:30)

Because fans demanded it, Superhero Smash has returned!
Featuring the best in “Superhero Music and Comic Book Lore”
Focusing on current superhero movies and popular culture events
I’m your host, Dr. Gian Pagnucci, a.k.a. The New Professor X
Playing great music about superheroes as well as music that is featured in superhero movies and shows
Also talking about comic book history and heroism
All on WIUP FM 90.1
And you can rest assured that no matter how much super cool stuff I talk about on the show, you don’t have to worry because this is a NO SPOILERS show!

Audio Episode Theme: Captain America Returns! (2:00)

- Painting of Captain America holding the flag by Alex Ross

The opening song, “Hero” was originally written by Chad Kroeger for Spider-Man (2002) starring Tobey Maguire
The song mentions flying away from a troubled world on the wings of an eagle
Of course the eagle is a symbol of America because it flies high and free
And this episode is all about another symbol of America and freedom: Captain America
Incidentally, Cap’s earliest costume had small eagle’s wings on the side of his mask to link him to the eagle and freedom
Long-time Superhero Smash listeners may recall that I did a Special Star-Spangled Superhero Smash Audio Issue #9 for Independence Day in July of 2023!
I want to give a shoutout to Brian Sateriale who was a guest star for that first show
- Brian is a Captain America scholar
- And also a doctoral student in IUP’s English Literature & Criticism

Captain America: Brave New World (0:30)

Today’s show will builds on that previous episode of Superhero Smash but also will focus on characters from the upcoming, Captain America: Brave New World film which is coming out on Valentine’s Day 2025
- How can Captain America be a Valentine’s movie, you may be wondering?
- Keep listening to find out!

And even though I’ll be talking about the new Captain America movie, don’t worry, I won’t give anything away because Superhero Smash is a NO SPOILERS show!

Heroic Theme Song 1 (1:06)

“Captain America” by Alan Silvestri from Captain America: The First Avenger
Captain America, who’s real name is Steve Rogers, was of course played by Chris Evans in the MCU films

The Superhero Smash Comic Book Vault (4:00)

The Comic Book Vault sound effect (0:12)
Cap first appeared in Captain America Comics #1
Publication Date: Dec. 20, 1940
Publisher: Timely Comics
- Timely Comics changed its name to Atlas Comics in 1951 and then became Marvel Comics
- Martin Goodman was the publisher
- He had several comics publishing companies all operating out of the same offices
- As early as May 1944 he used Marvel Comics on Marvel Mystery Comics #55
- Goodman formally adopted the name Marvel Comics in 1961
Writer: Joe Simon
Artist: Jack Kirby
Captain America #1 went on sale in December 1940, a year before the bombing of Pearl Harbor
With Cap punching Hitler on the cover, the comic sold almost one million copies
Value on eBay today: Someone is selling the cover only for $60,000
In 2022, a copy sold for $3.1 million
The end of the Golden Age of Comics for Timely Comics came with the cancellation of Captain America Comics in February 1950 with issue #75
The last 2 issues (#74 and #75) were titled Captain America’s Weird Tales and issue #75 did not even have Cap in the comic
Atlas restarted the title in 1954, but it only lasted 3 issues due to public anti-Korean War sentiment
It took Cap a lot of work to get his own comic book back
Cap kept having to jump from title to title
Cap finally came back for good in Avengers #4
He also appeared in Tales of Suspense #59-99 along with Iron Man
Cap finally got his own comic book back in April 1968, with issue #100; the numbering was picked up from Tales of Suspense and was linked back to his original title’s numbering

Captain America Song 1 (2:53)

“Star Spangled Man” by the Star Spangled Singers
Again from Captain America: The First Avenger
Cap is traveling the country in a vaudeville style show selling war bonds
The song recalls the Golden Age in which Cap first appeared

Part 1 Ends (@15 minutes)

Part 2 Begins

Super Show ID 2: Superhero Smash (0:30)

WIUP FM 90.1
Featuring the best superhero music and comic book lore in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the DC Cinematic Universe, and our U-niverse too!
Check out pagnucci.org and click the big Superhero Smash button
Or email Professor X using the address SuperheroSmash2024@gmail.com
I love to hear from the Legion of Superhero Smash Fans

Secret Origin Story (2:00)

Captain America was born, on July 4th, as scrawny Steve Rogers
During World War II, he wanted to serve his country, but the army rejected him because he was a “98 pound weakling”
Fortunately, Steve was spotted by Professor Abraham Erskine
Erskine brought Steve into Project Rebirth
Injecting Steve with Super Soldier Serum, Steve’s body transformed into Captain America
Unfortunately, a nazi spy tried to sabotage the experiment
The spy shot and killed Erskine before Cap could capture him
Cap goes on to fight nazis and his arch nemesis, the Red Skull
The skull loads a bomb onto a plane and sends it rocketing toward Manhattan
Cap forces the plane to crash into the Atlantic Ocean, but he disappears in the process
His body freezes and Cap goes into suspended animation
When Steve finally is revived by the Avengers, he is a man out of time

Heroic Theme Song 2 (0:57)

“Captain America” by the Marvel Chorus

Enter: The Falcon (2:00)

Trapped in a block of ice, Cap missed so many things that happened in the world
In Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Cap meets Sam Wilson played by Anthony Mackie
- Anthony is a good friend of Susan Burig, the IUP alum and graphic designer for the MCU
- Susan was featured in Superhero Smash Audio Issue #21 which aired last April in 2024
Sam tells Cap about a great Marvin Gaye album, Trouble Man, that Sam says pretty much covers the best of what Cap missed
Sam gets a special set of wings developed by the U.S. military; the wings enable him to fly at high speeds and lead to him getting the moniker The Falcon
In the comics, Cap met Sam his pet bird Redwing in Captain America #117 in September 1969
Trouble Man was released only 2 years later, in 1972

Captain America Song 2 (3:49)

“Trouble Man” by Marvin Gaye

Sam Becomes the New Captain America (2:00)

It’s hard to imagine that any listeners of Superhero Smash have not seen Avengers: Endgame
But if you have not seen Endgame, then you must immediately stop everything you are doing right this instant and watch the film; it’s that important!
It is my personal all-time favorite film and a true masterpiece
I won’t give things away, since Superhero Smash is a no spoilers show, but you do need to know that Steve entrusts his bulletproof shield to Sam along with the great responsibility of becoming the New Captain America, just like I have been entrusted with the great responsibility of being the New Professor X!
This story of Sam becoming the new Captain America is told in Disney series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier
The series also stars Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes, a.k.a. the Winter Soldier

Heroic Theme Song 3 (2:14)

“Louisiana Hero” by Henry Jackman

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (3:00)

The theme song from the Marvel television series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier
Jackman had done music for the superhero films Kick-Ass and X-Men: First Class
“If you listen, it only occurs in these small snippets, but in the score for Captain America: Winter Soldier, which understandably concentrates a bit more on Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes and everything, Falcon is an important character, but doesn’t get the same musical treatment as Steve Rogers. But he did have a motif. If you listen carefully to the Winter Soldier score, there’s a little heroic fanfare he gets that goes, bah-buh-buhhh, but I never got past there because I always had to move on musically. And I always thought I really liked that motif, and one day maybe I could do something with it. So, the Louisiana Hero, when the tune comes in halfway through and it starts on the brass, it’s actually taking that original motif and evolving it, a bit like the whole Marvel narrative. We’ve gone all the way from Falcon to the end of Episode 6, there’s been a huge evolution in Sam Wilson’s journey, and so it was really pleasing.”
“It sounds a bit intellectually pretentious, but it’s really doing the same thing. The music has gone from a motif where he was playing second-in-command to Steve Rogers, so the big journey that Sam Wilson has to go on, not least of which is the burden of the shield, the burden of Steve Rogers’ legacy and the burden of the racial history, when you get to hear Isaiah’s story. So, there’s a lot to picking up that shield, so it’s really satisfying to be able to have this theme and then finish it, not just have that single line, but develop it into a whole superhero tune.”

Heroica Theme Song 4 (2:14)

“Captain America: Brave New World” by Henry Jackman

Captain America Is an Idea Not a Person (1:00)

Sam stars in the upcoming movie because…
Captain America is more than a person; Captain America is an idea
Captain America represents freedom and heroism, and so other people can fill the role
Captain America is a symbol for good

Part 2 Ends (@30 minutes)

Part 3 Begins (@30 minutes)

Super Show ID 3: Superhero Smash (0:30)

WIUP FM 90.1
Featuring the best superhero music and comic book lore in the MCU, the DCU, and our U too!
Check out pagnucci.org and click the big Superhero Smash button
Or email Professor X using the address SuperheroSmash2024@gmail.com
I love to hear from the Legion of Superhero Smash Fans

Enter: The Red Hulk (0:30)

You may have seen glimpses of a giant red monster in the upcoming Captain America: Brave New World
Marvel’s marketers have already spoiled that surprise for us
The Red Hulk will be arriving on the big screen
He’s even angrier than the Green Hulk

Hulk Sound Effect: “You wouldn’t like me when I’m ANGRY!” (0:06)

The Secret Origin of the Hulk (1:00)

The Hulk first appeared in The Incredible Hulk #1
He was Doctor Bruce Banner, a scientist
Banner was studying gamma radiation
During a gamma bomb test, Banner had to save Rick Jones who was accidentally at the bomb test site
Banner pushed Rick to safety in time, but was exposed to the gamma rays before he could reach safety himself

Hulk Sound Effect: “What am I becoming?” (0:06)

The Man and the Monster (3:00)

The gamma radiation turned Banner into the Hulk
Hulk was a giant and powerful monster
He could leap for miles at a time and cause a kind of sonic blast by clapping his massive hands together
As Stan Lee loved to write, “Hulk is the strongest one there is”
The Hulk was feared and hunted by the U.S. military
Banner struggled to prevent the changes, but would lose control if he became too angry and turn into the Hulk
The book allowed Marvel’s writers to explore fascinating stories about the nature a man who was also a monster
In 1978, Marvel brought the Hulk to television
The spectacular Bill Bixby played David Banner (for some reason his name was changed from the comic version Bruce)
Lou Ferringo played The Incredible Hulk
The show was a surprise hit
People seemed to love the Hulk’s power and also the tale of Banner’s lonely travels across the country, searching for a way to stop himself from changing again and again into the monster
The theme song from the show helps evoke the story

Heroic Theme Song 4 (1:14)

Theme from The Incredible Hulk TV show

The Changing Colors of the Hulk (4:00)

In The Incredible Hulk #2, “The Terror of the Toad Men,” Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby made Hulk green
- Hulk’s green skin was actually due to a printing error
- Stan had wanted Hulk to be gray
- But in the comics, Stan explained that Banner’s repeated use of gamma radiation projectors turned his skin green after the bomb initially made it gray
Then in issue #324, Hulk turned back to his gray color
This led to the Hulk becoming an evil mobster character named Joe Fixit
Joe Fixit was pretty nasty, but I must say the gray Hulk looks pretty hilarious dressed in a tux alongside Wolverine in issue #8 of the X-Man’s comic
In 2008, Marvel launched a new Hulk series called Hulk rather than The Incredible Hulk in which the Hulk was red
- He is sometimes called Rulk
That’s a lot of different color shades for the Hulk
But no matter his color, the Hulk loves to smash!

Captain America Song 3 (3:41)

“Hulk Smash” by NerdOut

Part 4 Ends (@40 minutes)

Part 5 Begins (@40 minutes)

Super Show ID 4: Superhero Smash (0:30)

WIUP FM 90.1
Featuring the best superhero music and comic book lore in the MCU, the DCU, and our U too!
Check out pagnucci.org and click the big Superhero Smash button
Or email Professor X using the address SuperheroSmash2024@gmail.com
I love to hear from the Legion of Superhero Smash Fans

Superhero Smash Will Return in Summer 2025 (2:00)

This is my last show for IUP’s Winter Break
IUP’s classes start Monday
I hope all the IUP teachers and students have a great semester, including the hard working students from my English 202 winter course
Superhero Smash Will Return! in Summer 2025
I’ll be having some guest stars, including Dr. Sandy Eckard of East Stroudsburg University and Dr. Alex Romagnoli of Monmouth University to talk about superhero teams and collaboration
- Sandy and I are editing a collection of articles on superheroes for the international journal Humanities from MDPI Publishing
- I’ll talk about that more this summer and might have a few of the contributors on the show
Although this is the last of this season’s Superhero Smash holiday specials, if you’re missing the holiday season, you might enjoy the Cheesy Christmas Movies 2024 Extra Thirsty Edition Podcast that Sandy made a guest appearance on

Super Romance: Steve & Peggy (2:00)

As I mentioned, the Red Hulk will be appearing in the new Captain America movie which premiers on Valentine’s Day
I don’t know how much romance there is in the movie, but at least viewers will get plenty of the color read
But I do have time to talk about a real romance, the one between Steve Rogers and Peggy Carter
One of the great moments in Avengers: Endgame is when Steve travels back in time looking for an Infinity Stone at a military base
- While searching for the stone, Steve sees his old flame Peggy
- In the scene, you can see how much Steve longs to go to her
- But that would mean abandoning his mission and dooming half the universe
- So Steve lets go of his love
- It’s truly moving moment
- And does set up an incredible scene later when Steve and Peggy finally are reunited for a dance they have waited decades to have

Super Romantic Melody (3:51)

“It’s Been a Long, Long Time” by Harry James and His Orchestra and featuring Kitty Kallen
The song Steve and Peggy dance to

Wildfire Relief–A Super Shoutout to the California Firefighters (2:00)

I can’t finish without saying a quick word about the real life heroes fighting the wild fires and saving lives in California
There’s been so much destruction and loss of life
Wildfire Relief
- The Red Cross and many other organizations are working to help the people of California affected by the fires
- Click the above link to learn how to help

Captain America Song 4 (4:03)

“Silent Heroes (The Firefighter Song)” by Ian Christopher Anderson

Super Show ID 5: Superhero Smash To Be Continued Next Summer! (2:00)

Not quite the Same Bat Time, Same Bat Channel
That’s it for this winter’s Superhero Smash
But Superhero Smash will be back on WIUP FM 90.1 in Summer 2025
I’ll post here when I know the show’s day and air time for Summer 2025
You can also check my website, pagnucci.org, and click the big Superhero Smash button to learn more about the show
Listeners are also always welcome to contact me, the new Professor X, via email: SuperheroSmash2024@gmail.com
And remember, while Superhero Smash is about the exploits of amazing individuals,
- “You don’t need superpowers to be a hero. The only thing it takes to be a hero is the courage to do what’s right when someone needs your help.”–Gian Pagnucci

End Credits Song 5 (3:20)

And there’s just time for one last Captain America song
“Captain America” by Jimmy Buffet

Part 5 Ends (@60 minutes)