Captain America (fictional character)

Captain America is a fictional superhero who appears in comic books created in 1940 by American cartoonists Joe Simon and Jack Kirby. The character first appeared in Timely Comics' Captain America Comics #1. Simon and Kirby admittedly created the character to serve as American propaganda during World War II. Captain America is fiercely patriotic and uses his abilities to fight enemies of the United States. Following the war, Timely Comics became Marvel Comics, which continued to print the Captain America series. Captain America gained further recognition when Marvel commenced a series of film adaptations in 2011.

Appearance and Abilities

Captain America is the alter ego of Steve Rogers, a former American soldier who becomes superhuman after participating in an experimental serum program sponsored by the US government. The US government turns Rogers into Captain America to help aid the country during World War II (1939–45). The serum gives him strength, speed, endurance, agility, and healing abilities far beyond that of normal humans. Captain America dresses in a costume inspired by the American flag and carries an unbreakable shield with a similar design. Early Captain America comics primarily focus on the hero's conflict with real 1930s and 1940s wartime threats such as Nazi Germany and Japan. The character's popularity waned after the war ended, however, before experiencing a revival in the 1960s.

Early History

Timely Comics introduced Captain America to readers in December of 1940 in Captain America Comics #1. World War II began the year before, but the United States did not enter the war and join the Allied cause until 1941. Simon and Kirby disliked the Axis powers, which included Nazi Germany, Japan, and Italy. The duo created Captain America as a symbol of patriotism and as a political statement against the Axis alliance. Captain America's main villain, the Red Skull, embodied the evils of the Nazi party. Though fictional, the Red Skull interacted with real-life foes such as Adolf Hitler. The first issue of Captain America Comics was a major hit among American readers, most likely due to their shared hatred of the Axis powers. The storyline featured a fistfight between Captain America and Hitler and sold almost a million copies. The comics continued to develop Captain America as an intensely loyal super soldier, and many of the plotlines feature Bucky Barnes, Rogers's best friend from childhood, as his sidekick. Captain America became Timely's most popular character and the most successful superhero comic of the World War II era.

Post-War Captain America

Captain America's popularity faded in the decades following the end of the war. When Timely Comics became Marvel Comics in 1961, the Marvel team included an impostor Captain America in an issue of Strange Tales before officially reintroducing him in an issue of The Avengers in 1964. Marvel brought in comic writer Stan Lee to help Kirby with the character's reemergence. As explained in the comics, Rogers was cryogenically frozen when his plane crashed in the North Atlantic Ocean. Being frozen put Rogers in a state of suspended animation and prevented him from aging. He awakens in modern times and uses his abilities to help the superhero team known as the Avengers, eventually becoming their leader. The hero also struggles to adapt to his new surroundings.

Captain America remained a prominent piece of the Marvel universe from the late 1960s onward. In the adventures following his revival, Captain America fights his old enemy Red Skull and takes on new supervillains. He often encounters problems with a terrorist group known as Hydra, which is determined to achieve world domination. Captain America also gains a sidekick called Falcon, who uses mechanical wings to fly. He works with many other superheroes as well, including Thor, Iron Man, Black Widow, Hulk, and Hawkeye, all members of the Avengers. The hero also crosses paths with an organization called the Secret Empire, which has ties with the US government. At one point, Captain America becomes so disillusioned by the government's corruption that he begins donning a new costume and calling himself Nomad. The crimes of the Red Skull inspire him to reclaim his identity, however.

Captain America's adventures also lead him into space, where he and the Avengers team up with a group of heroes known as the Guardians of the Galaxy to save Earth from an evil alien race. The comics continued to blend reality with fiction and include a storyline centered on the aftermath of the September 11 terrorist attacks in New York City. This plotline eventually leads to the Avengers story arc known as "Civil War," which pits Captain America against the US government after it enacts a law requiring all superheroes to register as such. This storyline also builds on the hero's personal life. Captain America meets and falls in love with special agent Sharon Carter and shares his true identity with her. This relationship culminates in Captain America's tragic death after a brainwashed Carter shoots him during the "Civil War" plotline. After Steve Rogers's apparent death, his former sidekick Bucky Barnes takes up the role of Captain America. Eventually, however, it was revealed that Rogers did not die, and he once again took up his superhero mantle.

After a 2014 issue of the Captain America comic saw Rogers lose his serum powers after fighting a particularly difficult villain, and he then became aged and weak, another significant exchange occurred when Rogers decided to officially pass the role on to Sam Wilson, the Falcon, who is a Black American. As the Falcon was among the first Black American superheroes introduced in the Marvel Comics world, it was seen as a crucial step toward more prominent representation of American diversification when he stepped in as the iconic Captain America. While Wilson was then featured as Captain America in his own, new series in subsequent years, he eventually decided, based in part on continued incidents of racial injustice, to give the Captain America identity back to Rogers, whose powers were restored.

Captain American continued to play a central role in the Marvel Comics universe, but it was in 2016 that the character was given perhaps his most controversial plot development. In the first issue of a new run of the Captain America comic, Steve Rogers was revealed to have apparently been a double agent for his entire career, serving Hydra and emerging as its leader. Many fans were outraged at this revelation, and the issue was widely covered in the mainstream media, with observers discussing the implications of an American icon working for a group with ties to the Nazis, albeit a fictional one. Many saw the development as commentary on the real-life resurgence of far-right extremism and nationalism in the United States at the time. Of course, many fans suspected Captain America's change in loyalty, like his apparent death, would be shortlived, and they were proven right by mid-2017. During the "Secret Empire" storyline, it was revealed that Rogers's Hydra membership was caused by cosmic manipulations, and Captain America was restored as a staunch opponent of fascism when the manifestation of his original personality defeated his evil incarnation.

Other Mediums

Captain America appears in several other mediums outside the comic book realm, including television, film, and video games. In 2011, Marvel teamed up with film studios to produce a series of successful superhero movies featuring Captain America that star American actor Chris Evans. Alongside several stand-alone Captain America films, the character also appears in Marvel studio's Avengers film franchise. Marvel's filmmaking efforts catapulted Captain America farther into the public spotlight, garnering the character a new generation of fans. Additionally, the significant occurrence of Wilson's takeover of the role of Captain America was a major focus of the limited 2021 television series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, which directly deals with the concept and meaning of having a Black American serve as Captain America in twenty-first century America. This topic was considered especially relevant as the year 2020 had seen the issues of racial injustice in American society become even more prominent.

Bibliography

Beaumont-Thomas, Ben. "After Female Thor, a Black Captain America from Marvel." The Guardian, 17 July 2014, www.theguardian.com/books/2014/jul/17/marvel-comics-captain-america-black-falcon. Accessed 3 June 2021.

"Captain America (Steve Rogers)." Marvel Official Web Site. Marvel. Web. 25 Nov. 2015. marvel.com/universe/Captain‗America‗(Steve‗Rogers)

Forbeck, Matt. Marvel Encyclopedia. New York: DK Publishing, 2006. 70-75. Print. www.amazon.com/Marvel-Encyclopedia-Matt-Forbeck/dp/1465415939

Gustines, George Gene. "Captain America: Fighting Evil Again." The New York Times, 28 Aug. 2017, www.nytimes.com/2017/08/28/books/captain-america-fighting-evil-again.html. Accessed 6 Sep. 2017.

Joseph, Peniel E. "Why a Black Captain America Changes Everything." CNN, 18 May 2021, www.cnn.com/2021/04/29/opinions/falcon-and-the-winter-soldier-black-captain-america-joseph/index.html. Accessed 3 June 2021.

Look Back at the History of Marvel, Pt. 1" Marvel Official Web Site. Marvel. 21 Feb. 2014. Web. 25 Nov. 2015. marvel.com/news/comics/21996/taking‗a‗look‗back‗at‗the‗history‗of‗marvel‗pt‗1

Weiner, Robert G., ed. Captain America and the Struggle of the Superhero: Critical Essays. Jefferson: McFarland, 2009. 15-23. Print. books.google.com/books?id=gQD0WX6czQAC&pg=PA52&dq=The+Marvel+Vault:+A+Museum-in-a-Book+with+Rare+Collectibles+from+the+World+of+Marvel&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjxsrag9anJAhVIJh4KHaPwDPoQ6AEIQTAD#v=onepage&q&f=false

Wright, Bradford W. Comic Book Nation: The Transformation of Youth Culture in America. Baltimore: John Hopkins University Press, 2001. 32-43. Print. books.google.com/books?id=‗iYL9qTMu1EC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Comic+Book+Nation:+The+Transformation+of+Youth+Culture+in+America.&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiI9NSh9anJAhWFHx4KHUn5AfkQ6AEIJTAA#v=onepage&q&f=false