Captain America is the super-soldier created to win World War II. He has been gifted with incredible strength.
In Captain America: Civil War, the Captain, Steve Rogers, holds a helicopter in place and stops it from taking off. This kind of incredible strength is an indication of how much weight Captain America can lift.
How much can Captain America lift? He can lift around 1,200 lb in the comics, but much more in the MCU. He has at least top human strength in one and beyond-human lifting ability in the other.
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How Much Can Captain America Lift in the Comics?
In the comics, Captain America was not destined for superhuman strength. He was a human given incredible strength through the super soldier serum.
The Marvel directory specifies that he can lift/press up to 800 lb. That seems to be the baseline figure, with the super serum transforming a weaker body into one with great strength.
Another source states that Captain America can lift about 800 lb and bench press around 1,200 lb. He may be able to go higher than these amounts too.
Marvel provides additional information about how Captain America can lift up to 1,200 lb, or over half a ton. So, his impressive strength appears to go beyond 800 lb but not reach superhuman levels.
Captain America has been described as reaching the pinnacle of human potential and can lift more than Olympic weightlifters (but is much more agile).
An estimate for the top male weightlifters states they can lift almost 500 lb or 310 kg over their heads. So, these real-life weightlifters could bench press close to what Captain America does (around 800 lb).
This comparison reflects a Captain America that can lift an enormous weight by human standards. He could be the strongest human in Marvel.
Some fans have described him as beyond “peak humans” in Marvel with a reference to the Captain bench pressing 1,200 lb.
So, in the comics, we could say that Captain America lifts around 1,200 lb, and maybe a little more.
How Much Can Captain America Lift in the MCU?
In the MCU, Captain America is much stronger than in the comics.
One source references several examples of his weightlifting feats, such as throwing a motorcycle, stopping Thanos’s punch, and lifting a steel structure beam.
This last example means that the Captain could lift between 10 to 50 tons or 20,000 to 100,000 lb. That would make Steve Rogers go far beyond human capability.
Captain America would have superhuman strength by these standards, but this estimate seems to be on the high end of the spectrum.
Other commentators have tempered his lifting estimate by calculating the weight of the helicopter that Steve Rogers stops in Captain America: Civil War. The initial weight of the helicopter is 3,000 lb, but the actual lifted weight, given multiple factors, is around 800 lbs.
In addition, a motorcycle that Captain America lifted over his head weighed over 900 lb. A super strong lifting ability is reflected in both examples, but maybe more in the half-ton range, as opposed to the 10-ton-and-over range.
Then again, a weightlifting site claims that the MCU’s Captain America can bench press 4,000 lb. This pushes Rogers back into lifting 2 tons.
A safe in-between estimate for the MCU is that Captain America can lift over one ton, which does put him above current human lifting ability.
In the MCU, the Captain can lift on superhuman levels.
How Much Can Other Avengers and MCU Characters Lift?
In terms of overall power, one ranking places Captain America as the fourth strongest Avenger. This rating takes into account Rogers’s top human lifting capability and how he held his own against Thanos.
In comparison, Thor has twice the power scale of the Captain, while Scarlet Witch has five times the strength.
In another ranking, Iron Man in his Mark 50 or 85 suit is stronger than Captain America. Yet, this rating is also factoring in overall strength and is not focused on lifting.
The Hulk comes immediately to mind as an Avenger who could lift more than Captain America. In the comics, the Hulk lifts at least 150 billion tons! That is certainly much more than the Captain.
The Hulk’s base strength allows him to lift about 100 tons. When he gets angry, he can lift billions of tons. Either way, this catapults his lifting past Steve Rogers.
In the MCU, the Hulk goes into the range of unlimited strength. This site uses the example of the Hulk lifting a commercial plane that weighs more than 100 tons to reflect his calmer lifting moments.
So, the Hulk represents the top of the lifting abilities in the comics and MCU.
Thor also registers at the top levels. Men’s Health Magazine provides an interesting comparison between Thor and Major League Baseball batters who train with kettlebells.
In Thor: Ragnarok, Thor threw a 700-lb hammer at the Hulk, and that could be equivalent to him lifting a 3,500-lb kettlebell multiple times.
A more recent article, however, states that Thor can lift over 100 tons, placing him at or above the Hulk’s ability. Both of these Avengers surpass Captain America’s lifting limits.
Marvel’s Strength Scale reflects “the raw physical strength” of its characters. Black Panther is listed as a peak human who can lift over 800 lb.
Captain Marvel and Captain America are also listed on the superhuman level, lifting in the 800 lb to 2 ton range. This takes into account the top comic strength of Steve Rogers.
Spiderman is listed in the 10 to 25 ton range for his occasional feats of lifting.
So, Captain America holds his own with lifting but is not the strongest Avenger or MCU character.
Captain America and Lifting
Captain America is at least a peak human in the comics and has superhuman weightlifting capabilities.
In the MCU, that superhuman strength comes through more clearly. Captain America lifts objects that weigh over a ton.
While other MCU characters are stronger, Captain America does demonstrate an impressive weightlifting ability that places him near the top of the Avengers.
Sion Fawkes has been covering Star Wars since January 2022, expanding his expertise in Star Wars Canon, Legends, and MCU. When not writing, you can find Sion in the gym or running trails. He also likes watching sports and listening to audiobooks.