Earth’s Mightiest Heroes: Steve Rogers

As nationalism continues to rear its head out of the shadows, Steve Rogers paints the image of the patriot we all need to be.

“The price of freedom is high, always has been but it’s a price I’m willing to pay. If I’m the only one, then so be it but I’m willing to bet I’m not.” — Steve Rogers, Captain America: The Winter Soldier.

The world is very strange right now. In the midst of Pamela Anderson defending Julian Assange, measles making a comeback nobody asked for, somehow, Nazis seem to be back in vogue. As weird as it may seem, the very worst parts of Nationalism have been on somewhat of a reunion tour. Even weirder still, people are singing along to some of its greatest hits. Spearheaded by Brexit and 45’s 2016 Presidential win, nationalist ideological policies have risen to the highest forms of power in places like Hungary, India, Italy and Austria with many other traditionally center-right parties adopting more nationalist policies and ideologies.

Cut off one head and two more take its place.

So, why am I talking about Nationalism? Well, in the lead up to Avengers: Endgame, I’ve been thinking a lot about what Captain America means to me and more frequently about the quote at the top of this piece.

Steve Rogers: Captain America

“Captain America” was created in 1941 by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, two poor, often bullied Jewish kids. He was created as the superhero personification of those ideals society should strive for- Liberty, Freedom, Justice. He was the hero to stand up for the little guy. Of course, the “little guy” at the time were members of Simon and Kirby’s Jewish heritage.

Cap’s desire to stand up for what was right is best exemplified by the image of him punching Hitler on the cover of his first comic (March 1941). A cover which was designed to and succeeded in making a huge impact, not least because America was still 9 months away from joining the war.

Captain America- The Propagandist

A common criticism levied against the Captain America character is that he is merely American propaganda. It is not difficult to understand why anyone would hold this view, he literally has “America” in his name. He is also fully draped in the American flag with a big and bold “A” on his helmet. The man isn’t winning any stealth competitions. However, while I can understand the propaganda criticism, it has always seemed a bit half-baked and myopic to me.

Admittedly, at his creation, Captain America was unabashedly a propaganda machine. But, that was okay at the time! America was on the right side of that war. It wasn’t a bad thing for him to be the mouthpiece of a downtrodden class like the Jewish Americans. The propaganda he was representing was objectively good propaganda.

Once the war was over, however, and with the Cold War not really providing much action material for comics, the character began to stall. He was becoming stale.

After being discontinued for several years, Stan Lee brought him back in 1964- his story having been retconned to explain that he had been frozen in ice since before the end of the war. He was still the square-jawed boy scout with those aspirational ideals but he was now, in addition, a man literally out of time. How did he reconcile what he believed to be right and just with the actions of his current Government? All of a sudden, this was a new, more interesting character. This masterstroke by Stan Lee led to a dynamism in the character that many future writers would successfully exploit and which would help the Russo Brothers, their writers and of course, Chris Evans, create the best iteration of the character.

Steve Rogers- The Patriot

Coming out of the ice, Steve Rogers was now in a position where his, admittedly, romantic ideals and belief in people were coming into constant conflict with the thoughts and actions of those entrusted to lead his country, those he was pledged to serve. What he staunchly believed to be just and fair was not what his beloved country and indeed wider international community was practising. How could he navigate this conflict?

But first, quickly, Chris Evans

When the casting of Chris Evans was announced, there was a general sense of, “huh? HIM?”. It was confusing that Marvel had tapped the guy that played Johnny Storm and was in those mediocre rom-coms to portray this deeply historical character. “What were they thinking?”, everyone collectively thought. We would quickly realise that yeah, Chris Evans had a good grip on this whole acting thing and that he was the perfect person to embody Captain America. However, as it turned out, the scepticism wasn’t only confined to the fans.

Chris Evans has openly spoken about his hesitancy to take up Marvel’s offer to play Cap. Sure, there was his well-documented fight with anxiety but as he recalled in a 2019 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, he didn’t really see how he could get audiences to connect with a character like Captain America.

“There’s no real darkness to him. How do I make this guy someone you want to watch? I don’t get jokes. I’m not Wolverine. I don’t have dead parents, like Batman. I’m just, like, ‘Hi, I’ll walk your dog. I’ll help you move.’”

The Russo Brothers, co-directors of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War & Avengers: Endgame, have also spoken about a similar fear they had that they couldn’t make Cap relatable or interesting to audiences, having never really been fans of the character. This objectivity perhaps, helped them, Chris Evans and their writers, Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely (Captain America: The First Avenger, Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Captain America: Civil War. Avengers: Infinity War & Avengers: Endgame), somehow mould Cap into a constantly relevant character.

Captain America’s reinvention, and coincidentally, his best moments have always come as a result of his ideals clashing with the nation’s. The first major one came in the wake of the Watergate scandal (back then having a President so flagrantly undermine the rule of law was a very big shock to Steve Rogers). This scandal would inspire the 1974 “Secret Empire” storyline. Another major turning point was the passing of the Patriot Act in response to the 9/11 bombings. This would inspire the pivotal “Civil War” storyline.

On screen, in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), these moments have mainly come in Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Captain America: Civil War.

“You cannot have a character called Captain America without examining the politics of what that means, especially in this day and age” — Joe Russo

The Winter Soldier is a pivotal movie for both the MCU and the perception and understanding of Cap as a character. Coincidentally, at a time when most Americans were growing in their distrust and paranoia of the Government here was this superhero literally named “Captain America” going through very similar emotions.

Cap finds out that SHIELD is in the final stages of a project appropriately named “Project INSIGHT” (because that’s not nefarious at all). The aim of this project was to help SHIELD “neutralise a lot of threats before they happen” by listening in and monitoring everyone via their phone calls, social media posts etc. so the accompanying algorithm could preemptively decide who was a security threat.

Of course, at the time of the movie’s release, Americans, and the world had only recently learnt about the Obama administration’s terrorist kill list and had even more recently learnt from Edward Snowden that their Government was most likely listening to their phone calls. The movie’s real-world relevance, though entirely coincidental, was incredibly eery.

SHIELD and the World Security Council believed that the safety of the citizens and the strength of the organisation/nation were the most important things- it didn’t matter what other liberties you had to cross to achieve that.

Steve disagreed.

He believed that while the safety of the individual was highly important, the paramount thing was the citizens’ liberty: their freedom.

“It’s not unpatriotic to denounce an injustice committed on our behalf, perhaps it’s the most patriotic thing we can do.” — E.A Bucchianeri, Brushstrokes of a Gadfly

Steve is at a moral and philosophical crossroads. He now has knowledge of the actions of his superiors and these are actions he is categorically against. While he may accept that the intentions were good, he does not see the end result as being nearly as good. “This isn’t freedom, it’s fear”. So, he chooses to stand up for what he believes in, irrespective of who he may have to stand against.

He places the liberty, wishes and lives of (all) individuals over that of the country. He is not blinded by his love and service for the country, nor is he willing to take questionable orders just because they come from an authority he is meant to respect and follow. If anything, the surprise reveal that HYDRA has infiltrated the highest levels of SHIELD and is the real mastermind behind “INSIGHT” only helps to prove his point that nothing gives Government/Governing bodies the moral or philosophical high ground to encroach on the rights of its citizens in such a monumental way.

Of course, Steve Rogers’ rebellious arc comes to a natural conclusion in Captain America: Civil War when he refuses to sign the UN’s accords that require all superheroes to register with the United Nations and only act when instructed by the UN Security Council.

The paranoia of Government from 2014 had now grown into a large distrust and a belief in the Government’s ineptitude, again mirroring real-life feelings (Brexit and 45’s electoral win were only a few months away). This distrust leads to Cap’s refusal to sign the Accords. Yes, he accepts that the UN Security Council is not a Government of a country or SHIELD or HYDRA but it is still “run by people with agendas and agendas change”.

He would rather stand up for each individual’s (in this case, powered people) liberty and right to choose what they do with their powers rather than the Government keeping a registry of these people and using them as their personal watchdogs.

This signified completion of his arc, from the “company man” who followed orders irrespective of who was running the company, to believing and advocating for the self over the nation. He went from the literal personification of America and this big propaganda machine to this defiant “rebel” who advocated for the individual over the country. Importantly, this was not because he had fallen out of love or respect for the country but it was this love that had influenced his decisions. He believed that these policies were wrong and harming the thing he was meant to be patriotic to- the people. So, as a true patriot, he sought to fix this even though it meant going against the country.

“My country, right or wrong; if right, to be kept right; and if wrong, to be set right.” — Carl Schurz

Nationalism, has at different points in history, been an effective unifying tool, especially in wartime. However, nowadays, the most abhorrent facets of the ideology have become its most recognisable calling card with its supporters emphasizing that they are only “patriots”- they just want what’s best for their great country. I am not going to analyse and deconstruct the principle of nationalism and its policies e.g immigration, mostly because many smarter people than I have already done that.

What is important to note, however, is the central thesis of nationalism, as described by George Orwell, “(nationalism) is the habit of identifying oneself with a single nation or other unit, placing it beyond good and evil and recognising no other duty than that of advancing its interests.” Patriotism, on the other hand, is a devotion to the liberties and freedoms of the people that constitute this state. The belief that the people are what matters most and that those in charge can be wrong and when they are, should be challenged. In which case, patriotism, true patriotism could be the solution to the evils of nationalism.

This is why I chose to speak about Steve Rogers’ patriotism. Despite the consequences, he chose to challenge the policies of his country/governing body because he saw them as harmful to large groups of the populace. His allegiance was to people and their liberties, not the government.

Captain America is going to represent different things to different people. He is not going to be everyone’s favourite Avenger. There is, however, one thing we should all learn from Cap, especially Chris Evans’ run as Cap- the strength to be unwavering in our own senses of morality and decency. There is a point where constant compromising becomes an issue in of itself.

In the words of Peggy Carter (probably the only person that could match Steve Rogers’ old fashioned, romantic sense of morality), “compromise where you can. But where you can’t, don’t. Even if everyone is telling you that something wrong is something right, even if the whole world is telling you to move it is your duty to plant yourself like a tree and tell them ‘No, you move’”.

CUT FOR TIME

• Chris Evans really is the perfect Captain America and honestly, that’s a whole other article that I’ve been wanting to write for a long time (I have drafts). While Robert Downey Jr has, over the years, masterfully created a version of Tony Stark perfect for the here and now, Chris literally seems to have become Steve Rogers and has imbued his performances with the core essence of what this character has been from the very first pages of his first book.
• Additionally, over time, both he and the character have slowly meshed into one. He has definitely learnt the right things from Steve Rogers. Whether, it’s his constant, humorous, takedowns of 45 and his cohorts on Twitter, his random gentlemanly acts (that really shouldn’t be a big deal but are sadly not as common anymore) or taking an active role in politics, he ever so often reminds us that he is indeed Captain America.
• The rebellious side of Steve Rogers didn’t suddenly come out in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. While always a dutiful soldier, he was never really a blind follower. In Captain America: The First Avenger, tired of being the Government’s ineffectual propaganda show monkey, he disobeys a direct order and goes on a covert mission to help rescue captured prisoners of war.

• I also love the portrayal of Steve’s flaws in the MCU, especially in Civil War. A lot of people, understandably, have issues with his actions regarding Bucky and Tony in that movie. I like that the movie doesn’t try to make excuses for his actions, it merely explains them and personally, it’s an explanation I understand. I would probably do the same thing if I were in his position.
• Speaking of, I had wanted to write a similar article pre- Endgame on Tony Stark- another character I love, especially RDJ as Tony Stark but life got in the way (!) So, please revisit my pre- Infinity War article on the Father-Son dynamic in the MCU, especially with Tony and Howard Stark.
• In honour of Endgame, I have *tried* to rank all past 21 MCU movies on my Twitter. Feel free to discuss the list with me (don’t worry, I’m pretty sure you disagree).
• Finally, this is my first MCU related post since Stan Lee’s death so please head over to my twitter for what I briefly said about the impact he’s had on my life.

Excelsior!

Bankole Imoukhuede

@banky_I