The Star Spangled Man with a plan is one of Marvel's first superheroes, with his involvement with The Avengers throwing him into some of the most epic, sprawling adventures of all time. With that being said, what is going on behind the "A" on his forehead?
Cap's had his ups and his downs, but has also been in a state of flux in of his characterization. Some writers portray him as a sympathetic man out of time and some portray him as a jackbooted thug. In fact, there is one artist who even made Captain America unlikeable with just one image.
Felt Bad: Capwolf
The "Capwolf" saga that took place in the pages of Captain America is the epitome of '90s comics. Written by Mark Gruenwald, this story, involving Cap being turned into a werewolf by the villain Nightshade, is utter nonsense, but it was still a rough time for Steve Rogers.
Wolverine, one of Marvel's deadliest heroes.
Hated Him: Standing By As Ms. Marvel Was Victimized
In the story, Carol Danvers, then going by Ms. Marvel, was manipulated by the villain Immortus into giving birth to his reincarnation.
How did Captain America and The Avengers react to this situation? Well, they treated this violation like it was actually a good thing. In an issue of Uncanny X-Men, Carol Danvers left The Avengers and read the team the riot act for being so stupid.
Felt Bad: When The Masters Of Evil Destroyed His Stuff
Unlike Avengers #200, "Under Siege" by Roger Stern is seen by many as one of the best Avengers stories of all time, with the story putting the team through the ringer. The story sees the classic villain team The Masters of Evil returning to get revenge on the team, Captain America in particular.
Their attack on Avengers Mansion resulted in Jarvis and Hercules being critically injured, but the biggest gut-punch was saved for Cap. Cap would find all of his belongings destroyed, with those items being his only ties to his past.
Hated Him: When Rob Liefeld Got His Hands On Cap
Usually, bad writing damages Cap's cred, but bad art can do so as well. Rob Liefeld is a controversial figure as he made a lot of money in the 1990s due to his comic book art, but that doesn't mean that art was good. His art has been mocked, criticized, and parodied for a long time, but his take on Captain America during the Heroes Reborn debacle is some of his worst material.
Not only is the story of Rob Liefeld's Captain America surface level, but his art, depicting Captain America as a bulging abomination, is a whole other can of worms. In fact, the art in this series is so bad that it has become a meme in its own right.
Felt Bad: Physically Aging
Captain America, being a World War II veteran, is a pretty old person already, but there was a time when Cap looked his age. During Rick Remender's run on Captain America, Cap battled The Iron Nail, which led to The Super Soldier Serum being drained from Cap's system.
Steve Rogers than rapidly aged into a frail old man, no longer able to perform his patriotic duties. He then ed the mantle down to Sam Wilson before taking more of a backseat role in the superhero community, serving as The Man in The Chair for The Uncanny Avengers.
Hated Him: Hail Hydra
The moment that infuriated many comic book fans, Captain America's heel turn in Nick Spencer's run on Captain America: Steve Rogers was a major shock to the system for Marvel fans. During a seemingly routine mission, Cap pushes his partner Jack Flag out of a plane, revealing that he was a Hydra sleeper agent.
Among "Stevil's" crimes were manipulating events during Civil War II which ultimately led to the death of Bruce Banner, murdering Red Skull, and lying to a whole lot of people. However, that wasn't the worst thing Cap did during this era.
Felt Bad: The Winter Soldier
For a long time, Bucky Barnes was one of the few dead characters in comics who stayed dead. Then Ed Brubaker had the idea to bring back Cap's former sidekick as the villain Winter Soldier in his run on Captain America.
This was a time when Cap was suffering from nightmares revolving around the horrors of World War II, so he wasn't in the best mental state at the time. Bucky's villainous turn was brief, but it deeply hurt Captain America to see his friend fall so far.
Hated Him: Secret Empire
Out of all the horrible things that Cap has done, leading a hostile takeover of America is among the most grandiose. Nick Spencer's more sinister Steve Rogers kicked off his coup by taking over Hydra and christened himself Hydra Supreme.
In the divisive event Secret Empire, the Marvel superheroes had to band together to stop this evil Steve Rogers, as well as the superheroes he roped into his scheme like Thor and The Punisher. Though this Steve was revealed to be a fake, his actions soiled Cap's reputation.
Felt Bad: A Man Out Of Time
If someone from the 1940s was brought into the 2020s, their mind wouldn't be able to comprehend the culture shock. The story of how Captain America is revived in the modern day is far more terrifying than its usually portrayed.
While the first retelling of the event by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby didn't really make a big deal out of the story, later retellings would emphasize the tragedy of being a man out of time. For example, in Mark Waid's Captain America: Man Out of Time, Cap returns to the 40s, only to find he's past his time.
Hated Him: His Portrayal In Avengers Vs. X-Men
Fans still wear their "Cyclops Was Right" T-shirts proudly today because of Avengers Vs. X-Men, but given how unlikeable Captain America is in the story, could he possibly be wrong? Pitting The Children of The Atom vs The Earth's Mightiest Heroes, the story portrays Cap as a total bully.
When The Phoenix Force threatens the Earth, Captain America demands The X-Men hand over Cable's daughter Hope Summers, with his reasoning being very flimsy. Writers Brian Michael Bendis, Matt Fraction, Jonathan Hickman, Ed Brubaker, and Jason Aaron are all great writers, but if a Cap fan was asked, Avengers Vs. X-Men wouldn't be among their finest work.
