Captain America: Steve Rogers writer Nick Spencer talks angering fans

Keep sending Nick Spencer your Captain America: Steve Rogers hate mail (just not the death threats, please). It shows you care.

The comic book writer joined EW’s Tim Leong at Con-X Saturday to discuss his new series, which follows Cap in today’s world as he deals with Hydra gaining power. The superhero shocks everyone (mostly readers) when he aligns himself with the malevolent organization at the end of Issue No. 1 after his reality is rewritten by a cosmic, changing who he is as a person and his background.

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The Hydra alliance won’t be a simple four-issue arc: It’s going to really affect the universe, and maybe anger fans even more, like when Cap kneels before Red Skull. “This is going to have major ramifications throughout the Marvel Universe for a long time to come,” Spencer said. “This is a very big story that we’ve done. The biggest story I’ve ever done at Marvel.”

Spencer has worked on a number of titles for Marvel, like Avengers World and Ant-Man, as well as Action Comics for DC. But how big was the negative feedback on Steve Rogers, from 1 to 100?

“I think we hit the 100. We maybe overshot the landing a little bit,” Spencer said. “People feel passionately about these characters. … The worst response would have been apathy.”

Issue 3 of Captain America: Steve Rogers arrives next week.

Con-X is a four-day getaway in Embarcadero Marina Park North in downtown San Diego. Made for all fans, Con-X allows anyone to get a taste of Comic-Con for free with panels, Q&A, trivia, music, screenings, and more. Con-X runs through Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. PT each day.

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