America’s Hero
Captain America is the character that Marvel comics built their foundations on. While the Captain might not be the top selling title that Marvel is printing today he is still a staple in their lineup and usually featured in numerous comic runs across many of Marvels titles each year. His Boy Scout-like behavior and devout patriotism make for some great one liners, both inspiring and hilarious depending on the context. As the leader of the Avengers and many other teams he’s always led by example and often opted for self sacrifice for the greater good, something often used in narratives to show the moment someone becomes a hero. As a result of his actions many other heroes are often depicted as looking up to him as a role model for themselves. In modern comics he is often depicted almost as a father figure to many younger heroes.
Captain America’s first appearance was published on December 20th of 1940 under the publisher Timely Publications, and was on shelves in March of 1941. Timely Publications was founded in 1939 and was the company that would eventually become Atlas Comic’s in 1951, and then Marvel Comics in 1961. The character itself was created by Joe Simon, a freelance writer hired by Timely to create a new superhero to compete with the popularity of Superman and Batman in the early 40’s. At this time World War II was ongoing in Europe and many Americans felt strongly that America should involve itself in the war to stop Hitler. Joe Simon a Jewish American, created the character out of his own feelings toward American involvement in the war and a desire to see the Nazi party stopped by America. After Simon created the initial ideas for the character, Timely hired Jack Kirby, a young up and coming artist to bring the character to life. Kirby, another Jewish American, shared Simon’s feelings toward the war and Captain America became a real passion project for the two. The combination of Simon and Kirby combined with anti Nazi sentiments of the time caused the character to be an instant hit.
Captain America’s First Appearance
The story of the man behind the shield is Steve Rogers, a small, weak, Manhattan man with a devotion to doing what is right for his country and allies at all times (Marvel.com). He gains super strength and stature by being given a super soldier serum to help him go and fight the Nazi threat in Europe. His first ever cover issue depicts him punching Hitler himself in the face and pits him against the fictional villain Red Skull a Nazi mad scientist hellbent on taking over the world with his secret organization HYDRA. While fighting Nazi’s was what sparked Captain America’s initial popularity it quickly lost momentum after the war was over and Nazi’s were no longer a global threat. As time went on Captain America was canceled and brought back several times and after the birth of Marvel Comics in the 60’s he came back to comics in a way that really stuck, Captain America was the leader of the new super team the Avengers. The story goes that he was frozen in ice in the Atlantic for decades following the end of WWII and was thawed out in the 60’s to a world of new technologies and new villains. It is in this era of comics that Captain America’s boy scout attitude and devotion to doing good for all Americans really became a core part of the character.
Captain America’s abilities give him many of the skills needed to be a great leader including his devotion to good and loyalty to his allies. He does not have any superhuman powers, but is considered to be a super-soldier, genetically enhanced by the American military. These genetic changes give him enhanced strength, speed, and healing abilities as well causing to grow from under 100 lbs to a stature of 6 '2 and 240 lbs (Marvel.com). He carries a shield into battle that is said to be nearly indestructible, and often uses it as a projectile weapon. His devotion to wanting to fight for his country and being a good soldier motivated him to study military tactics deeply, and train his martial skills extensively. All of these skills combined with his innate sense of right and wrong make him both a great hero, leader and role model. Ultimately Captain America is the predecessor to all other Marvel super heroes and deserves his place as the legend and leader he is. Newer characters like Spider-man may have become more popular or even more iconic in recent years but it is difficult to picture Marvel without the Captain in it, I mean the Avengers even have two of them now!
Two Captain Americas - Source {Captain America Vol 10, 2022}
Text Sources:
(Marvel.com) https://www.marvel.com/characters/captain-america-steve-rogers/in-comics
