Warning: Contains Spoilers for New Champions #5!Marvel’s new Champions’ latest adventure just revealed a redesign that links her to one of Steve Rogers’ most infamous comic eras. Liberty is a founding member of the universe’s New Champions, and while these teen heroes may resemble Avengers trainees, their true origin stems from a sinister scheme orchestrated by HYDRA.

New Champions #5, written by Steve Foxe with art by Ivan Fiorelli, pits the team of legacy heroes against a villain who suddenly triggers visions of their greatest fears. In Miranda Monteiro’s vision, she’s become a twisted version of her own superhero identity, turning Liberty into an agent of Hydra.

Just like Captain America’s controversial turn as a villain in Secret Empire, Liberty stands to “Hail Hydra” along with the evil organization’s other soldiers while sporting a green costume, trading her signature star for their tentacled insignia. The envisioned transformation is a dark reminder of her trauma.

Liberty’s Sinister HYDRA Makeover Further Connects the New Champion to Captain America Lore

New Champions #5 by Steve Foxe, Ivan Fiorelli, Arthur Hesli, and VC’s Travis Lanham

Though the New Champions are now an eclectic mix of young superpowered sidekicks from around the globe, all the heroes that originally made up the team are actually Hydra experiments gone rogue. The team’s core four , including Liberty, Moon Squire, Hellrune, and Cadet Marvel, battled Spider-Woman in her series, and the hero helped Miranda and her friends free themselves from Hydra’s brainwashing. The vision in New Champions #5 proves that Liberty is still struggling with being used as a weapon for Hydra in her origin, but she isn’t the first character in Captain America lore to deal with that.

Captain America saying “Hail Hydra” and becoming a villain was a major twist in Marvel Comics’ recent history. Though it was a huge moment for the character, it wasn’t actually Earth-616's real Steve Rogers in the role. However, Cap’s iconic sidekick Bucky Barnes is also a victim of brainwashing like Liberty. In the comics, Bucky was turned into the Winter Soldier by the Soviets; however, the MCU established Hydra. With Liberty’s debut and rehabilitation as the leader of the New Champions, Cap now has a real sidekick with Hydra origins like his MCU counterpart.

Liberty’s Darkest Fear Comes True as She Faces Life as a Hydra Supervillain

The New Champions Are Still Unpacking Their Traumatic Origins

Other New Champions heroes have terrible visions of their own that give readers a glimpse at their origins or other anxieties they’re facing. Still, Liberty’s big fear is unfortunately a serious concern for the young hero. Since she and her friends have already been brainwashed by the villainous organization before, Hydra could always come back to haunt Liberty and the New Champions. Though Miranda’s sinister costumed makeover in her vision isn’t a reality yet, and just a product of Monte’s sorcery plaguing her mind, it's a reminder that Hydra is a looming threat that hangs over the powerful young hero.

In the pages of Spider-Woman, Liberty was the first of her teammates to break free from Hydra's brainwashing and played an instrumental role in helping them escape. However, it seems that the hero’s biggest fear isn’t that the sinister organization will come after her, but that they’ll make her use her extraordinary abilities to carry out their evil deeds yet again, possibly against her revitalized team. While the Captain America sidekick sees her nightmare of being a Hydra super-soldier come to life, the dark makeover might motivate Liberty to be an even greater leader for the New Champions.

New Champions #5 is available now from Marvel Comics!