Steve Rogers (Marvel Cinematic Universe)
Steven Grant Rogers is a fictional character primarily portrayed by Chris Evans in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) media franchise—based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name—commonly known by his alias, Captain America. Rogers is depicted as a World War II-era super soldier who was given a serum that provided him with superhuman abilities including enhanced durability, strength, and athleticism.[9][10] During his fight against the Nazi secret organization Hydra, he became frozen in the Arctic for nearly seventy years until being revived in the 21st century.
"I can do this all day" redirects here. For the song Save the City, see Hawkeye (miniseries) § Music. For the song by NCT U containing the lyric, see Make A Wish (Birthday Song).
Steve Rogers
Captain America
Avengers: Endgame (2019)
- Chris Evans
- Leander Deeny (skinny body double; The First Avenger)
- Christopher George Sarris (skinny body double; The First Avenger)
- Patrick Gorman (elderly body double; Endgame)
Chris Evans (film video game)
Josh Keaton (What If...?)[1]
Steven Grant Rogers[a]
Captain America
- Leader of the Avengers
- Grief counselor
- Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.
- Soldier
- Avengers
- Howling Commandos
- S.H.I.E.L.D.
- S.T.R.I.K.E.
- Strategic Scientific Reserve
- United States Army
Sarah Rogers (mother)
Brooklyn, New York, United States
American
- Superhuman strength, speed, endurance, durability and reflexes
- Accelerated healing and longevity
- Expert tactician and strategist
- Master hand-to-hand combatant
Rogers becomes a founding member and leader of the Avengers. Following internal conflict within the Avengers as a result of the Sokovia Accords and Thanos initiating the Blip, Rogers leads the team on a final mission, and they successfully restore trillions of lives across the universe and defeat Thanos. After returning the Infinity Stones to their original timelines, he remains in the 1940s with his lost love Peggy Carter; they marry, and Rogers lives a full life. Rogers chooses Sam Wilson to be his successor, passing his shield and the title of Captain America onto him.[11]
Rogers is a central figure in the MCU, appearing in eleven films as of 2023. When first introduced in Captain America: The First Avenger (2011), the character was received to mixed reception,[12][13] but gradually became a fan favorite.[14][15] Chris Evans's portrayal of Steve Rogers has received acclaim, and the character is often cited, along with Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark, as cementing the success of the MCU.[16] His story arc is considered to be one of the best in the MCU,[17][18] and the Captain America films within the "Infinity Saga" are commonly referred to as the franchise's best trilogy.[19][20][21]
Alternate versions of Rogers from within the MCU multiverse also appear in the animated series What If...? (2021), voiced by Josh Keaton. These versions include an incarnation of Rogers who instead of receiving the serum, wears a mechanized suit of armor and becomes the Hydra Stomper.
Fictional character biography[edit]
Origin[edit]
Steve Rogers was born on July 4, 1918, in Brooklyn, New York, to Joseph and Sarah Rogers. His father, a member of the 107th Infantry Regiment, was killed by mustard gas during World War I. He was raised by his mother, a nurse, who died of tuberculosis, leaving Rogers alone at the age of eighteen.[c] At just 5-foot-4-inch (1.63 m) tall and weighing only 90 pounds (41 kg), Rogers was also afflicted with a number of medical issues including asthma, scoliosis, heart arrhythmia, partial deafness, stomach ulcers, and pernicious anemia.[d]
Characterization[edit]
Outward appearance and equipment[edit]
Costume designer Anna B. Sheppard stated that Captain America's uniform in Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) was partly based on that of paratroopers of the era, explaining, "I think that the challenge of this costume was that it had to look 40s, that's why certain elements like using leather for the straps and belt, metal buckles and not having too tight a fit were important. Forget spandex!"[72] Visual Development Supervisor Ryan Meinerding elaborated, "The straps that come off his chest are very similar to the ALICE webbing that was used in Vietnam. Using the straps as the stripes across his torso then seemed like an elegant design solution. In the end, the main design aspects of this suit are meant to be about making it appear soldier-like, functional and tough."[73] In The Avengers (2012), his suit was made to look "a bit more 'superhero'" in comparison to The First Avenger, at Joss Whedon's request. Costume designer Alexandra Byrne stated the difference between both suits were "the fabrics that are available. Today we have a lot of stretch fabrics and there weren't any 'technofabrics' then", and called his design "the most technically difficult" of the Avengers' costumes.[74]
For Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014), Evans trained in parkour, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, karate, boxing, kickboxing, and gymnastics, as the Russo brothers believed that bringing Rogers into the modern day also meant that he had studied and mastered modern fighting styles and techniques. The filmmakers also looked to make the character's shield, which has traditionally been used for defense, a more offensive weapon.[75] For Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), Evans said that he was able to maintain the strength he built up for The Winter Soldier by working out up to an hour a day.[76] Evans didn't want to take a step back from the skills shown in The Winter Soldier, and made sure Rogers' fighting style advanced, showing "a consistent display of strength" and having Rogers utilizing his environment.[77] Evans' training regimen to get in shape for the role included weight lifting, which consisted of "the classic bodyweight and bodybuilding stuff", gymnastics and plyometrics, while staying away from cardio-based exercises, along with a high-protein diet.[78] For Civil War, his costume in the film received "subtle changes to all the details and cut" as well as its color, becoming a combination of the stealth suit from Winter Soldier and the Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) suit.[79] In Avengers: Infinity War (2018), Rogers receives new vibranium gauntlets from Shuri to replace his traditional shield.[80]
In his civilian attire throughout the series, it has been noted that Rogers "tends to go for a very low key look ... based around very simple pieces that work together".[81] In his earliest appearance, designed by Sheppard, "post-serum Steve was All-American in a devastatingly tight white tee and khaki pants",[82] while in The Avengers Byrne made him "sophisticated enough to beautifully blend plaids and stripes."[82] Costume designer Judianna Makovsky described his fashion evolution between Winter Soldier and Captain America: Civil War (2016) as becoming increasingly comfortable in his clothes.[83] A New York magazine article, however, criticized his clothing across the series as being "bereft of patterns, graphics, imagery or anything you couldn't color in with one singular crayon".[84]
Differences from the comic books[edit]
The origin story of Captain America follows that of the comic books, particularly Ultimate Marvel for certain elements like growing up in Brooklyn and Bucky being a childhood best friend rather than being met later, but diverges from there. Rogers is also a founding Avenger, unlike in the comics where he is a later addition to the roster and the formed Avengers are the ones who thaw him out of the ice.[105] In the comic books, Steve Rogers is murdered at the event of the Civil War storyline, leading to Bucky Barnes becoming the next Captain America. In the MCU, Rogers survives Civil War,[106] eventually passing the mantle of Captain America to Sam Wilson in Avengers: Endgame.[56] In the comics, Wilson became Captain America in 2014 after Rogers' aging accelerated to be the real age of 90.[107]