Captain America
A symbol of freedom who never backs down from a fight for justice.
Captain America is a superhero created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby who appears in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in *Captain America Comics* #1, published on December 20, 1940, by Timely Publications. Captain America's civilian identity is Steven "Steve" Rogers, a frail man rejected by the United States Army for physical unfitness who is enhanced to the peak of human physical perfection by an experimental "super-soldier serum." Equipped with an American flag–inspired costume and a virtually indestructible shield, Captain America and his sidekick Bucky Barnes clashed frequently with the villainous Red Skull and other agents of the Axis powers amid World War II. In the war's final days, an accident left Captain America frozen in a state of suspended animation until he was revived in modern times. He resumes his exploits as a costumed hero and becomes a leader of the superhero team the Avengers, while frequently struggling as a "man out of time" to adjust to the new era.
- Character Name
- Captain America
- Real Identity
- Steve Rogers
- Affiliation
- Avengers
- Origin Story
- Super-Soldier Serum Experiment
- Signature Weapon
- Vibranium Shield
Verified Timeline
Lore & Background
Captain America's creation as an explicitly anti-Nazi figure was a deliberately political undertaking, inspired by Simon and Kirby's strong opposition to Nazi Germany and its supporters in the United States. Political messages have subsequently remained a defining feature of Captain America stories, with writers regularly using the character to comment on the state of American society and government. Having appeared in more than ten thousand stories, Captain America is one of the most popular and recognized Marvel Comics characters, and has been described as an icon of American popular culture. Though Captain America was not the first United States–themed superhero, he would become the most popular and enduring of the many patriotic American superheroes created during World War II.
In Their Own Story
Captain America Comics #1 was published on December 20, 1940, with a cover date of March 1941. The front cover of the issue featured Captain America punching Hitler, and the comic itself established the Red Skull as Captain America's primary adversary, and also introduced Bucky Barnes as Captain America's teenaged sidekick. The first issue sold out in a matter of days, and the second issue's print run was set at over one million copies. Captain America quickly became Timely's most popular character, with the publisher creating an official Captain America fan club called the "Sentinels of Liberty." Circulation figures remained close to a million copies per month after the debut issue, which outstripped even the circulation of news magazines such as *Time* during the same period.
Reader's Guide
Captain America was the first Marvel character to appear in a medium outside of comic books, in the 1944 movie serial *Captain America*; the character has subsequently appeared in a variety of films and other media, including the Marvel Cinematic Universe, where he is portrayed by actor Chris Evans. The character saw a short-lived revival in 1953 before returning to comics in 1964 and has since remained in continuous publication. Captain America's popularity drew a complaint from MLJ that the character's triangular heater shield too closely resembled the chest symbol of The Shield. This prompted Goodman to direct Simon and Kirby to change the design beginning with *Captain America Comics* #2. The revised round shield went on to become an iconic element of the character; its use as a discus-like throwing weapon originated in a short prose story in *Captain America Comics* #3, written by Stan Lee in his professional debut as a writer.
Did You Know?
- Captain America first appeared in *Captain America Comics* #1, published on December 20, 1940, with a cover date of March 1941.
- The character's civilian name "Steve Rogers" was derived from the telegraphy term "roger," meaning "message received."
- Captain America was the first Timely character to debut with his own ongoing series without having first appeared in an anthology.
- The first issue of *Captain America Comics* sold out in a matter of days, and the second issue's print run was set at over one million copies.
- Captain America was the first Marvel character to appear in a medium outside of comic books, in the 1944 movie serial *Captain America*.