Credit: Marvel StudiosSteve Rogers. Sam Wilson. John Walker. The three men who have (or will) take up the mantle of in the .
However, what do you really know about the most patriotic superhero around? Here’s everything you need to know about America’s darling, .
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Captain America’s origin in the Marvel Cinematic Universe
Who created Captain America?
In the , was crated by a combination of Dr. Abraham Erskine, Peggy Carter, and Howard Stark — father of Tony Stark / . Long before he was colliding with and letting scratch up his shield, was a test subject for “Project Rebirth”.
Project Rebirth was designed to create the ultimate soldier — a super soldier, if you will. This would eventually become a symbol for good, justice, and the American dream. In essence, would be the very first
was infused with the , which physically transformed him into a man at the peak of human endurance. This all took place in one of the earliest Cinematic Universe : : The First .
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What is Captain America’s secret identity?
The original was a young man named Steve Rogers. Steve was born in Brooklyn, New York to Joseph and Sarah Rogers in 1918. He was a sickly boy, something he shared with his mother, who suffered from tuberculosis. Rogers’s father was a soldier and was killed during World War I prior to his birth.
Though the future was always put down due to his weak body and ill health, his mother reassured him that his heart was ten times as strong. Eventually, his mother, too, passed of her disease and Steve Rogers was left alone in the world.
Yet, he found a friend in a young man named Barnes. intervened as Steve was being beaten after standing up to some bullies. As helped the far physically weaker Steve, the future aided him by striking the bullies with a round trash can, foreshadowing how he would use a shield in his future as an . Indeed, though seemingly died in the events of his first , he and would cross paths again as he was transformed into the .
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How did Steve Rogers become Captain America?
Long before , the Avengers Civil War, and the , Steve was just a regular boy looking to serve his country. He attempted to sign up for the army and join in serving the United States on the front lines during World War II. He was determined to stop Adolf Hitler and the rise of the Nazi party.
By 1943, however, Rogers was still being rejected due to his ill-health, in particular, his asthma. Eventually, however, the future was approached by Dr. Abraham Erskine who had overheard him talking about how desperate he was to sign up with . Erskine asked the young Rogers if he wanted to join up to kill Nazis. Rogers replied that he’d rather not kill anybody.
Impressed by his noble attitude, Erskine signed him up as a candidate for Project Rebirth. Eventually, the serum was successfully injected and Steve Rogers emerged as the first ever super soldier — .
Captain America’s primary personality traits in the MCU
What type of person is Captain America?
The traits most commonly associated with are his honor and selflessness. Steve Rogers was selected for Project Rebirth after he selflessly jumped on a dud grenade (thinking it was real) to save his fellow soldiers.
He believed in truth and justice and would not back down or conform to something that he felt was unjust. In fact, this stubbornness saw him clash with fellow Avengers, most notably , when he refused to go along with the Sokovia Accords. The is among the most honorable in the and has always done what’s right to protect the “little guy”.
It is these qualities, paired with his status as a master tactician, that made Steve Rogers’s Captain America the de-facto leader of . has consistently portrayed the as an affable-yet-serious man who will sacrifice his own life to save others.
What are Captain America’s biggest motivations?
always hated bullies, something he shares with another Captain America, Sam Wilson. In fact, it was the rise of Nazi Germany that drove the young Steve Rogers to join the United States military in the first place, as he couldn’t stand to see people being oppressed.
Much like , the fought for his homeland, but more importantly, his people. He had a great love for America, but wouldn’t go along with what the government wanted if he felt its intentions were unjust, as we saw in : The (2014) and Captain America: Civil War (2016).This one-track mind is what sometimes put him at odds with fellow Avengers like , who view sacrifices of civil liberties as occasionally necessary for progress.
The has also been defined by his commitment to his friends, particularly Barnes and Sam Wilson (The Falcon). As he often tells them, “I’m with you ’til the end of the line”.
was even prepared to let Barnes kill him as he pleaded with his friend to remember who he was and recover from the HYDRA programming that turned him into the Winter Soldier.
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How does the modern Captain America differ from his Golden and Silver Age counterparts?
The of is much the same in his . However, in the comic universe, he is notable for acting as much more of a propaganda machine. Indeed, the spent much of his time in the golden age of beating up Nazis for the sake of American morale in World War II.
References to the Nazis were, of course, present in : The First , but they were significantly reduced and the main enemy became HYDRA and the Red Skull instead of the Nazis and Hitler.
Notably, the also took on Imperial Japan in many comics, which directly referenced the ongoing struggles of World War II during that era.
Notably, the also worked as part of a team known as The Invaders. He and fought alongside an android version of the Human Torch and Namor the Submariner to take down the super-powered villains of the 1940s. Additionally, Steve would also meet a future not the Hulk or but a man named James Howlett, otherwise known as Wolverine.
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Captain America’s abilities and tools in the MCU
What abilities did Captain America develop as a result of the super serum?
may not be able to go toe-to-toe with the likes of and , but the bestowed him with some pretty amazing enhancements. Much like the , the Studios version of Rogers develops enhanced speed, strength, and agility as a result of the serum.
The formula also grants him a greatly expanded tactical mind, as well as nearly endless charisma. Furthermore, much like other heroes, including Deadpool and the aforementioned Wolverine, Steve Rogers has the ability to heal injuries, such as when he takes a Chitari gun shot to the stomach and quickly recovers. It’s worth noting that his healing factor is not on the same level as Deadpool or Wolverine, however. Both are these characters are almost invincible.
After becoming the first , Steve ultimately gained the ability to survive much more than an average soldier could. His bones became far more durable and, as he often liked to say in battle, “I can do this all day”. This increased strength and durability was on display in his famous fight with , in which he won despite the latter’s mech-suit.
Indeed, Stark’s AI, Friday, even warns him that he can’t beat in hand-to-hand combat. However, Rogers did have help from fellow super soldier, the .
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What are the limitations of Captain America’s abilities?
is not invincible. There are plenty of villains in the who could take him out for good, in spite of the flowing through his veins.
For one thing, Avengers: (2018) showed that a fully-powered could obliterate the All-American without much trouble at all. Additionally, going up against the fully-vibranium robot, also raised some issues for the Captain.
The is also limited by his own morality. Though Cap’s selflessness is his defining feature, he may surrender to an enemy force if it means saving the lives of civilians or his fellow heroes. Furthermore, Cap’s strength and speed only go so far. He’s got nothing on the or , for example. With as much Marvel content is out there these days, it’s unsurprising that the first Avenger isn’t necessarily the most powerful character in the MCU, objectively speaking.
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What are the features of Captain America’s uniform and tools?
suit gives Steve an additional layer of protection from gunfire and, presumably, knife attacks. Additionally, his helmet provides further protection (and has the added benefit of looking amazing).
Yet Cap’s most famous tool isn’t his uniform. It’s his vibranium shield with the American flag pattern. This shield is almost unbreakable and has only been damaged by a handful of characters including and . Steve’s shield was made during Project Rebirth and it proved an essential tool throughout his years as both a soldier and an . The shield was particularly useful when fighting , as it gave Cap a defense against his repulser blasts.
Steve didn’t have the shield during the events of Avengers: and instead had to rely on a Wakandan shield. However, after won the and wiped out half of reality, finally returned his original shield. This was then used in the final battle against , before the Mad Titan destroyed it by hitting it repeatedly with his sword. After the battle, he eventually gave the shield to his friend and ally, Sam Wilson.
Just as all seemed lost, Cap made every ‘s wish come true by wielding , Mjolnir. As hinted at in Avengers: Age of (2015), Cap is worthy enough to wield the hammer and thus temporarily gains the powers of . The version of is able to control the weather, shoot lightning, and is practically invulnerable. Cap thus briefly has every power that has, which makes his fight with much more fair. In fact, he and even swap weapons during the final battle and Cap also wields Stormbreaker — another axe / hammer with the power of . That would’ve been useful when he was fighting the !
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Captain America’s companions and roles in the MCU
Which Marvel movies does Captain America appear in?
The history of Steve Rogers spans many movies in the . Unsurprisingly, Cap first appears in : The First , where he’s given the and becomes the titular . He next shows up in 2012’s The Avengers, followed by The , Avengers: Age of , Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: , and Avengers: Endgame (2019).
He also features in the post-credits scenes of Ant-Man (2015) and (2019). Furthermore, there’s a picture of him alongside the other fallen Avengers ( and Black Widow) in Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019). Rogers is also mentioned in 2 (2010), Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018), and Marvel’s Disney+ streaming series, The Falcon and the .
Finally, it’s also worth noting that Chris Evans returns as the character — sort of — in : The Dark World (2013) as Loki (Tom Hiddleston) briefly takes on his appearance. Though not the real , the scene is iconic and pretty darn funny!
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Who are Captain America’s sidekicks?
worked with many different heroes, many of whom go on to formally join The Avengers. However, he’s best known for working with Barnes, the man who would later become the . was his best friend and the only person he knew from his original time period. He also took the super serum and was, therefore, a super soldier too. Once he managed to undo his HYDRA conditioning, again became Steve’s most trusted ally. He is sometimes known as the White Wolf. Cap was also ably assisted by his love interest , who he eventually married by going back in the in his final .
Before returns, however, befriended another Sam Wilson / The Falcon. Sam, also an ex-military man, quickly struck a rapport with Rogers. Indeed, it’s Sam who helped him and Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow when they were on the run from SHIELD, which had been infested with HYDRA agents. Sam remained Steve’s confidante and trusted friend, going on the run with him and Natasha again after the events of : Civil War.
Cap also worked closely with Tony Stark / , though the two regularly butted heads. Tony’s reliance on technology and obsession with progress clashed with Steve’s old-fashioned ways of doing things and his belief in justice and truth. Indeed, this lead to a conflict between the two and the during the events of Civil War. The two later repaired their damaged friendship and, after sacrifices himself using the Infinity Gauntlet, Steve mourns him at his funeral.
also worked closely with Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow in The , Civil War, and . Natasha helped Steve and Sam during the events of The . She also went “off the grid” with them before the events of . The two even kissed whilst undercover.
Who are Captain America’s main antagonists?
Johann Schmidt / The Red Skull is ‘s most famous antagonist. He is the leader of HYDRA and planned to use an infinity stone to achieve his nefarious goals. He was defeated by Rogers and eventually transported to Vormir, where he became an advisor to and the protector of the soul stone. However, he seemingly lost much of his personality and became a husk of his former self. He could levitate though, so that’s cool.
: The revealed that one of Red Skull’s allies, Zola, actually lived on as a computer AI and secretly rebuilt HYDRA from the shadows. It’s at this time that Cap’s former (at the time) friend, Barnes, was shown as being alive, now working under the codename the .
Furthermore, briefly became an enemy, of sorts, as he and Cap were turned against each other by the evil Baron Zemo, who made his official return to the MCU in the second episode of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Zemo is set to cause more issues for Barnes and Sam Wilson, who will eventually become the . Cap has also tangled with several villains from other including Loki and .
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