Captain America is one of the best-known action heroes in the movies and comics.
He originated back in 1941 and became a fan favorite with such films as the 2011 Captain America: The First Avenger and 2012’s The Avengers.
We know that he stands for defending the nation and fighting villains. Here are 10 things you may not know about Captain America.
Contents
- 10. Captain America Was a Response to Superman
- 9. He Was Not Created by Stan Lee
- 8. Different Actors Were Up for the Role
- 7. He Was Not Among the First Avengers
- 6. Captain America Cannot Get Drunk
- 5. Different Captain Americas
- 4. Different Captain America Movies
- 3. His Shield Needs Guidance and Is Not Indestructible
- 2. He Wanted to be a Writer and Illustrator
- 1. He’s Not a Superhero
10. Captain America Was a Response to Superman
In 1941, Captain America was originally created as “a response to DC Comics Superman” in Captain America Comics #1.
Cap was forged as an alternate hero who could stand up for the nation and support US soldiers on the brink of World War II.
The comic creators even thought of using the name Super American.
9. He Was Not Created by Stan Lee
The famed comic legend Stan Lee created more than 600 characters that include the Hulk, Thor, and Spider-Man.
Although Lee wrote the comic Avengers #4 in 1964 for Marvel, he did not create Captain America.
That honor goes to Joe Simon and Jack Kirby who wrote the Captain America Comics # 1 under Timely Publications. Simon continued to work with Lee on many of Marvel’s top characters.
8. Different Actors Were Up for the Role
Chris Evans is the actor who plays Captain America in the movies, but multiple actors were considered for the role.
Among those who applied were Sebastian Stan, who plays Bucky Barnes in the films, John Krasinski, perhaps best known for The Office show, and Ryan Phillipe, recently in the series Shooter.
Evans also turned down the role of Captain America multiple times before accepting it.
7. He Was Not Among the First Avengers
Although the movies show Captain America as part of the first Avengers, he was not part of the original team in the comics.
That honor goes to Ant-Man, Wasp, Hulk, Iron Man, and Thor, with Captain America joining after Hulk had left.
Going with # 9 above, he made his first appearance in the 4th issue of The Avengers. After the Cap became unfrozen, he joined the Avengers.
6. Captain America Cannot Get Drunk
Not that he would want to, but Captain America cannot get drunk. Because of his super soldier serum, he has an incredibly fast metabolism so alcohol gets processed in his system almost instantly.
One comic issue from 1981 did portray the Captain as intoxicated, but it is an anomaly with the usual portrayal of the character.
Steve Rogers also grew up with an abusive, alcoholic father and sought to avoid excessive drinking.
5. Different Captain Americas
Movie fans tend to think of only one Captain America, but comic readers know there have been different ones.
A short list of those who have taken on the role of the Captain include Bucky Barnes, Danielle Cage, Jeffery Mace, Clint Barton, Roscoe Simons, and Sam Wilson.
Wilson/The Falcon took over the role with Avengers: Endgame once Steve Rogers returned the Infinity Stones, grew older, and decided to live out his life with Peggy Carter.
4. Different Captain America Movies
We also tend to assume that Captain America made his first movie debut in the 2011 film. Yet, the Cap did appear already on screen and in movies.
In 1944, he was in the serial Captain America, in 1979, the television movie by the same name, and in the sequel Captain America II: Death Too Soon that came out in the same year.
In 1990, he was also in the film that starred Matt Salinger as Captain America. He did seem to break the role open more with the recent movies, though.
3. His Shield Needs Guidance and Is Not Indestructible
Among various facts that you may not know about Captain America’s shield is that it does not automatically hit its target.
As a Marvel fan has pointed out, Captain America has to make “loads of calculations” in a matter of seconds to make it accurate.
Cap’s best move could be when he throws his shield and hits his target after several bounces, which can be explained through physics calculations.
Newton’s law of the conservation of energy, as this article conveys, may also explain how the shield is able to perform this way.
Cap turned to his shield after World War II because it was much more effective than using a gun. As the above FandomFevers article also captures, his shield “absorbs all kinds of vibration and kinetic energy,” so that it can handle “impacts that would destroy any other shield.”
Yet, the shield is not indestructible, as Endgame depicts with Thanos breaking it, and articles like this one point out. Ultron and Doctor Doom destroyed it in the comics.
2. He Wanted to be a Writer and Illustrator
The strong, powerful Captain America we see in the movies was always just a military and Avengers hero.
Steve Rogers in the comics first aspired to become a writer and comic book illustrator.
In the late 1930s, he was an art student before World War II arose and changed his course of action. As we may know, he was initially rejected when he tried to enlist.
1. He’s Not a Superhero
Captain America performs like a superhero but does not have those kinds of powers. Rogers took the super soldier serum that transformed him into a super soldier with top human physiology. So, he is the best among humans, but not a superhero like the Hulk or Thor.
His powers, however, are extraordinary and include increased strength, speed, durability, healing power, and extremely high intelligence which makes him a superb team leader and strategist.
His body also replenishes the super serum so that Captain America has amazing endurance, agility, and reflexes. We could say he verges on being a superhero and performs like one.
Todd Wahlstrom is a creative and analytical freelance writer and life-long Star Wars fan who has expanded into writing about the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He has written about recent shows such as The Mandalorian and Andor and classic topics like Darth Vader, the Jedi, and Boba Fett. His recent articles include the MCU’s Iron Man, Captain America, and Thor. Todd is the author of a non-fiction book, holds a Ph.D. in history, and enjoys hiking, running, and reading about science.