This is a terrific miniseries that asks, “What If? the super soldier serum was an experiment administered to black soldiers”–an obvious parallel to the real-world Tuskegee experiments.

We are witness to Isiah Bradley’s origin in the U.S. Army, and see him receive the same Super Soldier Serum given to Captain America. (Yes, the serum is supposed to have died with its creator–so there’s a little bit of a retcon here.). Isiah’s family is told that he died in combat to keep his participation in the experiments secret.

Eventually, he dons the Captain America uniform while on a suicide mission to stop Hitler’s latest evil doings.

He is then held prisoner by his own country for 17 years, while the world thinks he is dead. Why was he jailed?

For stealing a Captain America costume.

In the final issues, we see Steve Rogers in 1960, visiting with Bradley’s “widow,” who actually knows him to be alive. He was released but sworn to secrecy after his 17-year imprisonment in solitary confinement. Cap apologizes on behalf of a grateful nation.