How Steve Rogers Became One Of Marvel's Biggest Villains

"The entirety of the Marvel Universe has a snake at its bosom."

Steve Rogers recently walked away from his third major solo film, Captain America: Civil War, with some major questions about what it means to be a hero. But it turns out that's nothing compared to what he's going through in the comics.

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Captain America: Steve Rogers #1 hits stores today, and the final twist of this first issue packs a wallop that will be heard throughout the entire history of one of the world's most iconic superheroes.

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WARNING: DON'T READ FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT THE REAL JUICY SPOILERS.

Captain America: Steve Rogers – by Nick Spencer, Jesus Saiz, and VC's Joe Caramagna – sees Steve back as Cap alongside Sam Wilson. It also sees the revelation that Steve Rogers is a member of Hydra. And ~has been all along.~ *CUE RECORD-SCRATCH NOISE.*

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As editor Tom Brevoort told us, "Steve is working to destroy the Marvel Universe as an agent of Hydra." So. There's that.

ICYMI, Hydra is a terrorist organization in the Marvel Universe that's been a major villainous presence in the comics since 1965.

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You can also see them in the first two Captain America movies and Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D..

In Steve Rogers #1, it's revealed that Steve was recruited by Hydra when he was a kid. And that he's still working with them. It's a controversial decision, to say the least – especially given that Hydra is an organization with strong Nazi ties.

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in the above page, from Steve Rogers #1, we see another young man make the decision to join Hydra's ranks after falling in with a group of white supremacists in prison.

So, you know, this changes some things for the Captain America we – and the characters of the Marvel Comics Universe – know and love.

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Asked what we should know about this Steve Rogers, Brevoort clarified to BuzzFeed that this is "actually Steve Rogers, not a duplicate or a clone or a robot or anything like that."

"Nick Spencer pitched this story to us as part of rejuvenating Steve Rogers as part of the character's 75th anniversary. We saw merit in what Nick proposed, so we're moving ahead with the story. And this is only the tip of it."

"It'll reverberate in a huge way as the weeks and months go by," Brevoort told us. "The most trusted hero in the Marvel Universe is actually a sleeper agent for Hydra. The entirety of the Marvel Universe has a snake at its bosom."

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So whether or not you believe that Steve will be sticking to his Hydra guns, know Marvel's sticking to this story for the time being.

And if you're upset, like many already are, hold tight to one tiny bit of comfort: Sam Wilson and Steve Rogers are currently sharing the mantle of Captain America. And you know Sam Wilson will not be pleased.

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