Avengers: Doomsday Spotlights, Part 24 – Steve Rogers

When I first started this series, I didn’t have any intention of including the former Captain America. After all, Chris Evans wasn’t in the confirmed cast, and we all assumed Cap’s story was concluded in “Avengers: Endgame.” However, due to his appearance in one of the teaser trailers, along with being displayed in the recently revealed movie poster in Shanghai, the evidence is clear that Steve Rogers may, in fact, return to the big screen. The skinny kid from Brooklyn, already risking his life for the betterment and freedom of others since WWII, is back to face a threat even greater than Thanos ever was. 

Origins

Most people are familiar with Steve’s story thanks to the film “Captain America: The First Avenger.” And since the movie is very comic-book-accurate (as well as historically accurate), Steve’s origins would play out very similarly to the beloved iconic classic. For instance, Steve grew up with no parents in one of the darkest moments of American history, and while he didn’t have any diseases or conditions, he still suffered from a frail body. Despite this, Steve refused to let it stop him from enlisting in the Army to fight the good fight, but he was rejected and classified as 4-F because no one else shared Steve’s sentiment. That is, except for one person, the very man who changed Steve’s life and kick-started his decades-long history in comics: Dr. Abraham Erskine. Seeing Steve’s heart, character, and great potential, Erskine personally chose Rogers as the first test subject for his Super-Soldier Serum in Project: Rebirth (which, fun fact, was the first step in the Weapons Plus program, essentially making Steve Rogers Weapon I). After receiving the dose, along with some specific radiation treatments, Steve’s physicality drastically improved as the sudden abundance of healthy cells increased his height and strength. However, what should’ve been a happy and revolutionary moment was brutally interrupted when Nazi spies infiltrated the facility and killed Erskine. 

Without the only person who could replicate this ground-breaking success, Steve would have to fight the rest of the war as the only true Super-Soldier. The first step was equipping himself with his signature weapon: his red, white, and blue shield. Unlike the movie, however, the shield itself isn’t pure Vibranium. Instead, the man who fashioned it (Dr. MacLain) experimented with a small but rare shard of Vibranium, and accidentally combined it with other metals in a way that neither he nor anyone else has been able to replicate since. Regardless, Steve Rogers charged headstrong into the war as Captain America, fighting alongside his sidekick, James Buchanan Barnes, and other early heroes (such as the original Human Torch, Wolverine, or even Namor the Sub-Mariner) primarily against the totalitarian terrorist organization Hydra (leading to Steve’s iconic rivalry with one of its leaders, the Red Skull). Unfortunately, Steve’s story would end in tragedy when he and Bucky went to confront another of Hydra’s leaders, Baron Heinrich Zemo. Zemo had stolen a prototype drone plane and planned to send it to Berlin as a symbol of victory, but it was all a trap to lure the two heroes onto it and blow them up with an onboard bomb. With no time to disarm the explosive, the plane detonated and sent Steve crashing into the icy waters of the North Atlantic. But “Due to Erskine’s serum coursing through his veins, Cap’s body went into suspended animation once submerged in the frigid waters, and ended up encased in solid ice” (marvel.com). Decades later, on a mission to locate Namor the Sub-Mariner, the Avengers came across Steve’s frozen body and revived him. Despite feeling overwhelmed in a new era, Steve desired to find a place for himself. Therefore, realizing that his fight against evil was not over, Steve joined the Avengers, and the rest is history. 

Powers, Abilities, and Weaknesses

While later projects would try in vain to replicate the success of the Super-Soldier project, Steve Rogers has proven that such attempts are impossible. Dr. Erskine was the only one who truly understood how to create and apply the serum, which makes Steve the true pinnacle of human and even superhuman statistics. For instance, while the serum doesn’t make him as strong as Marvel’s other heavy hitters, it does make him ridiculously strong. Throughout his publication history, Steve has done everything from punching through steel doors, lifting heavy weights or objects, and trading blows with enhanced humans (like U.S. Agent) and even super-powered villains. And for anyone unfortunate (or stupid) enough to cross Steve’s path, Steve can throw his nearly indestructible shield with enough force to knock someone out or even kill them if he wanted to (since his shield has lodged itself deep in metal surfaces before). Furthermore, thanks to his increased height and stamina, Steve can run faster than most Olympic-level athletes for extended periods. It also means that his reflexes and agility are fast enough for him to react and adapt to any environment or fight, whether it’s quickly blocking bullets with his shield or navigating through urban or forested areas, or even performing acrobatic feats that most humans can’t do without years of training. 

However, the serum was never Steve’s true power. It enhanced many of his capabilities and even gave him new ones, but it was never what made him Captain America. Instead, his greatest superpowers are his mind and heart. Even before he was an Avenger, Steve led squads of soldiers into unforgiving enemy territory. Training in the army and fighting the Nazis and other Axis Powers already gave Steve fighting and leadership experience, but fighting against Hydra proved to be invaluable in the long run. Hydra had technology and weapons decades ahead of their time, along with possessing numerous enhanced individuals in their service (such as Red Skull, Master Man, Warrior Woman, and Baron Blood). Steve would obviously face much stronger opponents after being thawed out, but his time fighting Hydra kept him from being thrown off guard and squaring up with no fear. And thanks to serving alongside other heroes in the past, Steve also has an advanced understanding of how to coordinate and lead teams, which is one reason many heroes follow his lead without question. Further, all this fighting allowed him to master combat styles centered around his shield, such as rapidly switching between punches and shield blocks (or even hits), which already takes a considerable amount of concentration. Also, when using it for long-range attacks, Steve doesn’t simply throw the shield and have it magically come back; instead, he has to calculate its exact path, how hard to throw it without killing anyone, and catch it when it comes back. But of course, it takes more than muscle and victories to win a war, much less rally a group to fight alongside you. That’s why Steve constantly sets brave examples by putting his own life on the line for America’s freedom, and especially the lives of his friends and allies. Steve was already opposing Hydra and other fascists, going out of his way to protect or save anyone he could, and refusing to back down even when the odds were against him. And even whenever he claimed victory, he never let it go to his head. He always gave credit to his comrades, adopting a selfless and encouraging persona that shows what a true leader should be. Nothing could break Captain America, and he made sure to inspire that same spirit within his comrades to unite and motivate them. 

But to make one thing clear, nothing psychological or emotional can break Captain America. Unfortunately, despite being an elite unit of a human, not even Steve can escape mortal limitations. For instance, even with his current enhancements, he’s still a human. This, of course, means that he is weak to anything that can incapacitate anyone else: knives, swords, bullets, poison, being hit by a truck, you name it. And even though it doesn’t need to be said, Steve can’t hope to win a straight-up one-to-one fight against powerful opponents like the Hulk or even Dr. Doom; their strengths and powers far surpass Steve’s capabilities. Only if Steve has the support of his allies, or is playing an extremely complicated strategy, can he at least hold out until the threat is neutralized. Also, while Steve can fight just as effectively without his shield, he’s still just as vulnerable without it. Losing the shield means drastically lowering his defenses to his most vulnerable, and as previously mentioned, most of his combat styles heavily rely on that shield. If he can’t throw it or execute a defense/punch combo, Steve would have to work twice as hard to keep up with opponents. This isn’t to say Steve is a weak superhero by any means, but it’s a reminder that he’s not as invincible as we all like to think. 

Greatest Feats

Even after decades of unconsciousness and emerging into a new world, Steve’s views and values never changed. No greater example of this could be found than in the original “Civil War” comic event, which obviously inspired the MCU film we know and love today. Unlike the movie, however, the comic would begin on a much grimmer tone. When a group of heroes known as the New Warriors tried to defeat and apprehend a group of supervillains for their reality TV show, one of the villains (Nitro) blew himself up and killed over 600 people in Stamford, Connecticut. Combined with the fallout of M-Day, it was enough to drive the government to pass the Superhuman Registration Act, basically forcing all superheroes to either sign up with the government or be arrested. As many heroes meet in the Baxter Building about the matter, Captain America meets with the then-director of S.H.I.E.L.D. Maria Hill. But Hill’s first mistake was presuming that Steve would automatically be on board, because he immediately shut her down by saying he refused to go after good people who constantly put their lives on the line to save America time and time again. Hill tried to argue that the “rebels,” as she called them, were breaking the law, but Steve pushed back, insisting that politics and superheroes need to stay separate. Refusing to let the government tell him who the bad guys are, Steve fought his way off the helicarrier and started his own underground team of heroes. Not only would Steve lead them in defeating several supervillains, but he would eventually aim for the bigger goal of freeing the other heroes who were already arrested, appalled that people who had done nothing wrong were thrown in jail. Eventually, after the fight found itself in Manhattan, things escalated to the point where EMTs and firefighters forced Steve to see the damage he was doing. Finally realizing that he wasn’t fighting for a cause at this point, Steve dropped his shield and turned himself in, rather than allow his core principles to be compromised. Overall, Steve fought for an understandable cause, but humbled himself when he realized he had gone too far. To me, that’s who Steve Rogers is and what makes him the one and only Captain America. 

But if that isn’t enough proof, then consider the events of “Fear Itself.” It all started when Red Skull’s daughter, Sin, decided to take care of unfinished business that her father couldn’t do himself: claiming the Asgardian Hammer of Skadi, which he summoned to Earth with a ritual but built a fortress around it since he couldn’t lift it. Sin, however, lifted the weapon and was transformed into the new embodiment of Skadi, but her actions unleashed a chain reaction that engulfed the world. Odin’s long-banished brother, Cul (more popularly known as The Serpent), sent seven other Asgardian hammers hurtling down to Earth and corrupted both heroes and villains alike to serve as his generals (known as the Worthy). With his plan to feed on the fear caused by the Worthy’s warpath, Serpent set out to conquer the world with Skadi as his herald. Eventually, after Skadi incapacitated Bucky (who was the new Captain America at this time), Steve Rogers took up the mantle again and confronted her. However, during the fight, Serpent shattered Steve’s shield into pieces. If it were anyone else, they would think the situation was now hopeless. After all, a being of immeasurable power, who commanded seven other powerful beings, just literally shattered a symbol of hope and freedom, while also laying waste to the entire world. But Steve Rogers isn’t “anyone else.” Seeing Thor’s hammer lying on the ground nearby, he grabbed it and picked it up, rallying heroes and civilians alike to fight back. Thankfully, Iron Man came to the rescue after using Odin’s workshop to make several Asgardian weapons for many heroes to match the Serpent and his Worthy. Still, it took Thor sacrificing himself to secure victory. Eventually, Thor would come back to life, and Odin even reforged Steve’s shield as thanks for stopping his brother. But think about it: Steve was willing to fight without his best defense, one of the few things he had from his old life, and something that has been an unforgettable symbol in the eyes of many. Further, whether or not he could lift Mjolnir, he defied insurmountable odds and inspired everyone around him. There are probably a few others who could accomplish this as well, but none can do it better than Steve Rogers. 

Unfortunately, Steve’s inspiring leadership and brilliant tactical mind can, and have, been used for evil. This twisted sense of irony began when S.H.I.E.L.D. answered the problem of super-villains with an extremely drastic solution: forcibly reforming them using their own self-made Cosmic Cube. To do this, however, they needed pieces from the real Cosmic Cube, but some of the other pieces were unaccounted for. One of them gained sentience and became a childlike entity known as Kobik, but she was soon found and easily manipulated by Red Skull, who encouraged her to rewrite Steve Rogers’s past. Captain America was now reforged into a sleeper agent of Hydra, and I don’t think even Red Skull fully comprehended what he unleashed that day. As the acting director of S.H.I.E.L.D., Steve used his status to push Hydra’s agenda for world domination. First, he took advantage of an approaching Chitauri invasion and secretly had the Planetary Defense Shield deactivated, forcing many heroes to fly up into space to deal with them. Meanwhile, Baron Zemo and his Army of Evil invaded New York City, which then forced the rest of the heroes to go and stop them. Seizing the opportunity, he recruited the villain Blackout to his cause and had the villain engulf the entire city in a Shadowforce dome, trapping heroes, villains, and civilians alike inside. Some heroes did manage to escape this fate (Black Widow led an underground resistance movement), but their forces were stretched so dangerously thin that it didn’t matter. Regardless, there was one more thing to take care of: S.H.I.E.L.D. itself. But thanks to the efforts of Hydra scientist Dr. Faustus, he brainwashed the entire crew, and they all moved in to occupy Washington, D.C. Yet somehow, the situation keeps getting worse. Even when the heroes finally made it back to Earth or escaped the Shadowforce dome, Steve still had a couple of last tricks up his sleeve: an armor powered by the Cube, as well as being able to still pick up Mjolnir despite his current status. By this point, Steve had the whole world in his hand, an army at his beck and call, and ultimate power. It was only because of Kobik’s change of heart, along with other heroes bringing the true version of Steve back from Kobik’s mindscape and thwarting the evil version, that the heroes defeated Hydra. Even so, the message was clear: this is what Captain America, the symbol of hope and true American ideals, became an agent of evil. He coordinated a fascist terrorist group to weaken Earth’s defenses, trap some of the most powerful heroes to ever exist, and was still somehow worthy enough to lift Mjolnir. While this storyline is still controversial among fans, it still showcases Steve’s potential, as well as making him one of the most terrifying villains in all of Marvel. 

Conclusion

If the rumors are true that Hydra Steve will be a part of Dr. Doom’s team in “Avengers: Doomsday,” then our heroes are in serious trouble. Thankfully, if the teaser trailers have given any indication, we’re still getting Chris Evans’s classic portrayal of the pure-hearted Super-Soldier. And even if the Hydra version does show up, our Steve will still triumph over him just like in the comics, no matter the cost or the odds. Either way, Steve is extremely essential in any fight, especially against Doom. Again, no one can unite people and inspire them as the First Avenger can.