Captain America is one of the most successful Marvel comic book characters. It was created during the Second World War when the US entered the war scene. Captain America fittingly portrayed the character of an American soldier fighting the war just like the thousands of other youths of that era.
The US of the WWII saw a great popularity for the character. However, after the war, the character lost most of its popularity and was retired from the public eye until its revival in the 1950s. And now, thanks to the full fledged motion picture starring Chris Evans, Captain America is back on the track of popularity.
One of the most interesting things about Captain America is that he has lived through the ages. From the era of WWII to the present day, Captain America is both thrilling and somehow reflective of the two eras.
A War hero
The concept of Captain America was developed during WWII when the US got involved in the war. Captain America represents the youth of the era that was driven by patriotism and passion to save the world from the evil that was The Third Reich. In short, Captain America is a manifestation of patriotism, a morale boosting story to the people who joined the US Army to serve and avenge Pearl Harbor. He was born in the Golden Age – an age remarkable for both the US and the comic books industry.
The story starts with Steve Rogers, son of the Irish migrant parents. He lost both his parents by the time he reached his teens. When the US enters WWII after the Pearl Harbor attack, Roger, like many other young people his age decides to enroll into the army. But, he is rejected because of his physical structure – he is tall, skinny and somewhat delicate looking. Luckily for him there is a secret experiment going on about creating a super-human soldier and he volunteers. What does he have to lose? The top secret serum is injected into him and soon he transforms into a super-human level soldier with bulging muscles, intellect and abilities beyond the reach of the ordinary men. Now he can join the US Army and beat the Nazi and send them to hell.
The secret serum is destroyed by the saboteurs and Captain America is the only one of his kind to have such a power.
Powers of Captain America
He was not born with any superhuman powers, but the powerful serum and Vita-Ray treatment transformed his body. He now has immense strength, endurance, speed, flexibility, agility and healing powers. His indestructible disc-shaped shield is his favorite weapon.
Revival of Captain America
During WWII he had many enemies and primary Hitler. He fought and brought justice in the world. His adventures were obviously all war related and when the war ended so did the career of Captain America. He was later revived in the 1960s when Marvel found an interested audience for him. He was reintroduced in the new era as it is revealed that he did not die frozen in the Atlantic. He was frozen in the suspended animation and was rescued by the newly formed Avengers.
Now, Captain America has new challenges. He struggles to grasp the new world and the fact that patriotism is not what it used to be during WWII.
The Story of this powerful War Hero is still entertaining the masses and movies like the Captain America series and Avengers have kept this “man out of time” alive and kicking.