On December 20, 1940, Captain America made his comic book debut in the United States.
At the time, he was facing the Nazis to galvanize the Americans.
Eight decades later, the situation has changed: "Cap" is still as strong as ever, but it has abandoned exacerbated American patriotism in favor of a more universal defense of freedoms.
He is perhaps the archetype of the superhero, bordering on cliché: Captain America is celebrating his 80th birthday at the end of 2020.
Now known around the world, the Super Soldier first appeared in the United States on December 20, 1940. A founding character of the genre, he now joins Batman and Superman in the 80-year-old superhero club.
It was not won because despite the success of the first hour, Captain America's journey has not always been glorious.
Back on the career of a myth.
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A superhero rooted in his time
For anyone who has discovered the character recently, it is striking how little Captain America has changed since his first appearance in issue # 1 of
Captain America Comics
.
Blue-white-red shield, blue lycra suit covered with a star, a half-mask on the head which hides an ideal son-in-law's head: everything is already there on December 20, 1940. "Cap" was born from the imagination by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby.
Both Jews, they are particularly touched by the drama unfolding in Europe and decide to create a superhero capable of galvanizing Americans, a standard bearer of the values of the United States.
Thus was born Steve Rogers, an idealistic art student from Brooklyn, who dreams of enlisting in the military to fight the Nazis in World War II.
Too thin, he failed during physical tests.
But he stands out for his bravery and the army integrates him into the "Renaissance Project" which aims to create "super soldiers".
She injects him with an experimental serum that gives him superhuman strength and speed.
Steve Rogers then becomes Captain America, a transformation recounted in cinema in 2011 in
Captain America: First Avenger
.
From the start, "Cap" occupies a special place in the world of superheroes since his adventures are anchored in reality.
In the comics, he goes to the front, in Europe.
It is set up as a model for the troops, like the cover of the very first issue, where the superhero is seen punching Adolf Hitler.
The goal is to mobilize young Americans to support the US Army, but Captain America remains an entertainment character who also fights fantastic enemies, like Red Skull.
This mixture of genres has met with massive success: comics are printed in millions of copies.
End of the war, air hole and rebirth
But while Captain America triumphed over the Nazis, he unfortunately did not survive the end of World War II.
Without a war to wage, the soldier interests Americans less and less, much less enthusiastic about the concept after five conflicts.
The series lives on for a while before stopping in 1949. Four years later, it is relaunched and this time, we send Steve Rogers to fight the Communists, Cold War obliges ... But the propaganda does not take, it's a new failure.
It wasn't until 1963 that Captain America was resurrected thanks to the legendary Marvel screenwriter Stan Lee.
Fan of the character, the author finds a trick to bring him back: after World War II, Captain America's plane had crashed in the ice.
He was therefore found 20 years later in a state of hibernation and without having aged.
A sort of time traveler, Steve Rogers discovers a new world to which he must adapt.
This time it is a success, Captain America regains his glory and even becomes the leader of the Avengers.
Sixty later, "Cap" is still a star, with his outfit still so identifiable and his round shield which remains his only weapon.
On the character side, righteousness and honesty always serve as a moral compass.
But one thing has changed, and not the least.
Even though he kept the name, Captain America is no longer the patriotic hero he has long been.
After some conflicts with his government in the 1980s and 1990s, Steve Rogers went to "war" against the American authorities in
Civil War
, a comic book that marked a turning point for his image.
A hero less smooth than he seems
In this narrative arc, scripted by Mark Millar and published in 2006, following a serious accident between superheroes and villains, the US government decides to control all the supermen to limit the damage they cause.
Everyone must register with the administration, publicly reveal their identity and act only under official mandate.
This law divides superheroes: there are those who accept, in the name of responsibility, like Iron Man and Spider-Man;
and those who refuse, in the name of freedom of action and opinion, led by… Captain America, unexpected rebel.
The ideological clash quickly turns into a titanic fight between the two factions of superheroes.
Threatened, hunted down and declared an outlaw, Captain America is presented here in a new light, not hesitating to challenge the system in place, challenge his lifelong masked friends and even face the soldiers of whom he was once the standard bearer.
An astonishing turning point which sheds a new light on this superhero sometimes considered, wrongly, as too smooth.
This evolution has also been very well reproduced in cinema in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
After debuting in
First Avenger
, Steve Rogers was reunited with his comrades in
Avengers
.
He then takes on the costume of "boss" of superheroes and shines, alone, in
The Winter Soldier
, the most successful film of the Marvel saga.
In 2016, the adaptation of
Civil War
also switches the hero into another phase, darker and more mature.
And that's far from the end of the story for Captain America.
In the comics, he is now African-American: since 2014, Sam Wilson has taken over the costume of Steve Rogers.
The cinema has not yet started this shift.
But in
Avengers: Infinity War
,
Civil War
sequel
, we saw a "Cap" who gave up his outfit and his shield and even let himself grow beard and hair.
In 80 years, the ideal son-in-law has taken quite a blow ... but he's aged well.