Indifference after World War II
After the war, the Captain America seemed to lose his purpose, and was progressively withdrawn from sale until the year 1950. In 1953 a last attempt was made to rescue the character, but it was confirmed worse; Cap had become irrelevant. The few sales marked the end of a first era of Captain America.
After the Golden Age, Marvel also had its moments of decline, where they were on the verge of closing. But nevertheless, the company survived thanks to the ingenuity of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, with creations like avengers or The Fantastic Four.
Return as an Avenger
In 1964, with the United States involved in a new world confrontation, the Cold War with the USSR, the Captain returned after a fallow period. The Avengers discovered him frozen in the Arctic. They were able to revive him and he joined the team. After moderate success, Marvel decided to delve into the character of Steve Rogers, showing how the soldier has difficulties in adapting to the new reality, having spent a few years under the ice, completely unaged. This same plot was stretched to the maximum during its adaptation to the big screen, which, instead of being a decade old, awakens practically today, as we will discuss later.
character biography
This is all you need to know about the character at an autobiographical level.
Early life and adolescence
Steve Rogers is a frail young man, frail and born into a humble family in the neighborhood of Brooklyn in 1918. His father, member of the 107th Infantry Regiment hhad died during the First World War. Steve is raised by his mother, a nurse, but when our protagonist turns 18, she dies of tuberculosis.
Stevee dreams of serving his country in the army and continue the legacy of his late father. However, his sickly appearance and the malnutrition to which he has been exposed in the first years of his life prevent you from enlisting, since he has a height of 1.63 and barely weighs 41 kilograms. Also has serious health problems: Serious diseases such as anemia and asthma. After being rejected, and with World War II already started, Rogers goes to the Stark Exhibition with his friend Bucky and tries to enlist again. This draws the attention of some officials of the Armed Forces, who value the boy’s effort to serve his country.
Supersoldier conversion
Finally, Rogers gets a place in the army. Specifically, in the Strategic Scientific Reserve, a somewhat obscure area of the army led by Colonel Chester Phillips, Doctor Abraham Erskine and British agent Peggy Carter of the British Intelligence Service.
The deal was simple: he could join the army if he underwent a military experiment. Rogers is warned by Erskine that Nazi officer Johann Schmidt of the Hydra division had been exposed to a similar but incomplete treatment, suffering permanent side effects. Despite this, Rogers accepts, the solution is injected into him and he is sprayed with vital rays. The boy achieves impressive results thanks to the experiment, as he becomes a kind of Superman gaining height and muscle, while gaining strength and agility out of the ordinary. From this moment on, he is considered a super soldier.
However, after the process Erskine is murdered by a mysterious individual. Rogers chases after him and hunts him down with his new abilities. The assassin acknowledges being part of Hydra, but commits suicide by activating a cyanide capsule.
Back in America, Rogers begins to dress a dCostume with motifs of the flag of your country, an idea of Senator Brandt to raise money with war bonds. Finally, in 1943, Rogers is warned that an infantry unit has gone missing while fighting Schmidt’s men. After disagreeing with his superiors, decides to act alone and manages to free the prisoners. He is also confronted by Schmidt, who flees before revealing himself as ‘Red Skull’. It is from this moment when Rogers is promoted to Captain.
Cryogenics in the Arctic
Together with his shield, Captain America will fight for the war to end in favor of the allies. On his last mission, Rogers discovers Schmidt’s location and sets out to arrest him to prevent the weapons from being used against civilians. Finally, the Tesseract, the weapon used by Hydra, ends up lost in the ocean. The two end up crashing in the Arctic. In the original comics, will wake up a decade later, while, in the adaptation of the Cinematic Universe, will do it in year 2011.
Abilities and powers of Captain America
Some captain america abilities are the following:
- Agility– Thanks to the serum provided to him in his youth, Rogers is far more agile than any average human.
- Super strength: the physical state of this character is not only aesthetic. The Captain has a strength that allows him to go toe-to-toe with villains who far outnumber him.
- Endurance: The upgraded Super Soldier Serum prevents Cap from feeling tired, ensuring he has good stamina during battles. This probably also saved his life when he fell into the Arctic ice.
- Shield– Although its style has changed over the years, the vibranium-steel alloy shield is technically impossible to destroy or even pass through. Not only is it capable of absorbing hits, but the Captain does not receive recoil, preventing him from falling to the ground after performing a parry. You can also use the shield as a frisbee.
- mental abilities: Captain America’s mental faculties are superior, as well as his sense of perception, learning or even his reflexes.
The Captain not only has exceptional abilities, but his list of weaknesses it is really very short
- Misfit: The time he remains frozen prevents him from fully adapting to the society in which he lives. This is more evident in the MCU than in the original comics.
- leaves no one behind: Although it is part of his emotional intelligence, being so assertive also transfers a weakness to him. This is revealed with Bucky, as Rogers is willing to lose his life in order to make him see reason.
- Locked in melee: Despite his powers and the help of his shield, the Captain has difficulty making ranged attacks beyond throwing his shield.
