Captain America No. 1, by Ta-Nehisi Coates, Annotated

Captain America enjoys a rarefied position in the superhero pantheon. Since his 1940 debut (in which he punches Adolf Hitler in the face), Captain America has been defined as the quintessential patriot. In stories that have riffed on divisive political moments — Watergate, the War on Terror — the Captain, also known as Steve Rogers, has emerged as a complex man, one willing to question the direction his country takes.

Marvel announced in February that the writer Ta-Nehisi Coates would assume writing duties on a new Captain America series, with the first issue rolling out on Independence Day. Mr. Coates, now in his second year of working on the acclaimed “Black Panther,” noted that he relishes the chance to adapt “a walking emblem of greatest-generation propaganda” for the contemporary moment.

For Coates, taking on this icon was not about leaving his mark on the character but embodying what he called the character’s “Lincolnesque optimism.”

“The opportunity of writing ‘Captain America’ wasn’t to make Steve Rogers talk like the son of somebody who had been in the Black Panther Party,” he said in a phone interview with The Times. “The opportunity was the son of somebody who had been in the Black Panther Party to talk like Steve Rogers. To get into that perspective.”

The following are pages from “Captain America” No. 1, annotated with excerpts from an interview with Mr. Coates. Spoilers ahead.