History
Injected with an experimental super-soldier serum during World War II, frail Steve Rogers became the exemplar of human physical perfection: Captain America.
Steven Rogers was the first Captain America, who took part in a Super Soldier experiment during World War II. Rogers was perhaps the greatest known hero in the world, along sides such people as Mr. Fantastic and Iron Man. Captain America died at the end of the Superhuman Civil War, ending a legend.
Early Life
Steve Rogers was born July 4, 1920, to poor Irish immigrant parents, Sarah and Joseph Rogers[1], and grew up a frail youth during the Great Depression. His father died when he was a child, and his mother died from pneumonia later when he was in his late teens[2].
Becoming America's Super-Soldier
Captain America - Transformation
Horrified by newsreel footage of Nazis ransacking Europe and atrocities in Asia that the Empire of Japan committed in China and Korea, Rogers tried to enlist in the Army that rejected him because of his frailty and sickness. Overhearing the boy's earnest plea to be fight for his country, General Chester Phillips of the US Army offered Rogers the opportunity to take part in a top-secret performance-enhancing experiment called Operation Rebirth, as the military was trying to create an army of super men to use in WWII. Rogers agreed and was taken to a secret laboratory in Washington, DC, where he was introduced to Doctor Abraham Erskine (code named Professor Joseph Reinstein), the creator of the Super-Soldier Serum. [3]
After weeks of tests, Rogers was at last administered the Super-Soldier Serum. Given part of the compound intravenously and another part orally, Rogers was then bombarded by vita-rays, a special combination of exotic (in 1941) wavelengths of radiation designed to accelerate and stabilize the serum's effect on his body. Steve Rogers emerged from the vita-ray chamber with a body as perfect as a body can be and still be human. A Nazi spy who observed the experiment murdered Erskine mere minutes after its conclusion. Erskine died without fully committing the Super-Soldier formula to paper, leaving Steve Rogers the sole beneficiary of his genius.
Rogers was then put through an intensive physical and tactical training program, teaching him gymnastics, hand-to-hand combat from Colonel Rex Applegate and William Essart Fairbairn, and military strategy. Three months later, he was given his first assignment, to stop the Nazi agent called the Red Skull. To help him become a symbolic counterpart to the Red Skull, Rogers was given the red, white, and blue costume of Captain America.[4] He was given the cover identity of a clumsy infantry private at Camp Lehigh.
Rogers in his original World War II uniform with gun holster
After successfully becoming Captain America, Rogers was later submitted to an experimental mind conditioning program that conditioned his mind to accept false information in the chance he was captured by the enemy and forced to reveal classified information. As part of the conditioning, Rogers believed his real name to be Grant Rogers and had a brother and due to his parents being diplomats, he had a casual upper class appointment to the Army and Captain America position. It would not be until far later in life that Rogers would recall the conditioning and his true history and that his name was not Grant.[5]
Rogers was originally issued a traditionally-shaped "kite" shield made of mundane steel, as well as a sidearm. His original helmet served as a mask and was separate from the rest of his costume. This proved a problem as in one early outing it was nearly knocked from his face via the hard wing emblems, almost revealing his identity to an attending newspaper reporter with camera.[6] Adding a protective neck plating hood to his costume than his separate mask solved this problem and afforded Rogers more protection to his previously exposed neck. President Roosevelt presented him with his now-legendary disc-shaped shield. Discovering that its excellent aerodynamic properties made it an effective offensive weapon, Rogers abandoned his sidearm.
World War II Service
Captain America and the Invaders
During the war, "Cap" served as both a symbol of freedom and America's most effective special operative. In addition to working with his young sidekick Bucky, he regularly fought alongside other Allied super-powered heroes such as Namor the Sub-Mariner and the android Human Torch who were the recognized core of the World War II super-team known as the Invaders. He sometimes came into contact with a Canadian paratrooper named Jim Howlett, the man who would come to be known as Wolverine.
Unstintingly, Rogers faced fascist Germans and imperialist Japanese. Among his foes and adventures: battles with the John Maxon who was an impostor Red Skull, the White Death, the Legion of Unholy Beggars, the Dragon of Death, the Reaper, the Black Toad, the Black Talon, the Mikado, Stryker, Doctor Crime, Mock Mikado, Master Man and the Super-Axis, Togaro, Prophet of Hate, Agent Axis, the Shark, the Hyena, N2 and Mister Sinister, Togu, Doctor Destiny, Snapper, Jack The Ripper and Terdu, Dormammu, HYDRA, the Hand, the Grandmaster, the Ringmaster, Baron Zemo, Colonel Von Wagner, Fang (who later died in Hiroshima and thus became one with the Everwraith), and the Butterfly; preventing the murder of President Roosevelt by a group called the Defenders, the Battle of the Bulge, D-Day, stopping saboteurs (early March 1941), meeting Wakandans, saving President Roosevelt from a deranged Namor, meeting Nikola Tesla, saving a Manhattan Project scientist from Red Skull with the help of the Howling Commandos, stopping (with Howling Commando support) the Red Skull's plot to deploy a centuries-old automaton designed by a time-traveling Doctor Doom, facing the Red Skull in a hover device, scuffling with fellow Allies the Crusaders, fighting alongside the French Resistance and Peggy Carter, almost accidentally slaying a war orphan, saving Michael Kramer from the Red Skull. In April 1945 he stormed the Red Skull's bunker with Red Guardian, Patriot, and Spirit of '76, in his last WWII battle with Red Skull.
For a time, World War II Bucky fought alongside a time-displaced modern-era Captain America until the Avengers recovered their colleague to the present day.
Suspended Animation
Then, during the final days of the war, on or before April 18, 1945, [7] He was trying to stop a bomb-loaded drone-plane launched by Baron Heinrich Zemo when the plane exploded, apparently killing his partner Bucky and throwing Rogers unhurt into icy Arctic waters. The Super-Soldier Formula prevented crystallization of Captain America's bodily fluid, allowing him to enter a state of suspended animation. Although he and Bucky had seemingly perished, the war still raged on. U.S. presidents and the government picked different volunteers such as William Naslund (the Spirit of '76), Patriot (Jeffrey Mace), and Steve Rogers II who became the Cap of the 1950s and later Grand Director, over the years to keep the morale alive, even after World War II ended.
Early Modern Career
Avengers Assemble
Decades later, Rogers' wartime comrade the Sub-Mariner stumbled across his still-frozen form, which was being worshiped by a far-flung Inuit tribe. Enraged, the Sub-Mariner threw the ice block into the ocean. While opposing Namor, the newly-formed Avengers happened upon Rogers' thawing body. They soon revived the legendary hero.[8] Needing to adjust to the world he found himself in, Rogers joined their ranks as the first recruit since their formation, and was given retroactive "founding member" status in place of the Hulk. Despite his lack of superhuman abilities, his extensive training and combat experience, combined with his impressive physique, confidence, and will, made him an excellent addition to the team. As a born leader, Rogers would come to be seen as the heart and soul of the team, and his commands while in the field were often looked to, regardless of who might have been chairman at the time. Rogers would teach teamwork, tactics, and hand-to-hand combat to many later Avengers.
Seeing that Avengers associate Rick Jones bore a resemblance to Bucky, Cap took him into tutelage, trying to recover from the great trauma of losing his wartime partner. After a time, Jones even convinced Rogers to let him wear Bucky's old costume and initiate a partnership. The early adventures Cap had with Earth's Mightiest Heroes included a run-in with his wartime foe Baron Heinrich Zemo. Zemo organized the first incarnation of the Masters of Evil, a group of super-villains who each bore a grudge against a particular Avenger. After several skirmishes between the two groups, Zemo kidnapped Rick Jones. Zemo was accidentally killed in a rock-slide caused by his own weaponry as he battled Cap.[9]
Following another battle with Kang the Conqueror, the remaining founding Avengers (Iron Man, Thor, Giant-Man and The Wasp) decided to take a leave of absence from the stress of super-crime-fighting. Captain America was thus left to lead a new team comprised of Hawkeye, Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver.[10] "Cap's Kooky Quartet" was at first regarded as less able than the previous lineup, but soon proved their worth by overcoming several threats including a resurgent Kang[11] as well as Doctor Doom.[12] While the hot-headed Quicksilver and Hawkeye were at first headstrong loose cannons, Rogers' leadership was able to mold them into valuable team members.
"Once more into the breach..."
When Cap took his first leave of absence from the team, it was the Black Panther who stepped in to take his place on the roster. When Cap discovered that one of T'Challa's motives was to "spy" on the Avengers (part of his actions as King of Wakanda to observe foreigners), relations between the two were strained for some time. Eventually they restored the bonds of alliance and friendship, symbolized by Rogers giving T'Challa the enhanced copy of his World War II triangular shield Rogers used when his round one was broken.[13]
Meanwhile, Cap's old nemesis the Red Skull was brought out of suspended animation by the subversive organization THEM. The Skull feigned cooperation with THEM (actually the ruling council of HYDRA led by Baron Wolfgang von Strucker) long enough to steal the Cosmic Cube from subsidiary organization AIM. This led to the first postwar clash between the two great symbols of World War II. Later the Skull, wielding the Cosmic Cube, impersonated Rogers and drove Rick Jones away.
Rogers often crossed paths with another World War II veteran as well, this one an ally: Sergeant Fury of the Howling Commandos was now Colonel Fury, Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. Captain America teamed with Fury many times after emerging from suspended animation. Rogers and Fury's relationship has warmed and cooled over the years, depending on various circumstances, but they often work together and towards the same ends, and the Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D. maintained a close working relationship, even sharing a common computer database. Rogers worked with S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Agent 13, Sharon Carter, a sister to Peggy Carter (an American who had joined the French Resistance in WWII, and who had fallen in love with Captain America) with whom he would come to share a deep romantic relationship eventually admitting his love for her [14](though they had done so earlier to the point of talking of marriage (Captain America #212) which had been retconned out of the existing storyline).</ref>
Another plot by the Skull involved attacking Rogers with a Cosmic Cube-empowered man named Sam Wilson. Rogers was able to break Wilson out of control by the Skull, and the two teamed together to defeat Cap's arch-enemy. Wilson became the costumed adventurer called The Falcon, and reliable best friend. Cap and the Falcon would share an active partnership for a long time[15] which continued off and on again until Rogers' death. Their friendship was shown to be to the point where Wilson actively succeeded Rogers as the official black Captain America when Rogers was badly injured and even inspired to continue on in the role by Rogers himself. Wilson returned the role upon Rogers' recovery. One of Rogers' and Wilson's most noted battles was against one of Rogers' earlier successors, Steve Rogers II and Jack Monroe, the Captain America and Bucky of the 1950s. Rogers was shaken at the fact that he could have shared his excessively conservative successor's fate if not for the technical dedication of Erskine and his Vita Ray process.[16]
Changing Identities and Avengers Troubles
Captain America becomes Nomad
While investigating the subversive organization known as the Secret Empire Rogers discovered that its leader was a high-ranking government official. While this traitor committed suicide after being discovered, the government covered up the whole affair by using a double. Disillusioned, Rogers abandoned his Captain America identity and took up the alias "Nomad."[17] Two men tried in vain to assume the "Captain America" title, while in the meantime the young idealistic Cap fan Roscoe actually succeeded Rogers and was awarded Rogers' indestructible shield. But it was Roscoe's death at the hands of the original Nazi Red Skull that would inspire Rogers to become the "Sentinel of Liberty" a symbol of American inspired ideals rather than the US Government Super Soldier he once was, Rogers re-assumed his classic costumed identity and shield.[18] A rehabilitated Jack Monroe joined Cap in a partnership, himself assuming the Nomad identity in a modified costume.[19] Following a battle with Viper, Rogers' Super-Soldier Serum reacted with the venom in her whip, temporarily granting him superhuman strength.[20]
Captain America's sterling leadership abilities were showcased when he became leader of the heroes who were summoned to Battleworld during the so-called Secret Wars by the godlike Beyonder. Clashing with Doctor Doom's forces repeatedly, Cap was faced with leadership challenges ranging from dealing with the outcast X-Men, keeping the Hulk from attacking Doom's forces by himself after She-Hulk's defeat and The Wasp's apparent death, and keeping morale up in the face of battling Galactus. Rogers' leadership qualities would be deferred to time and time again during large gatherings of heroes, such as when Adam Warlock sent a band of heroes to oppose the Infinity Gauntlet-wielding Thanos, and also when he assumed joint command of the Avengers and the Justice League of America.
When Avengers Mansion was attacked and conquered by the Masters of Evil under the leadership of Baron Helmut Zemo, Captain America was specifically targeted by Zemo to avenge his father's death. Rogers was captured during an attempt to retake the mansion, and was forced to watch as Mister Hyde tortured helpless butler Edwin Jarvis. The Masters proceeded to destroy a treasure trove of Rogers' memorabilia, including a picture with Bucky taken just before he was killed, Rogers' only picture of his mother, a baseball signed by Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig, and Cap's original triangular shield. In the final battle, Cap defeated The Wrecker with the aid of the Wasp, and defeated Baron Zemo in a rooftop duel. As Zemo fell, Cap tried to grab his hand, and though he was later revealed to have survived the fall, Helmut Zemo refused such charity.[21]
Captain America continued to come into conflict with many foes, including the extreme anti-nationalist Flag-Smasher and the vigilante called The Scourge of the Underworld. Rogers was informed by the Commission on Superhuman Activities that he had never been officially discharged from the U.S. Army. For this, he received a large back-pay, dating to the end of World War II, which he used to establish a nation-wide hot-line service to help him keep abreast of criminal activities. However, the Commission demanded that Rogers, as an "active" member of the armed forces, resume service as a government-directed operative. Finding himself unable to merely follow orders as a simple soldier any longer especially after the events of the government that led to him becoming Nomad, Rogers again resigned the Captain America identity, even surrendering his legendary shield to the new Captain America, John Walker, who had previously clashed with Rogers as the "Super-Patriot."[22] During this time, Rogers used an adamantium shield and, adopting a new costume, continued adventuring as "The Captain".[23]
Not long afterwards, the Avengers' East Coast branch was temporarily disbanded due to a lack of active members. As The Captain, Rogers led a new lineup of the Avengers consisting of Thor, Gilgamesh and temporary recruits Reed and Sue Richards of the Fantastic Four. Reed himself was accustomed to leading, however, and there were some conflicts of leadership between the two.
The Captain also led an unnamed, unofficial team during the same period that accompanied him on several missions. Along with The Falcon and Nomad, the group at times included Demolition-Man, who had assisted Rogers against Power Broker, Inc., and Vagabond, a tag-along of Nomad's.
It would later be discovered that the Red Skull was manipulating the Commission. The Captain and Nomad clashed with John Walker the then current Captain America and his "Bucky". Resolving their differences, Rogers and Walker confronted the Skull.[24] Following the events and deeds that Walker had done while Captain America, Walker resigned from being the current Captain America and publicly appeared with Rogers surrendering the role back to still unrevealed Rogers on television where Walker was apparently killed but later reappeared in a new identity after plastic surgery in the new name of "Jack Daniels" wearing Rogers' "The Captain" uniform and shield as the rechristened "USAgent".[25]
Continued Career
Steve Rogers: Captain America
At one point, Cap avoided the explosion of a meth lab only to have the chemical effects of the blast react dangerously with his Super-Soldier Serum. To remove the problem, he removed the serum, and trained constantly to keep in peak condition. He discovered that the serum was not a drug per se, which would have metabolised out of his system, but in fact a virus that effected a biochemical and genetic change. This additionally explained how arch-nemesis Red Skull, who at the time inhabited a body cloned from Rogers' cells, also had the formula in his body. Because of his altered biochemistry, Rogers' body began to deteriorate, and for a time he wore a powered exoskeleton designed by Iron Man and Hank Pym, but was eventually placed again in suspended animation. During this time, he was given a transfusion of blood from the Red Skull, which cured his condition and stabilized the Super-Soldier virus in his system. Captain America returned both to crime-fighting and the Avengers.
Captain America was reunited with his WWII-era flame, the now-aged American Maquis fighter Peggy Carter. Freeing her and others from the grip of the criminal Doctor Faustus, Rogers had her hired on as communications expert at Avengers Mansion as part of the expanded domestic staff called the Avengers Ground Crew. Their romantic feelings diminished, but the two remained good friends. Another person taken on by Steve during this time was John Jameson, who acted as his pilot.
When the Avengers learned of the Kree-Shi'ar War and the danger the war efforts posed to Earth's sun, Rogers proposed to send diplomatic envoys to each superpower in an attempt to avert catastrophe known as Operation Galactic Storm. Captain America led the team bound for the Kree Empire. He had several conflicts of leadership with Iron Man, which culminated when the latter, against orders, led a team of Avengers to execute the Kree Supreme Intelligence for war crimes. His confidence in his leadership shaken, Cap offered to resign as chief executive and commanding officer of the two Avengers branches, but this was not the route the other Avengers wanted to take. Cap's old friend Hawkeye helped reinforce Cap's leadership confidence, as did the rescue by USAgent (John Walker and the Falcon of Demolition-Man from ULTIMATUM, Flag-Smasher's terrorist organization.
After returning to Earth, Cap rescued Diamondback (Rachel Leighton) from Red Skull's henchman Crossbones. Diamondback had previously, as a member of the Serpent Society, had a chance to kill Rogers in battle that she did not take. This was because she was smitten with him; the two began an on-and-off semi-romantic partnership afterwards.
Cap was part of the force raised to battle the psychic entity called Onslaught, and was one of the Avengers who seemingly gave their lives to absorb Onslaught's energy. In reality, they (the senior Avengers and the Fantastic Four) had been shunted to an alternate dimension created by Franklin Richards. After several months in this world, the heroes realized it was a construct and escaped.
During a rebuilding period with the Avengers, Captain America and the rest of the team (past and present) were duped by Morgan Le Fay into acting as her elite guard, the Queen's Vengeance. Rogers' alias in this alter-ego was "Yeoman America." He was the first Avenger to break out of Morgan's trance, and formed a resistance group that foiled the ancient sorceress' plans.
Captain America, both in his solo career and as an Avenger, went on to participate in a variety of other missions.
Avengers Disassembled
On a day that would become the darkest in Avengers history, the Scarlet Witch suffered a breakdown that, combined with her powers, had catastrophic consequences. Cap had recently had a strange encounter with Wanda, as well as the beginnings of romance, and was struck hard by the devastation of the team, which disbanded shortly thereafter.
In future events, Rogers moved into the Red Hook neighborhood of Brooklyn, revealed his identity to the world (although he lived in a SHIELD safe house), and resumed his off-and-on relationship with Sharon Carter.
Cap was among those heroes present at the Raft when Electro instigated a jailbreak. The next day, he spoke with Tony Stark, and convinced him to help form the New Avengers. Most of those present during the jailbreak were founding members of the team. The new SHIELD Director, Maria Hill, was opposed to their incorporation, but Rogers reminded her that he had Full Champion License—that is, he was authorized by SHIELD to assemble any team he deemed necessary for any mission he deemed necessary, and therefore did not need her permission. The New Avengers embarked on several missions under his leadership.
Winter Soldier and Civil War
Meanwhile, Cap had also been dealing with more personal matters. Having been made a special SHIELD operative, Rogers, Sharon Carter, and Nick Fury began an investigation into Aleksander Lukin and his powerful Kronas Corporation. After the apparent assassination of the Red Skull, Lukin was in possession of the Cosmic Cube, but he also had a more personal weapon: the Winter Soldier (a revived Bucky Barnes). A KGB assassin who had been occasionally let out of suspended animation to perform only the most difficult missions, the Winter Soldier encountered Sharon Carter, who believed that he was the real Bucky. Cap at first refused to believe it, but Fury presented him with solid evidence.
Winter Soldier killed Jack Monroe and caused major devastation in Philadelphia before Cap, the Falcon, and Agent Carter stormed a hidden underground base operated by Lukin. Cap and Winter Soldier dueled, and the latter showed no sign of memory. Cap used the Cosmic Cube to restore his memory; Bucky then used it himself to teleport to Camp Lehigh, where he began to cope with his past.
Months later, Cap and Sharon tracked Bucky to a small mid-western town that was actually controlled by AIM. Distracted by storming the AIM compound and battling Crossbones and Sin (Synthia Schmidt), they were unable to catch up with him.
When SHIELD suggested the Superhuman Registration Act, Special Agent Hill ordered Rogers and the Avengers to help enforce it. When he refused, Hill had her trained "Superhuman Response Unit" attacked him. During the scuffle Rogers avoided being tranquillized and managed to escape by lodging his shield in an aircraft and forcing the pilot to fly him to safety. Soon after, at the Baxter Building, the Watcher told the heroes who had gathered there about Cap's escape. He became the leader of the resistance to the registration act, fearing that the freedom of America's heroes and the safety of their families were in danger.
Adopting the alias "Brett Hendrick", a mall security guard to avoid government detection, Rogers became more and more extreme in his desire to win the Civil War. He allowed the The Punisher to join his "Secret Avengers," and worked (albeit reluctantly) with the Kingpin. Since his old friend Iron Man was leading the Pro-Registration Superhero Unit, their rivalry was especially bitter. The two attempted to meet twice during the conflict, but each time it devolved into combat. They even refused to attend the wedding of Black Panther and Storm together. Cap was nearly captured by Paladin but escaped with the aid of Shang-Chi and the Heroes for Hire. In the final battle against the Pro-Registration forces, Rogers' teammate the Vision disabled Iron Man's armor, evening the odds for Cap and allowing him to take down Stark in Times Square. However, a crowd of civilians approached in support of Stark. Realizing that his fight against the registration act was endangering the people that he was trying to protect, he surrendered to Iron Man. He then gave his followers the order to stand down.
Death of a Hero
The death of Captain America. Art by Steve Epting, from Captain America #25
Following his surrender, Steve Rogers was indicted on several criminal charges. It was noted SHIELD had restrained Steve with strength dampeners, while he was in custody. A successful assassination was orchestrated by the resurgent Red Skull which involved Crossbones deployed as a sniper. He fired the first shot, hitting Captain America in the back as he entered a federal courthouse to stand trial for his criminal charges. In addition, Doctor Faustus, posing as a SHIELD psychiatrist, had manipulated Sharon Carter and implanted in her mind a hypnotic suggestion that caused her to shoot Rogers, three times in the stomach and chest in the chaos that ensued. Rogers was taken to a hospital, where he succumbed to his wounds.
Captain America was given a state funeral, but the body in his memorial at Arlington was a fake. Immediately after his death, Rogers' body was taken to SHIELD Headquarters as the only perfect super-soldier specimen in the world. His body was discovered to have withered back to its original frail state and it is unclear why it happened. Tony Stark, accompanied by Hank Pym, and Janet Van Dyne, returned Steve Rogers' real body to the Arctic where he was found all those years ago frozen in ice. Namor also attended the small private ceremony swearing that as long as he ruled the seas, no one would disturb Captain America's rest.[26]
Many people mourned him including various heroes that knew him. Others such as reformed Winter Soldier James Buchanan Barnes and Wolverine swore to avenge his death. Before the day of his assassination, Rogers prepared a package to be delivered to Stark in the event that he would not survive. It contained a photo of himself as Captain America and Bucky in World War II, and his final requests: that Stark "save" Bucky, and that the mantle of Captain America should continue. A SHIELD agent presented it to Stark confirming that it was delivered by an attorney, though who it was exactly is unknown.
Thor communicated with Steve Rogers' spirit on the first anniversary of his death. Though Thor vowed to avenge him in full, Rogers declined, saying that their world was already too stained with the taint of death and violence. Thor granted Steve a minute of silence, by using his powers to cut off all the electronic media in America for exactly sixty seconds.[27]
It was later discovered that he was never killed but instead his mind was transported through time and space in certain segments of his life such as World War II and becoming Captain America. While revisiting the Kree-Skrull War, he was able to use the original Vision to send a message about his condition to Mister Fantastic and Wasp in the future, which was duly relayed by the current Vision.[28] With this data, Richards concluded that Sharon was the key to bringing Steve out of time, too late to stop Doctor Doom and Arnim Zola from doing just this, but with the Red Skull now in control of the body.[29]Attributes
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Powers
The Super-Soldier Serum metabolised and enhanced all of Rogers' bodily functions to the peak of human potential. Dr. Reinstein described this potential as being the next step in human evolution, while still remaining completely human.
Artificially Enhanced Physiology: Rogers had no superhuman powers, although as a result of the Super-Soldier serum, he was transformed from a frail young man into a "perfect" specimen of human development and conditioning. Rogers was as intelligent, strong, fast, agile, and durable as it was possible for a human being to be without being considered superhuman.
- Peak Human Strength: Rogers' physical strength was enhanced to the very peak of human potential. As a result, Rogers was as physically strong as a human being could be without being classified as superhuman. Handbooks classed him as being capable of lifting up to 800 lbs.
Captain america has been seen bench pressing 500 kg (1100 lbs) which is consisent with his strength level , as benching is easier than miltary press lifting. [30].
- Peak Human Speed: He could run at speeds of up to approximately 30 miles per hour, and has on an occasion run a mile in little over a minute (almost 60 mph) when under duress.
- Peak Human Stamina: His body eliminated the excessive build-up of fatigue-producing poisons in his muscles, granting him phenomenal endurance. He could exert himself at peak capacity for several hours without rest before showing any signs of fatigue.
- Peak Human Agility: Rogers' agility was superior to that of any Olympic athlete that had ever competed.
- Peak Human Reflexes: Rogers' reflexes was superior to that of any Olympic athlete that had ever competed.
- Peak Human Durability: Rogers' ability to withstand injury was superior to those of ordinary humans. This explained how he had survived the physical punishment during his career like building falls and explosions.
- Peak Human Metabolism: His enhanced metabolism allowed him to heal from injury or disease faster than humans. Captain America was subject to all human vulnerabilities, although his immunity to diseases, toxins, or even alcohol poisoning was extraordinary. Rogers stated he couldn't get drunk and had never been sick after receiving the SSS.
- Peak Human Mental Process: Rogers' mental performance had been greatly enhanced, allowing his mind to operate in the most efficient and rapid manner possible. One manifestation of this was his tactical genius; the ability to quickly process multiple information streams (e.g., threat assessment) and rapidly respond to changing tactical situations. Rogers also possessed an edictic memory, meaning that he never forgot anything and had perfect recall. This enabled him to remember any military tactic and apply it to any situation.[31]
- Peak Human Reflexes: He possessed reaction time near superior to any Olympic athlete that had ever competed.
Abilities
Master Martial Artist: Having trained with such luminaries as William Essart Fairbairn and Rex Applegate, Captain America had mastered multiple martial arts including American-style boxing, Okinawa-te, jujitsu, aikido, judo, and various others which he either portrayed skill or knowledge in (two of them being pressure point fighting in which he rendered a guard unconscious using a nerve pinch and taijiquan) and combined these disciplines with his acrobatic talents to create his own unique hand-to-hand style of combat. He engaged in a daily regimen of rigorous exercise (including aerobics, weight lifting, gymnastics, simulated combat, and even blind fighting) to keep himself in peak condition, and had often defeated opponents whose size, strength, or other powers greatly exceeded his own. Captain America was one of the finest human combatants Earth had ever known.
Master Shield Fighter: Captain America's years of training and experience with his unique shield, as well as its physical properties, allowed him to accomplish mind-boggling feats with the item. Aside from bashing foes with it and blocking incoming attacks, Cap was able to throw the shield with nearly perfect aim. He was able to hit multiple targets with the same throw by means of ricochet, and could even achieve a boomerang-like return effect with it, allowing him to strike enemies from behind or retrieve the shield without objects to ricochet from.
Master Tactician and Strategist: Captain America was an accomplished strategist. He was widely considered one of, if not the greatest tacticians on the planet both on and off the battlefield. He was able to formulate battle strategies and his brilliant tactical sense allowed him to just as quickly alter any strategy of plan to fit the need of the situation change. When Scarlet Witch described Captain America as a leader she simply stated "You’re just the best there is." During the Secret Wars the scientific genius Reed Richards asserted that "No one could have directed their group better then Captain America," as Iron Man and the others agreed. This of course was coming from brilliant tacticians that were Tony Stark and Reed Richards, when they were commanding their own teams.
Master Acrobat: His years of training had made him an expert in the field of acrobatics and gymnastics as well as a stunning aerialist.
Indomitable Will: He was a very strong willed person second to none. He was able to suppress all forms of temptation including physical, mental, and sexual. During the Forever War, he destroyed the Forever Crystal deciding it was too dangerous to exist, despite the number of positive abilities it was capable of such as time traveling which he could have used to alter history to correct his past mistakes. Rogers accepted his own mortality, and refused to rob any sentient creature of its freedom. He was capable of resisting all forms of mind control; only the strongest willed individuals had a chance of enslaving him.
Professional Sketch Artist: Rogers had great artistic skill which he developed from childhood. He often worked as a freelance illustrator and sketch artist even loaning his skills to the NYPD for a time. He enjoyed drawing and did so with any free time.
Expert Marksman: He could throw most if not all projectile weaponry with great aim and was well versed in the use of firearms though he preferred not to use them.
Weapons Proficiency: He did not usually use weapons other than his shield, but in desperate times or situations where he and teammates were outnumbered, he would wield additional weapons to ensure victory. He had used staffs, bludgeons, and was adept with swords [34]. He likely received training with different kinds of weapons during his wartime for undercover infiltration missions in the event of not being able to use his shield.
Multi-lingual: He was fluent in Russian, German, Japanese, Greek (conversation with Hercules), and possibly other languages.
Expert Pilot: He was a phenomenal pilot and was also versed in many if not all Military, SHIELD, or Avengers equipment.Paraphernalia
Equipment
- Uniform: Cap's fire-retardant costume incorporated Kevlar body armor as well as a chain-mail shirt composed of light-weight "duralumin."
- Utility Belt: Cap had often worn a utility belt containing mission-specific equipment.
- Formerly Avengers Identicard. Also, Cap briefly wore an exoskeleton specially designed by Iron Man and Hank Pym while suffering a breakdown of the Super Soldier Serum.[35]
Weapons
Vibranium iron shield. Formerly: A photonic shield that could redirect kinetic energy, emit energy blasts, and morph into a staff. He also used small throwing disks, various equipment such as concussion bombs, grapples that morphed from spheres, a grapple-hook gun, various other substitute shields, firearms during wartime,and an exo-armor that enabled flight, superhuman strength, speed and protection from all types of assault and miniature exploding rockets that could be fired from the gauntlets.
Shield Action
- Captain America's Shield: was his primary, and usually only weapon. A concave disk about 2.5 feet in diameter, weighing 12 pounds, it was made of a unique Vibranium-Steel alloy that had never been duplicated.[36] The Shield was cast by American metallurgist Dr. Myron MacLain, who was contracted by the U.S. government to create an impenetrable substance to use for tanks during World War II. During his experiments, MacLain combined Vibranium with a steel alloy he was working with and an unknown catalyst, creating the disc-shaped shield. MacLain was never able to duplicate the process due to his inability to identify the still-unknown factor that played a role in it; however attempts to reverse engineer its composition resulted in the development of adamantium. The shield was issued to Captain America by the government several months after the beginning of his career.
Transportation
Notes
Trivia
See Also
- 3761 appearance(s) of Steven Rogers (Earth-616)
- 43 appearance(s) in handbook(s) of Steven Rogers (Earth-616)
- 717 minor appearance(s) of Steven Rogers (Earth-616)
- 879 mention(s) of Steven Rogers (Earth-616)
- 37 mention(s) in handbook(s) of Steven Rogers (Earth-616)
- 4903 image(s) of Steven Rogers (Earth-616)
- 511 quotation(s) by or about Steven Rogers (Earth-616)
- 38 victim(s) killed by Steven Rogers (Earth-616)
- 14 item(s) used/owned by Steven Rogers (Earth-616)
Links and References
- Marvel Directory
- Last Man Standing: Unca Cheeks' article on Captain America
- Toybiz archive
- [1]
References
- ↑ named in Captain America #283 via memories. This is contended as Rogers is supposed to have a [[Steven Rogers (Revolutionary War) (Earth-616}|Revolutionary War era ancestor]] already living in the colonies that would become the USA versus both of his own parents were immigrants themselves from outside the USA. If true, the Revolutionary War era Rogers or his direct descendant who maintained the surname of Rogers left the USA after its initial formation as an independent country which seems unlikely,
- ↑ recounted in Captain America #255
- ↑ According to the later revamp "Adventures of Captain America–Sentinel of Liberty #1-#4 (Oct. 1991 - Jan. 1992) by Fabian Nicieza, Erskine's serum awakened the latent power of the patient but was not reliable for everyone unlike earlier accounts where everyone would be enhanced. Tests were done beforehand to see how much inner power the patient had, and if it was worth the risk to bring it out. No matter how much latent power the patient had, the chance of survival was 1 in 4. Most text use the universal acceptability standard of the Super Soldier Serum on everyone in canon as the reason for the specific desire to exactly recreate Erskine's process, rather than the selective applicability of this retcon such as the Theodore Sallis project that resulted in the Man Thing series as other processes existed that were also unreliable such as the Power Broker's which created the obvious Superhuman powered Captain America, John Walker.
- ↑ His title of 'Captain' is apparently a tribute to a 'Captain Rogers' who served in the Revolutionary War.
- ↑ Captain America #247
- ↑ Captain America (Vol 1) 255
- ↑ In What If? #4 Colonel Farrow read from a Top Secret Dispatch dated April 18, 1945.
- ↑ Avengers #4
- ↑ 'Avengers #15
- ↑ Avengers (Vol 1) #16
- ↑ Avengers (Vol 1) #24
- ↑ Avengers (Vol 1) #25
- ↑ Captain_America (Vol 3) #22
- ↑ Captain_America (Vol 3) #19
- ↑ starting formally in Captain America (Vol 1) 133
- ↑ Captain America (Vol 1) 156
- ↑ Captain America (Vol 1) 178
- ↑ Captain America (Vol 1) 183
- ↑ Captain America (Vol 1) 282
- ↑ Captain America (Vol 1) 158
- ↑ Avengers (Vol 1) 277
- ↑ Captain America (Vol 1) 334
- ↑ Captain America (Vol 1) 337
- ↑ Captain America (Vol 1) 348
- ↑ Captain America (Vol 1) 351
- ↑ Fallen Son: The Death of Captain America #5 (June-Aug. 2007)
- ↑ Thor Vol 3 #11 (October 2008)
- ↑ Captain America: Reborn #3-4
- ↑ Captain America: Reborn #4
- ↑ ”You can lift more weight with the Bench Press than with the Overhead Press.” http://stronglifts.com/how-to-overhead-press-with-correct-technique/
- ↑ Captain America:Theatre of War - To Soldier On
- ↑ Captain America Vol 5
- ↑ Captain America Vol 5 #17
- ↑ Avengers Forever #10
- ↑ "Fighting Chance" storyline written by the late Mark Gruenwald
- ↑ Captain America #303-304
- ↑ Thor #390
- ↑ Avengers: Roll Call Vol 1 1
| Preceded by: (none) |
Captain America | Succeeded by: William Nasland |
| Preceded by: "Steven Rogers" |
Captain America | Succeeded by: John Walker |
| Preceded by: John Walker |
Captain America | Succeeded by: Bucky |