Of all the many heroes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Steve Rogers might seem like one of the most heroic. It’s true that he has many ideals and ethical values, and he tries to live his life as a good person who looks out for others and protects people from bullies. And, in many ways, he is a thoughtful hero through and through.
However, it would have been easy for the MCU to make Steve a one-note character with no nuance, but this would have been boring. Thankfully, they gave him some complexity, and because of this, he also makes mistakes and there are moments where he should have thought twice about his actions.
Second Thought: Not communicating with Tony Stark over the Accords
Truthfully, Steve had some sound reasons for not wanting to sign the Accords just like Tony had some good reasons for thinking oversight would be necessary. However, they were both in the wrong with how they handled things with each other.
They let their own stubbornness and the fact they didn’t always get along get in the way of finding common ground, and this would eventually lead to the breakup of the Avengers. If Steve had taken a little bit more time to think about Tony's side, they might have avoided a lot of pain.
Right Choice: Taking down HYDRA and SHIELD
While there are many significant moments that happen to Steve in the Captain America trilogy, one of the biggest might be when he takes down the helicarriers and essentially takes down the institution of SHIELD.
He sees that HYDRA has infiltrated SHIELD all along, and even though he naturally wants to trust in the ideals of institutions, he sees it must be done. This is a big moment for his character as he further realizes he can really only trust his own ideals and put faith in people closest to him.
Second Thought: Not being a very good leader at the start of Endgame
At the start of Avengers: Endgame, the characters who survived the snap, or blip, are all reeling. They’ve all lost so many people they love, and they also have to deal with the weight of having failed to stop Thanos.
However, it seems like Steve especially stops really trying to help. He appears to leave most of the work to Natasha Romanoff after killing Thanos doesn’t solve the problem. He might have given another thought to helping a world that likely would have benefited from it, even in some smaller ways.
Right Choice: Saving Sam Wilson and the others from the Raft
After refusing to sign the Accords and then saving Bucky against orders, Steve and those on his side in Captain America: Civil War are basically criminals. Sam Wilson, Wanda Maximoff, Clint Barton, and Scott Lang are all being kept on The Raft, aka the underwater prison, for their part in aiding Steve.
While Steve’s methods and actions in Civil War can be debated, the truth is that he’s always going to be loyal to his friends. He was right to free them especially after they had helped him and mostly followed his lead.
Second Thought: Kissing Sharon Carter then ending up with Peggy
This point is somewhat complicated because it seems like the MCU didn’t quite have a clear plan for who Steve was going to end up with romantically. Because of this, it makes Steve look a little careless because he has romantic relationships with Peggy and her great-niece, Sharon.
This relationship web is a bit odd, especially since Steve goes back to the past to be with Peggy.
Right Choice: Going fist to fist with Thanos
Steve is a character who is always willing to run headfirst into a fight to try to defend others. His catchline is “I can do this all day,” so it’s clear he’s not going to give up. And, he’s also known for not liking bullies.
It’s no wonder that he literally tries to fight Thanos in hand-to-hand combat given all of these things. And, his physical strength, as well as his determination, mean that he actually holds his own pretty well. It was the right decision for Steve because he is a man of action and always has to put in his best.
Second Thought: Not telling Tony about his parents’ deaths
Steve and Tony are very different people in some ways, but they both tend to be stubborn and act in ways they think are right without always consulting others. While Tony isn’t perfect either and he shouldn’t have tried to kill Bucky, Steve was wrong to lie to Tony for so long about what really happened to his parents.
While Steve might have thought he was doing the right thing and sparing Tony from the pain, it was a big betrayal, and it just made everything with Tony so much worse. If he'd thought again about it, he might have told him earlier, in a better setting, to head off a big shock.
Right Choice: Rescuing and saving Bucky many times
So much of Steve Roger’s story in the Captain America trilogy revolves around him trying to save Bucky. The first thing he really ever does as Captain America, besides sell war bonds, is to save Bucky and The Howling Commandos.
He then has to try to save the Winter Soldier, and lastly, he protects Bucky from the government and eventually Tony Stark. While he might make some reckless decisions trying to save him, his loyalty and love for his best friend are inspiring. It's always the right choice for sure.
Second Thought: Going back to the past
The end of Captain America’s story in the MCU seems confusing. Despite the rules of time travel set up, Steve decides to break those rules, in a seemingly selfish way, to go back to the 1940s/50s and live out a life with Peggy.
It felt out of character, and it also meant Steve abandoned all of his friends, left the world to recover in chaos, and also erased Peggy’s life story up to that point. If Steve thought about it again, he may have found better ways to go about it.
Right Choice: Sacrificing himself in The First Avenger
While a star-spangled suit and a shield might make Steve Rogers look like a hero, he proved he was a hero even before he became Captain America when he threw himself on the fake grenade near the beginning of the film.
However, one of his most notable big hero moments that fans is when he crashed the Valkyrie into the ice at the end of the film in order to keep others safe. It was the right decision and saved many people.
