Real name: Steven Grant Rogers
Occupation: Crimefighter
Identity: Secret
Legal status: Citizen of the United States, with
no criminal record
Place of Birth: New York City
Group affiliation: Avengers, formerly the Invaders
Base of operations: Avengers Mansion, New York City
First appearance: Captain America Comics #1
(historical, 1941), Avengers (Vol. 1) #4 (modern, 1964)
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 240 lbs.
Eye color: Blue
Hair color: Blond
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Current Look
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Synopsis:
In 1940, as America
prepared for war, a frail young man volunteered for an experiment that
transformed him into the ultimate physical specimen: the American Super-Soldier.
Steve Rogers battled Nazis until a freak mishap placed him in suspended
animation for decades. When he awakened, Rogers was truly a man out of
time, though no less committed to fighting the evils of this perilous
new era!
Powers:
Enhanced by the Super-Soldier Serum,
Captain America's agility, strength, endurance and
reaction time are superior to those of an Olympic-level athlete. Also,
Cap has mastered a number of fighting forms, including American-style
boxing and judo. These abilities, combined with his indestructible shield,
make him one of the finest human combatants Earth has ever known.
Weapons:
Captain America's only weapon is his Vibranium shield, a concave disk
2 1/2 feet in diameter that weighs 12 pounds. The shield's exceptional
aerodynamic properties enable it to slice through the air with minimal
wind resistance and deflection of path. The disk's unparalleled overall
durability, coupled with a natural concentric stiffness, allows it to
rebound off solid objects with minimal loss of angular momentum.
History:
Born at the height of the Great Depression, Steve Rogers grew up a frail
youth in a poor family. Horrified by newsreel footage of the Nazis overtaking
Europe, Rogers was inspired to enlist in the Army. However, his sickly
nature caused him to be rejected. Overhearing the boy's earnest plea,
General Chester Phillips offered Rogers the opportunity to take part
in a special experiment, Operation: Rebirth. After weeks of tests, Rogers
at last was administered the Super-Soldier Serum and bombarded by "vita-rays."
He emerged from the treatment with a body as perfect as a body can be
and still be human. His conditioning continued: Rogers was subjected
to an intensive physical and tactical training program. Three months
later, he received his first assignment as Captain America, Sentinel
of Liberty.
From the Pacific
Theater to Eastern Europe, World War II was in full swing; the United
States entered the fray with Captain America as its standard-bearer.
The Allied forces fought tooth-and-nail against Hitler and the Axis
powers, while Cap went toe-to-toe with the Aryan elitist Red Skull,
Nazi technician Baron Zemo and a whole host of vile creatures spawned
by the Third Reich. He had help: There were other stalwart heroes, such
as the super-powered Invaders, and regular G.I. Joes, like Sgt. Nick
Fury and his Howling Commandos, a band of soldiers made famous by their
foolhardy but brave combat style. Cap even took on a partner in his
crusade against Hitler and the Nazi scourge: a boy named Bucky Barnes.
During the waning
days of WWII, a bomb-loaded drone plane launched by Baron Zemo exploded
with Cap and Bucky aboard, killing the youngster and hurling his mentor
unhurt into the icy Arctic. The Super-Soldier Serum prevented the crystallization
of Cap's bodily fluids, allowing him to enter a state of suspended animation.
Decades later -- when a confused, changing world most needed a throwback
hero who embodied the American ideals -- he was discovered and rescued
by the newly formed Avengers, and became a cornerstone of Earth's Mightiest
Heroes.
But Cap was a man
out of time: The world had gone on without him, and he no longer recognized
it. This new status quo often causes Cap to question his role. For a
short time, he became the hero he thought the world needed: Nomad. The
apparent death of girlfriend Sharon Carter, S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent 13, reminded
Cap that all people are prisoners of some manner of war -- help captive
not just through blood and sweat, but also by beliefs and ideologies.
Realizing he could not fight for a dream in which he no longer believed,
Rogers again cast off the mantle of Captain America. He eventually reclaimed
his heroic identity, but only to prove to the world that the American
ideals are greater than the sum of any one governmental body.
Since Cap began
fighting for the American Dream, he has embodied the essence of a hero.
He doesn't earn a paycheck for laying his life on the line; he does
it because it's the right thing to do...
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