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Marvel Comics is a bit furtive about getting into adult content over the past few decades, with its Max line and recent Red Band comics notable exceptions - and in those cases, doing it more so for shocking violence than other 'adult subject matter. But back in 2005, the company made a rare misstep and published a working phone sex line on the cover of an issue of its popular 'Winter Soldier' era of Captain America.

Accidentally, of course.

2005's Captain America #7 by Ed Brubaker and the later John Paul Leon comes with a cover by Steve Epting showing a 'Missing' poster depicting a former Bucky, Jack Monroe. On the poster was a phone number to call to report any information you might have about his whereabouts - 866-555-1963. It was a made-up phone number with no intended easter egg unlike Cap's phone number in the Avengers: Infinity War movie... but it was in fact a real working number. And no one called to check until after the issue was published.

"I seem to recall that there was a hassle with that phone number on the flier on that cover," recounts the comics' editor (and longtime SVP of publishing at Marvel) Tom Brevoort in his always-excellent Substack newsletter The Man With the Hat. "The 555 exchange had been set up as a non-functioning exchange for use in television and film production, so we figured that we were safe in using it here. Turned out afterwards that despite that, this specific number connected to one of those call-porn lines. Nobody on our end had ever thought to call and check, something we’re a bit better about policing these days." 

Since the '60s, the 555 prefix on phone numbers has been used for fictionalized phone numbers to be depicted in U.S. television shows, movies, books, comics, and other medium. The 555 number has been ingraind in pop culture as fictionalized, however in the mid'90s 555 numbers began to be given out and sold to real people - and real businesses. But that's something still not widely known - in 2005 when this comic was published, or even today 20 years after that.

What's interesting is that despite this, as far as I can tell Marvel Comics never changed the phone number in subsequent reprints, collections, or digital editions. Comparing my original copy of 2005's Captain America #7 with the one in the collection, the digital version on the Marvel Unlimited app, and the cover shown on Marvel.com, and it all bears that number.

Of course, I called the number today - 1-866-555-1963 - and it is no longer a phone sex line. It's not Marvel, either. There is simply no one who currently has the number. Maybe Marvel bought it and simply plans not to use it forever. 

Get ready for what's next with our guide to upcoming comics, how to buy comics at a comic shop, and our guide to Free Comic Book Day 2025.