Statistics

Height:6' 2"
Weight:240 lbs.
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Blond
Strength Level:Superhuman Strength
Powers: Enhanced Strength
Abilities: Olympic-level athlete with gymnastic and combat training. Steve Rogers is considered by many to be the ultimate synthesis of combat skills, command, strength, endurance, and most importantly, fighting spirit.

History

1940s

Steve Rogers was born on July 4, 1917 in New York City to Joseph and Sarah Rogers. He grew up frail and sickly, like the poster-child for the "before" pictures in Charles Atlas ads. His father died in 1920, and his mother in 1934. By 1940 Steve was an aspiring artist, subsisting by painting murals on subways for the Works Progress Administration.

Steve was horrified by the Nazi attrocities depicted in newreels, and tried to enlist in 1940. He was judged "4F" by the examination board, and rejected. He was then recruited by General Chester Phillips for a special program called Operation Rebirth.

Steve underwent months of tests and training, and was finally injected with the Super-Soldier formula, then subjected to an exotic radiation treatment. The experiment worked; the combination of formula and radiation treatment combined to artificially bring and maintain his body at the highest possible peak of human development. Steve became instantly stronger, more agile, and faster than any Olympic athlete. The treatment also increased his endurance, and also removed fatigue-producing poisons from his system, making him virtually tireless. However, a Nazi spy had gained access to the experiment observation gallery. The spy shot Dr. Abraham Erskine, the inventor of the process, and was himself accidentally killed by Rogers. Over the next week, Nazi spys executed and/or interrogated all of the remaining scientists on the project.

Steve was given the costume and name of Captain America to serve as a symbol, an embodiment of all of the virtues which make the United States great. he was very specifically designed to counter the terror of the Nazi master-agent, the Red Skull. He was initially based at Camp Lehigh, were he met Bucky Barnes. Bucky discovered his secret, and became his partner.

Captain America and Bucky fought the Nazi menace alone and as part of the Invaders, frequently striking behind the lines at secret Nazi bases and military installations. near the end of the war in Europe, during an attempt to prevent Baron Zemo I from sending an experiemntal drone plane to his masters, Bucky was killed in a booby-trap; the blast hurled Captain America into rapidly freezing waters. The Super-soldier formula in his viens prevented him from dying, and he was cast into a state of suspended animation. He would remain in the ice until rescued by the Avengers.

When the original Captain America and Bucky disappeared, Harry Truman approached William Nasland about taking over the role until the original Captain America returned. William accepted, become the second person to take the costume. He served through the completion of the war as part of the Invaders, with Fred Davis as the replacement Bucky. After the war he and Bucky served as a member of the All-Winners Squad.

In 1946 he was killed in action battling an evil android named Adam II in an attempt to prevent the assassination of a Boston congressional candidate, John Kennedy. He was found dying by Jeff Mace, the Patriot of the Liberty Legion. Jeff took the costume and shield, continuing the legacy, and defeating Adam II. Mace continued in the role of Captain America as a member of the All-Winners Squad and retired as Captain America in 1950.

1950s

The man who would become Captain America IV was eleven when the first Captain America was created. Throughout the war years he idolized Captain America, and was shocked to learn of his supposed death in 1946. Although Truman had created a replacement, "Steve" suspected the truth.

In 1952, two years after Jeff Mace retired as Captain America III, graduated with a Ph.D in American History, having done his thesis on the life of Captain America. In 1953 he flew to Germany, and examined the files of Major Kerfoot, a Nazi espionage officer in the SS. He discovered that the papers contained the original Super-Soldier formula. He revealed his discovery to certain high officials in the US government, and made a deal whereby he would become the new Captain America, and act as a symbol in the Korean War.

The government accepted his deal; the man had his name legally changed to "Steve Rogers", and underwent plastic surgery to make him identical to photos of the original. He also had his vocal chords altered so that his voice would approximate that of the original. However, the Korean conflict ended before he could be deployed. Outraged and disappointed, "Steve" obtained a post at a small Connecticut private school, where he met Jack Monroe, who shared his worship of Captain America.

In late 1953 a communist terrorist adopted the identity of the Red Skull, and seized the United Nations, holding the delegates as hostage. Steve and Jack injected themselves with the super-soldier formula and donned the costumes of Captain America and Bucky. They defeated the imposter Red Skull, and several other communist villians and threats. However, because they had taken the Super-Soldier formula without the radiation treatment, both "Steve" and Jack wentt slowly insane, brutalizing anyone they thought might be a communist. Captured by the FBI, they were placed in suspended animation.

1960s

Early in the 1960s, a villain used a Captain America costume to disguise his crimes. he was caught by Johnny Storm, the second Human Torch.

In 1964 Namor fought the Avengers, and was defeated. He came upon a group of Eskimos worshipping a figure caught in a block of ice. In a regal temper-tantrum, Namor hurled the ice-block into the ocean, where the warm currents of the Gulf stream began to melt it, releasing the figure within.

The figure was pulled out of the waters by the Avengers, who were searching for the Sub-Mariner. This figure woke from his decades-long sleep; Steve Rogers, the original Captain America, had returned. He joined the Avengers, living at the Avengers Mansion. When the other founding members of the Avengers retired, Steve led a team of reformed villians - Hawkeye, the Scarlet Witch, and Quicksilver - as the new Avengers.

During the sixties Steve fought evil wherever it would occur whether alone, among the Avengers, or with agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. He met and fell in love with Sharon Carter (S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent 13), the younger sister of an espionage agent he had known romatically during World War II. He became good friends with Nick Fury, the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.

1970s

Captain America spent much of the 1970s combatting various plots of the Red Skull, and miscellaneous other evil conspiracy groups such as AIM, Hydra, and the Secret Empire. He found a good partner in Sam Wilson, the Falcon, who would come to rank only second to Bucky in his partnership to Steve.

While Steve adventured in his Nomad identity, fighting yet another plot to take over the world from Roxxon Oil and Madame Hydra, several people tried to take the identity of Captain America. The last of these, a young man named Roscoe, was killed by the Red Skull for the impersonation; the feelings of responsibility for his death drove Steve back into action as Captain America.

During this time Steve, Sam, and Sharon would encounter the old Captain America and Bucky from the 1950's; ultimately Steve woud defeat his doppleganger. Eventually, Dr. Faustus would gain control of the erstatz Cap, and make him the Grand Director, the leader of a neo-Nazi hate group. Dr. Faustus was also responsible for the appartent death of Sharon Carter. During this time the Falcon goes off on his own to pursue his own civilian career.

1980s

Shortly after the apparent death of Sharon Carter, Steve moved to Brooklyn Heights. After encountering and defeating the Machinesmith, Steve met Bernadette "Bernie" Rosenthal, with whom he fell in love. After meeting Steve in his Captain America costume, she deduced that he and Steve Rogers were the same.

Eventually Jack Munroe (the 1950's Bucky) was released from S.H.I.E.L.D. custody and de-brainwashed. He joins Captain America as his new partner, taking a modified version of Steve's Nomad costume. Shortly after battling an aged Red Skull to the death (Number 427 in a series, collect them all!), Steve and Nomad split apart following a philosophical arguement.

During this time Steve encounters and fights a number of new threats, among them the Serpent Society, Flag-Smasher, Super-Patriot, and Scourge ("Justice is served!"). During this period Bernie goes off to law school; eventually this long-distance relationship will fail, and the two of them will break up. Steve meets a member of the Serpent Society who is trying to reform (or at least will try to if it gives her a chance at Steve) named Diamondback (Rachel Leighton).

In 1987 the U.S. Government Commission on Superhuman Activity exerted their influence, and attempts to make Captain America their own operative. Steve refuses, and they demand that he return the shield and costume, as they contend that it is government property. The Commission appoints John Walker (formerly the Super-Patriot) as the new Captain America. Steve adopts the identity of the Captain, with a Wakandian vibranium shield supplied by the Black Panther.

John Walker spends some time in the Captain America identity, slowly losing the disrespect for Steve; being Captain America is a lot more difficult than he had thought. Eventually John's parents are captured and killed by members of the Watchdogs, a subversive ultra-right wing group. John suffers a breakdown, and Steve is forced to capture him for treatment. The Commission changes its collective mind about the wisdom of having anyone but Steve in the identity of Captain America, and gives him back the shield and mantle. John Walker later will adopt the costume and shield of the Captain and continue his work for the government as U.S.Agent.

1990s

Early in the 1990s the Red Skull returned from his death in a body cloned from Steve Rogers. He has been busy while "dead", and is the driving force behind many of the subversive agencies which have been plaguing Captain America (Watchdogs, Spy-Smasher's organization, and Scourge, just to name a few). He is joined by hsi special group of henchmen, the Skeleton Crew, headed by Crossbones.

Steve becomes romatically entangled with Diamondback, and spends much of his time building infrastructure for both his own headquarters and the Avengers. He leads the Avengers in Operation: Galactic Storm against the Kree, and breaks with many old friends at the end of the war when they decide to kill the Supreme Intelligence to forstall further hostilities.

In 1994 Steve becomes frequently wracked with pain; upon examination he is told that the Super-Soldier forumla which has kept his body running at the peak of human efficiency for all these years in deteriorating, and if he keeps going into action he will soon die. Steve spends what time he has left searching for a successor, enlisting the aid of both Free Spirit and Jack Flag. As his condition deteriorates, he begins to use a "utility belt" full of gadgets, and finally is forced into a Stark-designed exoskeleton. He and Diamondback separate when she sells her services to Superia in exchange for an antidote for his condition; he rejects the antidote, which is stolen by the Red Skull (since the Red Skull has the same biology, he would also come to need the serum). Finally, Steve's body fails, and he ostensibly dies although his body vanishes.

Steve is soon revived by his old enemy, the Red Skull, and is surprised to find that Sharon Carter is still alive. The three of them thwart a plan of Hitler's from beyond the grave (and the Cosmic Cube), but in co-operating with the Red Skull in assaulting a U.S. Army base, he falls unders suspicion; when plans which only he and the President know about are leaked to Moldavia, Steve is summoned to the President of the United States, who revokes his costume and citizenship, exiling him. After defeating the Machinesmith and saving the President, Steve is re-instated as Captain America just in time to lead the Avengers against the mutant menace known as Onslaught.

Steve, the Avengers, the Fantastic Four, and myriad others sacrifice themselves in battle to allow the assembled X-teams to defeat Onslaught. As far as the Marvel Universe knows, they have all died. However, they were actually somehow shunted into a pocket universe called by some the "Franklinverse".

The "Franklinverse" was a pocket universe made through the power of Franklin Richards, in which the Fantastic Four, the Avengers, and miscellaneous others had been transformed and reborn. The world was characterized by inconsistency and contradiction, which was probably the result of being the result of a childish mind (Franklin's, not Rob Liefeld's). The Celestials initiated a chain of events which caused all of the heroes to transfer back to the Marvel Universe, but a betrayal by Doom caused their re-entry vehicle to break up, casting the returned heroes all across the globe.