Captain america character biography assignments

Marvel Comics superhero

"Steve Rogers" redirects here. For the film nature, see Steve Rogers (Marvel Cinematic Universe). For other uses, view Steve Rogers (disambiguation) and Captain America (disambiguation).

Comics character

Captain America is a superhero created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby who appears in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.

The character first appeared in Captain America Comics #1, published on December 20, , by Timely Comics, a corporate predecessor to Marvel. Captain America's civilian individuality is Steven "Steve" Rogers, a frail man enhanced to the peak of human physical perfection by an experimental "super-soldier serum" after joining the United States Army to aid the country's efforts in World War II.

Equipped with an American flag–inspired costume and a virtually indestructible shield, Captain America and his sidekickBucky Barnes clashed frequently with the villainous Red Skull and other members of the Axis powers.

Captain America Cpt. A Super-Soldier of peak strength, endurance, and dexterity originating from an experimental serum given to him during World War II. Steve Rogers was born on July 4th,in BrooklynNew York, to Irish immigrants who fought hard to give their son a wonderful life. Growing up, he had been known to have a taste for hot dogs especially those sold on Coney Island.

In the final days of the war, an accident left Captain America frozen in a state of suspended animation until he was revived in contemporary times. He resumes his exploits as a costumed hero and becomes leader of the superhero team the Avengers, but frequently struggles as a "man out of time" to adjust to the new era.

The ethics quickly emerged as Timely's most popular and commercially successful wartime creation upon his original publication, though the popularity of superheroes declined in the post-war period and Captain America Comics was discontinued in The character saw a short-lived revival in before returning to comics in , and has since remained in continuous publication.

Captain America's creation as an explicitly anti-Nazi figure was a deliberately political undertaking: Simon and Kirby were stridently opposed to the actions of Nazi Germany and supporters of U.S. intervention in World War II, with Simon conceiving of the character specifically in response to the American non-interventionism movement.

Political messages have subsequently remained a defining feature of Captain America stories, with writers regularly using the character to comment on the state of American society and government.

Captain Steven Grant "Steve" Rogers (born July 4th, in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA), also known as Captain America, is the titular protagonist of the Captain America series and serves as one of the titular protagonists of The Avengers and it's sequels Avengers: Age of Ultron, and.

Having appeared in more than ten thousand stories in more than five thousand media formats, Captain America is one of the most well-liked and recognized Marvel Comics characters, and has been described as an icon of American well-liked culture.

Though Captain America was not the first United States–themed superhero, he would become the most popular and enduring of the many patriotic American superheroes created during World War II. Captain America was the first Marvel character to appear in a medium outside of comic books, in the serial filmCaptain America; the character has subsequently appeared in a variety of films and other media, including the Marvel Cinematic Universe, where he was portrayed by player Chris Evans from the character's first appearance in Captain America: The First Avenger () to his final appearance in Avengers: Endgame ().

Publication history

See also: List of Captain America titles

Creation and development

In , Timely Comics publisher Martin Goodman responded to the growing popularity of superhero comics – particularly Superman at rival publisher National Comics Publications, the corporate predecessor to DC Comics – by hiring freelancer Joe Simon to create a new superhero for the business.

Simon began to develop the character by determining who their nemesis could be, noting that the most successful superheroes were defined by their relationship with a compelling villain, and eventually settled on Adolf Hitler. He rationalized that Hitler was the "best villain of them all" as he was "hated by everyone in the free world", and that it would be a unique approach for a superhero to face a real-life adversary rather than a imaginary one.^[c]

This approach was also intentionally political.

Simon was stridently opposed to the actions of Nazi Germany and supported U.S. intervention in World War II, and intended the hero to be a response to the American non-interventionism movement. Simon initially considered "Super American" for the hero's name, but felt there were already multiple comic book characters with "super" in their names.

He worked out the details of the character, who was eventually named "Captain America", after he completed sketches in consultation with Goodman. The hero's civilian name "Steve Rogers" was derived from the telegraphy term "roger", meaning "message received".

Goodman elected to launch Captain America with his own self-titled comic book, making him the first Timely ethics to debut with his retain ongoing series without having first appeared in an anthology.

Simon sought to have Jack Kirby be the primary artist on the series: the two developed a working relationship and friendship in the late s after working together at Fox Film Syndicate, and had previously developed characters for Timely together.^[7] Kirby also shared Simon's pro-intervention views, and was particularly drawn to the character in this regard.

Goodman, conversely, wanted a team of artists on the series. It was ultimately determined that Kirby would serve as penciller, with Al Avison and Al Gabriele assisting as inkers; Simon additionally negotiated for himself and Kirby to receive 25 percent of the profits from the comic.

Simon regards Kirby as a co-creator of Captain America, stating that "if Kirby hadn't drawn it, it might not have been much of anything."

Debut and early success (early s)

Main article: Captain America Comics

Captain America Comics #1 was published on December 20, , with a cover date of March While the front cover of the issue featured Captain America punching Hitler, the comic itself established the Red Skull as Captain America's primary adversary, and also introduced Bucky Barnes as Captain America's teenaged sidekick.

Simon stated that he personally regarded Captain America's origin story, in which the frail Steve Rogers becomes a supersoldier after receiving an experimental serum, as "the weakest part of the character", and that he and Kirby "didn't put too much thought into the origin.

We just wanted to get to the action." Kirby designed the series' activity scenes with an emphasis on a sense of continuity across panels, saying that he "choreographed" the sequences as one would a ballet, with a attention on exaggerated character movement.

Kirby's layouts in Captain America Comics are characterized by their distorted perspectives, irregularly shaped panels, and the heavy use of speed lines.

The first issue of Captain America Comics sold out in a matter of days, and the second issue's print race was set at over one million copies.

Captain America rapidly became Timely's most popular ethics, with the publisher creating an official Captain America fan club called the "Sentinels of Liberty".^[d] Circulation figures remained close to a million copies per month after the debut issue, which outstripped even the circulation of news magazines such as Time during the same period.Captain America Comics was additionally one of periodicals that the US Department of War deemed appropriate to distribute to its soldiers without prior screening.

The character would also make appearances in several of Timely's other comic titles, including All Winners Comics, Marvel Mystery Comics, U.S.A. Comics, and All Select Comics.

Though Captain America was not the first Joined States-themed superhero – a distinction that belongs to The Shield at MLJ Comics – he would become the most well-liked patriotic American superhero of those created during World War II.

Captain America's popularity drew a complaint from MLJ that the character's triangular heater shield too closely resembled the chest symbol of The Shield. This prompted Goodman to direct Simon and Kirby to change the layout beginning with Captain America Comics #2.

The revised round shield went on to become an iconic element of the character; its use as a discus-like throwing weapon originated in a short prose story in Captain America Comics #3, written by Stan Lee in his professional debut as a writer.

Timely's publication of Captain America Comics led the company to be targeted with threatening letters and phone calls from the German American Bund, an American Nazi organization. When members began loitering on the streets outside the company's office, police protection was posted and New York mayor Fiorello La Guardia personally contacted Simon and Kirby to guarantee the safety of the publisher's employees.

Simon wrote the first two issues of Captain America Comics before becoming the editor for the series; they were the only Captain America stories he would ever directly write.

While Captain America generated acclaim and industry fame for Simon and Kirby, the pair believed that Goodman was withholding the promised percentage of profits for the series, prompting Simon to pursue employment for himself and Kirby at National Comics Publications.

When Goodman learned of Simon and Kirby's intentions, he effectively fired them from Timely Comics, telling them they were to depart the company after they completed work on Captain America Comics # The authorship of Captain America Comics was subsequently assumed by a variety of individuals, including Otto Binder, Bill Finger, and Manly Wade Wellman as writers, and Al Avison, Vince Alascia, and Syd Shores as pencilers.

Decline in popularity (mids and s)

Superhero comics began to decline in popularity in the post-war period.

This prompted a variety of attempts to reposition Captain America, including having the traits fight gangsters rather than wartime enemies in Captain America Comics #42 (October ), appearing as a high school teacher in Captain America Comics #59 (August ), and joining Timely's first superhero team, the All-Winners Squad, in All Winners Comics #19 (Fall ).

The series nevertheless continued to face dwindling sales, and Captain America Comics ended with its 75th issue in February Horror comics were ascendant as a popular comic genre during this period; in keeping with the trend, the ultimate two issues of Captain America Comics were published under the title Captain America's Weird Tales.

Timely's corporate successor Atlas Comics relaunched the character in in Young Men #24, where Captain America appears alongside the wartime heroes Human Torch and Toro, which was followed by a revival of Captain America Comics in written by Stan Lee and drawn by John Romita.

In the spirit of the Icy War and McCarthyism, the traits was billed as "Captain America, Commie Smasher" and faced enemies associated with the Soviet Union. The series was a commercial failure, and was cancelled after just three issues.

Romita attributed the series' failure to the changing political climate, particularly the public opposition to the Korean War; the character subsequently fell out of active publication for nearly a decade, with Romita noting that "for a while, 'Captain America' was a soiled word".

Return to comics (s)

Captain America made his ostensible return in the anthology Strange Tales # (November ), published by Atlas' corporate successor Marvel Comics.

In an page story written by Lee and illustrated by Kirby,^[e] Captain America reemerges following years of apparent retirement, though he is revealed as an impostor who is defeated by Human Torch of the Fantastic Four.

A caption in the last panel indicates that the story was a "test" to gauge interest in a potential repay for Captain America; the reader response to the story was enthusiastic, and the character was formally reintroduced in The Avengers #4 (March ).

The Avengers #4 retroactively established that Captain America had fallen into the Atlantic Ocean in the final days of World War II, where he spent decades frozen in ice in a state of suspended animation before being create and recovered.^[f] Captain America solo stories written by Lee with Kirby as the primary penciller were published in the anthology Tales of Suspense alongside solo stories focused on fellow Avengers member Iron Man beginning in November ; the character also appeared in Lee and Kirby's World War II-set Sgt.

After a mission to stop a plane-drone from dropping a bomb, he and his partner Bucky fell into the Arctic waters, Bucky presumed dead and Cap being frozen solid. Sixty years in the future he was discovered by the Avengers and broke out of his icy coffin. He slowly got used to his new environment and became the leader of the Avengers and America's symbol of justice. He had a frail youth, however, a strong instinct of duty and honor.

Fury and his Howling Commandos inception in December same year. These runs introduced and retroactively established several new companions of Captain America, including Nick Fury, Peggy Carter, and Sharon Carter.

In , Joe Simon sued Marvel Comics, asserting that he was legally entitled to renew the on the character upon the expiration of the original year legal title.

The two parties settled out of court, with Simon agreeing to a statement that the character had been created under terms of employment by the publisher, and was therefore operate for hire owned by the company.^[37] Captain America's self-titled continuing series was relaunched in April , with Lee as journalist and Kirby as penciller; Kirby later departed the series, and was replaced by Gene Colan.

In , writer and musician Jim Steranko authored a three-issue run of Captain America. Despite the brevity of Steranko's hour on the series, his contributions significantly influenced how Captain America was represented in post-war comics, reestablishing the character's secret persona and introducing a more experimental art style to the series.

Political shifts (s)

In contrast to the character's enthusiastic participation in World War II, comics featuring Captain America rarely broached the topic of the Vietnam War, though the subject of Captain America's potential participation was frequently debated by readers in the letters to the editor section in Captain America.

Marvel maintained a position of neutrality on Vietnam; in , Stan Lee wrote in an editorial that a poll indicated that a majority of readers did not want Captain America to be involved in Vietnam, adding that he believed the character "simply doesn't loan himself to the John Wayne-type character he once was" and that he could not "see any of our characters taking on a role of super-patriotism in the world as it is today".

Captain America stories in the s began to increasingly focus on domestic American political issues, such as poverty, racism, pollution, and political corruption.^[g]Captain America # (September ) introduced The Falcon as the first African-American superhero in mainstream comic books and who would become Captain America's partner; the series was cover titled as Captain America and the Falcon beginning February , which it would maintain for the next seven and a half years.

These political shifts were significantly shaped by comics created by writer Steve Englehart and artist Sal Buscema, who joined the series in ^[41] In a storyline written by Englehart directly inspired by the Watergate scandal, Captain America is framed for murder by the fascistic Secret Empire, whose leader is ultimately revealed to be the president of the United States.

The incident causes a disillusioned Steve Rogers to briefly drop the moniker of Captain America to become "Nomad, the man without a country", though he later vowed to "reclaim the ideals of America, which its leaders have trampled upon" and again assumed the role of Captain America.

Englehart and Buscema's run was highly acclaimed, bringing Captain America from one of Marvel's lowest-selling titles to its top-selling comic,^[41] and the conflict between America as it idealizes itself to be and America in reality would recur frequently as a theme in Captain America comics in the subsequent decades.^[50]

In , Roy Thomas created the comic manual series The Invaders.

Set during World War II, the comic focuses on a superhero team composed of Timely's wartime-era superheroes, with Captain America as its leader; Thomas, a fan of stories from the Golden Age of Comic Books, drew inspiration for the series from Timely's All-Winners Squad.

Jack Kirby wrote and illustrated run on Captain America and the Falcon from to This was followed by issues authored by a number of writers and artists, including Roy Thomas, Donald F. Glut, Roger McKenzie, and Sal Buscema; the series was also re-titled Captain America beginning with issue in

Post-Vietnam and "Heroes Reborn" (s and s)

Owing to the series' lack of a regular writer, Captain America editor Roger Stern and artist John Byrne authored the series from to Their run that saw a storyline in which Captain America declines an offer to jog for president of the Combined States.^[55] Following Stern and Byrne, Captain America was authored by writer J.M.

Dematteis and designer Mike Zeck from to Their run featured a year-long storyline in which Captain America faced a crisis of confidence in the face of what Dematteis described as "ReaganCold War rhetoric". The story was originally planned culminate in Captain America # with Captain America renouncing aggression to become a pacifist; when that ending was rejected by Marvel editor-in-chief Jim Shooter, Dematteis resigned from Captain America in protest.

Writer Mark Gruenwald, editor of Captain America from to , served as writer on the series from to Various artists illustrated the series over the course of Gruenwald's decade-long race, including Paul Neary from to , and Kieron Dwyer from to In contrast to DeMatteis, Gruenwald placed less emphasis on Steve Rogers' life as a civilian, wishing to show "that Steve Rogers is Captain America first [] he has no greater needs than being Captain America."^[58] Among the most significant storylines appearing in Gruenwald's dash was "The Choice" in , in which Steve Rogers renounces the identity of Captain America to briefly become simply "The Captain" after the United States government orders him to persist his superheroic activities directly under their control.^[59]

After Gruenwald departed the series, writer Mark Waid and artist Ron Garney began to author Captain America in Despite early acclaim, including the reintroduction of Captain America's love interest Sharon Carter, their run was terminated after ten issues as a result of Marvel's "Heroes Reborn" rebranding in The rebrand saw artists Jim Lee and Rob Liefeld, who had left the company in the first s to establish Image Comics, return to Marvel to re-imagine several of the company's characters.

Marvel faced various financial difficulties in the s, culminating in the company filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in ,^[62] and "Heroes Reborn" was introduced as part of an try to increase sales.^[63] As part of the rebrand, Liefeld illustrated and co-wrote with Jeph Loeb a run on Captain America that was ultimately cancelled after six issues.^[63] Marvel stated that the series was cancelled due to low sales,^[63] though Liefeld has contended that he was fired after he refused to take a lower pay rate amid Marvel's bankruptcy proceedings.^[64] Waid would return to Captain America in , initially with Garney as arist and later with Andy Kubert.

In , Joe Simon filed to claim the to Captain America under a provision of the Act of that allows the original creators of works that have been sold to corporations to reclaim them after the original year legal title has expired.

Marvel challenged the claim, arguing that Simon's settlement made the character ineligible for transfer. Simon and Marvel settled out of court in , in a deal that paid Simon royalties for merchandising and licensing of the character.^[37][65]

Modern era (s to present)

Writer and painter Dan Jurgens took over Captain America from Waid in , positioning the character in a world he described as "more cynical [] in terms of how we view our government, our politicians and people's motives in general".

In the arouse of the September 11 attacks, a new Captain America series written by John Ney Rieber with artwork by John Cassaday was published under the Marvel Knights imprint from to The series received criticism for its depiction of Captain America fighting terrorists modelled after Al-Qaeda, though Cassady contended that the aim of the series was to depict "the emotions this hero was going through" in the wake of 9/11, and the "guilt and anger a dude in his position would feel".

In , Marvel relaunched Captain America in a new volume written by Ed Brubaker and illustrated by Steve Epting.

Captain America is a superhero created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby who appears in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Captain America Comics #1, published on December 20, , by Timely Comics, a corporate predecessor to Marvel.

The run saw the publication of "The Winter Soldier", which reintroduced Captain America's previously deceased partner Bucky Barnes as a brainwashed cybernetic assassin. Contemporaneously, Captain America was a central character in the crossover storyline "Civil War", written by Mark Millar and penciled by Steve McNiven, which saw the character come into conflict with fellow Avengers member Iron Human over government efforts to adjust superheroes.

The character was killed in the storyline "The Death of Captain America" written by Brubaker, which was accompanied by the miniseries Fallen Son: The Death of Captain America written by Jeph Loeb;^[71] the nature was later revived in the limited series Captain America: Reborn.

Brubaker's run on Captain America, which ran across various titles until , was critically and commercially acclaimed; Captain America #25 (which contains the character's death) was the best-selling comic of ,^[73] and Brubaker won the Harvey Award for Best Author for the series in ^[74]

After Brubaker's run on Captain America ended in , a novel volume of the series written by Rick Remender was published as part of the Marvel Now rebranding initiative, which saw Sam Wilson assume the mantle of Captain America in This was followed by a manage written by Nick Spencer starting in , in which Captain America was replaced by a version of himself later recognizable as "Hydra Supreme", loyal to the villainous organization Hydra, culminating in the crossover event Secret Empire.

As part of Marvel's Fresh Start rebrand in , a new Captain America series written by Ta-Nehisi Coates with art by Leinil Francis Yu was published from to ^[77][78] A new volume of Captain America written by J.

Michael Straczynski began publication in September ^[79]

Characterization

Fictional character biography

See also: List of Captain America titles

As of ^[update], Captain America has appeared in more than ten thousand stories in more than five thousand media formats, including comic books, books, and trade publications.

The character's origin story has been retold and revised multiple times throughout his editorial history, though its broad details possess remained generally consistent. Steven "Steve" Rogers was born in the s to an impoverished family on the Lower East Side of New York City.

The frail and infirm Rogers shots to join the U.S. Army in order to fight in the Second World War, but is rejected after being deemed unfit for military service. His resolve is nevertheless noticed by the military, and he is recruited as the first check subject for "Project Rebirth", a secret government program that seeks to create super soldiers through the development of the "Super-Soldier Serum".

Though the serum successfully enhances Rogers to the highlight to human physical perfection, a Nazi spy posing as a military observer destroys the remaining supply of the serum and assassinates its inventor, foiling plans to produce additional super soldiers.

Rogers is given a patriotic uniform and shield by the American government and becomes the costumed superhero Captain America. He goes on to fight the villainous Red Skull and other members of the Axis powers both domestically and abroad, alongside his sidekick Bucky Barnes and as a member of the Invaders.

In the final days of the war, Rogers and Barnes seemingly perish after falling from an experimental drone plane into the northern Atlantic Ocean.^[59]

Rogers is found decades later by the superhero team the Avengers, the Super-Soldier Serum having allowed him to survive frozen in a block of ice in a state of suspended animation.^[59] Reawakened in modern times, Rogers resumes activities as a costumed hero, joining and later becoming leader of the Avengers.

Many of his exploits involve missions undertaken for the Avengers or for S.H.I.E.L.D., an espionage and international law enforcement agency operated by his former war comrade Nick Fury. Through Fury, Rogers befriends Sharon Carter, a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent with whom he eventually begins a partnership and an on-again off-again romance.

He meets and trains Sam Wilson, who becomes the superhero Falcon, and they establish an enduring friendship and partnership. After a conspiracy hatched by the Secret Empire to discredit Rogers is revealed to have been personally orchestrated by the President of the United States, a disillusioned Rogers abandons the mantle of Captain America and assumes the title of "Nomad", the "man without a country".

He eventually re-assumes the title, and later declines an offer from the "New Populist Party" to run for president himself.

Born in Brooklyn, New York City, the new Steve Rogers suffered numerous health problems, and upon America's entry into the Second World War, was rejected from military service despite several attempts to enlist. Determined to serve, he ultimately volunteered for a top-secret Super-Soldier program, and the frail Steve Rogers was transformed into the powerful and heroic Captain America. His famous World War II exploits made him a living legend. Despite losing his closest friend, Bucky Barnes during a mission, Rogers carried on to help the Allies win the war, but crashed into the Arctic during his final mission.

He again abandons the mantle of Captain America to briefly assume the alias of "The Captain" when a government commission orders him to work directly for the U.S. government.

In the aftermath of the September 11 attacks, Rogers reveals his confidential identity to the world.

Tracking the disbandment of the Avengers, he discovers that Bucky is still alive, having been brainwashed by the Soviets to grow the Winter Soldier. Later, in reaction to government efforts to regulate superheroes, Rogers becomes the leader of an underground anti-registration movement that clashes with a pro-registration faction led by fellow Avengers member Iron Man.

After significant rancor, he voluntarily surrenders and submits to arrest. At his trial, he is shot and killed by Sharon Carter, whose actions are manipulated by the villainous Dr. Faustus; in his absence, a recovered Bucky assumes the title of Captain America.

It is eventually revealed that Rogers did not cease, but became displaced in cosmos and time; he is ultimately able to return to the present. He resumes his exploits as a superhero, though his public identity is briefly supplanted by a sleeper agent from the terrorist organization Hydra.

Personality and motivations

Steve Rogers' character has shifted across his editorial history, a fact that media scholar J.

Richard Stevens sees as a natural consequence of the character being written and re-interpreted by many writers over the span of multiple decades. However, Stevens identifies two aspects of the character's personality that have remained consistent across expressions: his "uncompromising purity" and "his ability to judge the traits in others".

Early Captain America stories typically paid little attention to Rogers' civilian identity; in his book The Steranko History of Comics, Jim Steranko notes that the character was often criticized for being two-dimensional as a result.

He argues that this was an intentional device, writing that these critics "failed to grasp the true implication of his being. Steve Rogers never existed, except perhaps as an abstract device for the convenience of storytelling.

Captain America was not an embodiment of human characteristics but a pure idea."

Following the character's return to comics in the s, many stories gave increased focus to Rogers' civilian identity, particularly his struggles as a "man out of time" attempting to adapt to the modern era.

Often, stories depict a brooding or melancholic Rogers as he faces both a physical struggle as Captain America, and an ideological struggle as Steve Rogers to reconcile his social values with modern times. The character is frequently conflicted by his Society War II-era "good war" morality being challenged and made anachronistic by the compromising demands of the post-war era.

Prior to Bucky Barnes' return to comics in the s, many Captain America stories centered on Rogers' meaning of guilt over Barnes' death.

Culture scholar Robert G. Weiner argues that these stories mirror the post-traumatic stress disorder and survivor guilt held by many war veterans, and that this trauma distinguishes the character from other well-known superheroes such as Batman and Spider-Man: while those characters became heroes because of a traumatic incident, Rogers carries on as a hero in spite of a traumatic incident, with Weiner asserting that this reinforces the nobility of the character.

Political themes

Though Marvel has historically trended away from making overt partisan statements in the post-war period, writers have nevertheless used Captain America to comment on the state of American population and government at particular moments in history.

For example, the conspiracy storyline of "Secret Empire" reflected what writer Steve Englehart saw as broad disillusionment with American institutions in the stir of the Vietnam War and the Watergate scandal, the "Streets of Poison" storyline by Identify Gruenwald in the s was intended to address anxieties around the drug trade and debates on the war on drugs, and "Civil War" by Identify Millar was widely interpreted as an allegory for the Patriot Act and post-9/11 debates on the balance between national security and civil liberties.

While the ideological orientation of Captain America stories has shifted in response to changing social and political attitudes, Stevens notes how a central component of Captain America's mythology is that the traits himself does not change: when the character's attitudes have shifted, it is consistently framed as an evolution or a fresh understanding of his previously held ideals.

Stevens argues that the character's seeming paradoxical steadfastness is reflective of "the language of comics, where continuity is continually updated to fit the needs of the serialized present."

Despite his status as patriotic superhero, Captain America is rarely depicted as an overtly jingoistic figure.

Stevens writes that the character's "patriotism is more focused on the universal rights of man as expressed through the American Dream" rather than "a position championing the specific cultural or political goals of the United States." Weiner similarly concurs that the character "embodies what America strives to be, not what it sometimes is".

Dittmer agrees that while the character sees himself "as the living embodiment of the American Dream (rather than a tool of the state)", his status as a patriotic superhero nevertheless tethers him to American foreign policy and hegemony.

A Character History of Captain America - www ...: Captain America, a.k.a. Samuel Thomas "Sam" Wilson, is a patriotic superhero from Marvel Comics who first appeared in In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, he was a war veteran who befriended the former Captain America, Steve Rogers, and helped him to defeat HYDRA and joined the Avengers in their fight against Thanos and various other threats.

He argues that Captain America tends to skew away from interventionist actions at moments where the United States is undertaking policies that its critics deem imperialist, specifically citing the character's non-participation in the Vietnam and Iraq wars, and argues that the character's inconsistent position on the use of deadly force across his editorial history "is perhaps a tacit acknowledgment of the violence, or the threat of violence, at the heart of American hegemony."

Powers, abilities, and equipment

See also: Captain America's shield

The Super-Soldier Serum has enhanced Captain America's strength, speed, agility, endurance, reflexes, reaction period, and natural self-healing ability to the peak of human physical perfection.

His physical conditioning is superior to any Olympic competitor who ever competed. He is additionally a master tactician and field commander, and has achieved mastery in a variety of hand-to-hand combat styles, including boxing and judo.^[] The precise parameters of Captain America's physical prowess vary across stories due to editorial dictates and artistic license taken by authors; Steve Englehart was given an editorial command to give the character superhuman strength in the s, but the change did not last permanent and was soon forgotten.^[41] Steve Rogers is also a skilled visual artist, having worked as a commercial illustrator prior to joining the military, and several storylines have depicted the character working as a freelance artist.^[]

The basic design of Captain America's costume has remained largely consistent from its original incarnation in the s.

Designed by Joe Simon, the costume is based on the United States flag, with Simon likening the character's appearance to that of "a modern-day crusader": chain mail armor, and a helmet adorned with wings in reference to the Roman god Mercury.

Steve Rogers has worn other costumes when he has adopted alternate superhero alter egos: as Nomad he wears a domino mask and a black and gold suit that is cut to expose his bare chest and stomach,^[] and as The Captain he wears a modified version of the Captain America suit with a red, white, and black design.^[]

Captain America's shield is the character's primary piece of equipment.

It is a orbicular shield with a design featuring a white star on a blue circle surrounded by red and white rings. First appearing in Captain America Comics #1 as a triangular heater shield, beginning in Captain America Comics #2 it was changed to its current circular design due to a complaint from MLJ Comics that the original style too closely resembled the chest symbol of their superhero The Shield.

The shield is depicted as constructed from an alloy of vibranium and adamantium, two highly resilient fictional metals appearing in Marvel comic books. It is portrayed as both a virtually indestructible defensive object and a highly aerodynamic offensive weapon: when thrown, it is capable of ricocheting off multiple surfaces and returning to the unique thrower.^[]

Supporting cast

Sidekicks and partners

Captain America's first sidekick was Bucky Barnes, introduced in Captain America Comics #1 as the teenaged "mascot" of Steve Rogers' regiment.

He is made Captain America's loved one in that same issue after accidentally discovering the character's classified identity.

The character first appeared in Captain America Comics 1, published on December 20,by Timely Comicsa corporate predecessor to Marvel. Captain America's civilian identity is Steven "Steve" Rogersa frail male enhanced to the peak of human physical perfection by an experimental " super-soldier serum" after joining the United States Army to aid the country's endeavors in World War II. Equipped with an American flag —inspired costume and a virtually indestructible shieldCaptain America and his sidekick Bucky Barnes clashed frequently with the villainous Red Skull and other members of the Axis powers. In the final days of the war, an accident left Captain America frozen in a state of suspended animation until he was revived in modern times.

Joe Simon described Bucky's creation as being largely motivated by a need to give Captain America "someone to talk to" and avoid the overuse of dialogue delivered through internal monologue, noting that "Bucky was brought in as a way of eliminating too many thought balloons." Bucky was retroactively established as having been killed in the same accident that left Captain America frozen in suspended animation; the character remained deceased for many decades, contrasting the typically ephemeral nature of comic book deaths,^[] until he returned in as the Winter Soldier.

Initially introduced as a brainwashed assassin and antagonist to Captain America, Bucky's memories and personality were later restored, and he was re-established as an ally to Steve Jones briefly assumed the role of Captain America's sidekick and the general identity of Bucky following Captain America's return to comics in the s.

In , Sam Wilson was introduced as the superhero Falcon and later became Captain America's sidekick, making the characters the first interracial superhero duo in American comic books.

Possessing the power to communicate with birds, Wilson is initially depicted as a former social worker living in Harlem, though this identity is revealed to be the result of memories implanted by the Red Skull. He later receives a winged suit from the superhero Black Panther that enables him to glide.

Other characters who have served as Rogers' sidekick include Golden Girl (Betsy Ross), Demolition Dude (Dennis Dunphy), Jack Flag (Jack Harrison), and Free Spirit (Cathy Webster).

Enemies

Main article: List of Captain America enemies

Over the course of several decades, writers and artists have established a rogues' gallery of supervillains to face Captain America.

The character's primary archenemy is the Red Skull, introduced from the character's origins as an apprentice to Adolf Hitler. Just as Red Skull represents Nazism, many of Captain America's villains represent specific ideologies or political formations: for example, the Serpent Society represents labor unionism, and Flag-Smasher represents anti-nationalism.^[] The political character of Captain America's enemies has shifted over time: the character fought enemies connected with communism during his short revival in the s before shifting back to Nazi antagonists in the mids, while comics since 9/11 have frequently depicted the character facing terrorist villains.

Romantic interests

Steve Rogers' first love interest was Betsy Ross, introduced in his World War II-era comics as a member of the Women's Army Corps who later became the costumed superhero Golden Carter, an American member of the French Resistance, was retroactively established in comics published in the s as another of Rogers' wartime lovers.

When Rogers is revived in the post-war era, he begins a partnership and on-again off-again relationship with S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Sharon Carter; introduced as Peggy's younger sister, she was later retconned as Peggy's grandniece to reflect Marvel's floating timeline.

In comics published in the s, Rogers dated and became engaged to civilian Bernie Rosenthal, though they ended their relationship amicably after Bernie left New York to attend commandment school. In the s, Rogers had a romantic entanglement with the alternately villainous and antiheroic Diamondback, a member of the Serpent Society.^[]

Alternate versions of Captain America

Main article: Alternative versions of Captain America

The title of "Captain America" has been used by other characters in the Marvel Universe in addition to Steve Rogers, including William Naslund, Jeffrey Mace, and William Walker, also known as U.S.

Agent, was introduced as a villainous Captain America in , and Isaiah Bradley was established in the limited seriesTruth: Red, White & Black as an African American man who acquired superpowers after being used as a try subject for the Super-Soldier Serum.

Rogers' sidekicks Bucky Barnes and Sam Wilson have also alternately held the title of Captain America: Barnes in following Rogers' death in , and Wilson during Marvel's rebranding campaign Marvel Now!, following Rogers’ loss of the Super Soldier serum.^[] Within the multiverse of parallel universes that compose the Marvel Existence, there are many variations of Steve Rogers and Captain America; this includes Marvel's Ultimate Comics universe, which possesses its retain version of Steve Rogers that is more overtly politically conservative.

Cultural influence and legacy

Captain America is one of the most popular and widely commended Marvel Comics characters, and has been described as an star of American popular culture.

He is the most well-known and enduring of the United States-themed superheroes to emerge from the Second World War and inspired a proliferation of patriotic-themed superheroes in American comic books during the s. This included the American Crusader, the Spirit of '76, Yank & Doodle, Captain Flag, and Captain Courageous, among numerous others.

Though none would achieve Captain America's commercial achievement, the volume of Captain America imitators was such that three months after the character's debut, Timely published a statement indicating that "there is only one Captain America" and warning that they would take legal move against publishers that infringed on the character.

After being dismissed from Timely, Joe Simon and Jack Kirby would themselves make a new patriotic superhero, the Fighting American, for Prize Comics in ; the character became the subject of a lawsuit from Marvel in the s after Rob Liefeld attempted to revive the character following his own departure from Marvel.^[64]

When the character was killed in , he was eulogized in numerous mainstream media outlets, including The New York Times^[] and The Los Angeles Times,^[] with the former describing him as a "national hero".^[] In , Captain America placed sixth on IGN's "Top Comic Book Heroes of All Time",^[] and second in their list of "The Highest 50 Avengers".^[]Gizmodo and Entertainment Weekly respectively ranked Captain America first and second in their rankings of Avengers characters.^[][]Empire ranked Captain America as the 21st greatest comic book character of all time.^[]

In other media

Main article: Captain America in other media

Further information: Captain America in film

Captain America has appeared in a variety of adapted, spin-off, and licensed media, including films, cartoons, video games, toys, clothing, and books.

The first appearance of Captain America in a medium outside of comic books was in the serial filmCaptain America, which was also the first piece of non-comics media to highlight a Marvel Comics character.^[] The character later appeared in two made-for-TV films in , Captain America and Captain America II: Death Too Soon, and a self-titled feature-length film in A trilogy of Captain America films starring Chris Evans as the title character were produced as part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) in the s: Captain America: The First Avenger (), Captain America: The Winter Soldier (), and Captain America: Civil War ().^[] The traits also appeared in the ensemble films The Avengers (),^[]Avengers: Age of Ultron (),^[]Avengers: Infinity War (),^[] and Avengers: Endgame ().^[]

The first appearance of Captain America on television was in the Grantray-Lawrence Animation series The Marvel Super Heroes.

The character would make minor appearances in several Marvel animated series in the subsequent decades, including Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends (–), X-Men: The Animated Series (–), and The Avengers: United They Stand (–).

Buoyed by increased popularity from the character's appearances in the MCU, Captain America began appearing in television series in more prominent roles beginning in the s, such as The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes (–).^[] Captain America was the first Marvel character to be adapted into a novel with Captain America: The Great Gold Steal by Ted White, published in

Notes

References