History COmicBook / CaptainAmerica

[[ComicBook/TheAvengers The First Avenger]]. [[Film/CaptainAmericaTheFirstAvenger The Star-Spangled Man with a Plan]]. [[FishOutOfTemporalWater The Man Out of Time]]. [[AmericaSavesTheDay The Sentinel of Liberty.]] The BigGood of the Franchise/MarvelUniverse.

'''''[[TropeCodifier The]]''''' CaptainPatriotic.

** ''CaptainAmericaJMichaelStraczynski''

*** In the event of his death (which happened in ''ComicBook/CivilWar''), Steve made two requests of Tony Stark: choose a new Captain America and ensure Bucky doesn't lose himself. Tony misinterpreted that as Steve wanting Bucky to be Cap, and while that wasn't what Steve had in mind, he approved and insisted Bucky keep it, taking over [=SHIELD=] as Commander Rogers, up until Bucky faked his death and returned to covert ops as the Winter Soldier.

* ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight: Cap has given up his identity numerous times whenever a government's ruling clashed with his own ideals, as well as the American ideal. The incidents involving the Secret Empire and the Commission on Superhuman Activities are two notable examples of this. This trope is also the driving force for Cap rejecting the [[ComicBook/CivilWar Superhuman Registration Act]], as he leads a contingent of heroes who don't approve of the Act.

* SecondSuperIdentity: Captain America went undercover as The Captain on two different occasions. This was because the Government demanded that he work exclusively for them, and when he refused, they forbid him from using the Captain America identity, which they legally owned. They gave the identity to another hero, Super Patriot, who later ended up trading costumes with The Captain and being renamed ComicBook/USAgent.

** Despite having multiple close friends who are mutants, despite leading Avengers teams which included mutants as full equal members and despite having a long-established belief in equality and freedom, Cap never used the massive platform he has as one of the most universally beloved and respected superheroes in America to speak publicly in favour of mutant rights, or offer any material support to the X-Men or persecuted mutant citizens. At some points in comics, Cap was depicted as a loyal and patriotic agent of the US government, the same government which was legislating mutant apartheid. [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] in ''ComicBook/AvengersVsXMen'', when Cyclops essentially tells him [[WhatTheHellHero “we almost went extinct, and you did nothing!”]] This is especially noticeable since Cap was deafeningly silent on the various iterations of the [[SuperRegistrationAct Mutant Registration Act]], but went to [[ComicBook/CivilWar war]] with the US government once artificially created superhumans like him were affected.

* UnstuckInTime: Was forced to go through this by the Red Skull in ''Reborn'', following his apparent death after [[Comicbook.CivilWar Civil War]], to prepare his body for an eventual GrandTheftMe. [[spoiler: [[ComicBookDeath It didn't work.]]]]

* YouRemindMeOfX: During ''ComicBook/AvengersVsXMen'', Tony pretty much calls Steve out on [[{{Hypocrite}} acting exactly like Tony did]] during ''ComicBook/CivilWar''.

Deciding to make the best of their one successful subject, the US government decided to make Rogers an elite counter-intelligence agent who could also be an ideal propaganda mascot to oppose Nazi Germany's frightening head of Terrorist activities: The diabolical ComicBook/RedSkull. To that end, Rogers was appropriately trained and costumed and given a [[ExoticWeaponSupremacy signature shield]]. Cap fought the Axis, [[http://www.coverbrowser.com/image/captain-america/1-2.jpg memorably punching]] UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler [[EstablishingCharacterMoment in the face on the cover of his first comic]]. A key supporting character was ComicBook/BuckyBarnes, Cap's boy sidekick and an answer to {{ComicBook/Robin}}. Bucky's death became one of the most major--and longest-lasting--deaths in comics.

''Captain America Comics'' ended with issue #75 (February, 1950). The last couple of issues were also titled "Captain America's Weird Tales", an attempt to rework the series into a horror/suspense anthology. The character remained dormant for a few years. There was an attempt to revive him a couple of years later, with ''Young Men'' #24-28 (December, 1953-June, 1954) and ''Captain America Comics'' #76-78 (May-September, 1954). The character was next successfully revived in the pages of ''Comicbook/TheAvengers'' #4 (March, 1964).

While Cap's adventures were written and published throughout the [[TheForties 1940s]] and early [[TheFifties 1950s]], Creator/StanLee and a returning Jack Kirby {{retcon}}ned his history in 1964: the post-War Caps who fought Communism were impostors (first other superheroes and then an AscendedFanboy who went insane with a flawed imitation of the Super Serum), and the "original" Cap was killed in action, but they NeverFoundTheBody. Naturally, he came back from [[HumanPopsicle suspended animation]] to join Comicbook/TheAvengers, bringing his old-style patriotism and battle tactics to the table, eventually ascending to leadership. However, Cap also had to deal with being a man out of his time, with everyone he knew being long gone, while also being plagued with [[MyGreatestFailure his greatest failure]] -- not being able to save his sidekick's life in their final fight against ComicBook/BaronZemo -- until Rick Jones finally told him to [[QuitYourWhining quit his whining]] and move on. Cap took that advice, and while the ComicBook/RedSkull drove Rick away when impersonating Cap, Rogers got a new partner, ComicBook/TheFalcon, who was with him for years.

Captain America threw his mighty shield for decades, proving remarkably more adaptive for the changing times than his creators could have guessed. For instance, when American ideals were shaken by the UsefulNotes/VietnamWar and [[UsefulNotes/RichardNixon Watergate]], Rogers reflected that disillusionment in the 1970s when he abandoned his Cap persona to become Nomad, a man without a country, until he realized he could champion America's higher ideals as Cap instead. In the cynical 1980s, Rogers would be forced out of his Cap persona and replaced by an AntiHeroSubstitute, John Walker, only to serve as The Captain to show his ideals still had power in the UsefulNotes/TheDarkAgeOfComicBooks, loyal to nothing but UsefulNotes/TheAmericanDream. Eventually, Cap learned that this was all arranged by the ComicBook/RedSkull to sully his name and took back his old motif, with Walker getting Rogers' Captain costume to be ComicBook/USAgent. In 2007, Rogers even took up armed resistance to the American crackdown on the superhero community in the ''ComicBook/CivilWar'', until he surrendered and was assassinated. Even though WordOfGod stated that he was KilledOffForReal, [[DeathIsCheap nobody believed it]].

Cap's mantle was taken up in 2008 by ComicBook/BuckyBarnes, Steve Rogers' WWII boy sidekick who, [[NotQuiteDead rather than dying at the hands of Baron Zemo]] was brainwashed into the Soviet killing machine Winter Soldier and kept as a HumanPopsicle much of the time that he wasn't on missions to explain his age. Cap later freed Bucky from his Brainwashing with the help of the Cosmic Cube, allowing him to make a HeelFaceTurn. In addition to having a bio-mechanical left arm and a new armored costume, he also carries a gun. Prior to being the Winter Soldier, Bucky was often cited as one of the three people in comics who would always stay dead [[note]]The other two being ComicBook/SpiderMan's Uncle Ben and ComicBook/{{Batman}}'s second Robin, Jason Todd (who was also eventually resurrected)[[/note]].

Bucky did a pretty good job filling in for Steve, but, [[FirstLawOfResurrection this being superhero comics]], Steve eventually came back. However, Steve felt that wielding the shield was good for Bucky and insisted that he continue on as Captain America until his apparent death in the ''Comicbook/FearItself'' CrisisCrossover, when Rogers took up the role again. In the events preceding the ''ComicBook/{{Axis}}'' storyline, Steve will be forced to hand over the title of Captain America to his old partner Sam Wilson, the Falcon, after the Super-Soldier Serum is removed from him, turning him into an old man. Notably, Sam is the first person Steve has '''chosen''' to wield the shield. While Steve has expressed his approval of and respect for Captains America William Naslund, Jeff Mace, Isaiah Bradley, Bucky Barnes, etc., it was always after the fact. Steve returned to the role of Captain America in the ''ComicBook/AllNewAllDifferentMarvel'' setting, with a new shield with new abilities, while Falcon retained the title and the original shield, turning Captain America into a CollectiveIdentity.

2016 proved to be a rather shocking year for Steve Rogers, as at the end of the very first volume of the comic ''ComicBook/CaptainAmericaSteveRogers'', he uttered [[WhamLine the shocking words: "Hail HYDRA".]] This sent fandom into a complete frenzy to see the patriotic American icon revealed to be a Nazi, everything he stood against. For about a year, this version of Steve was amongst the headline of Marvel, but as it turned out, it was caused by the AnthropomorphicPersonification of the Cosmic Cube, Kobik, trying to make a better world by rewriting reality (but unfortunately thought that HYDRA would be good). All of it came to a head with the 2017 CrisisCrossover ''Comicbook/SecretEmpire'' where eventually thanks to the efforts of other heroes (including Sam Wilson), Kobik restored reality and the real Steve Rogers returned (or perhaps just the version of him people accepted), defeated the HYDRA version of Steve and resumed being the real Captain America.

** After he came BackFromTheDead before ''ComicBook/{{Siege}}'', he refused to take up the shield full-time, instead letting ComicBook/BuckyBarnes continue as Captain America until his FakingTheDead during ''ComicBook/FearItself''

** [[https://tv.yahoo.com/blogs/tv-news/marvel-comes-to--the-colbert-report--to-announce-a-new-captain-america-sam-wilson-071950016.html Steve was]] replaced as Captain America by Sam Wilson, better known as ComicBook/TheFalcon. He still operates as a hero in ''Comicbook/UncannyAvengers'', but without the Captain America name.

** [=USAgent's=] brief stint as Captain America. Only this version, temporary insanity aside with the ComicBook/RedSkull's manipulations, soon made an honest effort to emulate Rogers' ethics and was the one to truly convince his predecessor to become the Sentinel of Liberty again.
** Downplayed with [[ComicBook/BuckyBarnes Bucky Cap]], who is a ClassicAntiHero. Ignoring his DarkAndTroubledPast, his [[SuperheroPackingHeat tricked-out gun]], or his costume being [[DarkIsNotEvil more black than red-white-and-blue]], he genuinely does try to be a traditional superhero, but a large source of his {{Mangst}} is his doubt as to whether or not he can do the mantle justice.

%%* BigBad: The ComicBook/RedSkull.

* BrainsVersusBrawn: Captain America is at the peak of human athletic potential and is a master combatant and leader, but typically leaves things like handling technology to his allies. His archenemy ''ComicBook/RedSkull'' may or may not have the same or similiar abilities depending on the story, but is usually a DiabolicalMastermind. Other Captain America villains that fit the trope include Doctor Faustus (a NonActionGuy PsychoPsychologist who relies on manipulation and has a CompellingVoice), Armin Zola (a MadDoctor who mainly creates monsters), and Heinrich Zemo (a powerless scientist).

** ComicBook/BuckyBarnes, during his stint as the Winter Soldier, on and off for decades. It didn't always take, so eventually his handlers took to putting him in cryogenic stasis between jobs.

* DecoyConvoy: After Steve's death, SHIELD transports his iconic shield by deploying four identical vans in four different directions, one of which allegedly contains the weapon. ComicBook/BuckyBarnes is savvy enough to know that it's just for show -- SHIELD wouldn't trust just anyone to transport it. His suspicions are proven correct when ComicBook/BlackWidow emerges some time later, carrying the real shield.

** [[ComicBook/BuckyBarnes James "Bucky" Barnes]] gets a cyborg arm after being turned into the Winter Soldier. He lacked powers before that.

** [[spoiler:ComicBook/BuckyBarnes, then-current Captain America, was supposedly killed in battle by Sin/Skadi, but actually survived and had his death faked by ComicBook/BlackWidow and ComicBook/NickFury in order to [[StatusQuoIsGod convince Steve to return]] to the Captain America mantle and give him the PlausibleDeniability to return to the Winter Soldier identity and attend to his own matters.]]

** Subverted when Batroc squares off against [[ComicBook/BuckyBarnes Bucky Cap]] in the "Captain America and Batroc" special. He looks at their confrontation as an opportunity to improve himself in combat, as he does in his FriendlyRivalry with Steve, but all Bucky is concerned with is [[CombatPragmatist dealing with him in short order]].

* GoodCounterpart: Rogers was given the whole Captain America persona specifically in part to counter the terrifying propaganda value of Germany's ComicBook/RedSkull.

* HeterosexualLifePartners: Cap is this with a ''lot'' of people. Among the core Avengers, he's particularly close with ComicBook/IronMan and ComicBook/{{Hawkeye}}, and Thor to a lesser extent, while outside of them he's really close with ComicBook/TheFalcon and ComicBook/BuckyBarnes. Spider-Man also seems to have a man-crush on him, on top of that.

-->'''ComicBook/RedSkull:''' What makes you so special?
-->'''Cap:''' Nothin'. I'm just a kid from Brooklyn.

%%* RoguesGallery: ComicBook/RedSkull, [[ManipulativeBastard Doctor Faustus]], [[MadScientist Baron Zemo]], [[TheBaroness Madame Hydra]], [[PsychoForHire Crossbones]], [[DaddysLittleVillain Sin]], Serpent Society, [[CyberneticsEatYourSoul Arnim Zola]]...

* MatzoFever: In the 1980s, Steve Rogers was engaged to Bernie Rosenthal (whose parents would have preferred her looking for a NiceJewishBoy, like her ex-husband).

** Cap's red, white, and blue shield is a design ripped straight from ''Art/TheApotheosisOfWashington'', where Lady Liberty is wielding a similar shield to protect UsefulNotes/GeorgeWashington's seat in {{Heaven}}.

[[quoteright:330:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/cap3pd.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:330:''[[WesternAnimation/TheMarvelSuperHeroes When Captain America throws his mighty shield\\

** Captain America was shot by [[spoiler>a brainwashed Sharon Carter]]. But the gun didn't shoot ordinary bullets, the projectile trapped Steve's mind in the flow of space and time.

%%* ArchEnemy: The ComicBook/RedSkull

* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: Not for nothing is Cap considered the leader of the Marvel Superhero community. When he speaks, [[ComicBook/TheMightyThor Gods]] [[ComicBook/TheIncredibleHercules listen]].

* AcousticLicense:
** In issue #401, Steve and Tony Stark have a long discussion in a Manhattan bar where Tony, then keeping a secret identity, is pretty open about said secret identity, but amazingly no-one in the bar seems to be paying any attention to this, or why a billionaire playboy is talking with some guy.
** Actually averted in Steve's fight with Moonhunter a few issues later. The guy tries declaring his identity dramatically, but since Cap's just fallen off the flying motorcycle they were fighting on, Moonhunter acknowledges he probably can't hear him anymore.

** Two of Cap's three major love interests: Sharon Carter and Diamondback. Not to mention ComicBook/BlackWidow (who is Bucky's main love interest).
** Sharon's great aunt Peggy was also one, being a member of the French resistance.
** Also Rikki Barnes, formerly the Bucky from ''ComicBook/HeroesReborn'', who crossed over into the 616 reality and now goes by Nomad.

* AlcoholicParent: Steve's father, Joseph Rogers, was an alcoholic. Steve still loved him despite that, and the fact that Joseph was apparently an abusive alcoholic towards his wife.
** Loved him, yes, but equally knew that he was a weak man and feared becoming like him.

* AlternateCompanyEquivalent: Agent America and Fighting American (Awesome Entertainment). AA was so thinly-veiled that Marvel sued, and told Creator/RobLiefeld that FA couldn't throw his shield.
** The Fighting American, ironically, was originally created by Kirby and Simon for Harvey Comics, as a ''[[SelfParody parody]]'' of Captain America type characters. Leifeld either missed the irony or didn't care and quite literally continued telling [[ComicBook/HeroesReborn his Captain America story]] with the character.

* AmericaSavesTheDay: Built around this.

** Kinda applies to [[ComicBook/BuckyBarnes Bucky Cap]], though technically, he's a ClassicAntiHero. Ignoring his DarkAndTroubledPast, his [[SuperheroPackingHeat tricked-out gun]], or his costume being [[DarkIsNotEvil more black than red-white-and-blue]], he genuinely does try to be a traditional superhero, but a large source of his {{Mangst}} is his doubt as to whether or not he can do the mantle justice.

* ArchEnemy: The ComicBook/RedSkull

** Also, the presence of Bucky, a KidSidekick in UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, is becoming more and more awkward to explain why the US Military would tolerate a child going into combat with Cap. Currently, they have had to shoehorn his presence as a kind of [[OlderThanHeLooks youngish]] agent who is actually of borderline legal age.
*** Creator/EdBrubaker retconned this. Bucky was trained to do covert operations that Captain America couldn't be seen doing.

* AsLethalAsItNeedsToBe: Cap's shield, DependingOnTheWriter or continuity. Sometimes the edges are portrayed as razor sharp, other times blunted.

* BadPresent: ''Every'' incarnation of Cap uses this trope to some capacity, as the whole point to the character post-[[UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks Golden Age]] is that he's a FishOutOfTemporalWater. DependingOnTheWriter, the modern day can be anywhere between a pure nightmare or a place he no longer belongs to, but fights to defend anyway. That said, he's also the first person to admit that his era was far from perfect.

* BadassNormal: Some of his villains are explicitly non-superpowered, like Batroc the Leaper. His non-superhero allies like Sharon Carter or Dum Dum Dugan lack powers, but pull their own weight alongside Cap anyway.
* BattleCouple: Steve and Sharon, Steve and Rachel/Diamondback, Bucky and Natasha/Black Widow.

* BerserkButton: The Nazis are still a sore point for him decades after World War II. Justified in that, unlike the real world, Nazism in the present-day Marvel Universe isn't just underground political movements and street gangs.

* BewareTheNiceOnes: He may well be the friendliest guy in the Marvel Universe, but God help you if he discovers you're harming or oppressing innocents.
* BigBad: The ComicBook/RedSkull.
* BigGood: Steve, mainly for ComicBook/TheAvengers, but also the Marvel Universe as a whole. Any superhero worthy of the title in the Marvel U will defer to Cap, no exceptions. He's SO MUCH a BigGood that [[OnlyTheChosenMayWield he's actually been able to]] ''[[LoyalPhlebotinum lift]] [[ComicBook/TheMightyThor Thor's hammer]].''
** Probably the biggest good in all comics. Howso? During the JLA/Avegers crossover, ''Franchise/{{Superman}}'' himself deferred to Cap.

* BrainsVersusBrawn: Captain America is at the peak of human athletic potential and is a master combatant and leader, but typically leaves things like handling technology to his allies. His archenemy ''ComicBook/RedSkull'' may or may not have the same or similiar abilities depending on the story, but is usually a DiabolicalMastermind.
** Other Captain America villains that fit the trope include Doctor Faustus (a NonActionGuy PsychoPsychologist who relies on manipulation and has a CompellingVoice), Armin Zola (a MadDoctor who mainly creates monsters), and Heinrich Zemo (a powerless scientist).

* BrooklynRage: Subverted on the "rage" part as he's the nicest, most polite guy from the Lower East Side (Brooklyn [[Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse in the movies]]) you'll ever meet. Except if he finds out you're trying to kill people or bully the innocent, at which point he's gonna use all his strength and skills to stop you. And he'll still try to talk you out of it with a polite lecture even as he's beating the crap out of you.

* CanonDiscontinuity: A story by Chuck Austen revealed that Cap's suspended animation was actually at the hands of the US Government, who feared he'd have interfered with the Hiroshima and Nagasaki strikes. All of Cap's memories of the Baron Zemo incident were memory implants. This has never been acknowledged again.
** Whether Cap has killed enemy forces has wavered back and forth. In the Golden Age, he and Bucky were blow-torching Nazis. After his resurrection, Marvel invoked the classic ThouShaltNotKill law on Cap and he claimed he'd never killed anyone "even during the war." Creator/EdBrubaker has since reversed that: Cap did in fact kill during the war and still will when there's no other alternative.
*** Actually, it was revealed that Bucky himself had always had a more sinister purpose: handling the covert killings that Captain America himself couldn't do from the front lines. Why else would Cap bring around a little kid on the battlegrounds?
* TheCape: He's like Franchise/{{Superman}} without the ability to fly. How balls-out crazy-brave is that?

* CaptainGeographic: of America.
* CaptainPatriotic: Probably not the UrExample though.

* ChairReveal:
** In issue #341, Steve reveals himself to Tony Stark this way.
** #344: Steve is dealing with an outbreak of people in the White House being turned into SnakePeople (long story), and gets to the Oval Office, hoping to talk with with the President. The chair spins around to reveal the Commander in Chief is feeling a bit... ''green'' that night.

* CharlieBrownFromOuttaTown: His stints as Nomad and as The Captain.
* ChemistryCanDoAnything:
** Like turn scrawny beanpoles into brawny American super-soldiers ready to protect freedom.
** Or turn people into werewolves. Or SnakePeople.

* ComicBookTime: Cap retains an "anchor" in the 1940s, but the amount of time he spent frozen in ice just grows and grows as time goes on. When he was first revived in 1964 he'd spent 20 years on ice, which was lengthy, but wouldn't have been a wholly unfamiliar world -- in the current comics he woke up at some point in the early 21st century.

* ConvenientMiscarriage: Averted; when Sharon is faced with the prospect of her and Steve's child that she's carrying falling into the hands of the Red Skull and being used as a weapon, she stabs herself in the gut.

* DaddysLittleVillain: Sin, the Red Skull's psychotic daughter.

** Sure, Captain America was shot by a sniper. But the gun didn't shoot ordinary bullets, it just... ''shifted Steve through space and time''?

* DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu: Basically his day-job as leader of the Avengers. In his spare time, he has faced villains holding [[ArtifactOfDoom the Cosmic Cube]], and defeated them. '''More than once.'''
** Screw the cosmic cube, he took on ComicBook/{{Thanos}} while he was holding the fully powered Infinity Gauntlet, a glove that basically made Thanos the supreme being in the Franchise/MarvelUniverse.
*** Although, as the original poster noted, he actually ''defeated'' the Cosmic Cube. [[HeroKiller Thanos...]][[FaceDeathWithDignity not so much.]]

* DullEyesOfUnhappiness: John Walker, in issue 346, on account of a major league HeroicBSOD.
* {{Eagleland}}: He's the living embodiment of type 1.

** [[ComicBook/BuckyBarnes James "Bucky" Barnes]] since getting a cyborg arm. He lacked powers before that.

* EnemyMine: Frequently with Batroc, once with the Flag-Smasher, once with ''the Red Skull'' of all people to try and stop Hitler again.

Bucky did a pretty good job filling in for Steve, but, [[FirstLawOfResurrection this being superhero comics]], Steve eventually came back. However, Steve felt that wielding the shield was good for Bucky and insisted that he continue on as Captain America until his apparent death in the ''Comicbook/FearItself'' CrisisCrossover, when Rogers took up the role again. In the events preceding the ''ComicBook/{{Axis}}'' storyline, Steve will be forced to hand over the title of Captain America to his old partner Sam Wilson, the Falcon, after the Super Soldier Serum is removed from him, turning him into an old man. Notably, Sam is the first person Steve has '''chosen''' to wield the shield. While Steve has expressed his approval of and respect for Captains America William Naslund, Jeff Mace, Isaiah Bradley, Bucky Barnes, etc., it was always after the fact. Steve returned to the role of Captain America in the ''ComicBook/AllNewAllDifferentMarvel'' setting, with a new shield with new abilities, while Falcon retained the title and the original shield, turning Captain America into a CollectiveIdentity.

** When his Super Soldier Serum is deactivated, he gives the identity and shield to the Falcon as he's been rendered an old man. When [[RealityWarper Kobik]] restores Steve to full, he tells Sam to keep using the name and the shield, though he'll be back in the saddle as well, missing the adventure of it all.

* AllYourPowersCombined: An EmpoweredBadassNormal version. Anyone who knows about athletes can tell you that not every physique is suited to every type of athletic performance. Marathon runners are ''not'' sprinters, sprinters are ''not'' weightlifters, weightlifters are ''not'' pole vaulters, and so on. However, Cap can do it all thanks to his Super Soldier Serum that gives him slightly above the peak of human ability in all of these things at once.

* BackportedDevelopment: The first time around the Super Soldier Serum was simply a single injection that transformed Steve. Now, since ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheFirstAvenger'', it's a series of injections and radiation treatments and possibly even a genetic modification through a virus with no traces of special chemicals whatsoever. This [[Administrivia/TropesAreTools notably justifies]] the amount of failures at replicating such a complicated process.

** Issue #355 has Steve suddenly declaring the Super Soldier Serum is wearing off. In the issue, it's actually part of a plan arranged by him and Sersei.

* DisposableSuperheroMaker: The man who created the super soldier serum that made Cap was killed, and NoPlansNoPrototypeNoBackup is firmly in place. Cap is the only success story of the project.

* HumbleHero: Part of the point of him. He wasn't anything too special before he got the Super Soldier Serum, and he's pointed out he wasn't ''supposed'' to be unique, just the first of many. His humility is one of the reasons he's the embodiment of the American Dream: he's a nobody who became a somebody, and he's eternally thankful for it. Perhaps best summed up by the following exchange from ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheFirstAvenger'':

* InterchangableAsianCultures: Pointed out during "The Bloodstone Hunt". While in Tokyo, Zemo's crew are set upon by a group of Japanese cultists. Zaran proclaims they're using kung-fu, and it's Batroc who sets him straight; kung-fu is ''Chinese''. If they're Japanese, then it's more likely karate or jujitsu.

** Steve Rogers has blonde hair, blue eyes, and is at the peak of his physical condition thanks to the Super Soldier Serum. Nonetheless, this man who would be considered the ideal Aryan man would go on to help defeat Germany and the Nazi regime in World War II as Captain America (not to mention, decking Hitler in the face on the cover of his very first issue).

* KillerRobots:

*** Isaiah Bradley was the only survivor of a government program to recreate the super soldier serum using black men as test subjects.[[note]]As the title of his debut story ''Truth: Red, White & Black'' implies, he was originally supposed to be the {{retcon}}ned-in prototype for Steve Rogers, but then the story was pitched to be in AlternateContinuity. While ''Truth'' was in progress, it was decided that it would be {{canon}}ical after all. But since the story is (fortuitously) set in 1942, Steve and his serum still came first. But the story sure ''reads'' like Isaiah was first, and later writers have thus confused the order.[[/note]] Out of hundreds, only a few men survived the serum tests and Isaiah was the last of them because they were sent on missions without any protection. For his last mission, he stole a spare uniform and shield of Steve's - and was captured and remained a prisoner until the end of the war. Then he was imprisoned for treason (stealing Steve's stuff) until he was pardoned by JFK and sworn to secrecy. Despite this, he became an urban legend as "the black Captain America," revered by African-Americans and completely unknown to anyone else for decades due to extensive government cover-ups. Steve eventually found out about everything, to his horror, and paid his respects. By this time, Isaiah had suffered brain damage due to the imperfectly recreated serum. Isaiah's grandson, Eli Bradley, took up his legacy and that of Jeffrey Mace, as Patriot. For bonus points, Eli also got Steve's original triangular shield.

* ParentalSubstitute: Is one to Bucky, whose own father George died in a training accident some three years before Steve took the Super Soldier serum.

* WithGreatPowerComesGreatHotness: Steve Rogers turns from an asthmatic weakling into the pinnacle of human athleticism after being given the super soldier serum.

* ShoutOut: The story of his resurrection appears to be a WholePlotReference to [[spoiler:''Literature/SlaughterhouseFive'']].
** Cap's "Stars and Stripes" attack in the ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom'' series is a good old fashioned Shoryuken-style attack, and the Hyper variant tips its hat to Ken's Shoryu Reppa super. His Charging Star special also draws comparisons with [[Franchise/StreetFighter M. Bison's]] Psycho Crusher, especially Hyper Charging Star (ironic considering how Bison's the BigBad of SF).

* ''Captain America: Symbol of Truth''

* WeaponOfChoice: his shield.

2016 proved to be a rather shocking year for Steve Rogers, as at the end of the very first volume of the comic ''ComicBook/CaptainAmericaSteveRogers'', he uttered [[WhamLine the shocking words: "Hail HYDRA".]] This sent fandom into a complete frenzy to see the patriotic American icon revealed to be a Nazi, everything he stood against. For about a year, this version of Steve was amongst the headline of Marvel, but as it turned out, it was caused by the AnthropomorphicPersonification of the Cosmic Cube, Kobik, trying to make a better world by rewriting reality (but unfortunately thought that HYDRA would be good). All of it came to a head with the 2017 CrisisCrossover ''Comicbook/SecretEmpire'' where eventually thanks to the efforts of other heroes (including Sam Wilson), Kobik restored reality and the real Steve Rogers returned, defeated the HYDRA version of Steve and resumed being the real Captain America.

* ''Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty''

* InterchangableAsianCultures: Pointed out during "The Bloodstone Hunt". While in Tokyo, Zemo's crew are set upon by a group of Japanese cultists. Zaran proclaims they're using kung-fu, and it's Batroc who sets him straight; Karate is ''Chinese''. If they're Japanese, then it's more likely karate or jujitsu.

* ArmedWithCanon: The first Captain America run of UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks lasted during all of World War II, and even into the 50 (when he started fighting DirtyCommunists instead). Then it was closed, alongside most superhero comics of the era. Creator/JackKirby, who created the character back then, brought him back in ''Avengers'' #4, in 1963, and made up the famous scene of Zemo's rocket where Cap fall into the ocean and got frozen, and Bucky seems to die. In the initial version, this event did not took place in the last days of World War II: it took place "more than twenty years ago". That would be at least 1942... the year when Kirby ended his initial run. Meaning: all the post Kirby golden age adventures of Captain America were rendered not canon.

** Steve's secret identity rarely ever served much purpose, as he had no consistent civilian supporting cast; he had one pretty much because it was assumed all superheroes should have one. Done away with in 2002, and it hasn't really impacted the comics much at all.

* CombatPragmatist: One of the things that differentiated Bucky from Steve when Bucky first took up the mantle of Captain America was that he wasn't afraid to cheat or just [[SuperheroPackingHeat shoot a guy]] (albeit [[ThouShaltNotKill nonlethally]]) in a fight to make up for his lack of enhanced physical abilities.
* ComicBookFantasyCasting: ''ComicBook/TheUltimates'' redesigned Captain America after Brad Pitt.

** Issue 339 follows on from ''Iron Man'' issue #228, part of that title's ''Armor Wars'' storyline, and Steve having to deal with a supervillain break-out caused by Tony's antics.

* EverythingsBetterWithWerewolves: A memorable arc in the early 90s had Cap turned into a werewolf (affectionately named "Cap-Wolf" by some) due to a chemical injection by Deadly Nightshade, who was working for another supervillain who had convinced an entire ''town'' to let themselves be turned into werewolves.

* EvilVersusEvil: One issue in the late 80s has the Red Skull's gang get into a tussle with Selene of ''X-Men'' fame. They were looking for Magneto, and went snooping at the Hellfire Club, and ran into her.

** John Walker, when turning the title of Captain America back to Steve Rogers in a public press conference, is assassinated by a member of the Watchdogs, presumably in retribution for Walker's violent campaign against them. The Watchdog was a fake, however, and the assassination staged so as to rehabilitate Walker's image, and allow the government to resurrect him as ComicBook/USAgent.

* InspectorJavert: Steve turns into this in ''X-23: Target X''. He feels personally responsible for all the killings ComicBook/{{X 23}} has carried out because she slipped his grasp after her field test by masquerading as a wounded survivor. He reveals he's been tracking her down ever since (approximately ''six years'') and is obsessed with bringing her to justice. He's driven to the point where he completely ignores [[Comicbook/{{Daredevil}} Matt Murdock's]] attempts to warn him that S.H.I.E.L.D. won't care really about justice, but instead will use her as a weapon the same way she was used by the Facility. Before he can actually turn her over, however, he recognizes the truth of this and that Laura was as much a victim as the people she killed, and lets her go.

* SuperheroPackingHeat: Cap's original incarnation used guns in addition to his nigh-invulnerable shield, in keeping with his status as a SuperSoldier fighting Nazis in UsefulNotes/WorldWarII. It wasn't until UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks that Cap ditched the guns and just stuck to just using his shield. ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheFirstAvenger'' is set DuringTheWar, and looks to be a return to his [[UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks Golden Age]] roots (makes sense since it's during the war). Fan reactions are... somewhat mixed. Recently he once again carries a piece (but prefers not to use it). Bucky plays this straight.

* AbsoluteCleavage: A rare male example. Just look at his original Nomad costume. That deep, plunging neckline is JUST criminal!

* AbortedArc: Played with. The Captain America stories in ''Tales of Suspense'' took place in [=WW2=] for the better part of 1965; at one point, Steve had to desert his platoon in order to change into Cap. Apparently, he was about to get into trouble because of it, but then he was brought back into the present at the readers' request. Cap was then depicted as having related the previous storyline to the Avengers, and mentioned that Army Intelligence, who knew about his SecretIdentity, had simply provided him with a cover story. The Nazis also had some kind of [[IncredibleShrinkingMan shrinking ray]] in that storyline but ultimately didn't use it.

* YouRemindMeOfX: During ''ComicBook/AvengersVsXMen'', Tony pretty much calls Steve out on [[{{Hypocrite}} acting exactly like Tony did]] during ComicBook/CivilWar.

* AwesomeMccoolname: A bit understated, but '''Steve Rogers'''. Does that sound like a character Creator/JohnWayne would play, or does that sound like a character John Wayne would play?

** Steve's power level, which is set at slightly above [[EmpoweredBadassNormal "the peak of human physical potential"]] pales in comparison to [[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu those of many of the enemies he's defeated]], yet he manages to beat them through his keen tactical ability and [[{{Determinator}} sheer force of will]].

* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: D-Man is pretty proud of the fact he can lift 15 tons. He's nearly killed when he tries fighting Titania, who can lift ''85'' tons and routinely picks fights with She-Hulk. She tosses him over a nearby cliff like a ragdoll, giving Dennis a fear of heights (and a fear of Titania).

* BeneathNotice: When all the c-list supervillains are in an utter panic over the Scourge of the Underworld's killing spree, they gather in The Bar With No Name to try and figure out a plan. As they do, the bartender who's been in the background for the last few issues pipes up with a suggestion: They can all ''die!'' He then kills all 17 villains present by pumping them full of lead.

* DependingOnTheWriter: Exactly how strong and tough Steve is compared to regular guys depends on the writing. He's never depicted as being strong enough to throw cars around or anything like that (even agility-based Spider-Man is stronger than him), but if the writer is generous, with great effort he can bend weak steel, heal from injuries in days that would have most guys laid up for months (and heal in months what would take most guys years, or never) and run at the speed of a sprinter for the duration of a marathon runner...but again, the extent of this depends on the writer. Many claim "it's not superpowers, really", but isn't having the body of an omni-athlete without needing to train excessively a power of its own?