This is a good time to be a Captain America fan, but not exactly the best time to be American. At the time of writing there have been two episodes of Falcon and the Winter Soldier and with the promise of The United States of Captain America a new comic run in June it’s a great time to talk about America’s Captain. Now when someone says Captain American it usually means Steve Rogers. It makes sense since he was the original in the comics and wields the shield the most often in all forms of media. However, there have been many Captains over the years and that is not even counting alternative universes. Today I wanted to talk about Steve first and maybe make a series about it depending on if I want to or not. So let’s start with the original Captain America Steve Rogers (not counting Isaiah Bradley of course).
Steve Rogers is almost a mythic being within the Marvel Universe. He is the ideal human being, the ideal American, and the ideal patriot. His powers are basically to operate at peak human performance and then some. Now, this is cool as hell by our standards, but in the Marvel universe, those powers are little league. However, Steve’s real power is that of moral superiority. Steve is on the right side of issues and has the willpower to fight for hell or high water. Steve is the moral compass in the comics. He is the inspiration for half the newer generation of superheroes and a source of inspiration for any everyday person. Now the point I wanted to make with this article is that you can be Captain America. Anybody who loves their country can be. Now what is loving your country is a difficult question to answer and that’s where Steve comes in. Personally speaking, I think America is the most interesting country to talk about since it seems to be hundreds of different countries all stacked on top of one another. 50 different states spread out across a continent with only a loose set of goals keeping us together. In each state are hundreds of communities that all operate differently and feel different. I for one find it wonderful. America is a dream. Throughout a variety of comics, Steve Rogers says the line “I am only loyal to the dream”. Steve is not a government stooge doing whatever he is told. Steve believes in the American Dream. Now the question becomes what is the American Dream really and that is what is different for all the different Captains. Steve is a man out of time and holds old ideas. He is like the perfect version of someone out of the Golden Generation. He helped defeat the Nazis and the imperialist Japanese, while also being super progressive in his views on minorities. Steve probably doesn’t exist in reality. That is more of a problem with taking someone from one time period and putting our modern understanding of the world on top of them. Steve is a good person who means different things depending on when the comic was written. He is the best version of a white man in any decade he is written. He is respectful and polite, while also being steadfast in defending the defenseless. Unless it is the Ultimate run then he is an absolute asshole and that is why I do not talk about the Ultimate run since I only have the worst things to say about it. Back on topic Steve is taking all the best parts of American history and all the iconography and putting it into a decent man. Now what is interesting about Steve in the discussion of patriotism vs nationalism is that Steve many and I mean many times directly disobeys the US government. The Nomad persona was a direct response to the government corruption of the Nixon administration and there was an amazing what-if comic where Steve sided with the Vietnamese people during the Vietnam war. Steve doesn’t just accept America as it is and beat up anyone that disagrees with him. Steve strives to improve his country and make sure it is the best it can be. Steve is the ideal patriot because he understands patriotism isn’t accepting your country as it is but knowing what your country can be and working towards it.
In conclusion, patriotism is a word with so much baggage that it is almost a dog whistle at this point. Loving your country is a weird thought in the modern age where we know how little the government gives a shit about us, but a country is not its government, it’s the citizens. Loving your country just means you want the best for your country’s people. Your neighbors and your friends are your countries. So be like Steve, strive for more, and protect those who can’t protect themselves. Remember Steve carries a shield, not a sword. Defense is nobler than offense. Okay, that was pretentious. I just can’t think of a way to end this. Bye.
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