Marvel Chronology Project

We need to tack CA 175 onto the end of Richard Nixon's chronology. Even if he isn't really the secret identity of the Secret Empire's Number One, a soldier in CA 175 notes that the White House says the president is "at his retreat...he's supposed to be flying in." That earns Nixon a bts, so...

RICHARD MILHOUS NIXON
...
H2 172
CA 175-BTS

One might say that on Earth-616, the exposure of Number One as a high-ranking White House official was the final straw that prompted Nixon's resignation, and references to "the president" after CA 175 probably won't be to Nixon.

But... with the sliding timescale, wouldn't it no longer be Nixon who was "behind the scenes" in those issues, but a more recent president? Cap #600 reveals that (assuming that the present day is the present in the Marvel Universe) Bill Clinton was president when Captain America FIRST joined the Avengers, so how exactly would you fit Nixon in after that?

I agree that, because of the nature of Marvel Time, any specific POTUS is a topical reference. However, since the MCP does list specific presidents, the convention is to assign his identity based on original publication date.

Spider-Man wrote:But... with the sliding timescale, wouldn't it no longer be Nixon who was "behind the scenes" in those issues, but a more recent president? Cap #600 reveals that (assuming that the present day is the present in the Marvel Universe) Bill Clinton was president when Captain America FIRST joined the Avengers, so how exactly would you fit Nixon in after that?

The same way that you'll fit Bill Clinton in, ten years from now.

Clearly, it is Richard Nixon, Spiro Agnew, and recognizable members of his cabinet in CA 144.

I'll be interested to see how the Index handles this.


watching: local news

Check out the Index entry for X-Men: the Hidden Years #20. "The President" is mentioned as bts that issue, and the book's ties to FF #102-104 make it explicit that Nixon is the President at that time (he appears on-panel in #103-104). But the sliding timescale means that Clinton would have been the President in Hidden Years #20...

We addressed it by basically acknowledging the discrepancy, briefly discussing the sliding timescale, and identifying the President in X:HY #20 merely by title, not by name. (When we index FF #103-104, however, we WILL identify Nixon by name.)

-Jeph!

So how would you handle recent books where Bush or Obama are seen and referred to by name, or at least drawn in such a way that it's unmistakably them? What about books where the President is shown, but not mentioned by name and deliberately not shown clearly enough for his identity to be apparent?

We'd list them as Bush, Obama, or whoever the President is at the time the story is published/set. Simple.

-Jeph!

Anyone have any ideas about who the Secret Empire's number 1's really was or was meant to be (reading between the lines)? Also, anyone made a list of the names, numbers, and appearances of each of the Secret Empire operatives?

metaldragon wrote:Anyone have any ideas about who the Secret Empire's number 1's really was or was meant to be (reading between the lines)?

Pick up the new volume of the Index, starting in May.

Russ Chappell wrote:Pick up the new volume of the Index, starting in May.

Good answer!