Captain America died

NEW YORK (AFP) - Captain America, the comic book superhero with a penchant for figure-hugging body suits in red, white and blue, has died at the age of 89, shot dead in New York.

The Marvel comic book hero is written out of the script in copies hitting the newsstands Wednesday after more than 65 years fighting villains, felled by a sniper's bullet on the steps of a Manhattan court house.

"Breaking news: Few details are clear at this time, but the scene outside the Federal Courthouse in Manhattan is a portrait of chaos and confusion as a former superhero has been shot," Marvel comics said on its website.

Captain America was actually Steve Rogers, born on US Independence Day, July 4, 1917. He was created in 1941 but lacking any superpowers looked somewhat ill-equipped to battle evil next to counterparts like Superman.

Draped in the American flag, a giant "A" on his mask and a shield that handily doubled as a discus, Captain America was part of the US war effort, created just months before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

His first cover saw him punching Adolf Hitler in the face and he entered his golden age after the United States joined World War II. But he soon faded in popularity after the war and was retired in 1950 before returning in the 1960s.

However, like Superman's return from the dead after being killed off in 1993, the door appears to be open for Captain America to return.

Co-creator Joe Simon, himself a little older than Captain America at 93, told the New York Daily News he was saddened by his character's demise. "It's a hell of a time for him to go. We really need him now," he said.

(From Yahoo Oddly Enough)