American Eagle reborn

After his debut in MARVEL TWO-IN-ONE ANNUAL #6 (1981), American Eagle made a few minor appearances in Marvel comics, then disappeared. But in THUNDERBOLTS #112 (2007), he comes back in a big way. In the space of two pages, he goes from being one of the worst Native superheroes to one of the best.

The setup is this: The US government has passed a law requiring all superheroes to register. Jason Strongbow is sitting in his basement drinking a beer and contemplating his American Eagle costume hanging on a post. His black friend Steve enters and grabs a brew.

Even before the dialog begins, we're primed for something special. The basement, the beer, the unused costume, the black friend...how often do you see any of these elements in a Native-themed story? Almost never.

Here's the entire dialog:CAPTION: The Navajo Reservation.

JASON:  I must've been crazy.

JASON:  Hell, I must've looked like I was about to break into the chorus of "YMCA."

STEVE:  Different times, Jason.

STEVE:  This isn't the suit you wore back in the spring, though. Where's the beer?

JASON:  Behind the gas cans.

JASON:  And that suit got trashed by whatsisname. That drunken piece of--

STEVE:  Bobby Lame Wolf from off the reservation?

JASON:  Yeah, but he had a name. He found that crazy old Iron Man knock-off suit, the blue thing...the Cobalt Man suit, that was it.

JASON:  Cobalt Tomahawk!

STEVE:  Yes! Ha!

JASON:  "I'm going to kill everyone in this casino unless you give me all the whiskey and make my girlfriend love me again!"

JASON:  Butthead.

STEVE:  So what’re you looking at the Village People costume for?

JASON:  I dunno. This whole registration thing rubs me the wrong way.

STEVE:  I dunno. You could probably get paid for the whole American Eagle thing if you signed up.

STEVE:  But if I were you? I'd burn the damn thing and live to a ripe old age.

STEVE:  Hell, I shouldn't be trying to influence you. You do what you want.

JASON:  No, go on. I want to know if you're thinking what I'm thinking.

STEVE:  Your skin’s the wrong color to sign up, man.

STEVE:  You want to go to Washington and say, I'm the Injun who can kick the cheese out of Iron Man without breaking a sweat, and I'm here for some of that sweet federal money?

STEVE:  Tell you what: I'll come with you, and see if they'll do me and my 40 acres and my damn mule while they're at it.

JASON:  Yeah.

STEVE:  Just my opinion, Jase. But this ain't super hero registration. This is making the skies safe for flying whitey.

JASON:  Yeah.

STEVE:  So what are you thinking?

JASON:  What am I thinking, Steve?

JASON:  I'm thinking about shoving their registration right up their backsides.Just like that, Jason Strongbow has gone from a cardboard character to an astute, aware Indian who knows pop culture and politics. I doubt Wyatt Wingfoot or Red Wolf has ever expressed sentiments like these. Only the X-Men's Dani Moonstar is arguably as rich a character, and she's appeared regularly in comics since 1982.

The only thing marring this otherwise impeccable scene is that Jason is wearing a headband. That's not usual for a modern-day Navajo man. But other than that, this is probably the best revamp of a Native character ever. American Eagle may not be the best Native superhero, but he's the most improved since his inception.

For more on the subject, see Comic Books Featuring Indians.

Below:  Did the Village People inspire American Eagle's first costume?