Hi!
This is going to be a VERY long piece, so feel free to bookmark this page and come back to it when you like. Otherwise, sit back, grab a snack, and read on.
So the following piece is some writing I'm very proud of that I submitted as my final dissertation as part of my Bachelors of Arts: English course. It's all about the First Avenger himself, Captain America, his history as a propaganda piece and later, as a cornerstone of the media juggernaut that is the Marvel Cinematic Universe. A little bit of background, I originally planned to make the dissertation a piece comparing Cap and Superman, both characters who've been used at various points as propaganda icons (possibly the most out of any superhero) as well as being the rallying point for their respective superhero communities. I thought it would be a fun project to compare and contrast their various depictions as both have had a varity of characterizations throughout their publication history across both the moral and political spectrum. However, after doing my research, I realized that to cover both superheroes, I would have to cover both their publications worlds, Marvel for Cap and DC for Superman, and all the comic book history that would entail. For example, I had picked an example of a fascist, dictator interpretation of each character to examine. For Cap, I chose his incarnation from the Secret Empire event (2017), a fairly straightforward example that would require some explanation on his background and how he came to be, but would only cover at maximum two volumes. Superman, meanwhile, has a variety of different incarnations that could be chosen, as "What if Superman was a bad guy?" is an extremely common trope in comic books, both under the DC publication and elsewhere. I settled on one of DC's more popular creations, the Injustice line of stories. The problem here was that these stories spun out of a fighting game created by Mortal Kombat developers, NetherRealm Studios. There's an inciting incident that begins Superman's turn to a tyrant that we see in-game that occurs in what we'd consider the "main" DC universe, where the Joker attempts to activate a nuclear device in Superman's home of Metropolis. The heroes stop it, but are in turn drawn into another universe, the universe of Injustice. Here, that inciting incident occurred five years in the past, every one of those years covered in the Injustice comic book series that were written after the games release. There's also a sequel game, Injustice 2, along with not only a comic book series covering the time between games, but also a prequel series that follows the superheroes before the nuclear detonation in Metropolis. So not only did that mean I had two, approximately five hour video game campaigns to cover, I had seven volumes of comics to read, never mind purchase. (The average comic volume costs around 20 to 30 euro, with the omnibus of the first 5 volumes of Injustice costing 80 euro). To put it mildly, that was a bit much, even for a dissertation. Combine that with the Falcon and the Winter Soldier Disney+ series that was being released around the time I was writing, a show that was very interested in the question of "What does it mean to be Captain America?" and I decided to go all-in on purely Cap and discuss a select few versions of the shield-bearing superhero. TL;DR: I was gonna compare evil Cap and evil Supes, but evil Supes required me to rob a bank in order to both buy all the materials and create a time-machine so I would have time to cover all the material, so I settled on just Captain America.
What follows is what I came up with!
(Side note: there may be a few errors in terms of links and bibliography, as I am copying it direct from the Microsoft Word document it was originally written on and the site editor I'm using for this blog is straining a bit under how much is on this entry already so apologies in advance)
Captain America's history as a piece of American propaganda led the character to, in recent years, become a vessel to discuss important issues surrounding American politics and socioeconomic issues. Modern superhero media have their roots in World War 2 propaganda, and the relationship between the military and Hollywood has reinforced the use of superheroes as military marketing. This dissertation aims to explore the differing incarnations of Captain America, their roots in propaganda, how in particular this is relevant the world of the fictional character of Captain America and how it reflects on our real world.
To show how Captain America reflects on our real-world socio-political issues, I'll explain the history of Captain America as piece of fiction used as propaganda in the 2nd World War until his current iteration as a part of Disney's media juggernaut, the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as well as the fictional characters history across various events in the world of Marvel Comics, and the various fictional characters who've taken on the name Captain America, in combination with the works of theorists such as Hillary Chute. In doing so, I will demonstrate how real-world factors, such as the Patriot Act and the Trump Administration, have been explored in the fictional world of Captain America and how that reflects on the real world.
In conclusion, this dissertation shall prove how Captain America, and superhero media by extension, are used as a means of exploring real world issues through the lens of the supernatural and how, with the advent of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, we should be more aware of the subtext inherent in this genre.
Introduction
Captain America, over the past two decades, has become increasingly popular as a symbol for the ideal America, built upon truth, justice and the moral good. Across his various incarnations, from fighting alongside the superhero team The Invaders against the Axis powers and the forces of Hydra, to more recent comic book storylines as a lead tactician and figure for the universe to rally behind in the face of a primordial alien army, he's a constant anchor for those who would go to extremes in the pursuit of 'doing the right thing'. However, as we become more critical of the media we consume and in the aftermath of the Trump regime, the relationship between superheroes and their origins as propaganda needs to be addressed and discussed. When we consider that movies that are part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe receive funding from the US Department of Defence (Stillwell, Blake, How Hollywood Films Get the US Military as a Co-Star, Military.com, accessed 11/05/2021, https://www.military.com/off-duty/how-hollywood-films-get-us-military-co-star.html ) we must constantly question what purpose framing Captain America as the constant pillar of righteousness, among many other decisions in terms of framing, writing and character, serves.
Since the first Captain America comic was published by Timely Comics in March of 1941, the character and its symbolism have been tied arguably tighter than any other modern-day superhero, besides the urt-superhero, Superman, first introduced in Action Comics #1 in 1939. The cover of that first issue, Captain America Comics #1, features the titular character punching Adolf Hitler, as bullets fired by Nazis bounce of his shield, emblazoned with the stars-and-stripes. (Figure #1) This cover is routinely cited as an example of the politics and symbolism inherent in superhero media, especially in modern discourse, as superhero media dominates much of pop culture.
Figure 1: Simon, Joe and Kirby, Jack, Captain America Comics #1, https://www.marvel.com/comics/issue/7849/captain_america_comics_1941_1, March 1st, 1941
With the rise of Disney’s juggernaut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (2008) and its focus on long-term storytelling, interconnectivity between each movie and television series, and the shared fictional universe all the characters inhabit in the slow build up to "event" films, the introduction of lesser-known superhero franchises into the mainstream has been consistent and varied in terms of theming and story. Amazon’s The Boys (July 26th, 2019), with its superheroes more in line with celebrities, complete with brand deals and hedonistic lives hidden from public view by powerful corporations, and Invincible (March 26th, 2021), that follows the full life of the titular teenage superhero from his first outing in costume, superhero media as texts in which various ideologies and philosophies are explored through the lens of these larger-then-life, supernatural characters are now incredibly common.
Superhero Events
With Marvel's focus on event-to-event storytelling, in both comics and cinematic media, defining the purpose of these events is important. Comic book events are fundamentally made to boost comic book sales by having a large assortment of characters interact with one another in a plot centred around one or more marketable and popular character. This has recently taken the form of events such as Marvel's King in Black (December 2020 – April 2021)and Empyre (July – September 2020), and DC Comics Endless Winter (February 2021) and Dark Knights: Death Metal (June 2020 – January 2021). These events are sometimes simply announced, played out and forgotten about, such as Endless Winter, which was originally to be released over two months but was compressed into a 5-week release schedule. Others are major points in a character's story, such as King in Black, the culmination of writer Donny Cates extremely well-received run on the Venom series.
These stories, while serving the end-goal of boosting sales across a variety of comic lines, they also add a lot to the overall in-universe mythos. Using King in Black as an example, the titular King and antagonist of the Cates's Venom story, Knull, is only defeated by his counterpart, the "God of Light", revealed to be the Enigma Force, a long-running cosmic power source first introduced to the Marvel universe in Micronauts #8 in 1979. In this way, the events are used to flesh out various aspects of the fictional universe and add further to the mythos of these characters. Likewise, DC Comics' Dark Knights: Death Metal was the culmination of Scott Snyder and James Tynion IV's Metal storyline, based on elements introduced by Snyder's Batman run in 2012 (Batman: Volume 1 – Court of Owls), into the first Dark Knights: Metal event (June 2017 – March 2018), continued in Snyder and Tynion's Justice League run (2018 – 2020) that also had its own event, Drowned Earth, and concluded in the Dark Knights: Death Metal (June 2020 – January 2021). Death Metal has introduced an incredible number of changes to the DC Comics landscape in terms of writing opportunities, including character's returning from the dead, an "infinite frontier" of potential alternate universes for writers to create and an entirely new timeline set in the "near-future" of the DC Universe known as Future State. In summary, comic book events can be split into three categories.
1. Exclusively to boost sales by throwing some characters together to solve a problem.
2. Part of a ongoing writers story, adding to said story or culminating it, with the benefit of boosting sales and adding gravitas to the story by adding the various other characters.
3. Universe-changing events that relaunch comics line-wide, under new headings. (for example, after the Death Metal event, DC Comics game with the subheading of Infinite Frontier).
In a similar way, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has used phases as a marketing ploy in order to make each movie feel like a necessary viewing experience in order to grasp the full story. One cannot watch Captain America: Civil War (2016) without understanding the events crucial to the disbanding of the Avengers from Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), which needs to explanation as to why SHIELD is no longer aiding the Avengers, due to Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) and so on. Each "phase" serves a purpose in the overall mythos Phase 1 comprised of solo films for most of the main Avengers (2008's Iron Man, 2011's Thor) and the first Avengers movie (2012). Phase two follows the heroes, now aware of each other's existence and their efforts to handle various fallout from the first Avengers movie (Captain America finding his place in the modern day in The Winter Soldier, Iron Man learning how to be a hero without his suit in Iron Man 3 [2013]) and the events of Avengers: Age of Ultron, wherein they learn of the Infinity Stones, massively powerful cosmic relics that have influenced some of the events of previous movies (Two were involved in the first Avengers movie, another in Thor: The Dark World [2013]) and finally Phase 3 following the fall out of Age of Ultron, most notably the disbanding of the Avengers and their reunion in Avengers: Infinity War (2018), featuring the antagonist Thanos who was teased in post-credit scenes as far back as the first Avengers and a secondary antagonist in Phase 2's Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), and concluding the 'Infinity Saga' in Avengers Endgame (2019). Out of the 23 movies currently released, roughly 19 of those are 'required reading' if you wanted to understand the full Marvel Cinematic Universe, promoting a fear of missing out on vital information that could pertain to future events and thus, boosting ticket sales. Also note that not all Marvel Cinematic Universe properties will be used in this dissertation, however I wish to acknowledge the subtext inherent in elements such as Thanos's plan to save resources in the universe by wiping away half of its life, a belief with its roots in eugenics and class warfare[1], the existence of Wakanda as an ethnostate, and those surrounding Tony Stark, the billionaire former war arms dealer who ends up sacrificing himself to save the day, framed as a hero despite causing many of the problems the Avengers face, primarily Ultron.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe has at the time of writing, 23 movies, 12 television series across various platforms with multiple seasons, and 2 mini-series released on Disney+. There is an extreme level of content, and an overwhelming amount of subtext to address in order to fully cover the franchise, including the funding the movies receive from the US Department of Defence, to name just one. I’ll be focusing on events and movies that pertain to Captain America as best as I can, but note that I will not be able to discuss each of his appearances in-depth, such as the final two Avengers movies, Infinity War and Endgame. Events from those movies will be addressed, but they won't receive the full attention of the primary MCU Captain America texts, those being the three Captain America movies (The First Avenger, The Winter Solider and Civil War) and the Falcon and the Winter Soldier mini-series.
Superheroes as Moral Pillars
Characters like Superman and Spider-Man are associated with phrases such as “Truth, Justice and the American Way”[2] and “With great power comes with great responsibility”[3]. Each of these phrases are as tied to these characters as their costumes, summing up their characterization. Superman, like Captain America, is the morale backbone of the superhero community present in the DC universe, one that has members ranging from billionaires in costumes fighting street-level thugs and political conspiracy to supernatural and magical beings engaged in conflicts with metaphysical representations of the concept of evil. He's a founding member of the Justice League, a group almost identical to the Avengers in from but whose core roster is usually exclusive to around 10 members, in comparison to the Avengers constantly rotating roster of superheroes., Superman is easily the strongest member of the team, able to fly around the world in seconds and fight monsters that dwarf him in size with ease but is the last to put forward violence as a solution. In the current run of Justice League written by Brian Michael Bendis, he’s the first to notice the more heroic actions of Black Adam, a long-time antagonistic force ruling over his own Middle Eastern country and is first to ask his fellow members on the team to add Adam to the roster. One of the members, Green Arrow, comments that Superman is “doing that thing again”. Superman asks what he means, to which Arrow responds, “[y]ou’re Superman… Anyone who disagrees with you automatically looks vaguely evil or nuts”. Superman here is portrayed as the superhero communities rock, the man in which everyone else looks to for guidance.
This is directly comparable to Steve Rogers in the comics, whose only able to be trusted with the position of Director of SHIELD, an organization dedicated to dealing with the more supernatural threats to the United States, in the aftermath of the second Superhero Civil War and, in the events of Secret Empire, being given full command of the US military and all federal law enforcement agencies when a state of emergency is declared at the outset of the story. The blind faith in Steve Rogers that the Avengers and others hold is one of the core thematic elements that Secret Empire focuses on and will be spoken about in more depth in its portion of this dissertation.
Characters as Context
“With great power comes great responsibility” is a phrase that has become synonymous with Spider-Man, becoming popular in the public consciousness thanks to Sam Rami’s 2002 Spider-Man movie, the first movie in history to pass $100 million dollars at the box office in a single weekend. The line is said by Uncle Ben, Peter Parker’s father figure, before he is killed by a robber Peter ignores after they steal money from a wrestling promoter who just scammed Peter. Using Rami’s 2002 film as an example and map that interpretation of Spider-Man onto the archetypal Hero’s Journey, as popularized in Joseph Campbell’s The Hero with a Thousand Faces (1949), most commonly associated with the Star Wars movies, particularly Star Wars: A New Hope (1977). In this portion of the movie, Peter’s quite literal "Refusal of the Call" in ignoring the robber, the “Mentor” of Uncle Ben dying due to his refusal, up to the realization that his refusal cost Uncle Ben his life and ingrains the motto of "with great power comes great responsibility" into his personal ethos, thus beginning Peter’s career as a superhero as he "crosses the threshold". The Hero’s Journey can be mapped onto almost any mainstream superhero and line up with their origin story, from Tony Stark’s escape from terrorists forcing him to build weapons[4] to Batman’s parents dying in Crime Ally as he swears to deal out justice for the rest of his days[5], to the modern origin story of Steve Rogers being frozen in the sea during the waning days of World War 2, later discovered by Tony Stark and the Avengers. [6]These phrases associated with these superheroes and the origin stories that inspire them have become ingrained into their characters, allowing an easy morale short-hand that summarizes their philosophy.
When the Marvel Cinematic Universe introduced their version of Spider-Man, as portrayed by Tom Holland in Captain America: Civil War (2016), many noticed the distinct lack of both Uncle Ben and “with great power comes great responsibility”. Instead, this version of Peter Parker has already lost Uncle Ben and has been acting as a vigilante for some time. Instead of “with great power comes great responsibility”, Peter says "When you can do the things that I can, but you don't, and then the bad things happen, they happen because of you” which, while paraphrasing, hold the same meaning as the classic motto of having the means to help obligates you morally to help. While the role of mentor would be filled by Tony Stark in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, one cannot help but wonder if the lack of the traditional phrase and origin story was a combination of the classic introduction technique used by Marvel in their films, where they add a character as a companion or side-story to the protagonist and main plot to see if fans would like a film more focused on that side-character, and the two previous Spider-Man film franchises, the previously mention Sam Rami Spider-Man trilogy (2002-2007), the titular character portrayed by Toby Maguire, and the Amazing Spider-Man duology (2012-2014), portrayed by Andrew Garfield, both of which retold the origin story. The third, most likely option, is that these origin stories were not needed in order for the audience to understand the character of Peter Parker at this point in time. As time goes on and more and more people become aware of these characters, the context given by their origins stories become an inherent part of the character. Characters like Batman have been adapted as pirates, vampires, rebels against a communist regime in Soviet Russia and a Victorian detective chasing Jack the Ripper, to name just a few of the dozens of interpretations that are tied to this single character, yet reading those stories, we understand the core of the character. We know they experienced a tragedy that brought them to this point and the philosophies that shape them. This will become much more relevant when we delve into Secret Empire and Civil War versions of Steve Rogers, as well as Sam Wilson and John Walker as they appear in the Falcon and the Winter Soldier series.
Character Design
Symbols and character design also plays a part in how we react to characters, how people in the world the character inhabit react to them and in visual storytelling. As an example, take the character of Red Hood in DC Comics.
Figure 2: Lobdell, Scott, (Writer) Pantalena Paolo (Illustrator), Cross, Chris (Illustrator), Red Hood: Outlaw, Volume 4: Unspoken Truths, DC Comics, March 9th 2021, https://www.dccomics.com/graphic-novels/red-hood-outlaw-vol-4-unspoken-truths
From the above image (Figure 2), without knowing who the character is, we can make some assumptions and form ideas about them purely based of their costume. The black trousers with holsters and pouches tell us that this character could have multiple weapons besides the two guns in his hands, and seems to be very well-prepared for a variety of situations. The bright red mask (the titular red hood) takes advantage of colour psychology, or how we react to colours and how they influence our emotions (ColourPsychology.org, viewed 07/05/2021, https://www.colorpsychology.org/). In the Western world, white is associated with purity and stands out, which is why it is usually worn by the bride alone at a wedding. It signifies safety, protection and cleanness; hence it also be associated with doctors and hospitals, most doctors wearing pure white coats over medical scrubs. Black, on the opposite end of the spectrum, is viewed as mysterious and strong, often associated with more threatening, morally grey or bad characters, such as Darth Vader in the Star Wars franchise. It is also worn by mourners at funerals, and signifies death (this also ties into Darth Vader, whose real identity of Anakin Skywalker was thought to be dead).
Finally, tying back to Red Hood, red is an aggressive colour, usually used in marketing to attract attention and catch the eye, such as on bottles of Coca-Cola. It is, overall, a colour of intense emotions, such as passion or rage or courage. With red being part of the character's name, we can assume that this character has an intense personality, supported by the guns. The red symbol on their chest, like the bat-symbol that's on the chest of Batman, draws a connection between the two characters, but unlike other characters associated with Batman, like Batgirl and Batwoman, it's not an exact copy, hinting at some inspiration from the Caped Crusader, but perhaps not a close relationship. So, from their design alone, we can interpret an intense, potentially violent character whose well-equipped and related to Batman, which is precisely the type of character Jason Todd is. He's a former Robin, Batman's sidekick, who took on an old identity used by the Joker and takes a much more brutal stance to crime-fighting, killing criminals and often butting heads with Batman as often as he helps him. This example shows, from design alone, how much a costume can inform an audience of a character.
Figure 3: Brubaker, Ed (Writer), Epting, Steve, (Illustrator) Captain America Omnibus, Vol. 1, September 19th 2007, https://www.marvel.com/comics/collection/16662/captain_america_by_ed_brubaker_omnibus_vol_1_hardcover
Looking at a classic design for Steve Rogers as Captain America, there's a few important details to focus on. The main factor that one would notice is the colour scheme, the red, white and blue of the American flag. The colours, according to the secretary of the Continental Congress, Charles Thomson, hold the following meanings: "“White signifies purity and innocence, Red, hardiness & valour, and Blue…signifies vigilance, perseverance & justice." [7]. The design above has been altered and changed numerous times, for both other Captain America's and other interpretations of Steve Rogers, however the colour-scheme is a constant across almost all adaptations. Captain America's in-universe origins are as a propaganda piece, a counterpart to the Nazi's Red Skull, both sides having their own super-soldier figurehead to rally the troops around and having the Allies' figurehead wrapped in the colours of the American flag, carrying a shield sends a clear message to the troops that this man is here to protect them, that America itself is going to protect them. The chainmail-like material that the torso is made from also brings the image of the medieval knight to mind, chivalrous and brave, chasing dragons across Europe, like Captain America chasing Hydra across the war-torn continent.
I'd like to move into the bulk of this dissertation, that being the various incarnations of Captain America, both Steve Rogers and others who've wielded the shield, and what each represent in-universe, how each add to the overall mythos of Captain America and how they reflect on real-world events and ideologies. I want to create a foundation to build from when we discuss the later incarnations of Captain America by giving an overview of Steve Rogers as he traditionally appears as the Star-Spangled Man. For the purposes of clarity and ease of understanding, I will be using the origin story of the Marvel Cinematic Universe Steve Rogers, as portrayed by Chris Evans and show in Captain America: The First Avenger (2011), as it’s the most well-known, and streamlines an event that has multiple retellings by various writers across nearly a century. I will use the MCU stories for both Sam Wilson and John Walker as well when we reach their relative sections, as both have less comic material to draw from given that they're relatively new Captain America's in the case of Wilson, and don't have a very cohesive series of comics to follow in the case of Walker
The Marvel Cinematic Universe has, at the time of writing, 23 movies, 12 television series across various platforms with multiple seasons, and 2 mini-series released on Disney+. There is an extreme level of content, and an overwhelming amount of subtext to address in order to fully cover the franchise, including the funding the movies receive from the US Department of Defence, to name just one. I’ll be focusing on events and movies that pertain to Captain America as best as I can, but note that I will not be able to discuss each of his appearances in-depth, such as the final two Avengers movies, Infinity War and Endgame. Events from those movies will be addressed, but they won't receive the full attention of the primary MCU Captain America texts, those being the three Captain America movies (The First Avenger, The Winter Solider and Civil War) and the Falcon and the Winter Soldier mini-series.
Steve Rogers – The Good Man
Figure 3: Avengers: Age of Ultron, directed by Joss Whedon.
A frail, meek artist, Steve Rogers attempts to enlist in the US army multiple times with various aliases but is rejected due to his diminutive stature. After an argument with his friend, Sgt Bucky Barnes, he’s noticed by “Project: Rebirth”, a military group invested in creating super-soldiers, and Dr Abraham Erskine, a German scientist who escaped the early days of the Third Reich. Rogers is dismissed by the General in charge of the Project, Chester Philip, due to his diminutive stature, however during a routine exercise, Phillips throws a dud grenade at the group of candidates, including Rogers, in order to prove a point to Erskine that the war will be won by “guts”, not niceness. Rogers is the only man who leaps onto the grenade, demonstrating his selflessness to Erskine and “guts” to Phillips. The main reason for Erskine’s insistence on a candidate that is “nice” and not another brash grunt, like the other candidates of Project Rebirth, is because of the serum. Erskine explains to Rogers the night before he’s due to be given the serum in front of a panel of Senators and members of government, that the serum amplifies everything in a person, not just physical attributes. In his words, “Good becomes great, bad becomes worse”. Erskine then tells Rogers to promise him that he will remain “not a perfect soldier, but a good man”, a line that would come to define Evan’s portrayal of Captain America for the rest of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Infinity Saga. Rogers is successfully transformed into the super-soldier we know him as, but Erskine is shot and killed by a spy who infiltrated the panel and the knowledge of how to make the serum is lost, as Erskine never wrote the recipe down in fear of it being stolen. Rogers chases down and catches the spy, who kills himself to escape capture. A brief note that I'll be using Steve Rogers and Captain America interchangeably at some points, and make distinctions between the man and the alter-ego when applicable and appropriate.
Instead of being sent to the frontline, Rogers is paraded around as propaganda both at home and abroad over the course of a few months, hoping that the Senator sponsoring him will eventually pull enough strings to have him sent to fight. Eventually reaching the same camp Bucky is supposed it be stationed at, coincidentally being manned by General Philips, Rogers learns that Bucky’s unit was deemed KIA in an attack by Hydra, the Nazi's science division. Rogers leads a solo rescue mission and is successful in saving Bucky and his fellow soldiers, but not before meeting his counterpart in Hydra and its leader, the Red Skull, who took an earlier version of Erskine’s serum and now believes him and Rogers’s superior to the rest of humanity given their newfound superhuman abilities. After this, Rogers, Bucky and their group, known as the Howling Commandos, embark on multiple successful raids against Hydra and the Nazis in Europe, until a successful attempt to capture a high-ranking Hydra scientist, Dr Zola leads to Bucky’s supposed death as he plummets off a train into an artic ocean. Afterwards, the Red Skull launches a final plan to bomb all major cities involved in the war, which Rogers stops, but ends up crashing one of the missiles into the sea, freezing himself until he’s later discovered by SHIELD in the modern day and unfrozen. Captain America: The First Avenger does a good job of demonstrating what is Steve Rogers defining characteristics, and the following Captain America movies show how these characteristics evolve. In a scene, part of a larger montage of Rogers pre-serum training with a group of other Projects: Rebirth candidates, the group is seen performing jumping jacks as members of Project: Rebirth watch. Erskine is attempting to convince the others that Rogers is the perfect candidate for the serum, as the army general in charge, Colonel Philips, claims that wars “aren’t won with niceness” after Erskine dismisses his recommendation on the grounds that the soldier is a bully. He then proceeds to throw a dude grenade into the group after exclaiming wars are “won with guts”. The soldiers scatter, but Rogers leaps onto the grenade in order to protect the rest. This act of selflessness is a quintessential part of what makes Rogers a perfect candidate for the serum. The night before Rogers is due to take the serum, he and Erskine have a conversation about what makes Rogers Erskine's candidate to take the serum. Erskine contrasts him with Johann Schmidt, the leader of Hydra, the Nazi's science division. Schmidt took a previous version of the serum, which enhanced his physical abilities but also enhanced his ego and ambition, causing him to split Hydra off from the Reich and make it its own power in the war, along with changing his physical appearance to match that of his nickname, the Red Skull. Erskine tells Rogers that what he wants is “not a perfect soldier, but a good man”, a line that would come back to haunt the MCU in more recent times with John Walker’s turn with the mantle in Falcon and the Winter Soldier. This quote ties back to what was previously said about Rogers as Captain America. While people with extraordinary agility, strength and endurance are a dime a dozen in the Marvel Universe, what has always set Steve Rogers above the rest is his pure, good-natured heart.
This story is the basic outline of how Captain America goes from a soldier fighting in World War II to becoming a member of the modern day Avengers.[8] Rogers’ construction as the good man in a sea of soldiers provides a useful template for an analysis of Captain America and how he defined the mantle in-universe. He is directly opposed to his fellow soldiers, not nearly as physically capable but not as aggressive nor as hostile. He is empathetic to those he meets and signs up for the war purely because he doesn't like bullies, and what bigger historical bullies are there then the Nazis? This compassionate blueprint evolves with his transition to the modern day, jumping back into defending the world with the Avengers. In the second Captain America movie, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Rogers begins to learn how much the world has changed in terms of morality and how the lines between villains and heroes have blurred since the 2nd World War. As that movie reveals, Hydra, under the lead of Dr Zola, survived the death of Red Skull. As their motto promised, they lost their head and two more took its place. Zola was taken in by the US as part of Operation Paperclip and helped build SHIELD into the national agency it is in the modern day. An easy comparison to make is the OSS dissolvement and transformation into the CIA after World War Two in the real world, as SHIELD serves a similar role to the CIA, but in more supernatural or superhuman dealings, as many disasters in the Marvel Universe end up being. Zola realized that Hydra's main philosophy, that humanity couldn't be trusted with their own security and needed to be ruled, wouldn't work if they forcibly tried to take people's freedom, as they learned during World War 2. Therefore, Zola used SHIELD as a breeding ground for a new Hydra, a parasite lurking within the organization. They caused chaos throughout the world, the movie implying Hydra's involvement in many historical rebellions, revolutions and political upheavals throughout the 20th century, in order for humanity to willingly give up its personal freedom in exchange for safety and security. In order to achieve this, Zola created Project: Insight, an algorithm to distinguish who could be the biggest threats to Hydra and a fleet of armed flying aircraft carriers, known as Helicarriers, to eliminate those threats and in doing so, guarantee Hydra's final victory. Rogers ends up having a personal stake in the conflict, as the titular Winter Solider, Hydra's superhuman assassin that they've used over the years to further their own ends, is Bucky Barnes, who survived his fall in Captain America: the First Avenger and was brainwashed to work for Hydra. The movie's finale see's Rogers and Bucky fighting in the control room of one of the Helicarries as the fleet destroys itself thanks to Roger's and his allies interference, Roger's allowing Bucky to brutalize him in hopes it'll break the hold Hydra has over his oldest friend. After the pair fall from the crashing Helicarrier into a river, Bucky drags Steve from the water and wanders off, leaving Steve's main goal for the rest of the MCU as saving his friend, along with his usual fights against supervillains.
The events of Captain America: The Winter Soldier begins Steve's journey of realization, that the enemies that were once so easy to identify are now hidden in plain sight, even posing as his allies. It’s a watershed moment for Steve, reinforced by the events of Captain America: Civil War.
After a previous conflict between the Avengers and the malevolent AI Ultron, the fictional Central European country of Sokovia is destroyed, its capital city in ruins and it's lands divided up by its neighbors. Due to this, along with previous conflicts in New York (Avengers) and a recent attempted capture of a Hydra operative in Lagos that leads to the deaths of several humanitarian workers, the Sokovia Accords are drafted. These Accords would establish an oversight committee for the Avengers, reporting to the UN, essentially giving control of the Avengers to the United Nations. The team is divided on this, with Steve's recent wake-up call leaving him with more trust in his own gut instinct than in the goals and decisions of politicians, and Tony Stark, former war profiteer turned Iron Man and philanthropist attempting to atone for his sins, backing the accords, motivated by his hand in the creation of Ultron and his previous actions as an arms dealer. Both sides eventually clash, with a sub-plot involving Bucky Barnes's brainwashing being utilized by a former Sokovian Baron and ex-special forces commando, Helmut Zemo, to avenge the family he lost in the Avengers fight with UItron. Zemo orchestrates events in order to frame Barnes for a bombing that kills the king of African nation Wakanda, a secretive, highly advanced ethnostate that evaded the effects of colonization, thus adding an extra layer of complication to the conflict, with Rogers wishing to absolve his friend while Stark wishes to apprehend him, especially when Zemo later reveal that Bucky, as the Winter Solider, killed Stark's parents, Tony's father being an ally of Rogers during Captain America: The First Avenger, going so far as to create the iconic shield out of vibranium, the same substance that led to Wakanda's technological ascendance.
This trilogy of movies follows an arc for Rogers personally, as he transitions from a wide-eyed patriot wishing for nothing more than to serve his country blindly, willing to be paraded around as a piece of propaganda, to a hardened veteran, disillusioned with the system that he fought to protect, yet failed to protect him and his loved ones. It also holds weight in the real world, as army recruiters bombard children and young adults with propaganda across various forms of media[9] and fail to aid veterans with necessities once they return from war[10], especially in relation to Bucky Barnes, a prisoner of war who was tortured and, upon his return, was ostracized and arrested for crimes he didn’t commit. The events of The Winter Soldier also bring up the issues of freedom versus security that the comic book event Civil War also deals with, and shall be read into more in that section.
Sam Wilson – Active Icon
Like I did with Steve Rogers, I’ll be focusing on Sam's Marvel Cinematic Universe origins, with a focus on Captain America: The Winter Soldier where he was introduced and Falcon and the Winter Soldier, where he officially takes up the mantle of Captain America, but I will be using some comic book material in order to show how he's a more active participant in social change and conversation than Steve, as a whole.
Sam Wilson is a former US Air Force pararescue airman and veteran counsellor who was first roped into the Avengers life when he met Steve Rogers during the events of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, the pair sharing a morning jogging route. After conversations over shared experience as soldiers and Wilson speaking with Rogers about the latter's concerns about beginning a civilian life, Wilson later aided Rogers and fellow Avenger Black Widow in dealing with Hydra and Project: Insight, mostly as a (literal) wingman for Rogers via his advanced wingsuit/jetpack that earned him the nickname Falcon and later joins Rogers as he searches for Bucky Barnes. His next major appearance in the MCU is in Captain America: Civil War, acting as Roger's right-hand man throughout the event, as both a constant ally in battle and as a friend to discuss issues with. He was eventually locked in the superhuman prison known as the Raft, following a clash between the heroes following Captain America and those following Iron Man, later freed when Steve Rogers went underground. If it seems like I'm skipping over a lot of details in comparison to Steve Rogers section, it's because the source material kept Wilson to the side for much of the MCU, giving Rogers much of the spotlight.
By the time of Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Wilson has been entrusted with the mantle of Captain America by Steve, having aged given his time travel antics in the final moments of Avengers Endgame. However, an important thing to note is Wilson's role as Roger's constant ally. The pair remain glued together for much of the formers run as Captain America, from The Winter Soldier to the final battle of Endgame, to the point that Rogers entrusted Wilson with the Captain America mantle. This is expanded upon in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier mini-series, which follows the titular characters on a global manhunt for the Flag-Smashers, a group of super-soldiers who wish to return to the 5-year long period following 'the Blip', when half of the world's population was wiped from existence. During that period, the world was overall a more united front, and many who survived the turmoil ended up better off then they were before. Once the events of Endgame concluded and those who vanished returned (among them being Wilson), there was mass displacement and a refugee crisis began, with the Global Repatriation Council being set up in order to aid those who returned to find strangers living in their homes and working their jobs. A world that was once essentially borderless became bordered again, and the freedom and unity that once was for 5 years was lost. Throughout the series, Wilson struggles to accept his role as Captain America, especially after learning of the existence of Isaiah Bradley, a black man experimented on with the super-soldier serum during the Korean War and subsequently imprisoned for trying to save the lives of other test subjects. Eventually, he decides to take up the shield and give it a new meaning, giving a rousing speech to the GRC committee members who were taken hostage by the Flag-Smashers during the final conflict of the series. He explains how everyone finally has a common struggle after the Blip and that the hard questions are the ones most needing to be answered. He further explains that, as "a black man carrying the stars and stripes"[11], he feels the eyes of thousands who hate him, yet still steps up cause he believes people can be better and do better. He continues speech by telling the GRC members that they control banks, can have entire forests demolished with an email and could feed millions with a phone call, but aren't in the room with those who'll feel the impact. He closes by telling the committee that they have the same power as "an insane god, or a misguided teenager "but the real question is, what will they do with that power.
Sam Wilson taking up the mantle of Captain America following Rogers's departure is a watershed moment for both Wilson himself and Bucky Barnes. The former learns of the shields true symbolic power and how prone to interpretation it is, from John Walker's authoritarian symbol of power to Bradley's symbol of a country who never cared for him, treating him and his brothers as lab rats. The latter realizes how neither he nor Rogers truly comprehended what it would mean for a black man to be Captain America, one of the only times a flaw is found in Rogers's character, but a flaw that is understandable given the differing life experiences. Wilson, like Rogers, attempts to resolve conflicts as best he can without violence and spends much of the series attempting to talk down the leader of the Flag-Smashers, Karli Morgenthau. There's a scene in episode 4 where Wilson has almost gotten through to Karli, before Walker bursts into the room in order to arrest her, a white soldier interrupting peace talks between a black veteran and a female refugee. Walker himself is an interesting reflection of Wilsons ideology. A renowned soldier with three medals of honour, he's chosen to be Captain America when Wilson refuses the mantle at the start of the series and works with the GRC and the US Government directly as they chase the Flag-Smashers. He's repeatedly shown to expect respect as Captain America, as in episode four when he attempts to assert his jurisdiction on arresting an escaped Helmut Zemo, to a team of Wakandian special forces. The Wankandans dismissed him and proceeded to humiliate him when a brawl breaks out. This, the most recent of a string of setbacks, inspires Walker to pocket a vial of super-soldier serum, stolen from the Flag-Smashers and take it. When his friend, Lemar, is murdered in a following conflict, Walker pursues one of the Flag-Smashers and brutally beats him to death in broad daylight in front of countless members of the public. This aspect of Walker, later becoming the U.S Agent, a vigilante reporting directly to the government for dirty jobs, is the warning Erskine gave to Steve Rogers back in 1945 during The First Avenger. Walker is a perfect soldier, but the serum amplifies the anger and sense of ego he has as Captain America to a boiling point. This is one of the final straws that pushes Wilson to become Captain America himself, to change the meaning of the symbol and make it stand for something good again.
Secret Empire – Twisted Ideals.
Figure 6: https://insidepulse.com/2017/05/16/marvel-comics-secret-empire-spoilers-last-page-of-secret-empire-2-leaks-throws-hydra-captain-america-fans-for-a-huge-curve/
Secret Empire (April – August 2017) illuminated the symbolic nature of Captain America to many who had grown to love the character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Released post-Captain America: Civil War, Steve Rogers betraying his ideals for the enemies he's fought for nearly eight decades, during the peak of his relevance in the public consciousness, grabbed headlines and brought a lot of attention back to Marvel Comics, the first two issues becoming the third best selling comic books of April and May respectively.[12]
Secret Empire, written by Nick Spencer, falls into the 2nd category of comic book events, as part of Spencer's wider Captain America run which began in October of 2015 and concluded with Secret Empire: Omega in September 2017. The run introduced Sam Wilson as Captain America but also featured the infamous moment that solidified his run in the eyes of the public, that of a complete sound-of-mind, uninfluenced Steve Rogers swearing allegiance to Hydra.
Figure 7: https://www.vulture.com/2019/04/marvel-hydra-captain-america-nick-spencer.html
This moment led to criticism from the public, especially Jewish fans. Captain America was created by Jewish writers Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, the latter of which was drafted into the US military and helped create maps of mainland Europe for the Allies. Similarly, Spider-Man was created by Stan Lee, and Superman by Joe Schuster and Jerry Siegal, the latter the son of immigrants escaping antisemitism in Europe. Many of the most iconic superheroes of our time were created by second generation Jewish immigrants, so to align one not only written as the symbol of American idealism during the 2nd World War, but created by two Jewish writers, into a supremacist in control of an organization with roots in the Third Reich caused a lot of outrage, even more so when the X-Man Magneto, a Holocaust survivor, was 'teased' to be joining Hydra. [13]
The story was planned before, but released during, the first year of the Trump regime, and the public rise of support in far-right beliefs. Comic events are planned months in advance, so while there was no way Spencer could've predicted the outcome of the 2016 elections, the parallels lined up. Both were the cause of years of ignorance in the festering corruption in an inherently flawed system of governance, to the point that fascist sympathies became a mainstream subject of conversation. Secret Empire, a story centred around the symbol of American idealism, betraying the public, his allies and his own principles by becoming a fascist and instating himself at the head of a fascist state, have its inaugural issue release within a week of the Trump regime resisting judicial oversight on the Muslim travel ban[14] and news broke that, as orders for increased anti-immigrant policies and a crackdown on undocumented immigrants came from the Attorney General[15], they had deported the first person protected under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program[16], and as the finale of Secret Empire was released in August, Trump was indifferent to the Unite the Right rally[17], which lead to the death of counter-protester at the hands of white supremacists. To say that Secret Empire was based on the Trump regime would be a lie, however it did predict the final days of it, in a twisted turn of events. The finale of the event see's Steve Rogers, clad in a high-tech suit of armour, and his Hydra forces battle the united Avengers on the steps of the Capitol Building, four years before the 6th of January riots that stormed the Capitol in real life, as years of public indifference to far-right ideologies boiled over. Likewise, as is frequently mentioned throughout Secret Empire, there was ample time to discover Hydra's plot, yet the heroes were distracted by in-fighting, similar to the eventual left-wing infighting at the polls that lead to a republican victory in 2016.
To say that many were uncomfortable with how closely the real-world regime and the in-universe events lined up would be an understatement.[18]An important factor I wish to touch on, however, is the characterization of Steve Rogers himself in Secret Empire, but to do so, I need to briefly explain how Captain America became Hydra Supreme.
In the event Avengers: Standoff, the experimentation with the Cosmic Cube that drove Sam Wilson away from SHIELD came to fruition in the form of Pleasant Hills, a fake idealistic suburban town that housed supervillains, including Hydra-aligned Baron Zemo, Blackout and Hydra leader Red Skull, among others, having been transformed into various differing personalities via the reality-warping capabilities of the Cosmic Cube. Said Cube had achieved sentience by this point, taking to form of a young girl named Kobik, as the Avengers discovered the prison just as a breakout occurred. During this time, Rogers, who had lost his superhuman abilities and aged dramatically in a previous story, was returned to his usual strength and age by Kobik, and the prison was closed, with the Avengers tracking the escapees and Rogers refusing to return to the Captain America mantle. Instead, Rogers began his manipulations as a Hydra sleeper agent, causing events that would lead to Wilson wilfully stepping down as Captain America, the 2nd Superhuman Civil War and the launch of a protective shield around Earth to guard from hostile alien threats, all while being instated as head of SHIELD after the former head, Maria Hill, was forced to step down after the Pleasant Hill event.
What caused Rogers to suddenly turn on his friends and ideology was Kobik, who had essentially been tricked by the Red Skull to rewrite Rogers's entire pre-Avengers' history, being indoctrinated into a Hydra cell in New York at a young age and infiltrating Project Rebirth. He still holds the same end-goal as always, protecting America, however his methods now are twisted and, if we are to be blunt, the same as those the Nazi's used. The opening of Secret Empire see's the heroes attacked on all fronts, with SHIELD sending its forces to take out a large HYDRA cell in Europe, a colossal wave of a hive-minded alien race known as the Chitauri in conflict with the more powerful, space-based heroes in the atmosphere as Iron Man and his protegee Riri Williams, Ironheart, desperately attempt to raise the planetary shield, and New York, home to many superheroes, attacked by escapees from Pleasant Hill. It's a catastrophe waiting to happen, as failure on any front could bring ruin to countless lives. It's this chaos, once control of the US military and various organizations are handed to Rogers as the US Government heads to bunkers in order to wait out the disaster, that the fascists strike to take control. Suddenly, the shield works, trapping the heroes fighting the Chitauri in space. Hydra agents take the Helicarriers, and Baron Zemo and Blackout trap the island of Manhattan in a magical dome of pure darkness, plunging the city into shadow and filling it with monsters. The few heroes who managed to escape the various traps rally in DC as Hydra agents move to take it, as Rogers arrives with his inner circle. The unknown narrator of the story comments, as Rogers and his men overrun the heroes, failsafe and curses taking out the heavy hitters as Rogers reaches for Thor's hammer, "Later, when the stories were told, they'd all remark on the same thing—how quickly it happened. We thought we were so strong, so unbeatable. …. And with the world slipping away around us, we gazed at the face of our enemy, finally seeing them for what they really were. They were stronger. They were more powerful". Finally, as Rogers lifts the hammer of Thor, the heroes scattered at his feet, the narrator concludes "in that moment, they were worthy".
This is a clear parallel to the real-life strategies of groups with authoritarian ideologies, as they attempt to gain power through violence and chaos. In a post-World War 1 Germany, the country was bankrupted and had lost a lot of its land to the Treaty of Versailles. The years that followed were brutal on the German economy, as post-war hyperinflation ruined any chance of the country paying of its reparations in full and a series of food shortages, riots and strikes plunged the country further towards anarchy. This was the country the Nazis managed to wrangle under their boot, giving the people a scapegoat to blame in the Jews, using violence and intimidation tactics to force rival political parties out of power or voting in favour of the Nazis and promising to make Germany great again. The party continued to pass law after law empowering their control over public life, until they had total control of the country, ready to begin rebuilding the armed forces and making way for the 2nd World War. As stated above, the same occurred with Steve Rogers/Hydra Supreme, taking advantage of a chaotic America on the brink of collapse to force a sacrifice of freedom and a turn to authoritarianism.
Much of Secret Empire is spent following the various heroes attempting to either kill Captain America, now Hydra Supreme, or reassemble the broken fragments of Kobik in order to restore him. The final conflict in the story see's Sam Wilson, disenfranchised and aiding in smuggling people out of the US, take up the mantle of Captain America again to lead the heroes in a final assault on Hydra before they restore the Cosmic Cube and rewrite history in favour of their own fascistic beliefs. Manhattan is freed, the shield comes down and a bait-and-switch at the final hour leaves the Cosmic Cube in the hands of the heroes, returning the classic Steve Rogers to reality for a final confrontation with his alter-ego. As we'll get to in the Civil War section, the two Captain's end up fighting in a panel that takes its inspiration directly from that story, Cap yet again shielding America from an authoritarian philosophy, but now that philosophy wears his face and speaks with his voice.
Figure 8: https://io9.gizmodo.com/what-was-the-point-of-marvels-secret-empire-1798626627
Hydra Supreme yet again attempts to pick up the hammer of Thor, but is unable, leaving Steve to defeat him with the hammer himself. There's a final issue, Secret Empire: Omega, following a conversation between Steve and Hydra Supreme, now locked away in a prison built for him. They discuss the merits of their respective philosophies, Supreme arguing that America thrived as a nation under Hydra, Steve stating the cost was too great. Rogers closes with a warning as he leaves, the before unnamed narrator revealed to be Rogers himself. "It doesn't natter what face you wear; I know what you are. I've been fighting you by whole life".
The subtext throughout this event is one of America betrayed, their pillar shattered as Captain America takes control. The most important thing to hit on is that Hydra Supreme himself walk, talks and acts like classic Steve Rogers. He gives the Avengers a chance to surrender, he tries to avoid bloodshed when possible and he even kills the Red Skull, not subscribing to the "Nazi" side of Hydra. However, that last point is null and void when you consider he still orders Inhumans, essentially a renamed mutant ala the X-Men, to be kept in camps and for Las Vegas to be obliterated in air strikes for harbouring members of the Underground resistance. He pushes the more violent orders to his underlings, allowing a former sidekick-turned-whistle-blower to be gunned down by firing squad for not joining Hydra. The blind faith people had in Captain America is shattered, as was faith in the American system of governance post-2016. Neither were an overnight occurrence, but the outcomes of a period of neglect, ignorance and infighting that led to a near complete fascist take-over of the United States.
Civil War – Freedom or Death
Figure 9: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/captain-america-civil-war-comic-873970/
Civil War (July 2006 – January 2007) , written by Mark Miller, is considered by many to be the quintessential 'hero versus hero' narrative in comic books. The conflict between the Pro-Superhuman Registration heroes, lead by Tony Stark and the more upper-class elements of the superhero community, against the Anti-Registration heroes, lead by Steve Rogers and the street-level, working class heroes has its roots in a post-9/11 America and the Patriot Act.
In the aftermath of the September 11th attacks, the US Government passed the Patriot Act into law, a piece of legislation that granted the Unite States’ various intelligence and law enforcement extraordinary surveillance capabilities, among many other abilities, to aid in the “War on Terror".[19] The bill passed almost unanimously in the House and Senate and gave law enforcement insane privileges in terms of privacy invasion and investigation. Miller is a very reactionary writer, and the plans for Civil War were drafted in early 2000s, in the middle of the Bush administration, so as the economy collapsed and things kept tumbling further and further downhill, the stage was set for Civil War to be a conflict of ideologies and political viewpoints.[20]
Civil War begins when a group of young, inexperienced superhuman reality stars attempt to arrest a group of supervillains, but one explodes a school and kills at least 800 students. This leads to the Superhuman Registration Act, requiring all superpowered individuals to register with the Government and receive proper training, an act that divides the superhero community in half. On one side, the liberal Tony Stark, who believes that they're long past due some accountability, while Captain America takes a more libertarian stance and leads to Secret Avengers, those opposed to the Act as it has the potential to turn the superheroes into little more then another wing of the armed forces and are against the government having so much say in their lives. SHIELD begins hunting down those who don't register and detaining them, as the Secret Avengers go underground and attempt to save those arrested. Meanwhile, the Pro-Registration forces, having some of the richer elements of the Avengers among them, begin a campaign of propaganda to garner public support, which they do extremely successfully, as well as creating an interdimensional prison designed to hold superhumans. As more and more tensions build and the sides clash, members swap sides. Some leave Cap behind, not wishing to risk their loved ones and lives by getting arrested. Some swap from the pro-registration forces as they commit more and more heinous acts in order to gain the upper hand, going so far as to create a clone of Thor that kills Goliath, one of the older members of the Avengers. The climax is reached when a full-scale prison break occurs, before all parties are teleported to New York in the escape attempt and the city is torn asunder in the ensuing battle. As Rogers is about to finish Iron Man and end the war, a group of civilians pull him back, giving him enough time to take in the damage and surrender.
A lot of the subtext in Civil War comes from the clear wealth divide in the two sides. The Secret Avengers are forced underground, taking on fake personas and constantly on the back foot, comprised of street-level heroes such as Luke Cage and Patriot, characters most commonly found stopping super-powered bank robbers and crime lords. Meanwhile, the Pro-Registration forces are lead by former arms dealer and billionaire Tony Stark and two of the smartest minds in the Marvel Universe, Reed Richards and Hank Pym, while also having the help of SHIELD's special superhero hunting forces and eventually allowing villains to join their ranks when the Secret Avengers begin growing after Goliath's death. Yet the people still chose Iron Man over Captain America at the end. They choose security over freedom, just as they did in real life with the Patriot Act.
Captain America's own mythology is enough for some members to side with him during the event. A notable scene is where, after saving Spider-Man from a brutal assault by Pro-Registration villains, the Punisher joins the Secret Avengers. Later, when villains attempt to join the Secret Avengers, Punisher guns them down without hesitation, as in line with his black-and-white moral philosophy. Cap proceeds to assault him, demanding he fight back, however Punisher simply states "Not against you". After Cap demands the Punisher be thrown out of their base, the young hero Patriot askes why Punisher didn't fight back, to which Spider-Man replies "Cap's probably the reason he [Punisher] went to Vietnam. Same guy, different war". We see a direct outcome of Cap's usage as propaganda, the Punisher as a die-hard supporter yet also a cold-blooded murderer, radicalized by the mythos of Captain America.
Conclusion.
Captain America's roots in propaganda in the 2nd World War reflected the public attitude of the time, the clear good versus evil nature of the Allies versus the Axis. As time has gone on, both in our world and the world of Marvel, Captain America has begun standing for a variety of beliefs, from freedom, truth and justice as Steve Rogers, as a force for change and action in Sam Wilson, as faith in the government and the status quo in John Walker and as far as authoritarianism and fascist beliefs in Hydra Supreme. Each of these characters who took up the shield have been influenced by and are response to real-world issues, the Patriot Act, the Civil Rights movement and Trump regime, to name a few of dozens. With his advent in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Captain America has become a global icon for the moral good and the sanctity of justice and truth, but when these same movies are funded by the US military industrial complex, we must constantly be aware of the potential agendas being portrayed and in what light they are being portrayed in. As shown, Captain America can stand for a lot of ideologies, some with better morals than others, and we must be aware of what ideologies are being portrayed in media, especially in a genre so rooted in propaganda and politics as superheroes.
[1] Penny, Eleanor, We are Not the Virus", patreon.com/posts/we-are-not-virus-35300228 [2] (Lundegaard, Erik, “Truth, Justice and (Fill in the Blank)” The New York Times, Jun 30th 2006,) [3] ”(Lee, Stan, Amazing Fantasy #15, 1962). [4] Lee, Stan, Liberman, Larry, Tales of Suspense Vol 1 #39, March 1963 [5] Finger, Bill, Fox, Gardner, Detective Comics Vol 1 #33, November 1939 [6] Lee, Stan, Avengers #4, March 1st, 1964 [7] Leepson, Marc and Smith, Whitney. "Flag of the United States of America". Encyclopedia Britannica, 24 Aug. 2018, https://www.britannica.com/topic/flag-of-the-United-States-of-America. Accessed 8 May 2021. [8] The main alterations are the point at which Bucky is presumed dead (in most comic book versions, he’s on the same missile Steve is attempting to stop but pushes Steve off before the missile explodes mid-air, instead of falling off the train) and who discovers Rogers frozen (comic book versions have it be Tony Stark and the original roster of the Avengers who find him, and not SHIELD). [9] Hern, Alex, US army retreats from Twitch as recruitment drive backfire, The Guardian, 23RD July, 2020, https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/jul/23/us-military-tactically-withdraws-from-game-streaming-site-twitch [10] Brennan, Liam, How Veterans Affairs denies care to many of the people it’s supposed to serve, The Washington Post, 8th November, 2019, https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/how-veterans-affairs-denies-care-to-many-of-the-people-its-supposed-to-serve/2019/11/08/2c105b48-0183-11ea-9518-1e76abc088b6_story.html [11]One World, One People, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Anthony Mackie as Captain America, Season 1 Episode 6, Disney, 2021. [12] Aguilar, Matthew, Controversy Creates Cash: Marvel's Secret Empire #0 Tops April's Sales Charts, comicbook.com. September 5, 2017, https://comicbook.com/marvel/news/controversy-creates-cash-marvels-secret-empire-0-tops-aprils-sal/ [13] Riesman, Abraham, That Time Captain America Said ‘Hail Hydra’ and Geekdom Imploded, Vulture.com, 28th April, 2019 [14] Kaczynski, Andrew, AG Sessions Says He’s ‘Amazed’ a Judge ‘on an Island in the Pacific’ Can Block Trump’s Immigration Order, CNN, April 21, 2017, https://www.cnn.com/2017/04/20/politics/kfile-sessionspsychoanalyze/index.html. [15] Reid, Paula, Sessions Orders Prosecutors to Crack Down on Illegal Immigration CBS News, April 11, 2017, https://www.cbsnews.com/news/sessions-orders-prosecutors-to-crack-down-on-illegal-immigration [16] Schmidt, Samantha and Holley, Peter, A ‘Dreamer’ Claims He was Secretly Deported. The Government Claims It Never Happened, Washington Post, April 19, 2017, https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morningmix/wp/2017/04/19/the-trump-administration-has-deported-a-dreamer-for-first-time-advocatessay/?utm_term=.41dd92fed31d. [17] Willingham, AJ, Trump Made Two Statements on Charlottesville. Here’s How White Nationalists Heard Them CNN, August 15, 2017, https://www.cnn.com/2017/08/14/politics/charlottesville-nazi-trump-statementtrnd/index.html [18] Shiach, Kieran, Marvel’s controversial Secret Empire event is over. Was it worth it?, Polygon, September 14th, 2017, https://www.polygon.com/comics/2017/9/14/16307304/secret-empire-ending-explained [19] The USA PATRIOT Act: Preserving Life and Liberty, Department of Justice, accessed 13/05/2021, https://www.justice.gov/archive/ll/highlights.htm [20] Abad-Santos, Alex, Marvel’s Civil War and its politics, explained. Vox, May 3rd, 2015, https://www.vox.com/2016/5/3/11531348/marvel-civil-war-explained
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