When Joe Simon and Jack Kirby brought Captain America to life over 80 years ago, the intention was for Rogers to appear as the standard for the shielded hero. However, over the years, there's been a fair share of deviations from Rogers that have seen a great number of alternative Marvel characters take up the mantle of Captain America.
From one-hit wonders who wielded the iconic shield for a short time to the more well-known staples of Marvel who've taken on the role, the Captain America moniker has a complicated lineage worth exploring.
Updated on May 26th, 2021 by Scoot Allan: The United States of Captain America by Christopher Cantwell and Dale Eaglesham will introduce a few new characters who will also hold the title of Captain America like the patriotic hero Steve Rogers. However, these new characters are definitely not the first heroes who have taken on the mantle over the years, as Steve Rogers has died, retired, and passed on his shield to a number of worthy successors. With comics introducing new legacy characters while Disney+ series like The Falcon and the Winter Soldier explore the passing of the shield, there is no better time to take a further look at a few others who have taken up the shield, which we'll look at chronologically in the Marvel timeline.
Updated on August 28th, 2022 by Jodi Nicholls: This list has been updated to enhance the reading experience of the original article and ensure the information provided is still recent and relevant.
20 Steven Rogers
Debuted in Captain America #194 by Jack Kirby in March 1975
While Captain America's canonical existence during the Revolutionary War in Marvel's timeline could be questioned, an ancestor of Steve Rogers named Steven Rogers has appeared a few times in the comics as his era's Captain America.
Captain Rogers didn't fit the ideal role of Captain America, and as The Falcon pointed out to Steve, was likely a slave-owner given the time period. Captain Rogers was killed during one of the final battles of the Revolutionary War, years before the U.S. government officially created the Captain America identity.
19 Steve Rogers
Debuted in Captain America Comics #1 by Jack Kirby and Joe Simon in 1940
In over 80 years of comics, television, films, games, and more, Steve Rogers has been there every step of the way, and will likely always be so. He's a timeless character who manages to infiltrate the stories of just about every other version of Captain America.
Rogers has survived the test of time in comics, and even after several tragic and deadly failures, he always manages to find his way back into the spotlight as the one true Captain America, though he's passed the shield on to a couple of successors himself over the years.
18 Butch Cantwell
Debuted in Captain America Comics #46 by Vince Alascia in 1945
Captain America and Bucky's war efforts in the '40s meant they began to make a name for themselves as crimefighters. As a result, a mobster named Butch Cantwell came up with a plan to discredit the patriotic heroes in 1945's "The Shadow of the Monster."
Cantwell's version of the Captain America costume was reinforced to make it bulletproof, which he then wore on his mission to turn public opinion against the Sentinel of Liberty, though he was eventually stopped by the real Captain America and Bucky when they learned of his impersonation.
17 Carl Zante/The Acrobat
Debuted in Strange Tales #106 by Stan Lee, Larry Lieber, and Dick Ayers in 1962
Following a brief break with The Fantastic Four, Johnny Storm/Human Torch was manipulated by Carl Zante/The Acrobat into joining him as the Torrid Twosome. This led to a short-lived rivalry with the Torch, which resulted in The Acrobat impersonating the missing Captain America a couple of times.
Zante wore a Captain America costume to rob a bank and to free his criminal accomplices from jail, though the real Captain America returned to team up with Human Torch and put a stop to The Acrobat's time as the patriotic-themed villain.
16 Isaiah Bradley
First debuted in Truth: Red, White & Black #1 by Robert Morales and Kyle Baker in 2002
Isaiah Bradley was ultimately forced into assuming the role of Captain America. Bradley and hundreds of other African American soldiers were forced into testing an altered super-soldier serum after Abraham Erskine's original formula was lost. He was one of the few survivors of the experiments and was tasked with thwarting the German efforts to recreate the serum.
On what ended up being his final mission, he sported Captain America's uniform and shield, which he was later sentenced to life in prison for "stealing." Bradley was eventually pardoned and sworn to secrecy after serving 17 years, where his health had begun to deteriorate as a side effect of the serum.
15 Jeffrey Mace/The Patriot
Debuted in Human Torch #4 by Ray Gill and Sid Greene in 1941
Marvel Comic fans mostly recognize Jeffrey Mace as his alternative hero alias, the Patriot. Any Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. fans will also recognize the name as the replacement director of S.H.I.E.L.D. Regardless, whatever heroic ensemble Jeffrey Mace is sporting, he's always meant to represent the same sort of moral standards as Steve Rogers.
Mace took the shield for the first time in Captain America Comics #59, which followed the retroactive need to explain Steve Rogers' absence from the role. Mace's own moral code forced him to take up the shield to replace an absent Steve Rogers.
14 William Burnside (Later Became The Grand Director)
Debuted in Young Men #24 by Steve Englehart and Sal Buscema in 1953
One of the most obscure versions of Captain America is William Burnside, who was introduced during Steve Englehart and Sal Buscema's Captain America #153. The character actually made his debut almost 20 years earlier in Young Men #24, but it wasn't until 1972 that he took over as the fourth Captain America.
What makes Burnside's Captain America so obscure and unorthodox is how his time behind the shield was born out of a mad obsession with Steve Rogers. It led him to receive an altered version of the super-soldier serum and even change his appearance to match Roger's own. The serum eventually showed side effects, which drove him even more insane than he already was.
13 William Naslund
Debuted in The Invaders #14 by Roy Thomas and Frank Robbins in 1977
William Naslund was one of the very first canonical replacements for Steve Rogers' Captain America. Originally introduced in Invaders #14 as a hero known as "The Spirit of '76," Naslund eventually took up the shield in Roy Thomas' What If? #4 in 1977.
Sought out by the United States government to take up the moniker of Captain America, Naslund took over after the unfortunate deaths of Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes in World War II. His run as the Captain may have been short-lived, but it serves as the foundation of Captain America's history away from Steve Rogers.
12 Bob Russo, Roscoe Simons, & Scar Turpin
Russo and Simons debuted in Captain America #178 and Turpin debuted in Captain America #179
Roscoe Simons was another short-lived Captain America seen over five issues of Captain America and the Falcon from 1974 to 1975. After Steve Rogers gave up the shield and became the Nomad, two other potential replacements – Bob Russo and "Scar" Turpin – quickly failed, leaving Simons to assume the role.
His time as Captain America came to an abrupt end once the Red Skull discovered Simons' version of the shield-bearer wasn't actually Steve Rogers. Simons' death at the hands of his greatest nemesis inspired Rogers to take up the shield and role of Captain America once again.
11 John Walker/U.S. Agent
Debuted in Captain America #323 in November 1986 as Super-Patriot
John Walker is one of the more well-known Captain America replacements. Perhaps more commonly known as the Super Patriot or U.S. Agent, Walker was another example of a government-tapped, military veteran who assumed the role when Steve Rogers abandoned it.
Walker's progression in and out of the Captain America role came fairly quickly. After his comic debut in 1986, he was given the shield the very next year and ultimately shifted out of the role another year later to become the U.S. Agent. He made his live-action debut in the Falcon and the Winter Soldier Disney+ series in 2021.
10 Clint Barton
Debuted in Tales of Suspense #57 by Stan Lee and Don Heck in 1964
After the apparent death of Steve Rogers during the Civil War event, Iron Man was filled with guilt over his split with his former friend. As a result, he took it upon himself to find a replacement for the Sentinel of Liberty in Jeph Loeb and John Romita Jr.'s Fallen Son: The Death of Captain America #3.
Iron Man chose the recently resurrected Clint Barton/Hawkeye to take over the role of Captain America, largely due to his ability to use the shield, but also because of Hawkeye's relationship with Steve Rogers. Hawkeye had one mission as Captain America, which forced him to turn on Iron Man and let two Young Avengers go free, leading to his rejection of the offer and the return of the shield and costume.
9 Bucky Barnes
Debuted in Captain America Comics #1 by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby in 1940
Bucky Barnes, Steve Rogers' former sidekick, finally took the shield in 2008 during Captain America #34. After the death of his best friend following the climactic events of Marvel's superhuman Civil War, Bucky was hesitant to follow in Captain America's footsteps. However, he was convinced when he was named in Steve's will as his chosen successor.
Most of his time as Captain America was spent making amends for his past life as the Winter Soldier, all while earning the trust of the American people as well as the Avengers. He's one of the more recognized versions of Captain America by far, and some of his greatest storylines included him behind the shield.
8 Frank Castle
Debuted in Amazing Spider-Man #129 by Gerry Conway, Ross Andru, and John Romita Sr. in 1973
Frank Castle's support and admiration of Steve Rogers has been a longtime defining aspect of the character. There was one instance in Joe Keatinge's What If? Age of Ultron #4 in which The Punisher of another universe serves as Captain America.
In fact, there was a time in which the Earth-616 version of Castle was inspired to make his Punisher costume based on Rogers' Captain America. However, even that was a short-lived and rarely talked-about experiment.
7 David Rickford
Debuted in Captain America #615.1 by Mitch Breitweiser and Ed Brubaker in 2011
Bucy's time as Captain America saw the character serve some time in a Russian gulag, which left the role of Captain America vacant. Nick Fury posed as the Power Broker and manipulated ex-Special Forces soldier David Rickford into becoming a new super-soldier to take over as the new Captain America.
However, it was really just a ploy to get Steve Rogers to return to the role, and Rickford failed in his mission after a few public wins. Rickford was captured by A.I.M. and almost transformed into a new M.O.D.O.K. before he was rescued by Rogers, who was inspired to return to the role.
6 Sam Wilson
Debuted in Captain America #117 by Stan Lee and Gene Colan in 1969
Alongside Bucky Barnes, Sam Wilson is the other most notable version of Captain America. Originally known as The Falcon, Wilson took over the shield during Rick Remender's run on Captain America, and he's been one of the more consistent versions of the character over the past seven years.
With Wilson's version of Cap seeing a boost in popularity with the release of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, there are years worth of brilliant storylines with him behind the shield waiting for people to read.
5 Samantha Wilson
Debuted in Spider-Gwen (Vol. 2) #1 by Jason Latour and Robbi Rodriguez in 2015
In the alternate universe (Earth-65), as seen in Spider-Gwen by Jason Latour and Robbi Rodriguez, a different "Sam" Wilson becomes Captain America. This time, it was Samantha Wilson who'd wear the Stars and Stripes and wield the iconic shield.
This Wilson was a student turned soldier during World War II, who was approached by none other than Peggy Carter to be the subject of Project: Rebirth. Wilson's time as Captain America saw similar missions to the original Steve Rogers. She took down the likes of Red Skull, Arnim Zola, and Zemo, and was mainly used as an asset of S.H.I.E.L.D. (or, at the time, the SSR).
4 Roberta Mendez
Debuted in Secret Wars 2099 #1 by Peter David and William Sliney in 2015
The 2099 universe, known as Earth-298, has been a staple of Marvel Comics for nearly three decades. With it came an abundance of new versions of Marvel's most popular characters, most notably Spider-Man.
At one point, that Universe also brought about a 2099 version of Captain America. Roberta Mendez was the wife of an Alchemax operative and forcefully imbued with the super soldier serum. For a time, she fought with the Avengers of her universe under the Captain America moniker, sporting a high-tech version of Steve Rogers' iconic costume and the same vibrant shield.
3 Danielle Cage
Debuted in Avengers: Ultron Forever #1 by Al Ewing and Alan Davis in 2015
Believe it or not, Danielle Cage – the daughter of Luke Cage and Jessica Jones –grew up to become Captain America. Like Roberta Mendez, she was the Captain America of her own universe and one entirely separate from Steve Rogers' Earth-616.
The biggest difference Danielle Cage possesses from any other Captain America is the way in which she was granted her powers. Instead of being subjected to the super-soldier serum, she simply developed her powers from those passed down from her parents, which gave her near-identical powers to every other version of Captain America.
2 Sharon Rogers
Debuted in Marvel Future Fight #1 by Netmarble Games in 2015
Sharon Rogers is the daughter of Steve Rogers and Peggy Carter. She'd eventually take on the roles of her parents as both an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Captain America. From the universe of Marvel's Future Fight, where her father was never put on ice at the end of World War II, Sharon fights as Captain America and runs missions for S.H.I.E.L.D. long after her parents' retirement.
She also fights in a more futuristic set of armor inspired by her father's iconic uniform. Her armor, along with an entirely unique shield, is said to have been gifted from none other than her father's longtime companion, Tony Stark.
1 Peggy Carter
Debuted in Tales of Suspense #75 by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee in 1965
It should come as no surprise that an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., Sharon's mother, and Steve Rogers' ultimate love interest took up the role of Captain America as well. On Earth-86315, as seen during Judd Winick and Mike McKone's Exiles, this version of Margaret "Peggy" Carter is introduced as the one who took part in the super soldier program instead.
After the death of Steve Rogers and Dr. Erskine, Howard Stark convinces Carter to take part in the program, leading to her becoming the Captain America of this universe. Fans saw a similar story brought to life on-screen in Disney+ and Marvel's What If? series.