Captain America is such an integral figure in the MCU that the sheer wealth of memes spawned from his career is no surprise. Now that Sam Wilson is set to embody the role in earnest in Captain America: Brave New World in his first solo cinematic outing, Captain America’s years-long absence from the MCU is finally about to be broken. 13 years after the mantle debuted in the MCU, reflecting on the impact Captain America has had in popular culture is easy when there are so many memes of his MCU journey immortalized on the internet.

Captain America and the MCU in general began at the height of meme culture, meaning his likeness is immortalized in old-school templates that still stand the test of time today. Instead of being the subject within a classic meme template, Captain America often is the meme template. With that in mind, these are some of the best Captain America memes that can be found online today.

The Elevator Meme Template

References Steve Rogers’ “Hail HYDRA” Moment

The Captain America Elevator Meme is one of the most recognizable templates on the internet, spawning a vast array of variations in the years following the release of Avengers: Endgame. The format typically sees Captain America whisper a Dad Joke to Jasper Sitwell, sparking the elevator fight depicted in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. The humor derives from the fact that Rogers’ joke is so bad that it prompts everyone in his vicinity to attack him.

The meme is spliced from two of Steve Rogers’ most iconic MCU scenes. The scene in which Sitwell and Rogers share the elevator comes during Avengers: Endgame‘s Time Heist, and Steve utters the line “Hail Hydra” to commandeer the scepter from Sitwell’s custody to avoid another enclosed fistfight. The bottom panel, meanwhile, depicts the iconic elevator fight scene from Captain America: The Winter Soldier in which HYDRA agents within SHIELD are ordered to subdue Rogers.

The “So You Got Detention” Template

References Steve Rogers’ Highschool PSA Videos

The “So you got detention” meme uses a still from Steve Rogers’ PSAs geared towards high school kids, which appeared throughout Spider-Man: Homecoming. This PSA was wheeled out during Peter Parker’s detention and shows Rogers sitting down to deliver some advice in the wake of his audience’s mistakes. The rest of his script plays out off-screen, but the nature in which Rogers spins the chair to sit backward exudes an air of somewhat patronizing authority.

The meme follows a simple format, with the viewer’s perceived mistake following Rogers’ “So you…“, though it is quite versatile. Sometimes the meme is deployed in response to a gaff, such as not crediting the original artist in a social media post. Other uses, however, are self-referential, such as the one posted above in which @ThatGuyRagnal enhances the typical format with a GIF instead of a still image, diminishing the quality of the latter by comparison.

The Civil War Template

References Tony Stark And Steve Rogers’ Conflict In Captain America: Civil War

Captain America: Civil War was like an Avengers movie in all but name, featuring the two de facto leaders (Tony and Steve) going toe to toe with fellow Avengers backing them up. Their rivalry was ostensibly sparked by contrasting opinions on the Sokovia Accords, but memes began “speculating” over what would cause the rift in the year before its release would clarify the truth. Such memes would show panels of Steve Rogers and Tony Stark expressing different opinions before the final panel shows the title card for Captain America: Civil War, such as in this example by Redditor theonlyjaguarsfan.

The meme preceded the movie during a time when speculation was rampant, but fans were clued in enough to know that the titular “war” would be waged between the two Avengers leaders. Memes typically leaned into the most trivial causes, such as a disagreement about the best boy band, or Steve rejecting Tony’s offer of a blueberry in The Avengers. Variations also see Cap and Stark simply insulting each other instead, while a further panel with a fan-made “Planet Hulk” title card is also added after Bruce Banner shares a third, less popular opinion.

Standing On The Bus

References Steve Rogers Restraining A Helicopter In Captain America: The Winter Soldier

One of the MCU’s most iconic shots came in Captain America: The Winter Soldier when Steve Rogers held a helicopter back from carrying out HYDRA’s mission through sheer strength alone. By grabbing the landing skid of the helicopter and a steel bar on the helipad, the results of Chris Evans’ intense workout regime were on full display as his biceps popped. It was an ample demonstration of Captain America’s Super Soldier physiology and a testament to the physical work that Evans put into the role.

It is also a scene that anyone who has had to stand up on a moving bus can relate to, as the above meme by trip594 points out. Though there are very few who can say that they have held a helicopter in place with their bare hands, the feeling of trying to stay upright on a sharp-turning bus is probably similar. At the very least, they can indulge in their own Captain America moment in their heads as they successfully avoid falling over thanks to their upper arm strength.

Captain America Uses Drugs

References Steve Rogers’ Use Of Super Soldier Serum

The idea that Captain America is a paragon of virtue hits a snag when considering where his powers come from. As Captain America’s PSAs to high school kids demonstrate, superheroes are often propped up as role models which many children would look up to. It stands to reason, then, that Superheroes would be wheeled out as the voices of reason when it comes to drug use and saying “no” to drugs.

Except Steve Rogers wouldn’t have been a superhero were it not for “drug” use. The Super Soldier Serum has a lot to answer for, with the formula arguably causing far more harm than good as nefarious outfits seek to duplicate and wield it for their designs. Steve Rogers’ use of the serum to deliver justice is a positive outcome, but the fact that he was willing to be injected with an experimental formula does not exactly make him role model material for impressionable minds that might look to imitate his actions. Redditor JaBail04 clearly agrees.

Cap’s Hot Dog

References Steve Rogers On Promotional MCU Images

Promotional images for the MCU are almost as important for the franchise’s marketing as its record-breaking trailers, with posters for movies like Avengers: Infinity War conveying the epic scale of the movie in just one image. To help with this, Captain America’s contributions seem to entail a very specific trope: looking wistfully up into the sky. As one or two astute observers have pointed out, including @okjonblair on X, this has evolved into a trend that makes it look like a bird has flown off with his food.

The pose, which can be seen replicated on posters for The Avengers, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame, is presumably meant to show that Cap is looking seriously at a threat of epic proportions. The pose is ostensibly meant to make Captain America look heroic as he faces off against otherworldly threats. Yet this meme brings the intended tone down a peg or two by relating it to the more down-to-earth experience that any regular Joe could face.

On Your Left

References Sam Wilson’s Avengers: Endgame Line

Steve Rogers and Sam Wilson first met in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, where the phrase “on your left” became a bone of contention for the former after Cap’s enhanced physiology saw him continuously lap Wilson on a morning run around the Washington Monument. Yet as Cap found himself and his teammates on the ropes during Avengers: Endgame‘s Battle of Earth, Sam was able to one-up his friend with the phrase announcing his arrival with ample reinforcements through several sling ring portals. The moment was a satisfying callback and one of many iconic lines to feature in Avengers: Endgame.

The moment wouldn’t have been quite as impactful, however, if Wilson had emerged on Steve Rogers’ right instead. A commonly reposted meme, played on by @jaeviy highlights the somewhat trivial conversation that must have occurred for Wilson’s line to have had the desired effect, honing in on the ridiculousness of his request. Of course, it is also just as likely that Wilson appeared on Rogers’ left out of sheer luck – which is certainly the more amenable notion.

The Awkward Side Of The Snap

References Steve Rogers’ Snap Support Group In Avengers: Endgame

The philosophical, psychological, and practical implications of the Snap and the Blip are so vast that they could fill an entire MCU Phase. While MCU Phase 4 certainly delved into many of the consequences, risking complaints that it lingered too much on the past. As a result, some have yet still to be touched on. The fact that Steve Rogers unwittingly contributed to one of the most awkward of these has, at least, been enshrined in memes like the above one by LeilaSchubert on Reddit.

Steve Rogers’ support group for people affected by the Snap five years later preceded any hope that it could be undone and included his insistence that people “move on” from the loss of loved ones. The problem, however, is that he would later contribute to the Blip bringing said loved ones back. This would leave those who followed his advice in a particularly awkward situation, especially for those who started new families only to have their old ones blipped back into existence thanks partially to Rogers himself.

“He’s Out Of Line But He’s Right” Template

References Sam Wilson’s Line In The Falcon And The Winter Soldier

One of the more modern meme templates to emerge from the Captain America mythos is drawn directly from The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. The meme uses a still from a scene in which Sam, Bucky, and Zemo are flying to Madripoor in Episode 3, and Wilson is attempting to win the 40s-music-loving Bucky over on Marvin Gaye. Zemo agrees with Wison, stating that Gaye’s Trouble Man “captures the African-American experience,” to which Wilson replies “He’s out of line, but he’s right.”

This scene has now become a popular template used to express a similar sentiment about off-piste observations or unpopular opinions. The template has co-opted Sam’s response to mean something different from what he initially meant, as the statement in the show was made in response to Zemo speaking out of turn rather than saying something weird but correct. The meme is now practically synonymous with “shower thoughts,” with Sam Wilson now taking Rogers’ place in the realm of memes in addition to the MCU.

Steve’s Skewed Priorities

References Steve’s Decision To Retire In Avengers: Endgame

The Infinity Saga ended with several of its main players parting ways with the franchise, including Captain America and Tony Stark. Both are synonymous with the Avengers, and their departure has led to concerns that overall interest in the MCU is waning in their absence. Cap’s departure is arguably more frustrating than Stark, Romanoff, and Vision, however, as he did not die but simply retired to live a life with Peggy Carter. While he certainly deserved it, it does not assuage the fact that he shirked plenty of other plot threads and relationships as a result.

As this meme highlights, Steve Rogers capitalizing on the ability to travel back in time and live a full life with Peggy meant that he was leaving all the relationships developed in the present behind. Not least of these are “Marvel fans,” who are among the most affected by Rogers’ retirement now that the MCU is struggling, and his absence has left a vacuum that has yet to be satisfyingly filled. Hopefully, this will finally be rectified by the new Captain America in Captain America: Brave New World in February 2025.