Is Captain America the Best Patriotic Superhero?
Obviously, the answer is yes. But this was not a foregone conclusion. Well before the United States entered World War II, American superheroes enthusiastically defended America from foreign threats. In fact, a whole slew of new, patriot-themed heroes were created for just that purpose. Captain America was only one among many, and he wasnt even the first: that would be the Shield, created a year earlier. In part, it was luck: his publisher, Marvel, survived and continued to specialize in superhero comics where so many other publishers either turned to other genres or failed completely. After all, Caps whole deal is that hes one-of-a-kind  a real American boy with extra America. To answer this question, I read the debut issues of five patriotic superheroes, including Captain America. Caps long history gave him an obvious advantage in terms of character development, but I tried to ignore everything except his debut. Hopefully, this little exercise will shed some light on Caps success, as well as provide insight into what was going on in the comics industry when he debuted. The Shield  The Stack Newsletter Sign up to The Stack to receive Book Riot Comic's best posts, picked for you. Thank you for signing up! Keep an eye on your inbox. By signing up you agree to our terms of use  Publisher: MLJ (Archie)  Debut: Pep Comics #1 (January 1940)  Costume: Jeez, guy, I thought the whole shield thing was supposed to be symbolic! It just looks silly. If I didnt know better, Id assume he was a Captain America parody rather than his predecessor. Origins: Unlike later characters, the Shields first issue doesnt deal much with his origins. The backstory gets scrunched into one giant paragraph in the first panel. The Shields real name is Joe Higgins. His dad was killed in the 1916 Black Tom explosion, when Germany blew up a munitions depot in New York Harbor. This is what inspired Higgins to fight for America. : First, the Shield was the first patriot-themed superhero. Second, he was co-created by Irv Novick, who went on to a long and storied career at DC Comics. And third, unlike later characters, the Shield wasnt out to punch Nazis or make any real-world political statements. The only mention of the Germans is in his origin story. Perhaps that origin was meant to hint at his true purpose, but in the main story, his opponents are Stokian spies  in other words, denizens of a fictional country, not Nazis from Germany. Furthermore, in the end, the Shield finds evidence that the spies were acting on their own, so there was no need for America to go to war. (Not sure thats how spies work, but okay.) Its like the comic wanted to make a World War II comic without actually mentioning World War II. Perhaps that was prudent, as America had not yet entered the war (in fact, war only erupted in September 1939, so it had barely started at this point), but in light of later characters actions, it seems a little wishy-washy. As an aside, the Shield also isnt too bright. Instead of securing the head spy before stopping to read some evidence, he leaves the guy free to create a massive pile of explosives right behind him and then escape out a secret passage. Yes. You know I do. Origins: Jack Westons dad, like the Shields, was killed in World War I-related circumstances. Very unlike the Shield, however, Minute-Man anticipates a future when America enters World War II and sends the army overseas to rescue Europe. But they still avoid mentioning the Nazis by name. Weston, at his guardians behest, not only joins the army but also agrees to become a modern day minuteman. The minutemen were a civilian militia group that helped America win the Revolution, so I guess the point here is that Weston, as Minute-Man, would be able to work outside the militarys rules to protect America from threats closer to home. Not much. Westons debut as Minute-Man is abrupt. One second, hes agreeing to join the military; the next, hes whipping on his costume to stop a masked man from sabotaging his troop train. His costume doesnt appear to have special protective properties like the Shields. We dont even get a token line about his being a high school athletic champ or anything. Its just vague and messy. Captain America  Publisher: Timely (Marvel)  Debut: Captain America Comics #1 (March 1941)  Costume: Lets face it, anyone who dresses up like a flag is going to look goofy. But at least its bold without straying into overtly comedic (lookin at you, Shield). Origins: Spindly Steve Rogers signs up for a government experiment designed to boost his strength, speed, and intelligence. The serum is successful, but the brilliant scientist who invented it is quickly killed by a Nazi saboteur, leaving Steve to become Americas sole super soldier. Its the best origin story Ive seen so far, but if you only look at Caps origin story, its presented a bit oddly. Cap himself isnt the main focus: we actually follow the point of view of some government officials invited to watch the serum application process. Steve himself doesnt get a single line of dialogue until after the scientist is shot. We dont even learn his name is Steve until the second to last page! He has less personality than the Shield and Minute-Man combined! : Despite sharing some elements in common with previous patriot-heroes  an obsession with fifth columnists and spies, for instance  the difference between Cap and his predecessors is apparent right from the cover. He doesnt face threats from an imagined or undefined country  oh, no, hes out there slugging Hitler right in the kisser. Also, while the other heroes in this article all appeared in anthologies, Cap got his very own magazine. While everyone else had to cram a whole story into a maximum of ten pages, Cap got three stories in addition to his origin in this same issue. This is why his origin story, despite its unusual focus and pacing, still works. So I guess I was wrong in my introduction. Maybe Timely/Marvels then-bold anti-Nazi sentiment and clear devotion to turning Cap into a star did make his eventual success a foregone conclusion. Miss Victory  Publisher: Helnit  Debut: Captain Fearless #1 (August 1941)  Costume: Its like if Wonder Womans costume was inverted and toned down. And if she was wearing bathing trunks. Origins: Miss Wayne is a new secretary for the U.S. Office of the Foreign Trade Committee. I dont know if thats a real thing. Anyway, when a villain named Mr. Axis tries to screw around with an impending rubber deal, Miss Victory swings to the rescue. : Um. Not too many of those running around. But seriously, Miss Victory got a grand total of five pages to make her first impression. There are so many unanswered questions about why she became a hero, how she got enough clout to get such an important position so fast, and what her first name is. Its implied that, unlike the other patriot-heroes, she has no connection to the government or the military. Maybe these mysteries were addressed in subsequent appearances. If nothing else, naming her opponent Mr. Axis shows an increasing willingness to be explicit about the enemys identity. I dont know if Captain America was solely responsible for the change, but Im sure he helped. Citizen V  Publisher: Timely (Marvel)  Debut: Daring Mystery Comics #8 (January 1942)  Costume: It doesnt show in the picture, but this man wears no pants whatsoever. Origins: Lieutenant John Watkins was evacuating from Dunkirk when a Nazi plane shot him down. His fellow soldiers all thought him dead, but in reality, a Frenchman saved his life and helped him get back to England. Once home, Watkins rebranded himself as Citizen V (thats V for victory, of course) and snuck into mainland Europe to inspire the people and engage in sabotage. Citizen Vs final act in his inaugural adventure is to slip into Hitlers office and pin a V sign on him. This begs the obvious question of why he didnt assassinate the guy when he had a chance. Hes a soldier, and he previously arranged for a lower-level Nazi to be shot, so its not like he has a no-killing code. : I guess Timely/Marvel must have had some extra-special talent compared with their competitors: just like Captain America, Citizen Vs origin story is put together extremely well. I didnt have to stop every other page wondering if Id missed something or wade through giant paragraphs of exposition. Citizen V was created by Ben Thompson, who I dont know much about, but kudos to him for the neat story. In addition, Citizen V is the only confirmed non-American on the list, so that distinguishes him a bit. He also (probably due to his being British) is the only character to become a superhero after having enlisted in the army and fought the Nazis. Unfortunately, I think his nationality worked against him in terms of longevity. Lets be honest: most superheroes are American or represent America. But even aside from that, Citizen V had other strikes against him. The fact that he was part of an anthology rather than the star of the book certainly didnt help. Plus, hes just not as splashy as Captain America. Except for the booty shorts, theres nothing particularly superheroic about his costume  or him. There are so many patriot-heroes. So many. Five does not even BEGIN to cover it. However, even with this small sampling, Captain Americas superiority is immediately obvious. For this, we can thank the genius of his creators, Joe Simon and Jack Kirby. Out of all the patriot-heroes whose origins I read, Captain America was given the greatest chance at success, and he took it. The others may have possessed a cool look, a compelling origin, or a bold political stance, but only Captain America had all three. He also had a creator who believed in him: long after patriot-heroes went out of fashion, Kirby and Stan Lee had enough faith to revive him for a new generation in The Avengers. And that, combined with a dash of luck, is what heroes are made of.