Warning: Contains spoilers for Captain America #3!!
Captain America is typically portrayed as the embodiment of strong morality and justice – while that certainly holds true in the MCU, the comics just handled his iconic, “I can do this all day” moment with far more depth, by having him actually take a political stand for all to see, rather than get into a back-alley brawl with a single opponent.
Captain America #3 – by J. Michael Straczynski, Jesús Saíz, Lan Medina, Matt Hollingsworth, and Joe Caramanga – features Steve revisiting a few specific moments of his youth, including interrupting a fascist rally. In the famed MCU scene, it’s a sense of patriotism that sets him off, and he winds up taking punches to quiet one person.
However, he takes a much firmer stance in the comics. He’s not confronting a single man for bad behavior – Captain America is standing up against the entire fascist movement. According to the speaker, Steve is there “every time [they] assemble” and clearly he can do that all day.
Captain America’s Best Weapon Isn’t His Shield
As impressive as Captain America’s shield is, he has even better weapon, strong enough to bring down the X-Men’s most formidable adversary.
MCU Doesn’t Show Captain America Being Political Enough
By elevating Steve’s status from a patriotic citizen who doesn’t like bullies to a young man repeatedly showing up as an activist against fascism, Captain America #3 adds depth to Captain America. The character always stands for something, and that’s the case in the MCU as well, but here he takes a hard political stance, unafraid afraid to voice opposition where its needed. He is there so frequently that he’s recognized by the men who run the rallies and then head-hunted by Meyer Lansky to take his anti-fascism one step further. Steve isn’t picking fights in alleyways – he’s confronting the leaders of American Fascism before he has the super serum to back him up.
There is one obvious common thread between the MCU Steve Rogers and Straczynski’s latest version. Steve refers to Nazis and similar groups as bullies and cowards, as that’s something he opposes across the board. It doesn’t matter what they call themselves, or whether they’re in “Brooklyn or Berlin or anyplace else” – they’re the same, and it’s something Cap has taken a stance against as long as he can remember. The MCU took that trait and presented it in smaller, more personal ways, while the comics show that Captain America has always been willing to put himself out there when he believes something needs to be said.
Captain America Stands Up For Those Without A Voice
It’s one thing to dislike bullies and cowards and deal with them one-on-one and another to take the risk of speaking for those who can’t speak for themselves. MCU presented Captain America as a brave hero (deservedly so), but Steve’s current position within the comics show how far he’s willing to stick his neck out when people try to use their numbers and power to hurt others. Whether it’s interrupting fascist rallies back in his pre-serum days or assembling a team of mutants and showing the world that they’re not the enemy, Captain America isn’t afraid to make powerful statements for all to hear.
CAPTAIN AMERICA #3 (2023) | |
|---|---|
 |
|
