Truth: Red, White & Black #1

History

The character's genesis traces to an offhand remark by Marvel publisher Bill Jemas, which editor Axel Alonso seized upon, connecting the concept of a Black man wrapped in the American flag's colors to the atrocities of the Tuskegee Syphilis Study. Alonso pitched the idea to writer Robert Morales — a journalist and editor who had previously worked with artist Kyle Baker on satirical material for Vibe Magazine — in a meeting that included editor-in-chief Joe Quesada; Morales reportedly submitted a proposal so deliberately bleak he expected it to be rejected outright, but Marvel greenlit it. Morales's original vision had cast Isaiah as a scientist who transformed himself by accident, nodding to Silver Age archetypes like Reed Richards and Bruce Banner, but Marvel editorial pushed for a story that more directly mirrored the Tuskegee Study; Morales salvaged one cornerstone of his proposal — a strong, central Black marriage between Isaiah and Faith — and secured editorial approval for the series' tragic ending, in which Bradley's brain damage serves as a reference to Muhammad Ali. The series was initially announced and cover-labeled as a six-issue run before being extended to seven issues.

Trivia · 8 facts

• First appearance of Isaiah Bradley (Earth-616), a Black World War II soldier who undergoes an experimental Super-Soldier Serum program and ultimately dons the Captain America costume and a steel shield in combat.
• Also the first appearance of supporting characters Maurice Canfield, Sgt. Luke Evans, Faith Bradley, and Dallas Huxley, all introduced in this debut chapter.
• Written by Robert Morales and illustrated (pencils, inks, and colors) by Kyle Baker, with lettering by Wes Abbott; edited by Axel Alonso and John Miesegaes under editor-in-chief Joe Quesada.
• The series — and this issue — draws thematic and structural inspiration from the real-world Tuskegee Syphilis Study, in which the U.S. government conducted unethical medical experiments on Black men.
• Originally conceived as a six-issue limited series; the first two issues carry cover copy reading 'Part I of VI' and 'Part II of VI' before the run was extended to seven issues.
• The complete series was collected in a trade paperback (February 2004) and a hardcover (2009); a new trade paperback edition was released in February 2022 under the retitle Captain America: Truth.
• Isaiah Bradley's grandson, Eli Bradley (Patriot), is a founding member of the Young Avengers, making this issue the root of a character lineage that extends significantly into later Marvel continuity.
• Isaiah Bradley was portrayed by Carl Lumbly in the 2021 Disney+ series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and again in the 2025 film Captain America: Brave New World, cementing the character's place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Cast · 1 character

Full credits