By now, everyone is familiar with Steve Rogers, better known to most as Captain America. Captain America has managed to stay relevant throughout the years, and with the release of ‘Captain America: Civil War’ it’s not hard to see why. Be sure to get in on the action by checking out the Captain America online slot machine on the Ladbrokes website today! But where did the star-spangled-hero start out?
Created in 1941, Captain America was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby and first introduced to the world in ‘Captain America Comics #1’. Capitalising on the patriotic feelings that were widespread during the Second World War, Steve Rogers was the all-American that the United States wanted to see, and his ongoing stories often saw him clashing with the Nazi forces on the frontlines.
Before he was a soldier, though, Steve Rogers (born in 1920) was just a scrawny kid from the Lower East Side of Manhattan, making his living as a comic book writer and artist while he studied fine arts. Rogers is finally moved into taking action against the rising Third Reich when the USA joins the Second World War. However, Rogers’ attempts to join the army are rebuffed, as he doesn’t measure up to the physical standards for recruitment. This rejection doesn’t deter him, though, and Rogers continually applies to different sectors of the military-and eventually, his determination pays off.
Roger’s commitment and drive brings him to the eye of General Chester Phillips, who is head of the Secret Project: Rebirth. The idea of the project is to use a special ‘super-serum’ to make a super soldier, and while he is only initially a test subject, Rogers reaction to the serum is perfect, transforming him into Captain America!
Taking part in many exciting battles and campaigns, Captain America was joined in the midst of World War Two by many different allies, the most recognisable being Bucky Barnes, the teenage sidekick who was featured in nearly all of Captain America’s adventures from the start. From punching Hitler in the face to thwarting the Red Skull, Bucky and Cap were inseparable-until (in the closing days of World War Two) the two came up against a sabotaged prototype drone plane that is rigged to explode. After failing to defuse the bombs, Bucky is caught in the blast, and Captain America is thrown from the plane into the North Atlantic Sea, where his body is frozen, and left in suspended animation.
Awoken in the present day, Rogers body was recovered by the first iteration of The Avengers. Then consisting of Iron-Man, Thor, Ant-Man and Wasp, The Avengers were happy to welcome in the newly revived Captain America, whose skill and experiences lent themselves brilliantly as the leader of this new team. Together with his new comrades, Rogers would come up against many of the enemies he faced down in the Second World War; One of which being The Red Skull.
Once a leading Nazi, and now the head of the criminal organisation Hydra, The Red Skull is committed to his idea of a perfect world, and will stop at nothing to achieve his goals. Obsessed with domination and an insane need to defeat Captain America, The Red Skull is probably Rogers’ most threatening adversary-certainly the most recognisable.
