In 2013, a now-elderly Steve Rogers named his partner Sam Wilson aka the Falcon to be his replacement as Captain America. While this was a Captain America when Steve Rogers could not.
Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty #8-9 (1999) written by Fantastic Four villain The Wizard.
Although Captain America was able to quell the antagonized mob, he was hit in the back by an energy blast and apparently disintegrated. Upset about the death of his partner and how his image was used to the Sons agenda, Sam watched as Steve's legacy and reputation was used in a campaign of hate speech, bigotry, and disillusionment that spread throughout his beloved Harlem. Declaring enough was enough, Sam put on a discarded Captain America costume and acquired a version of Steve's shield in an attempt to rebuild Steve's reputation as the new Captain America.
In the following issue, Sam is hard at work stopping Sons' agents from assaulting Harlem citizens while also investigating the events of that night and their connection to the white supremacist group. Although his campaign had only been a few days, Sam found himself exhausted but continued to push forward as the violence and the escalating threat had talked of the National Guard being called in to intervene. Using a rather unorthodox method of interrogation to get his answers, Sam finds himself in a difficult situation as a crowd gathers to fight a group of the Sons with Captain America is no bigot and that the goal is to protect Harlem for everybody regardless of the color of their skin. With the cheers of the crowd at his back, Sam followed the traitor back to the Sons' base where it was revealed they were preparing to release what they called a "bio-ethnic virus" targeted to specifically attack Harlem's people of color and start reclaiming the world for White America. Sam attempts to stop this fighting off goons and to his horror, his not-so-dead partner Steve Rogers who had been brainwashed into fighting for the Sons of the Shield.
As Sam was pummeled by his former partner while the smug Wizard monologues, their victory was interrupted by news of another mob advancing their location. But the tables were turned when the decision was made to release the infectious gas upon the unsuspecting crowd and the Sons learned they were just as in danger as the minorities they deemed inferior. Sam succeeded in defeating the Wizard and neutralizing the virus before it could affect innocent civilians although he began to die having been infected himself. His noble death was cut short by Steve, who had been freed from their hypnotic control, who carried Sam to safety while declaring him the only Captain America here that day and complimenting his partner for his work.
As Sam would recover in a nearby hospital, both Steve and Sam discussed the events in the issue and what they learned as if this was a classic after school special. Sam not only exposed the Sons for their traitorous plot but also proved that he would be a worthy Captain America if push came to shove. In a story whose message of fighting bigotry and hatred that still remains relevant today, Steve can't stop Sam from ignoring the recommendations of sleep and getting back to the streets that need him more than ever. Although it would be a decade or so before he officially wore the red, white and blue again, we can only hope this moment in their shared career of super-heroics was near the top of reasons why Steve Rogers chose Sam to be his official replacement.
