Both of them panicked.
[On the Plane]
Red Skull sat in the cockpit, piloting the aircraft toward New York.
His plan was to drop the bombs and trigger mass panic among civilians.
Captain America saw this and secretly boarded the plane.
A life-and-death battle broke out between them.
Red Skull picked up a high-tech weapon powered by the Tesseract and opened fire.
Captain America reacted instantly, raising his shield to block the attack.
Red Skull:"You just won't give up, will you?"
Captain America:"That's right!"
Ignoring the blue energy blasts flying toward him,Captain America lifted his shield and charged straight at Red Skull.
After knocking the weapon from Red Skull's hands,the two men—both injected with the Super Soldier Serum—grappled fiercely.
They were evenly matched, neither able to gain the upper hand.
Under the impact of Captain America's strike,Red Skull slammed hard into the control panel.
The aircraft, which had been flying level, suddenly pitched downward—diving straight toward the ground at a ninety-degree angle!
Due to inertia, both men were flung up against the ceiling.
Red Skull kicked Captain America away,scrambled back to the controls, and stabilized the plane.
To be beaten so badly by a man in a striped uniform—someone who had seemingly appeared out of nowhere—
The man who believed himself to be the strongest in the worldwas overwhelmed with humiliation and rage.
He grabbed the weapon again and fired several shots at Captain America.
Red Skull:"You may wield the power of a god.But do you really think wearing a flag on your chest makes you a patriot?"
"Captain, I have seen the future!"
"The future—has no flags!"
Captain America dodged the shots and shouted back:
Captain America:"That is not my future!"
Seizing the moment, he hurled his shield.
As it knocked Red Skull back,it also destroyed the device containing the Tesseract.
Instantly, the cabin filled with blinding blue light,like bolts of lightning tearing through the air.
Red Skull staggered to his feet and picked up the Tesseract.
Red Skull:"What have you done?!"
Before he could even process what was happening—
The Tesseract shone even brighter,projecting visions of galaxies and the cosmos onto the ceiling.
Both men stared in stunned silence, unable to comprehend what they were seeing.
Red Skull believed he had unlocked a higher purpose of the Tesseractand smiled smugly—
But then terror flooded his face.
Blue energy enveloped his entire body,as if he were being consumed by blue flames.
Whoosh.
Red Skull was teleported to an unknown location in the universe,vanishing before Captain America's eyes.
Captain America stood frozen in shock.
The Tesseract hovered in midair like molten metal,burned through the bottom of the plane,and fell straight down, disappearing into the clouds.
Although Captain America felt uneasy,he knew this was not the time to panic.
He removed his helmet and turned to the control panel.
With only basic mechanical knowledge,he tried desperately to operate the instruments.
When the plane failed to respond,he finally realized something was seriously wrong.
He quickly contacted Agent Carter on the ground.
Captain America:"This is Captain Rogers. Can you hear me?"
Carter:"Steve? Is that you? Are you alright?"
Captain America:"It's over. Red Skull is gone."
Carter:"What about the plane?"
Captain America:"That's… harder to explain."
Knowing Steve knew nothing about machinery,Carter spoke calmly.
Carter:"It's okay. Give me your coordinates. I'll find you a safe place to land."
Captain America glanced at the control panel.Six missiles still read 'READY'.
Captain America:"I don't think I have time for that. I'm going to attempt an emergency landing."
Carter panicked.
Carter:"I'll put Howard on the line—he'll know what to do!"
Captain America:"There's no time! The plane's moving too fast—it's headed straight for New York!"
Looking at the coastline coming into view,Captain America spoke with difficulty.
Captain America:"I have to put the plane down in the ocean."
Carter's expression turned grave.
She knew what that meant.
It meant suicide.
Carter:"Please, don't do this!There's still time—we can find another way!"
Captain America watched the radar screen as the aircraft drew closer to the city.
Captain America:"I'm over an uninhabited area now.If we don't act immediately, countless people will die."
The plane carved a white arc across the sky.
But there was no response on the other end of the line.
Captain America:"Peggy… this is my choice."
He took the photograph of Peggy he had kept in his pocketand placed it on the dashboard.
Looking at her black-and-white photo,his expression faltered for a moment—
Then hardened with resolve.
He lifted his head and pushed the control stick forward.
The plane slowly tilted downward.
Captain America:"Peggy?"
Carter:"I'm here."
As ice came into view, Captain America spoke softly.
Captain America:"Looks like I'll have to take a rain check on that dance."
Tears filled Carter's eyes.
She knew exactly what awaited him.
Choking back her sobs, she said:
Carter:"Alright… next Saturday, at the Stork Club."
Captain America's face lit up with longing.
That was where they had promised to dance together.
Captain America:"Deal."
Carter:"Eight o'clock. Don't be late, understand?"
As the ice rushed closer, his hesitation deepened.
Captain America:"But… I still don't know how to dance."
Through her tears, Carter smiled.
Carter:"I'll teach you. Come on."
As the plane shook violently,Captain America couldn't help but tense in the final moments.
Captain America:"Tell the band to play something slow—I don't want to step on your feet…"
Tap the screen.
From that moment on,Captain America disappeared from the public eye.
Behind the Military Camp
Captain America, Carter, and Howard stood in silence.
Just like at the end of a movie.
Everyone was still processing what they had just seen.
The information was overwhelming.
First, the Tesseract revealed visions of the cosmos.
Then, Red Skull was transported to an unknown place.
Finally, Captain America flew the plane straight into the ice.
After such relentless, heavy scenes—
They were left speechless.
After a long silence,Captain America let out a bitter laugh.
"So… I die too, huh?"
"Bucky and I really were good brothers."
"One fell off a cliff.The other fell into the ice."
"Looks like 'falling' is our shared fate."
His expression was full of bitterness.
Anyone who witnesses their own final momentswould struggle to stay calm.
Howard shook his head.
"It's okay, Steve."
"If one day you really do fly that plane into the ice to protect the city—"
"I'll gamble my entire fortune.Even if it costs me my life, I'll find you."
"I swear it."
Captain America smiled.
"Thank you, Howard."
"You're a good man."
Agent Carter frowned.
"You two men are saying such ridiculous things."
"Why are you so sure Steve is dead?"
"Didn't the earlier video show Steve appearing seventy years in the future?"
"Then he must be found."
"How do you explain 'Steve will definitely die'?"
Her words snapped Steve and Howard out of their daze.
That's right.
Captain America appeared seventy years in the future.
Which meant—
Even if he crashed into the ice,he survived.
They could still find him.
Once Captain America realized this,he finally relaxed.
How could he have forgotten something so important?
Still—
What would he be like seventy years later?
How long would it take them to find him?
Captain America stared at the screen, curiosity burning.
At that very moment,a new title appeared.