Wonder Woman and Superman?  So last year!  There’s a hot new super hero couple– Captain America and Thor!  The pair were caught locking lips on the upcoming Alex Ross-painted cover for ‘Avengers’ #4– due in January– with the caption “World’s Mightiest Kiss,” in a tweet sent by Marvel senior editor Ben Morse.  Yep, Cap and Thor, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!

Relax, not these guys.  This is canon, not slash fic!

In the Marvel Comics Universe, the title of Captain America is currently held by Sam Wilson, the African American champion once known as The Falcon, the longtime partner of the traditional Cap, Steve Rogers.  And Thor is a woman, secretly Jane Foster, the former human love interest of the classic Norse God of Thunder.  In the present, Jane is stricken with cancer and using the power of Thor actually worsens her condition, but she bravely continues battling evil despite that.  (In the movies, Anthony Mackie plays Wilson and Natalie Portman plays Foster.)

The romance apparently sparks in the “All New, All Different” ‘Avengers’ title, the first issue of which arrives next month, teaming the new Cap and Thor with Iron Man, The Vision, Nova (Sam Alexander), Spider-Man (Miles Morales) and Ms. Marvel (Kamala Khan).

The simple statement that Captain America and Thor kissed and will be a romantic item is enough to cause even current readers to pause for a second, with the image of Steve Rogers and the Odinson locking lips flickering in their minds.  That alone should make for a fun conversation starter among non-reader friends.  But story wise, this could actually make for a pretty interesting pairing and one that could be more organic than the publicity maneuver of the Superman/Wonder Woman coupling.

But Sam Wilson is a lover AND a fighter and his latest skirmish has landed him in the crosshairs of none other than conservative FOX News!  Specifically, the show ‘Fox and Friends’ took offense to ‘Captain America: Sam Wilson’ #1 written by Nick Spencer and illustrated by Daniel Acuna, which hit stands last Wednesday.  In this issue, Wilson took on terrorist group the Sons of the Serpent, which had set up along the border between the U.S. and Mexico to stop those attempting to cross the border illegally.

“Attention all trespassers!” the Supreme Serpent declares, continuing “By invading this sovereign land, you defy the laws of God, nature, and the United States Constitution. Therefore, I hereby apprehend you by the power vested in me by the aforementioned God, nature, et cetera, et cetera.”

‘FOX and Friends’ co-host Clayton Morris opened discussion of the comic, stating:

“He’s got a new, odd enemy.  Instead of going against Hydra and the typical Captain America villains, he’s going up against conservatives.That’s his new enemy.”

Corespondent Tucker Carlson added:

“So who is this Serpent?  Is this Serpent an Islamic [extremist], an ISIS member bent on destroying Western civilization? No. The Serpent is an American who has misgivings about unlimited immigration and the costs associated with it. That, according to the comic book, is evil.”

The Sons of the Serpent are a racist group– a more colorful (pardon the pun) spin on the Ku Klux Klan in Marvel Comics.  In the past, they publicly assaulted Bill Foster, the African American hero known as Black Goliath as well as the Black Panther.  They set about destroying apartment buildings in Harlem in an effort to wipe out African and Latin Americans.

Or as FOX News sees them, conservative American[s] with “misgivings about unlimited immigration and the costs associated with it.

If they were Muslim, it seems, it would be okay for a super hero to battle them.

If you want to watch the ‘Fox and Friends’ segment, it is available below:

Writer Spencer viewed the criticisms with a sense of irony.

“More than anything, I’m just amazed how certain media coverage of ‘Sam Wilson: Captain America’ #1 directly mirrors what we showed in the book.”

In a matter of days, Sam Wilson stirred up more ire than Steve Rogers did in decades!  Being a hero isn’t always easy!

What do you think of Sam Wilson and Jane Foster as a couple?  And what do you make of the FOX brouhaha?  Comment below!

Sources: The Mary SueComic Book Resources