Steven Rogers sat on his bed in his room in Avengers Mansion, staring at an image of a man he hadn't seen in sixty-five years. The man's stark blue eyes and chiseled jaw mirrored his own. His expression was serious, although it had always been that way. Unlike Steve, the man's hair was reddish-brown instead of blond. Steve had already read through the file that Fury had given him, memorizing every minute detail.

The man was Douglas Rogers, Steve's younger brother.

XXXXX

Europe. Early 1943. Everyone kept talking about how the war was going to be over by Christmas. Just as they had in previous years. This particular evening, Steve and the Howling Commandos were preparing to confront the Red Skull once and for all. Tensions were high and everyone had decided to head to the nearest bar to blow off some steam.

That evening, the bar was completely packed. Steve could barely walk without bumping into American, British, French, or soldiers from the numerous other countries involved.

"I'll get the next round," said Steve, already pushing his chair away from the table.

"See, that's why you're the best," said Dum Dum Dugan with a grin. "To the Captain!"

The other Howling Commandos echoed the toast before draining their mugs. Steve collected as many as he could in both hands, before making his way to the counter. A tall, thin man with black hair stood behind the bar.

"Can I get a refill for all of these, please?" Steve asked, sliding each tankard across the counter.

The bartender looked from the mugs to Steve.

"I'll see what I can do," said the man with an Italian accent. He took two cups at a time to the open keg in the back.

"Must be nice, getting all the good missions," said a familiar voice.

Steve whipped his head to where he heard the sound of the voice. He found a man with auburn hair sitting at the bar and holding a mug of what Steve assumed was beer.

"This isn't a glory-seeking mission," Steve said, feeling his anger rise to the surface.

Douglas scoffed as he downed the rest of his mug. "Could've fooled me."

The bartender soon reappeared with both tankards full, before grabbing two more and returning to the keg.

"What we're doing is extremely dangerous," Steve continued, trying his best to keep his voice as calm as possible. "I haven't purposely-"

"But you have!" Douglas said, slamming his empty mug on the counter. "You've deliberately kept me from the front. All so you can get the glory."

"That's not what I've been doing at all," Steve said, shaking his head.

The bartender reappeared once again to deliver full mugs, before taking the last two cups and going back to the keg.

"Whatever, you say, Captain," said Douglas, rolling his bright blue eyes. He then shifted his gaze to the bartender. "Hey barkeep, can I get another round over here?"

XXXXX

Steve gently brushed his thumb over the edge of the sepia photograph.

"I'm so sorry, Douglas," he murmured. "I promise, I'll make things right."

Greetings, Loyal Readers! Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes was my favorite cartoon and I was extremely disappointed when it ended. This is definitely a comfort show for me, so I hope you all enjoy it as well!

This story has been a long time in the making and now that I have some more free time, I decided to post the prologue. Since I already have the outline finished, I do need to write and edit the other chapters. While I do have other projects I'm working on, I promise to update this as frequently as possible while still giving it the necessary edits.

*Disclaimer: Marvel and Disney own the Avengers, and their respective characters.*

If you enjoyed this story, please feel free to leave a like or comment below and I'll see you next chapter!