| "Secret Empire" | |||
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&sq=Envato&lang=en&file=File:SecretEmpire1974.png) Captain America renounces his title on the cover of Captain America and the Falcon #176 | |||
| Publisher | Marvel Comics | ||
| Publication date | January – August 1974 | ||
| Genre | Superhero, conspiracy | ||
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| Creative team | |||
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| Artist(s) | Sal Buscema | ||
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| Editor(s) | Roy Thomas | ||
"Secret Empire" is a story arc that ran from January to August 1974 in Captain America and the Falcon, an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics. It was written by Steve Englehart with additional scriptwork by Mike Friedrich, and drawn by Sal Buscema. The comic follows the superhero Captain America as he uncovers a conspiracy to discredit him perpetrated by the Secret Empire, which extends to the heights of the American presidency.
Englehart conceived of "Secret Empire" as an allegory for the Watergate scandal, and sought to examine how that event would have a disillusioning effect on Captain America's belief in an idealized America. The storyline was a critical success, with praise offered for its political content, though more recent reviews have noted how its typically 1970s comic book dialogue likely reads as aged to a modern audience. "Secret Empire" has been cited as an example of how comic books reflect the political conditions under which they are produced, and is credited with introducing the tension between America as it idealizes itself to be and America as it exists in reality as a perennial theme in stories featuring Captain America.