Captain America (Marvel Universe)
In the late 1930s, as the specter of World War II loomed on the horizon, a young man from New York named Steve Rogers wanted to serve his country. The military turned him down, though, declaring his underdeveloped body unfit for service, so he agreed to take a terrible risk in hopes of finding another way into the army. Rogers volunteered to be a guinea pig for the experimental Super-Soldier Serum.
The serum did its work, transforming a weakling into a superhuman warrior with tremendous physical strength, resilience, and speed. Unfortunately, an assassin took the life of its creator, and the secrets of the process died with him, leaving Rogers the Army’s only surviving super-soldier. It made the most of him, however – behind the red, white, and blue shield of Captain America, he carried out dozens of daring missions throughout the war, until he was thought lost in a plane crash over the Atlantic ocean.
Years later, he was discovered floating in a block of ice, and came back to life upon revival. Never one to rest on his laurels, he became one of the founding members of the Avengers and perhaps the world’s most respected superhero. The Super Soldier Serum that gives him his powers self-replenishes in his body so he never runs out. Besides his enhanced physical abilities, he’s an experienced natural leader, and his adamantium-vibranium alloy shield is nearly indestructible.
advertisement
Cap’s integrity has occasionally led him to work against elements of the United States government and military, however. As he once told a corrupt U.S. Army general, “I’m loyal to nothing, sir. Except the dream.” His opposition to the Superhuman Registration Act proved the spark that ignited the Marvel universe’s “Civil War.”
At the end of the Civil War Captain America was arrested, and then shot and killed by an assassin hired by the Red Skull, his archnemesis. The mantle of Captain America was then handed off from Steve Rogers to his old and close friend Bucky, until Cap's return later.
Known Aliases: Nomad, The Captain, Brett Hendrick, Roger Stevens, Yeoman America
