If you don’t know Captain America by now, it means you’ve been living on another planet. But even from Uranus, you should have heard the Marvel superhero’s name at least once, whether it’s from the comics or the MCU movie collection. That being said, even his most hardcore fans might not know everything about the super-strong soldier and his inspiring origin story.
So without further ado, we’ve got some interesting trivia about the man, the myth, the legend. Here is a list of fun Captain America facts you didn’t know until now.
1. Cap Can’t Get Drunk
The serum that turned Steve Rogers into a super-strong being also gave him an extremely fast metabolism, meaning he cannot get drunk as his system burns off the alcohol almost at once. Some people are just lucky that way!
2. He’s More Than Just Strong
Captain America isn’t Captain America just because he can lift a car and climb a tree to save your neighborhood cat. The man also has the ability to jump from incredible heights without breaking a single bone, like leaping from a helicopter without a parachute for example. No big deal.
3. He’s Actually the Fifth Avenger
Cap’s first big-screen adaptation may be called The First Avenger, but he was not in fact one of the founding members of the notorious group of superheroes. At least not in the comics, in which he actually turned up in the fourth Avenger issue. Originally, the founding members are: Iron Man, Ant-Man, Wasp, Thor, and Hulk. Captain America joined the Avengers when Hulk left the team.
4. Sebastian Stan Auditioned for the Role
Sebastian Stan, Bucky Barnes in the MCU, originally auditioned for the part of Captain America but didn’t land the role. Instead, he was given the role of Steve’s best friend Bucky Barnes, alias the Winter Soldier. The actor went on to admit that he agreed that Steve’s part wasn’t right for him.
5. Cap Fought Against Communism
In the comics, Captain America famously beat up Nazis, but not only. Before he became an Avenger, the superhero also fought against…communism. During the Cold War, many issues showed him fighting against the USSR, and generally anyone associated with it. For instance, the legendary Nazi villain Red Skull turned into a communist villain at some point, obviously to go with the times and the anti-communism that prevailed in the US after WWII.
6. He was the First Man on the Moon
Here’s some fun trivia about Captain America that will have you over the moon (pun intended). It’s already obvious that there is very little Cap can’t do, but what few know at all is that in a comic storyline called ‘House of M’, Captain America was the first man on the moon. Talk about multi-tasking.
7. Steve was Born on July 4th
You can’t make Captain America more American than this – Steve Rogers was born on the 4th of July, or Independence Day. If that’s not a sign that the man was made to fight under the star-spangled banner, we don’t know what is. That being said, many issues in the comics (and Captain America: Civil War) have shown that Cap can also be critical of his country when he doesn’t agree with the powers that be.
8. The Serum Made Him a Better Person
The serum Cap was given to become all buffed and unbreakable did not only make his body better, it also enhanced his entire personality – whatever good and bad traits he had before became ten times more present. Fortunately for all, Cap was already a kindhearted, brave man who put the safety of others before his own, so that’s never a bad thing to enhance.
9. Cap America Can Lift Thor’s Hammer
A well-known fact about Thor’s hammer is that it can only be lifted by someone truly worthy of wielding the weapon of a god – even the strongest superheroes have been unable to tackle that beast. However, Captain America has often proven to be worthy of such privilege in the comics and the movies like Endgame. This isn’t so surprising coming from a person who is basically a man that science turned into a god.
10. He was Once Capwolf
Superhero comic books are always ten times more surprising than superhero movies, and Captain America is no exception to the rule. Once, Steve was injected with yet another serum that basically turned him into a werewolf. He somehow even managed to stumble upon none other than Wolverine, and a battle ensued. We don’t understand it either, but we would absolutely pay to see that in live action!
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11. He Dated Peggy Carter’s Relatives
For fans of the movies, Peggy Carter is the love of Captain America’s life, but many will remember that he had a quick romance with Peggy’s grand-niece Sharon in Captain America: Civil War. Which is (sort of) okay, though many ignore the fact that in the comics, Sharon was once Peggy’s sister and Cap dated her as well in that context. Way to keep it in the family.
12. Chris Evans Turned Down the Role Twice
Before he became the face of Captain America on the big screen, actor Chris Evans refused the iconic role a few times. Something he confessed during a television interview, admitting that he was scared of the outcome. His fear is understandable since, at the time of the first Captain America movie (2011), superhero movies were a gamble. Fortunately for us, he eventually accepted and it’s unlikely he has ever regretted it.
13. Cap Was Almost Named “Super American”
Before he was called “Captain America”, Steve’s powerful alter ego was almost named “Super American”. Joe Simon, one of the character’s creators, has explained that he almost considered calling him this before realizing that there were way too many “Supers” in the world of comics and Captain sounded a lot better. Thank god…
14. He Can Run One Mile in One Minute
We all remember that scene in Captain America: Civil War, in which Cap runs around Washington D.C at least twenty times before Falcon can even do it twice. Indeed, the super soldier can run at about one mile per minute when he is in top shape, something that would definitely earn him a bit of gold at the Olympics.
15. “The First Avenger” Wasn’t the First Cap Movie
That’s right! There was a black and white television movie in 1944, which actually left out important character traits like his shield, the Super-Soldier Serum, and his original identity of Steve Roger. There were also two more movies in 1979 and another in 1990.
16. Cap’s Shield Was a Different Shape
Want some interesting facts about Cap’s iconic shield? At the beginning, Captain America’s shield was triangular, however, concerns around the weapon’s similarity to the color and costume of the superhero Shield nearly put Cap’s creators in troubled waters. Therefore, they decided to change it to the round one we all know today.
17. There Have Been Many Captains
Although he’s always been the face of the character in the movie, Steve Rogers isn’t the only one who fought as the superhero in the comics. In various issues, a handful of characters carried his shield, such as Bucky Barnes, Sam Wilson, but also a man named Isaiah Bradley, a WWII test subject, and yes, even Peggy Carter.
18. Cap Did Drag Once
Your eyes aren’t lying to you, we did just write those four words. Captain America has had his shares of adventures and undercover operations, and this one might just be the most unexpected of all. In an early comic, Steve briefly dressed up as an elderly woman to go to Germany incognito for an important mission. Yes, we too would kill to see that in the movies.
19. Steve is Quite the Artist
Unbeknownst to many fans of the movies, Captain America isn’t just good at being strong, he can also draw quite well, something that even earned him an art award at some point. His talent is hinted in Captain America: The First Avenger in which we can see him draw himself in a notebook. You’ve got to have more than one gig!
20. Steve Rogers Was Once a Fragile Chap
You’ve definitely noticed how tiny and thin Steve was prior to receiving the super serum, but do you know that he was in really poor, poor, poor health before the next stage of his life? He suffered from various conditions such as rheumatic fever, heart palpitations, asthma, sinusitis and more. Fortunately for Steve, all of these diseases were wiped away by the serum. We’re not even sure he could get sick at all after that.
Although we love the moniker “Captain America”, these 20 facts make it clear that ‘Super American’ would also have been a more than suitable name for Steve Rogers! A hero in all senses of the term, there is really little Cap can’t do, and although Chris Evans has now said goodbye to the role, we don’t doubt that the next Cap will be just as amazing as long as he has the same heart! (and the same abs).
What did you think of this list? Don’t hesitate to let us know if there are any amazing facts about Captain America we have forgotten to list.
More from Marvel:
- List of Fun Marvel Facts and Trivia
- FUN Deadpool Facts You Never Knew
