Nomad (2026) Chris Evans & Vanessa Kirby

Eight minutes, Cap. Working on it. There's been a long-rumored Nomad project in development, and with all the recent news, it feels like it could actually happen. In Marvel Comics, Nomad isn't just one character, but a title that has been used by several different heroes over the years. The identity was first created by writer Steve Englehart and artist Sal Buscema in Captain America number 180 in 1974. Steve Rogers temporarily abandoned the Captain America mantle and adopted the name Nomad, which literally means the man without a country. The Nomad identity later passed to several other characters. In the early 1980s, writer J.M. DeMatteis briefly gave the mantle to Edward Furbel before introducing the version most fans are familiar with, Jack Monroe, who became the longest-running and most recognizable Nomad. In the comics, Jack Monroe was born in Naugatuck, Connecticut, and became the partner of William Burnside, the man who took on the Captain America identity during the 1950s, while believing he was the real Steve Rogers. Jack served as his version of Bucky, and the two operated as Captain America and Bucky for a while before eventually being placed in suspended animation. Decades later, they were awakened, but years of suspended animation and their unstable mental state had taken a toll on them. Believing themselves to be the true Captain America and Bucky, they went after the original Steve Rogers and Falcon. However, they were ultimately defeated, captured, and placed back into suspended animation. Later on, William Burnside was revived and manipulated by the villainous psychologist Dr. Faustus, who turned him into the Grand Director, the leader of the extremist group known as the National Force. Under Faustus' control, Burnside appeared to shoot and kill his former partner, Jack Monroe. However, after Captain America and Daredevil defeated Faustus and the Grand Director, it was revealed that the gun had actually been loaded with blanks because Faustus had plans to use Jack in the future. Afterward, Jack was taken into S.H.I.E.L.D. custody and eventually recovered from his psychological issues. He later sought out Steve Rogers and briefly put on the Bucky costume again to help him battle Viper. Soon after, Steve passed his former Nomad identity onto Jack, officially making him the new Nomad. As Nomad, Jack received a new costume and went on to fight criminals like Slug, even helping dismantle his criminal empire with Captain America's support. Later, when Steve Rogers was stripped of the Captain America title and became the Captain, Jack traveled alongside him as part of a team that included Falcon, Demolition Man, and Jack's girlfriend, Vagabond. During this period, Jack was portrayed as a rough, sarcastic, and often hot-headed character. He especially disliked Demolition Man, partly because he suspected there was some attraction developing between D-Man and Vagabond, which only added to the tension within the group. Later, when Viper and a faction of the Serpent Society attempted to poison Washington D.C.'s water supply, the Captain and his allies stepped in to stop them. During the conflict, Nomad, Vagabond, and Demolition Man were captured and imprisoned by the Commission on Superhuman Activities. When the former Serpent Society leader Sidewinder broke into the prison to rescue Diamondback, he also offered to free the heroes. Vagabond and Demolition Man refused, believing they should face the consequences of their actions, but Nomad disagreed and escaped with Sidewinder. This decision ultimately ended his relationship with Vagabond. Soon afterward, Steve Rogers asked Nomad for help but found him drunk and unwilling to assist. When Steve revealed he planned to surrender himself to authorities, Nomad refused to support him and the two parted on bad terms. After that, Jack returned to working alone as a street-level vigilante. During this period, he kidnapped an infant girl from her drug-addicted mother and named her Bucky, which brought him under investigation by the Commission on Superhuman Activities. The government eventually sent Steve Rogers, now restored as Captain America, to confront him. During the resulting conflict, Nomad defeated his opponents and killed several criminals and corrupt officials. As time went on, Jack became more of a wandering hero, traveling across the country and dealing with real-world issues that superheroes rarely tackled, including homelessness, hate crimes, and the AIDS epidemic. Eventually, Nomad was believed to have died after a confrontation with a neo-Nazi militia in his hometown, a particularly painful chapter considering that Jack's own father had been a Nazi sympathizer during World War II. However, it was later revealed that Jack had actually been placed back into suspended animation while another body was used to fake his death. Years later, government official Henry Peter Gyrich revived Jack and implanted nanites into his body, turning him into a new version of the Scourge of the Underworld. Although Jack remained fully aware of what was happening, he was unable to resist Gyrich's commands or tell anyone the truth about his situation. As Scourge, he fought the Thunderbolts before they eventually freed him from Gyrich's control. After reclaiming the Nomad identity and returning to his classic costume, Jack sadly suffered another mental breakdown and began experiencing severe psychological problems again. During this period, he checked in on the young girl he had once called Bucky, who had since been adopted by another family. Not long afterward, Jack was shot and killed while leaving a bar. It was later revealed that his killer was the Winter Soldier, making Jack Monroe's story one of the most tragic in Captain America history. I think this could make a really great Marvel Spotlight series. The whole point of Marvel Spotlight is to tell stories that exist within the MCU but aren't directly tied to the big crossover events or the overarching multiverse saga. A grounded Nomad series starring Jack Monroe would fit that approach perfectly. But there's also an interesting question to ask. Could Sam Wilson's Captain America ever become a version of Nomad? I think the answer is yes, but not in the way most people imagine. Nomad has never really been about the costume itself. At its core, the Nomad identity represents rejecting the title of Captain America when the country, the government, or the system no longer reflects the values that Captain America is supposed to stand for. What makes Sam Wilson's Captain America so interesting is that his relationship with that symbol has always been very different from Steve Rogers. Sam's journey as Captain America has heavily focused on what that shield means to him personally and the complicated history that comes with carrying it. So if Sam ever stepped away from being Captain America and adopted a Nomad-like identity, it probably wouldn't come from the same place as Steve's decision in the comics. Instead, it would need to reflect Sam's own experiences, struggles, and perspective. That said, I don't think Marvel should simply recycle Steve Rogers' Nomad storyline and give it to Sam. If Sam ever takes on a Nomad-type role, it should be a completely new interpretation of the concept. Otherwise, it risks feeling like a repeat of a story that's already been told. Of course, besides these two, Marvel actually has two more options, Ricky Barnes and Ian Rogers. Ricky Barnes first appeared as the Bucky of the Heroes Reborn universe after eventually making her way into the main Marvel universe. After the events of Onslaught Reborn, she became friends with Patriot from the Young Avengers and later took on the mantle of Nomad in the 2009 miniseries Nomad, Girl Without a World. Her version of Nomad is younger, more energetic, and has a lot of potential if Marvel ever wants to do something aimed at a younger audience or build toward a new generation of heroes. Then there's Ian Rogers, who might actually be the most interesting option. In the comics, Steve Rogers became trapped in Dimension Z and ended up raising Arnim Zola's infant son as his own child, naming him Ian. Steve spent over a decade raising Ian while fighting to survive in Dimension Z, essentially becoming a father in the process. Although Ian was believed to have died, he eventually survived and grew up to become Nomad himself, taking on a costume and shield inspired by his adoptive father while serving as the protector of Dimension Z. Ian's story has a lot of emotional weight because it's really about Steve Rogers as a father and the legacy he leaves behind. We even saw Ian fight alongside Steve during the Axis storyline, proving that he was more than worthy of carrying the Nomad mantle. That said, if Marvel is truly planning a grounded Marvel Spotlight-style series, I think Jack Monroe makes the most sense. His story has everything you'd want from that kind of project, government conspiracies, psychological trauma, moral ambiguity, street-level crime, and a tragic hero trying to find his place in a world that moved on without him. Let me know what you think in the comments below and don't forget to subscribe because we'll be covering more updates on this soon. We'll see you next time!