Captain America

Captain America is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Captain America Comics #1 (March 1941), from Marvel Comics' 1940s predecessor, Timely Comics, and was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby. Over the years, an estimated 210 million copies of "Captain America" comic books have been sold in a total of 75 countries. For nearly all of the character's publication history Captain America was the alter ego of Steve Rogers, a sickly young man who was enhanced to the peak of human perfection by an experimental serum in order to aid the United States war effort. Captain America wears a costume that bears an American flag motif, and is armed with an indestructible shield that can be thrown as a weapon.

An intentionally patriotic creation who was often depicted fighting the Axis powers of World War II, Captain America was Timely Comics' most popular character during the wartime period. After the war ended, the character's popularity waned and he disappeared by the 1950s aside from an ill-fated revival in 1953. Captain America was reintroduced during the Silver Age of comics when he was revived from suspended animation by the superhero team the Avengers in The Avengers #4 (March 1964). Since then, Captain America has often led the team, as well as starring in his own series. Steve Rogers was apparently killed in Captain America vol. 5, #25 (March 2007), although he was later revealed to be alive; in any case, the Captain America series continues publication with Rogers' former sidekick, James "Bucky" Barnes, having taken up the mantle with Rogers insisting he continue in that capacity at least for now while Rogers operates as an intelligence agent in his own series, Steve Rogers: Super Soldier.

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Official Marvel Comics Captain America Website

Evans originally wanted no part of the film, though, least of all the lead, due to several factors. Fear seemed to be the chief one, as was the idea of being hooked into the role for what seemed like an eternity (Marvel originally wanted to sign him for nine films; part of his deal was reducing that to six pictures). Another issue was a fear of a spectacular disaster on a big, attention-getting tentpole. "I've made some spotty films and I didn't want another one on this scale," he said. The idea of reaching a new plateau in fame was also scary in what seemed like a no-win situation, "I remember telling a buddy of mine, 'If the movie bombs, I'm f*cked. If the movie hits, I'm f*cked."

Eventually, Evans realized he needed to man-up and just accept that every opportunity has risks. "I was just scared," he admitted, also noting that he turned down the role at least three separate times. "I realized my whole decision-making process was fear-based, and you never want to make a decision out of fear."

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Official Marvel Comics Captain America movie hub

In World War II, patriotic solider Steve Rogers, recipient of the "Super Soldier Serum", became the living symbol of freedom, Captain America. Left for dead while frozen in ice, the star-spangled hero with an indestructible shield awoke years later to continue his never-ending battle for liberty.

For an in-depth look at Cap's history, visit the Official Marvel Comics Captain America page here.

Real Name
Steven "Steve" Rogers

Aliases
Nomad, The Captain, Steven Grant Rogers, Roger Stevens, Yeoman America, Cap, The Sentinel of Liberty, Star-Spangled Avenger; also has impersonated Crossbones

Identity
Publicly known

Citizenship
U.S.A.

Place of Birth
New York, New York

First Appearance
(Captain America) Captain America Comics #1 (1941); (Nomad) Captain America #180 (1974); (Captain) Captain America #337 (1988)

Origin
Captain America Comics #1 (1941); Tales of Suspense #63 (1965); Captain America #109 (1969); Captain America #255 (1981); Adventures of Captain America #1-2 (1991)