Captain America (Marvel Cinematic Universe)/Synopsis

The story of Captain America of the MCU.

Childhood
"Even when I had nothing, I had Bucky."

- Steve Rogers Steven Grant "Steve" Rogers was born on July 4th, 1918 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA. He is the only child of Joseph Rogers and Sarah Rogers. Before Rogers was born, his father Joseph was confirmed to be Killed in Action in World War I. At a young age during his childhood, he met James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes, who became his best friend. Rogers was often targeted by bullies in the streets due to his small build. However, Rogers' resilience, despite his small stature, had inspired a young James Barnes to come to his aid and fight off the bullies, and the two became best friends from that day forward.

Rogers attended George Washington High School in Brooklyn, New York City from 1932 to 1936 and Auburndale Art School, also in Brooklyn, from 1937 to 1938.

Mother's Death
"Thank you Buck, but I can get by on my own." "The thing is, you don't have to. I'm with you 'til the end of the line, pal."

- Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes after Sarah Rogers' funeral On October 15th, 1936, Rogers, now 18, discovered his mother had died of tuberculosis. She was buried next to his father Joseph. After the funeral, Rogers talked to Bucky, who tried to help him get a job, but Rogers said he could get by on his own. Barnes then told Rogers, he didn't have to be alone because he would be with him "'til the end of the line".

Training with Bucky
"Do you want to kill Nazis?" "I don't want to kill anyone, but I don't like bullies; I don't care where they're from."

- Abraham Erskine and Steve Rogers Rogers and Barnes learned during an art class that the United States of America entered World War II, which immediately made Rogers want to join the United States Army to fight in Europe against the Nazis, so Bucky trained him for two weeks at Goldie's Boxing Gym. Soon Bucky and Steve went to a US Recruiting and Induction Center in New York City where Steve was classified as 4F and rejected from service, but Bucky later enlisted in the Army.

Project Rebirth


"The serum amplifies everything inside; so good becomes great, bad becomes worse. That is why you were chosen."

- Abraham Erskine to Rogers, the night before the experiment

In New York City, December 1941, Steve continued to be rejected for military duty, despite making multiple attempts at different enlistment offices, due to his various health and physical issues. He remained determined to fight alongside his friends and other men overseas and would attempt to convince the doctors to give him a chance, to no avail. Disappointed, he went to a local cinema. At the screening, an advert was played showing the different ways soldiers and civilians can help with the war effort. Another man in the cinema yelled at the screen and disrespected the message of the film. Rogers was the only person to stand up to the bully, who brought him outside and beat him up. Steve was later helped by his friend Bucky, who chased off the bully. In an attempt to cheer up his friend, Barnes convinced Rogers to attend an exhibition of future technologies with him and two beautiful girls. As they explored the Expo, Rogers saw Howard Stark demonstrate his flying car prototype, which promptly crashed to the ground. Rogers, a shy man, was awkward around the girls. When he saw an enlistment office, Rogers snuck off and attempted to enlist again. Barnes found Rogers and tried to convince him not to enlist again in case he was arrested for lying on his enlistment form again, but Rogers insisted that he needed to fight for his country. Having overheard Rogers' conversation with Barnes about wanting to help in the war, Dr. Abraham Erskine approached Rogers. Erskine asked Rogers if he wished to go overseas and kill Nazis, but Rogers assured that he did not wish to kill anyone; he simply did not like bullies no matter where they were from. Impressed by this answer, Erskine decided to enlist Rogers as a candidate of Project Rebirth, a "super-soldier" experiment being conducted by the Strategic Scientific Reserve. Rogers agreed and under the supervision of Dr. Erskine, Colonel Chester Phillips and Agent Peggy Carter, he traveled to Camp Lehigh to begin his training. Rogers trained hard but was often mocked and bullied by the other soldiers, including a particularly cruel bully named Gilmore Hodge. Yet his determination and quick thinking often made him stand out from the group. Colonel Phillips was unconvinced of Erskine's claims that Rogers was the right person for the procedure but relented after seeing Rogers commit an act of self-sacrificing bravery. The night before the treatment, Erskine revealed to Rogers that his first test subject, the Nazi officer Johann Schmidt, underwent an imperfect version of the treatment; becoming super-human but suffering negative side-effects due to his inner ambition for power and obsession with becoming a "superior man". However, he reassured Rogers that he chose him because he was inherently a good man and one that because he had been weak his whole life, would not lose respect for the strength he would gain. They promised to share a drink after the treatment. Schmidt, having discovered Erskine's location, dispatched an assassin to kill him. In America, Rogers was escorted to a secret facility by Peggy Carter. As they drove together, Rogers pointed out many of the locations where he had been beaten up in the past. He and Carter talked about how it felt to be picked on and ignored for something they could not change; Rogers for his height and Carter for her gender. Despite Rogers' awkwardness in speaking to her, Carter was charmed by Rogers' sincerity and good moral values. Once there, Doctor Abraham Erskine greeted Rogers and Carter while Howard Stark prepped the machinery and Chester Phillips watched from a safe distance with various Generals and Senators. Once Rogers was strapped into the machine, Erskine gave a short speech to the people watching before subjecting Rogers to the super-soldier treatment, injecting him with a special serum and dosing him with Vita Radiation. Although the treatment was extremely painful, Rogers told the scientists to keep going and he emerged from the experiment with a greatly enhanced physique. Rogers went from being 5'4" tall and weighing 94 lbs., to being 6'2" tall and weighing 240 lbs. Peggy was the first to greet Rogers as he stepped out. When she asked how he felt, the awestruck Rogers could only comment that he felt taller. Shortly after the experiment, one of the attendees shot and killed Erskine, revealing himself as Johann Schmidt's assassin, Heinz Kruger. The assassin stole the last vial of Super Soldier Serum before escaping. Rogers ran to Erskine's aid but there was nothing he could do. Erskine pointed to Rogers' heart, reminding him of their earlier conversation, and died. Rogers pursued Kruger on foot, while Kruger drove away in a stolen taxi. Due to his enhanced physicality, Rogers was able to catch up with Kruger and caused the taxi to crash. When Kruger tried to escape in a HYDRA submarine, Rogers dove into the water after him and captured Kruger, but the assassin smashed the Super Soldier Serum and committed suicide via cyanide pill before he could be interrogated. With Dr. Abraham Erskine dead, the super-soldier formula was lost. Blood samples were taken in hopes to replicate the formula. Out of twelve, one was given to Howard Stark. Rather than be confined to a lab while scientists attempted to rediscover Erskine's formula, Rogers tried to convince Chester Phillips to allow him to serve overseas, but Phillips refused, noting that he was not the army he had wanted. However, Senator Brandt approached Rogers and offered him the chance to serve his country on the "most important battlefield of the war".

Working for the USO


"At least he's got me doing this. Philips would've had me stuck in a lab." "And these are your only two options? A lab rat or a dancing monkey?"

- Steve Rogers and Peggy Carter

Rather than serving overseas on the battlefield, however, Brandt had Rogers tour the nation in a colorful costume as "Captain America". Rogers regretfully agreed, with his job being to promote war bonds for the Treasury Department and encourage American participation in the war. Rogers found performing difficult and awkward, still wishing to fight with his fellow soldiers. With the help of a large show featuring music and dancers, even including a fake Adolf Hitler for Steve to "knock out," Rogers became an icon and living propaganda piece for the American people, even starring in his own comic book and movie serials in which he would battle and defeat the Nazis. He could continue to travel the country from state to state as his popularity continued to grow with the wives and children whose husbands and fathers were fighting overseas, and Rogers would often pose for pictures and sign autographs.

Liberation of Allied Prisoners of War


"Get out fast and give ’em hell. I’ll meet you guys in the clearing with anybody else I find." "Wait! You know what you’re doin’?" "Yeah. I’ve knocked out Adolf Hitler over two hundred times."

- Captain America and Gabe Jones

In 1943, while touring to active servicemen in Italy, Rogers learned the men of the military did not enjoy his act as much as the nine-year-olds for whom he usually performed. Depressed at the job he had been given and wanting to be a soldier, he took a free moment to sketch himself as a performing monkey. Peggy Carter joined him and tried to persuade him that he was meant for more than what he was doing, reminding him of the reasons why Abraham Erskine had selected him. During their conversation, Rogers learned that Bucky Barnes' unit was lost in battle against Johann Schmidt's forces. Although Colonel Chester Phillips seemingly confirmed Barnes as K.I.A., Rogers refused to believe that Bucky was dead and stole weapons and some equipment in an attempt to drive to the HYDRA base and find him. Peggy Carter convinced him to allow her to help him. Peggy Carter and Howard Stark assisted him by flying him to Austria, thirty miles behind enemy lines. During the journey, Rogers had an awkward conversation with Carter when he mistakenly thought she had begun a relationship with Stark. Their plane was suddenly shot at by enemy guns, and Rogers ordered Carter to turn the plane around once he was clear. She tried to tell him that he could not give her orders, but he smiled and said he could because he was a Captain. Rogers then leapt from the plane and landed safely on the ground. Rogers snuck aboard a HYDRA truck, knocking out the guards and infiltrated the A fortress belonging to Johann Schmidt's HYDRA division. Once there, he found and stole a piece of Tesseract technology and freed the captured soldiers. The soldiers fought their HYDRA captors, allowing them to escape. Rogers went on looking for Barnes. On the way, he spotted Arnim Zola leaving a room. When Rogers entered the room, he found Bucky strapped to a table. Rogers freed him and they tried to escape. However, the entire facility began to explode so they tried to find another way out. Steve Rogers was then confronted by Johann Schmidt; they had a brief fight where Schmidt showed off his incredible strength. Zola separated the pair, and Schmidt revealed his face to be a mask, removing it to display the red-colored, skull-like face that earned him the nickname "The Red Skull". Schmidt escaped and Rogers managed to get himself and Barnes to safety. He reunited with the escaped P.O.W.s and returned to the base along with the freed soldiers. Rogers then asked Colonel Chester Phillips to reprimand him for his actions but the latter denied it, knowing that he did a good job in saving the lives of over 400 captured soldiers. Peggy Carter asked him why he arrived late and Rogers explained that he could not call his ride as the radio she gave him had been broken. Bucky Barnes called for all the people to acknowledge that Captain America was a hero and every soldier cheered and applauded. Rogers debriefed Phillips on everything he had learned during his raid on the HYDRA base, including the locations of many other HYDRA bases across Europe. When it was suggested that Rogers would need a team if he was to go back on to the front lines, Rogers explained he was putting together a team himself. He recruited Bucky Barnes, Dum Dum Dugan, Gabe Jones, Jim Morita, James Montgomery Falsworth, and Jacques Dernier into his team, nicknamed the Howling Commandos, to attack the other known bases belonging to HYDRA. When Barnes asked if he was planning on keeping the outfit, Rogers said it was growing on him. Carter later arrived to tell Rogers about his next meeting; they suggested that once the war was over, the pair should go dancing together. Rogers returned to the base where he was unexpectedly approached by Private Lorraine, who decided to reward his war efforts with a passionate kiss. Carter caught them and berated him about being just like any other soldier. Rogers later spoke to Howard Stark for advice on the matter. During their talk, Stark provided Rogers with a new outfit and a new circular shield made of Vibranium capable of negating large amounts of damage. This was quickly proven when Carter shot at him multiple times as revenge for kissing another woman. As Rogers and Stark watched the satisfied Carter leave the room, Rogers presented Stark with his own designs for his new uniform.

Howling Commandos


"You ready to follow Captain America into the jaws of death?" "Hell, no! The little guy from Brooklyn who was too dumb not to run away from a fight. I’m following him."

- Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes

In command of his own personal team of soldiers, the Howling Commandos, which included his best friend Bucky Barnes, Rogers embarked on a quest to sabotage and destroy HYDRA's bases across Europe. He led the team still using the name Captain America, now with a new uniform with a similar design, but more practical for use in the war. In April 1944, Rogers infiltrated a HYDRA castle on an island in the Nazi occupied Danish Straits. He managed to destroy one of Arnim Zola's exoskeleton suits and an armored vehicle. Johann Schmidt attempted to destroy him by using a Viking Runestone, but Captain America slowed the relic from exploding, allowing the Howling Commandos to escape. In winter of 1944, Rogers single-handedly stopped a Nazi blockade and saved over 600 men, including the man who would eventually become Peggy Carter's Husband. Rogers commanded his unit with skill and confidence. During the filming of one of his mission briefings, the camera picked up that he carried a picture of Peggy Carter in his compass. In London, Rogers followed HYDRA soldiers who stole information from the Strategic Scientific Reserve and was targeted repeatedly. After throwing his shield at their car's tires, the HYDRA soldiers crashed near an air raid shelter. Rogers encouraged the citizens inside to save themselves after making a speech about heroism and strength in numbers. His continued experience in dealing with HYDRA allowed Rogers to become a leading authority in their movements, even advising General Dwight D. Eisenhower on the best ways to defeat their enemy. On a mission to a HYDRA base in 1944 with the Howling Commandos, minus Bucky, Rogers stowed away on a small merchant boat, when, as he predicted, it was attacked by a HYDRA submarine, the Leviathan, as it was a perfect test target. While they were distracted, Rogers swam to the sub and proceeded to enter and attack the crew, winning it for himself and the Commandos, who anxiously waited in a raft. After finding out where the base was via map, they quietly docked in the base and, on Rogers' count, stormed out to find it completely deserted. The team decided to split up in groups of two, except for Rogers who had already moved to investigate, leaving Dugan alone. After searching, Rogers found a deserted lab that looks like a war had torn through it. Searching through the notes, he discovered that they were working on creating a literal Hydra beast, just as he received a call for help from Falsworth and Morita, who the creature has in its grip. Trying to save them, he threw his shield to cut through a "head" which, like the mythical beast, resulted in two more growing back. The creature then dragged the two under water. Rushing to inform the rest, Jones informed Rogers that all records indicated the experiments were only on people. The remaining team decided to set charges to blow up the base while Rogers went to try and rescue the others.

Upon finding the creature's lair in a caved-in area, Rogers noticed several German names scrawled into the wall, and was then told by Jones that more notes reveal that the HYDRA scientist thought that the "Hydra serum" got in their water supply, when suddenly Rogers came across the beast, still with Falsworth and Morita, and a fight ensued. The two Commandos escaped as Rogers stayed and fought, when suddenly the beast scrawled "Help Me" in German on the wall. Rogers then realized the beast was the scientists, and with ten seconds until the charges detonated protected it with his shield. He then decided to take the beast to Howard Stark, who could figure out how to separate it back into individual people. Rogers and his Howling Commandos progressively managed to destroy most major HYDRA operations, slowing HYDRA's efforts in building an army for global conquest. Along with their assaults on HYDRA, the Commandos also stormed the beaches of Normandy on D-Day and fought in the Battle of the Bulge, pushing the Nazi occupiers of Europe back into Germany. A fictionalized version of Rogers' participation in the Battle of the Bulge would be presented on The Captain America Adventure Program after the war.

In one particular mission against HYDRA, after receiving information on the location of one of HYDRA's top scientist Arnim Zola, Rogers, Bucky Barnes and Gabe Jones led a stealth attack and boarded Zola's armored train. While Jones stayed on top of the train, Rogers and Barnes went inside and were quickly ambushed. In the ensuing battle with the HYDRA soldiers, Bucky Barnes was thrown from the train. Despite his best efforts to save his friend, Rogers watched as Bucky fell down into the rocky mountain to his presumed death, devastated that he was unable to save him. Luckily, Zola was captured by Gabe Jones and handed over to Allied forces and interrogated by Chester Phillips. The mission proved to be worthwhile as Zola provided the Allies with information needed to defeat HYDRA. After the loss of his dearest friend, Rogers went to a bombed out town and had a drink alone in a pub to mourn his friend's death, only to learn that because of the serum, he was unable to get drunk. He was joined by Peggy Carter, who tried to assure him that Barnes' death was not his fault. She told him that Barnes knew that their mission was worth dying for. Knowing that HYDRA was planning a massive attack on the world and wanting to decisively strike at HYDRA to end the conflict and avenge Bucky, Rogers, Stark, the remaining members of the Howling Commandos, Phillips, and Carter discussed their strategy to defeat their enemy for good. Thanks to the information provided by Zola, Rogers crafted a plan to ride into the base alone and then have the army follow him once he broke through the initial defenses.

Attack on HYDRA Headquarters


"Arrogance may not be a uniquely American trait, but I must say you do it better than anyone. But there are limits to what even you can do, Captain, or did Erskine tell you otherwise?" "He told me you were insane."

- Red Skull and Steve Rogers

The Strategic Scientific Reserve put Rogers' plan into action. He rode into the base alone on his motorcycle. Multiple HYDRA soldiers on motorcycles rode behind him planning to kill him, but Rogers defeated them with weapon systems built into his motorcycle. Rogers dodged the attacks of a tank that was set up in front of the base and then rode over the wall that protected the base. He defeated many soldiers in the outer area of the base and hopped off his motorcycle, which exploded on a metal door. Rogers continued to fight the soldiers but was eventually subdued when they arrived with flamethrowers and many others arrived with guns. Rogers was then taken as a prisoner and taken to Johann Schmidt in his quarters, who asked him why Abraham Erskine chose him to take the Super Soldier Serum. Rogers responded by saying he was "just a kid from Brooklyn". This angered Schmidt and he punched Rogers until he became calm again. Rogers told Schmidt that he would not give up. Schmidt then tried to shoot him in the head, but the Howling Commandos broke into the room. Thanks to the information given by Zola, they knew where Schmidt's quarters were and were able to burst through the window to begin their assault and to rescue Rogers. Schmidt ran from the chaos while his soldiers fought the Commandos; Rogers ran after him. When he eventually caught up to Schmidt, he threw his shield at him, but it got stuck in a doorway. He tried to get it out, but a HYDRA soldier with a flamethrower tried to attack him, so Rogers hid to protect himself. Peggy Carter ran up behind the soldier and shot and killed him. Rogers got his shield and continued to run after Schmidt, who was boarding a ship known as the Valkyrie, along with many soldiers. A large battle erupted between the HYDRA soldiers and the SSR soldiers. Rogers ran through the battle to get to the Valkyrie and stop Schmidt from bombing cities all over the world. He failed to catch up, but Chester Phillips and Peggy Carter arrived in Johann Schmidt's Coupe. He got in and they raced after the plane. Before jumping aboard the ship, Rogers and Carter shared their first and last kiss.

Battle in the Valkyrie


"Right now I'm in the middle of nowhere. If I wait any longer a lot of people are gonna die. Peggy... this is my choice. Peggy..." "I'm here." "I'm gonna need a rain check on that dance."

- Steve Rogers and Peggy Carter

While on the Valkyrie, Rogers noticed that the bombs were actually aircraft's that were going to be deployed over major cities. Rogers stayed unseen for a few minutes, then began attacking the soldiers that were getting ready to board the aircrafts. Eventually one of the soldiers got into a parasit, which Rogers tried to stop from leaving the plane. Unfortunately, it did, but Rogers and a soldier were on the top. The other soldier fell into the turbine and died. Rogers tried to pull out the soldier who was piloting the parasit, but he pulled the ejecting button, and Steve took control of the parasit. Rogers tried to fly back to the Valkyrie, but Schmidt attacked Rogers with the ship's weapons. Rogers dodged these attacks and flew back into the ship. He found Schmidt and they fought, but Rogers knocked Schmidt into the controls, making the ship free fall. Schmidt managed to get the ship back into a normal flight path. Schmidt shot at Rogers, but Rogers threw his shield at Schmidt and he flew into the containment unit harnessing the Tesseract's power. Schmidt picked up the Tesseract which had been disconnected from the containment unit due to impact and a portal through space opened, transporting him across the universe. The Tesseract then melted a small hole in the plane and fell into the ocean. After witnessing Schmidt's apparent death, Rogers began to pilot the plane and tried to fly it from its current path to destroy New York City but realized that the plane was going at such a fast speed. With no means of escaping the plane and with it traveling at a very fast speed to destroy New York, Rogers used the ship's intercom to call the HYDRA Headquarters, which was now controlled by the Strategic Scientific Reserve. Peggy Carter used the base's intercom and talked to Rogers. He told her that the plane was heading to New York to destroy it and it was going too fast for him to think of a plan of stopping it. He then told her that the only way to save New York was to crash land the ship into the Arctic. He descended the ship down. As he did, Rogers and Carter spoke to each other as if Rogers was not going to crash. When the ship finally crashed, it left him preserved in the ice for 67 years.

Legacy


"That was a difficult winter. A blizzard had trapped half our battalion behind the German line. Steve- Captain Rogers- he fought his way through a HYDRA blockade that had pinned our allies down for months. He saved over a thousand men. Including the man who would... who would become my husband, as it turned out. Even after he died, Steve was still changing my life."

- Peggy Carter in an interview

Steve Rogers was mourned by a nation that had admired his heroic rise from the USO stage to the newsreels, and who now believed him to be dead due to crashing in the ice. In his attempt to recover Rogers' body, Howard Stark found the Tesseract, which was then studied by the Strategic Scientific Reserve.

Captain America was still a widely famous figure and a radio serial called The Captain America Adventure Program was developed, featuring fictional adventures during the war. Despite its popularity, the show was extremely historically inaccurate, and Peggy Carter, having being involved in most of Captain America's missions during the war, hated the show, especially because her own role had been fictionalized as the typical "damsel in distress".

One of the blood samples that was taken from Captain America after the Assassination of Abraham Erskine was kept by Stark who wanted to use it to see if he could develop a panacea from it. Peggy Carter confiscated the sample, and ultimately got rid of it. Stark missed his friend greatly and viewed Captain America as his "greatest accomplishment". However, Carter convinced him, and herself, to let him go.

Captain America passed into memory as the modern world's first superhero, making his exploits in the war become well known, especially in the United States. Peggy Carter went on to help Stark found S.H.I.E.L.D. and eventually married a man whom Captain America had saved in the course of the war.

S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Search for Captain America


"My God. Base, give me a line to the Colonel." "It's 3 AM, sir." "I don't care what time it is. This one's waited long enough."

- A lieutenant calling a S.H.I.E.L.D. base after finding Steve's body

65 years after Rogers' crash landing, a S.H.I.E.L.D. team led by Nick Fury searched for his body. A fan of Captain America, Phil Coulson, was also part of this small team. The team searched for two years to find Rogers' body. When they finally found his body, they defrosted him and then shipped his body to New York City.

Awakening


"At ease, soldier! Look, I'm sorry about that little show back there, but we thought it best to break it to you slowly." "Break what?" "You've been asleep, Cap. For almost 70 years. You gonna be okay?" "Yeah, I'm okay. It's just... I had a date."

- Nick Fury and Steve Rogers

When Rogers arrived in New York City, he was defrosted and kept in a simulated 1941 environment to try and ease him into what was happening. When he awoke, he quickly realized it was not real and escaped into the streets of a 2012 New York City. In Times Square, Rogers encountered Nick Fury who tells him that he had been "asleep" for nearly 70 years. Rogers then realized that many of his old friends were very likely dead, including his love interest, Peggy Carter.

New Life
Steve Rogers found himself lost in a world that had moved on without him and found it very difficult to adjust to this modern world. He spent a few weeks in seclusion at a cabin that was one of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s many safe houses. Rogers later moved into an apartment in New York City. While there, Rogers looked through some files of his friends from the 1940s. He found a file for Peggy Carter, which stated she was still alive. The file also contained her current phone number, but he hesitated to call because he was afraid of how she would react to seeing him. Later, he went to a nearby diner and met Beth, a waitress. A man told him to ask her on a date, but Rogers did not. Rogers then went to a boxing gym to clear his mind.

Initiation


"When I went under, the world was at war. I wake up, they say we won. They didn't say what we lost."

- Steve Rogers to Nick Fury]

While working out in a boxing gym in the middle of the night, hitting a punching bag, Rogers recounted various events that took place during his era in the war including: his fight against HYDRA with his allies, the Howling Commandos, Bucky Barnes' supposed death, his last fight with Red Skull, his sacrifice, his last conversation with Peggy Carter, and being defrosted. These memories infuriated Rogers to the point where he broke the punching bag. At that moment, Nick Fury approached him with a mission to save the world.

Fury informed him that a being known as Loki had stolen the Tesseract and intended to use it to conquer and rule the Earth. Rogers was not thrilled to learn that HYDRA's secret weapon and power source had found its way into this era. Rogers accepted the assignment and Fury asks him to reveal any more useful information regarding the cube that he might be aware of, to which Rogers stated they should've left it "buried in the ocean".

Meeting Coulson


"Well, I hope I'm the man for the job."

- Steve Rogers to Phil Coulson

On his way to the main S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters, while aboard the Quinjet, Rogers was debriefed by Agent Phil Coulson about a selected group of people that were chosen to be a part of the Avengers Initiative. One member in particular that intrigued Rogers was Bruce Banner. Coulson revealed to him that Banner attempted to recreate Abraham Erskine's Super Soldier Serum believing Gamma Radiation was a key ingredient in the formula's properties. However, when he was exposed to high levels of Gamma Radiation, he transformed into the 9-foot tall powerhouse known as the Hulk. Coulson and Rogers shared an awkward moment when he revealed that he watched Rogers being defrosted and expressed with great enthusiasm how much of an honor it was to have Rogers on board to lead this team. Rogers was somewhat skeptical of himself being the right candidate to lead; Coulson reassured Rogers that he was and that he personally had overseen the development of a newly constructed uniform for him with some design input from himself. Rogers was surprised that he would be wearing his trademark stars and stripes since in this modern era it would appear to be outdated and old fashioned. Coulson reassured him that with the enormous threat they were about to face, people would need an old-fashioned symbol to inspire them with hope. Once arriving on the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier, Rogers was introduced to Natasha Romanoff, better known as Black Widow, and Bruce Banner. Together they watched as the Helicarrier took off from the water. Later, Phil Coulson shyly asked if Rogers would be willing to sign his vintage Captain America Trading Cards, which Rogers agreed to. They were interrupted when Fury informed Rogers that Loki had been located in Stuttgart, Germany. Rogers immediately suited up into his new uniform, designed by Phil Coulson, and headed off to Germany with Romanoff piloting the Quinjet.

Skirmish in Germany
"You know, the last time I was in Germany and saw a man standing above everybody else, we ended up disagreeing."

- Steve Rogers to Loki

"Mr. Stark Iron Man: "Captain.."."

- Captain America and Iron Man meeting for the first time

Upon arriving in Germany at a Gala, Rogers used his shield to deflect an incoming blast from Loki's Scepter, thus protecting an elderly man who refused to kneel before Loki. Loki, who was trying to enslave a crowd of German citizens, was hit by the ricocheted blast. Rogers then engaged in a fierce battle with Loki. Loki often gained the upper hand due to his superior Asgardian strength; he tried to force Rogers to kneel in surrender but Rogers swore that he would not. The fight continued and, despite his disadvantage against the "God of Mischief," Rogers managed to hold his own against him long enough for Iron Man to arrive on the scene. Loki seemingly surrendered easily. On route, back to the Helicarrier aboard the Quinjet, Rogers revealed to Stark that he was very uneasy with Loki's surrender as he does not remember it ever being that easy. Stark openly mocked Rogers. Suddenly a mysterious thunder and lightning storm appeared in the Quinjet's path which Rogers saw frightened Loki. Without warning, Thor appeared and promptly grabbed Loki before he flew away. Stark immediately pursued them and despite Black Widow advising him to sit it out, as it was way too dangerous for him, Rogers skydived after both of them.

Meeting and Fighting Thor


"Hey! That's enough! Now I don't know what you plan on doing here..." "I've come here to put an end to Loki's schemes!" "Then prove it. Put that hammer down."

- Steve Rogers and Thor

Rogers arrived in the forest area to witness Thor and Iron Man engaged in a fearsome battle against each other. Using his shield, he intervened and attempted to reason with Thor, pointing out that they shouldn't be fighting with each other, asking Thor to put his hammer down. In response, Thor furiously knocked Iron Man back before leaping towards Captain America, bringing Mjølnir down upon his shield. The shield absorbed the impact, and created a massive shockwave throughout the surrounding woodland, sending Thor hurtling backward. Afterward, the three of them stood up. Once they saw the damage done, they agreed to stop fighting and took Loki into captivity together.

Working on the Helicarrier


"Doctor Banner is only here to track the cube. I was hoping you might join him." "I'd start with that Scepter"

- stick of his. It may be magical, but it works a lot like a HYDRA weapon.

Loki was escorted to the Helicarrier and placed into an impenetrable glass and steel containment cell specifically designed to hold and dispose of the Hulk if necessary. Rogers and his other teammates watched a holographic video of Nick Fury interrogating Loki from the main conference room on the bridge of the Helicarrier. After watching Fury's meeting with Loki. Rogers was convinced that Loki had a hidden agenda for which he allowed himself to willingly be captured and brought to the Helicarrier. Thor revealed to the group that Loki had allied himself with an alien race known as the Chitauri who will enable him to conquer and rule over Earth in exchange for the Tesseract. As the group tried to figure out Loki's primary objective, Stark arrived on the bridge and explained from a highly scientific perspective that Loki needed a stable power supply to harness the cube's energy to then open and stabilize the portal. Stark's scientific explanation confused Rogers and the others, with the exception Banner. Upon Fury's request, Banner teamed up with Stark to locate the cube using the computer database in the Wishbone lab. While present, Rogers witnessed Stark attempting to provoke Banner into "Hulking out". Rogers confronted Stark about the potential danger he could cause and asked him to resume the task of finding the location of the cube. Stark and Banner revealed their misgivings about S.H.I.E.L.D.'s motives behind researching the cube in the first place. Which in turn caused Rogers to investigate the matter further by sneaking into a storage room where he discovered HYDRA weaponry and learned that S.H.I.E.L.D. was attempting to harness the Tesseract's powers to manufacture weapons of mass destruction.

Attack on the Helicarrier


"Yeah. Big man in a suit of armor. Take that off, what are you?" "Genius, billionaire, playboy philanthropist." "I know guys with none of that and worth ten of you. I've seen the footage. The only thing that you really fight for is yourself. You're not the guy to make the sacrifice play. To lay down on the wire and let the other guy crawl over you."

- Captain America and Tony Stark

An intense argument broke out between the team with Nick Fury, Natasha Romanoff, Bruce Banner, Thor, but mainly between Rogers and Tony Stark on the ethic of heroism. Rogers argued that Stark was not the type of man who would make the sacrifice play while Stark argued that the only reason Rogers was so special because of the Super Soldier Serum. As it looked like it could come to a head, the Helicarrier came under attack by Hawkeye which forced Rogers and Stark to put aside their differences and work together to help to save the damaged Helicarrier. While Stark repaired the turbine, Rogers first checked the computer relays, which he struggled with due to his lack of understanding of modern technology. He then had to fend off some of Loki's brainwashed agents from doing any further damage, firing at them with a machine gun. Although successful, it was not without cost; Phil Coulson was killed by Loki in the incident. After the battle on the Helicarrier, Thor and Hulk had been thrown from the Helicarrier, and Loki had escaped. Rogers and Stark had a meeting with Nick Fury to discuss what to do next. Fury showed Rogers Coulson's vintage Captain America Card Collection he never got signed. Fury explained his intention to form the Avengers was to "fight the battles that we never could." Stark left the meeting early and went to the spot where Coulson had died. Rogers spoke to him there, trying to get his mind back on the mission and focused on Loki. It worked, as Stark realized that Loki required Stark Tower to power the Tesseract.

Battle of New York


"How do we do this?" "As a team!"

- Black Widow and Steve Rogers

Phil Coulson's death was what would finally bring the team together. Regardless of all, he had been through thus far, Rogers found the strength again to do what needed to be done and take command of the Avengers. While Tony Stark flew to New York and confronted Loki directly, Rogers and Romanoff teamed up with Clint Barton, who had been freed from Loki's control, and took over a Quinjet. When they arrived in New York they found a portal had opened above the city and the Chitauri army had begun their attack. Their Quinjet was shot down by Loki but they were all able to survive the crash. After the crash-landing and seeing the countless forces attacking, Rogers felt his priority should be ensuring the protection of the endangered civilians, so he ran to the nearest police officer, dodging the Chituari attacks as the went, and gave him orders for how to ensure the safety of the people. The officer questioned why he should take orders from Rogers before he could answer he was attacked by three Chitauri soldiers who he defeated with ease. Seeing Rogers' strength and skill in battle, the officer decided not to question him again and instead followed his orders. Joined by Tony Stark, Natasha Romanoff, Clint Barton, Thor and Bruce Banner, Rogers took command of the team. When a Leviathan came towards them, Banner transformed into the Hulk and destroyed it. Rogers proved his tactical genius by giving each member their assignment: Hawkeye to stake out from a building to call out patterns and any strays, Iron Man to provide air support and superiority, Thor to bottleneck the portal preventing any reinforcements from coming through, he and Black Widow to keep the fighting on the ground, and for Hulk to simply do what he does best: smash. Rogers fought alongside Romanoff and Barton to take on countless numbers of Chitauri troops that came their way. At one point, Rogers heard that the Chituari had taken a large group of over five dozen civilians hostage, including the waitress Beth who he had previously met. The aliens prepared to execute them with an explosion, but Rogers dived into the building and saved them, taking out a battalion of invaders by himself. However during the fight, his helmet was torn off and he was caught by a Chitauri Bomb and was blasted out the building, landing hard on a nearby car. He was soon partnered with Thor, taking out wave after wave of enemies. At one point, Rogers took a direct hit on the side which injured him. However, he refused to stop fighting. Eventually, the World Security Council decided to shoot a nuclear bomb onto New York, which would stop the Chitauri from taking over the world but would kill the Avengers and all the civilians, and destroy all of Manhattan in the process. Nick Fury informed Iron Man of the bomb. Stark managed to fly the bomb into the portal and have it destroy the Chitauri Command Center. However, it appeared that Stark had been killed in the explosion. Seeing no other choice, Rogers ordered Romanoff to close the portal, thus saving the city and the world from conquest. Stark survived, however, and was saved from the fall back to Earth by Hulk. Rogers and Thor ran to his aid. When he awoke, Rogers informed him that they had won the war. Rogers then joined the other Avengers to capture Loki who, knowing he was defeated, surrendered without a fight.

Separate Ways
Before they split up, Rogers and the other Avengers ate silently at the Shawarma Palace. While they were eating they were interrupted by War Machine, who arrived too late to help them in the battle. Some time after the battle, they gathered in Central Park to see Thor return home to Asgard with the Tesseract and Loki, now bound and muzzled. The Avengers then went their separate ways until the next time the Earth needed its Mightiest Heroes to defend it from whatever threat would come. Rogers shook hands with Tony Stark and rode off on his motorcycle to see what awaited him in this brave new world.

Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Steve Rogers moved to Washington, D.C., trying to live like a normal person and adjust to the 21st century. However, he was soon recalled to join S.H.I.E.L.D. in making the world a safer place. After joining the agency, Rogers was trained in parkour and many forms of martial arts to make him even more effective in the field.

Zodiac


"S.H.I.E.L.D. said this was destroyed. No one's told me why they lied about it."

- Captain America

Rogers would often work with fellow Agents Black Widow, who was a member of the Avengers, and Brock Rumlow. The three agents took down a terrorist cell that had stolen the Zodiac weapon from S.H.I.E.L.D. and threatened to unleash it in Willis Tower in Chicago. Rogers jumped out of the tower's Skydeck without a parachute to safely retrieve the Zodiac, counting on Rumlow to stop his fall.

Return to Brooklyn


"Boy, you leave a place for a half a century and it goes completely to the dogs."

- Captain America

Upon receiving intel that Nobel-prize winning scientist Professor Sana Amanat was in danger of abduction by the mercenary group known as the Cadre, Director Nick Fury dispatched Rogers and Natasha Romanoff to Rogers' old neighborhood in Brooklyn on protection detail. Under the guise of showing Romanoff the places that he grew up, they managed to draw out the Cadre mercenaries that had set-up in multiple locations throughout the neighborhood. Tracing the mercenary that had abducted Amanat through a maze of alleyways, Rogers succeeded in taking out the last mercenary with a little help from Amanat herself.

Mission in the Indian Ocean


"Je pensais que tu était plus qu'un bouclier." "On va voir."

- Georges Batroc and Captain America

While on a jog in Washington, D.C., he frequently overlapped a man; every time he passed him Rogers jokingly called to him "on your left". He later caught up again with the man who introduced himself as Sam Wilson, a former army veteran now working in the debriefing system. Wilson was able to fully understand Rogers' experiences of being a veteran returning home and the difficulties surrounding that experience. The two talked about their lives and Wilson recommended some music for Rogers to catch up on before Natasha Romanoff picked Steve up for a new mission. Rogers was told that the mission was to rescue hostages of a pirate-hijacked S.H.I.E.L.D. ship, the Lemurian Star, somewhere in the Indian Ocean. Rogers was tasked with attacking the ship first, he dived off the Quinjet without a parachute and single-handedly defeated almost every pirate on the ship without raising the alarm. As Brock Rumlow shot the remaining pirates and rescued the hostages and Romanoff cleared out the engine room, Rogers engaged the leader of the pirates Georges Batroc. Rogers fought Batroc and was challenged to fight him without using his shield. Rogers accepted the challenge and fought him in hand-to-hand combat and eventually knocked him out. After the fight, Rogers discovered Romanoff hacking into the ship's computer. He learned Romanoff had a secret assignment to recover some S.H.I.E.L.D. data from the ship through a USB drive. This somewhat annoyed Rogers, who was unhappy at being kept in the dark about the fact that Romanoff had been given a secondary mission by Nick Fury. It was made worse when Georges Batroc woke up and threw a grenade at the pair. Rogers deflected the grenade and they leaped out of the path of the explosion. They both survived the explosion, but Batroc escaped during the chaos. Rogers made it clear he blamed Romanoff for the failure to capture Batroc.

Project Insight


"This isn't freedom. This is fear." "S.H.I.E.L.D takes the world as it is, not as we'd like it to be."

- Captain America discusses Project Insight with Nick Fury

Reporting back to Nick Fury at the Triskelion, Rogers expressed his anger with Fury for lying to him. Fury then took him to the facility's sub-levels, where three Helicarriers were being constructed. Introducing Rogers to Project Insight, Fury explained that S.H.I.E.L.D. planned to use the Helicarriers to fight threats before they even happened. Rogers was discontent with this, finding S.H.I.E.L.D.'s new methods to be a little too extreme. Disillusioned by Fury's new attitude to world safety, Rogers decided to visit the Department of Veterans Affairs to listen to Sam Wilson talk to soldiers suffering from PTSD. Rogers found himself feeling at home around other soldiers. He spoke to Wilson after the meeting and told him that he had no idea what else to do with his life other than obey orders and serve. Wilson told him he could do whatever he wanted to do. Rogers revisited his past by visiting the Captain America division of the Smithsonian Institution. There, he saw videos of his time in World War II with Bucky Barnes and the Howling Commandos. When a young boy recognized him, Rogers smiled and asked him to keep quiet. Rogers watched an interview with Peggy Carter where she discussed her relationship with Rogers and how he changed her life, telling the story of when he had saved 600 men including the man who became her husband years later. After seeing this video, Rogers went to see Peggy Carter in a retirement home, now aged past 90 years. They discussed the changing world, and Rogers told her that the reason he stayed at S.H.I.E.L.D. was partly because she helped found it. When Carter began to cough, Rogers handed her a glass of water; she looked up and appeared to have forgotten their entire conversation and reacted like she was seeing Rogers for the first time in 70 years. In her old age, Carter had developed a form of dementia. Rogers smiled and told her that he could never leave his best girl while she still owed him a dance.

Loss of Nick Fury


"Tell me about the shooter." "He’s fast and strong. He had a metal arm."

- Black Widow and Steve Rogers

Going back to his apartment, Rogers had a brief talk with his neighbor, even building up the courage to ask her out on a date. However, he got suspicious when he heard his stereo playing. He sneaked in through the window and found Nick Fury sitting on his couch. Fury told Rogers that "his wife kicked him out" and that they might be overheard by someone. Without warning, Fury was shot several times in his back through the wall. Fury gave the USB to Steve and told him not to trust anyone before he fell unconscious. Rogers' neighbor smashed in the door revealing herself to be Agent 13, hired by Fury to keep an eye on Rogers. Agent 13 called for medical assistance and explained the situation to S.H.I.E.L.D. Rogers spotted the assassin and went in pursuit, leaping from his apartment window into the building across the street. He smashed his way through various office doors and was barely able to keep up with the assassin. He eventually caught up and threw his shield at the assassin, but the masked man easily caught the shield with his cybernetic arm and threw it back at Rogers with considerable force. Rogers was so stunned that he paused for a moment, allowing the assassin to escape. Fury was taken to a hospital but his heart stopped and Rogers was joined by Natasha Romanoff, Maria Hill and other Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. as the doctors operated but were unable to revive him. He was taken away and Agent Hill asked to take care of the body. Romanoff began to question Rogers about the identity of the shooter, predicting that the bullets used were Russian. Rogers feigned ignorance about why Fury went to him. Before they could continue the discussion, Agent Brock Rumlow told the Captain that he was wanted for a hearing at the Triskelion with Alexander Pierce. Romanoff told Rogers that he was a terrible liar, he then used a quiet moment to quickly hide the USB Fury had given him in a vending machine and left with Rumlow.

Fugitive of S.H.I.E.L.D.


"Captain Rogers has information regarding the death of Director Fury. He refused to share it. As difficult as this is to accept, Captain America is a fugitive from S.H.I.E.L.D."

- Alexander Pierce to numerous S.H.I.E.L.D. agents

When he arrived at the Triskelion he was questioned by Alexander Pierce who said he was one of Fury's oldest friends and wanted to know who killed him. He also said that he and Fury were realist and that to build a new world sometimes meant tearing the old one down. Pierce showed Rogers video footage of Georges Batroc being interrogated and revealed that Nick Fury was secretly responsible for the Hijacking of the Lumurian Star. Knowing that he could not trust Pierce, Rogers told him nothing of what Fury said, and left him to go to the hospital. When the elevator began to fill up with people, Rogers soon realized that they were there to take him down. Giving them one chance to leave, Rogers asked if anyone wanted to get out and then the fight began. The attackers tried to use a pair of Magnetic Handcuffs to keep Rogers from fighting back, but they could only get one on since Rogers was not willing to give in. Having only one free hand, Rogers fought off the attackers. Soon, Rogers got his hand free. The last conscious double agent was Brock Rumlow. Rumlow told Rogers that the fight was not personal. Rogers managed to subdue Rumlow and told him that it felt personal. Rogers tried to find a way out of the building to avoid arrest, but the only clear way he could find was to jump out of the elevator. After surviving the fall by landing on his shield. He drove away on his motorcycle, successfully escaping a roadblock set up for him. A Quinjet was sent to stop him. However, Rogers managed to crash it by throwing his shield into the engine and damaging its wings. To keep S.H.I.E.L.D. from tracking him, Rogers hid his uniform in the duffel bag of a high school coach and took the clothes that were inside so that he could hide.

Hiding in Plain Sight


"That was not my first kiss since 1945. I'm 95, not dead."

- Steve Rogers to Natasha Romanoff

Rogers arrived later at the hospital where he noticed that the USB was gone. Natasha Romanoff had taken it and he angrily asked her what she knew about all that had happened. She told him that the masked man was a spy known as the Winter Soldier and she had encountered him once before. Knowing they could trust each other, Rogers and Romanoff went to an Apple store and used the USB on a laptop to see if there was any valuable information on it. But they, as Fury did, found nothing. However, they did find that the location where the USB could be unlocked was in New Jersey. Brock Rumlow and his team tried to find them but failed to do so, thanks in part to Romanoff's idea of kissing in public to deflect attention.

HYDRA's Plan


"We won, Captain. Your death amounts to the same as your life: A zero sum!"

- Arnim Zola

They stole a car and drove to the location while talking about the good old days. When they arrived, Steve realized that they were at Camp Lehigh, the old training facility where he trained during World War II. They found a secret storage room full of old computers inside a S.H.I.E.L.D. office. There they found a more modern looking USB slot and they put the USB in. The computers powered up revealing that Arnim Zola's consciousness had been put into a computer that told them that he was recruited by S.H.I.E.L.D. after World War II and that he helped to rebuild HYDRA, inside S.H.I.E.L.D. In the '70's when he got the news that his body was not salvageable. S.H.I.E.L.D., still needing his help, transferred his mind into software. He had been working on an algorithm that HYDRA wanted. He told them that some of the deaths of S.H.I.E.L.D. leaders had been due to HYDRA, showing them a picture of Howard Stark, implying that his death might not have been an accident. Zola was also involved in the Winter Soldier program. Unluckily, before Rogers and Romanoff could get any more information out of Zola, they realized that S.H.I.E.L.D. had sent a missile to their location. Zola locked the door and trapped them inside. With seconds to spare, Rogers ripped out the floorboards and pulled Romanoff with him just as the missile blew up their location, Rogers used his shield to keep the debris from crushing them. He pulled Romanoff out of the rubble and ran to safety just as S.H.I.E.L.D. arrived searching for them. The two then left to seek refuge with Sam Wilson. As they got cleaned up, they spoke about whether or not they could trust each other, considering everything they knew turned out to be a lie. Rogers assured her he trusted her now. They knew they that the airstrike would have been ordered by Alexander Pierce, and they would have to find a high-ranking S.H.I.E.L.D./HYDRA agent to learn more. Wilson told them that he was part of a military project called EXO-7 Falcon, testing of a new form of winged Jet-Packs. They went back to Washington, D.C. to talk to Agent Jasper Sitwell who was working for HYDRA. He just had a meeting with Senator Stern, who before saying goodbye whispered "Hail HYDRA". Sam Wilson called Sitwell and forced him up on the roof of a tall building. Together with Romanoff and Rogers, they got him to tell them that Zola's algorithm could calculate if a person would be a threat in the future. He also told them that HYDRA was going to use Project Insight as a weapon to eliminate what they saw as threats against the world; mentioning Tony Stark, Bruce Banner, and Stephen Strange. This would also mean that millions of innocent people would die.

The Winter Soldier


"Bucky?" "Who the hell is Bucky?"

- Captain America and the Winter Soldier

The gang left but they were attacked by the Winter Soldier and his men. A battle broke out and as Captain America and the Winter Soldier fought, his mask was ripped off, and it was revealed that he was Bucky Barnes. When Steve said his name, the Winter Soldier said he did not know who that was. They were then surrounded by Brock Rumlow and S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. Cap, Black Widow, and Sam Wilson were then arrested by Rumlow. While in the HYDRA van, driving them to an unknown location, one of the guards tased the other one and revealed herself to be Maria Hill. She then used a Mouse Hole to escape with the gang. Agent Hill took them to a secret facility where Nick Fury was resting, revealing that he did not die, even though he was severely injured. He had taken Tetrodotoxine B, an anti-stress serum, developed by Bruce Banner, that lowered his heartbeat to only one per minute so that he would appear dead. Hill and Fury told them that Project Insight was only hours away and that they had to act quickly. The Helicarriers would hover in a triangle, connected, targeting all its targets before firing. The only way to prevent this would be to use three special chips that would take away S.H.I.E.L.D.'s control over the Helicarriers. Having lost his suit earlier, Rogers broke into the Smithsonian Institution museum and stole his suit from World War II. After which, the group went off to stop Project Insight.

Battle at the Triskelion


"I'm not gonna fight you. You're my friend." "You're my mission!" "Then finish it, 'cause I'm with you to the end of the line."

- Captain America and the Winter Soldier fighting aboard the Helicarrier

Captain America, Falcon, and Maria Hill, broke into the Triskelion and took over the control room. Rogers used the microphones to send out a message to the base and informed the staff of HYDRA's infiltration within S.H.I.E.L.D. and that Alexander Pierce was their leader. Rogers told them that they could not allow HYDRA to initiate Project Insight and asked them to stand up against HYDRA with him. Once he had finished his speech, Rogers and Wilson assaulted the Helicarriers and battled the HYDRA guards onboard. When Wilson asked how they would be able to tell the good guys from the bad guys, Rogers told him to look for the ones shooting at him. They managed to insert two of the chips, with some hardship, but when Falcon was going for the last one, his jetpack was damaged by the Winter Soldier and he was forced to skydive down to the Triskelion where he got caught up in a fistfight with Agent Brock Rumlow. Now it was all on Rogers. He was about to put the chip in place before he was confronted by Bucky. Rogers begged Bucky to listen to him but seeing that Bucky was not going to listen and running out of time Steve steeled himself for what must be done. The two former friends fought violently and attempted to take control of the chip; Barnes attempted to shoot Rogers in the side. After a long and brutal battle, Rogers finally managed to subdue Bucky after putting him in a choke hold. Rogers attempted to get the chip in place with only seconds left before Project Insight would initiate. However, he was shot multiple times by Barnes, including a shot that hit him in the stomach. Using whatever energy he had left, Rogers managed to get the chip in place and Maria Hill took control of the other Helicarriers. Before making them fire upon each other she acknowledged that Rogers was still onboard, but he commanded her to do it anyway. The Helicarrier that Rogers and Bucky were in was the last remaining one after the other two exploded. It crashed into the Triskelion, causing it to collapse. As the Helicarrier continued to fall, debris landed on Bucky trapping him. Rogers freed the trapped Bucky who immediately betrayed him. He still refused to fight Bucky, however, and dropped his shield, allowing Bucky to secure an easy victory over him. Bucky began to savagely beat Rogers. Before Rogers lost consciousness, he promised Bucky to be with him "till the end of the line"; a promise Bucky gave him decades ago. This caused Bucky to realize what he was doing to his long-time friend. Rogers then fell into the water beneath and nearly drowned, but Bucky dived in and saved him, and then he disappeared.

Aftermath


"You're going after him." "You don't have to come with me." "I know. When do we start?"

- Sam and Steve just before beginning their search for Bucky

Rogers woke up sometime later in a hospital, where Wilson filled him in on what had happened after he was found. S.H.I.E.L.D. had gone through some major changes. Nick Fury was officially dead and he had destroyed all evidence of being alive, even replacing his eye-patch for sunglasses. Standing beside Fury's headstone, Fury ordered Rogers to tell anyone who asked that he was dead as he left to thwart HYDRA operations in Europe. Romanoff went to a Senate hearing to defend Rogers and herself, saying that they could not arrest them because they are the best qualified to protect the world. Now that her secrets were revealed, she needed a new identity. Rogers decided to start looking, with the help of Wilson, for Bucky, so that he could convince him of who he really was.

Reassembling the Avengers
With the rising threat of HYDRA, the Avengers were officially reassembled, with the financial backing of Tony Stark and Rogers leading the team again. Using the former Stark Tower, now renamed Avengers Tower, as their headquarters, they embarked on several missions to ruin HYDRA's plans for world domination. When he had free time, Rogers continued his search for Bucky Barnes.

Battle of Sudan
While searching through files about Barnes, Rogers was informed by J.A.R.V.I.S. that the team was assembling to help Black Widow in Sudan. Captain America led the team into the battle, where they encountered many HYDRA operatives in Chitauri Armor. Together the team defeated the soldiers, along with their leader, Doctor Jensen.

Attack on the HYDRA Research Base


"Baron Strucker. HYDRA's number one thug." "Technically, I'm a thug for S.H.I.E.L.D."

- Captain America and Baron Wolfgang von Strucker

Rogers led the Avengers in an assault on Baron Wolfgang von Strucker's base, having learned that Strucker was using the Scepter to create an army of enhanced soldiers. Rogers rode his motorcycle into the battle, throwing his shield at his enemies while commanding the Avengers' actions. When Tony Stark swore while trying to break through the base's defense systems during the battle, Rogers told him to mind his language, much to Stark's amusement. Rogers defended the reaction by saying it just slipped out while throwing his motorcycle at a HYDRA convoy. Rogers ignored the continuing taunts and fought alongside Thor, using their combined strength to destroy the HYDRA Tanks. During the battle, Hawkey was injured. Rogers ordered Thor to take him to the Avengers' Quinjet to receive treatment. Rogers broke into the base and located Baron Wolfgang von Strucker. During his confrontation with Strucker, Rogers was attacked by Wanda Maximoff who used her powers to throw Rogers down a flight of stairs. Rogers quickly recovered from the attack and knocked out Strucker by hitting him with his shield, and took him into custody while the rest of the Avengers defeated the remaining HYDRA army, and Tony Stark recovered the Scepter. With the mission a success and HYDRA officially defeated, Rogers with the other Avengers flew back to the Avengers Tower while Clint Barton and Bruce Banner recovered from their experiences during the battle. Along the way, Rogers, Tony Stark, and Thor observed the now captured Scepter and commented on their victory. Stark requested to Thor that he be allowed to keep the Scepter under observation for a few days to study it before they had a party to celebrate their victory, Thor agreed to keep the Scepter on Earth and Rogers also agreed that a party was a good idea. Once they arrived at Avengers Tower, the team were greeted by Maria Hill. While Helen Cho took Clint Barton away for treatment, Hill briefed Rogers on the Maximoff twins. She explained their poverty and how they lost their parents leading to them volunteering for Baron Wolfgang von Strucker's experiments. Rogers expressed his understanding of the twins' decision, comparing his own decision to allow a German scientist to experiment on him, referring to Abraham Erskine's Project Rebirth. When Hill noted that they were not at war like he was in the 1940's, Rogers argued that the Maximoffs were.

Celebration


"No, Natasha, she…she likes to flirt." "I’ve seen her flirt, up close. This ain’t that. Look, as maybe the world’s leading authority on “waiting too long”, don’t. You both deserve a win."

- Bruce Banner and Steve Rogers

Later, Rogers joined the other Avengers plus Sam Wilson and James Rhodes for a party in Avengers Tower to celebrate their victory over HYDRA. Rogers and Wilson discussed working together and their continued search for Bucky Barnes. When Rogers suggested Wilson could assist the Avengers on missions, Wilson claimed not to be interested in joining the team. They went on to discuss Rogers finding himself a house in Brooklyn. Later, Rogers and Thor drank thousand-year-old alcohol from Asgard with a group of World War II veterans. Although Thor deemed only himself and the Super-Soldier Rogers to be strong enough to drink the powerful alcohol, one of the veterans insisted upon having a drink of the Asgardian alcohol. Thor relented with Rogers' nod of approval which resulted in the man having to be carried away from Avengers Tower for instantaneously becoming too drunk. Rogers then came across Bruce Banner speaking to Natasha Romanoff at the bar. When Romanoff left, Rogers spoke to Banner, telling him that Romanoff was clearly flirting with him. Rogers insisted that as he knew what it was like to leave love too long, Banner should not let the chance for a happy life go past, noting that he had been flirted with by Romanoff in the past and the way she spoke to Banner was more than mere flirting. As Rogers walked away, Banner pondered this before questioning how much Romanoff had flirted with Rogers in the past. After most of the party-goers had gone home, the group, joined by Helen Cho, took turns trying to lift Mjølnir. Clint Barton was the first to try and when he failed, both Tony Stark and James Rhodes tried using Iron Man Gauntlets but still failed. When Rogers tried, he was able to briefly nudge the hammer, much to Thor's surprise, but in the end, was still unsuccessful. Ultimately, Stark suggested that the hammer was imprinted with Thor's fingerprints but Thor insisted that none of them were worthy enough.

Attack on Avengers Tower


"I had to kill the other guy... He was a good guy." "You killed someone?" "Wouldn't have been my first call. But, down in the real world, we're faced with ugly choices."

- Ultron and Steve Rogers

The party was interrupted when a broken down robot stepped forward, calling itself Ultron. The robot claimed that none of the Avengers could ever be worthy as they were all killers who wanted to protect the world but not allow it to change. Ultron then claimed to have killed someone to get to them but refused to tell Rogers whom he had killed. Announcing that the only path to peace on Earth was the Avengers' deaths, Ultron and his drones attacked the group, proclaiming humanity inferior and ready for extinction. Rogers and the rest of the group engaged in a violent battle with Ultron, with Rogers using his strength to pull one of the drones apart with his bare hands to protect those who could not defend themselves. The Avengers eventually came out victorious and Ultron's first form was destroyed by Thor. However, Ultron managed to escape by accessing the internet.

Argument


"How do we cope with something like that?" "Together" "We'll lose." "Then we'll do that together."

- Tony Stark and Steve Rogers

As the team regrouped, they discussed what had occurred and Tony Stark admitted his involvement in the creation of Ultron, although he still strongly defended the idea as he believed it was a beneficial plan to save the world. Thor, clearly furious at Stark's recklessness, charged in and grabbed Stark by the throat, but Rogers was able to calm him down. Stark explained there was a war coming they were not ready for, but Rogers insisted that they would fight and die together as a team. Rogers spoke to Maria Hill shortly afterward and was told that Ultron's attempts to launch nuclear missiles had been stopped by a mysterious ally. The team later learned that Ultron had sent them a message by murdering Baron Wolfgang von Strucker and leaving the word "PEACE" written in his blood. Rogers collected Clint Barton to hear the update, Barton claimed to be speaking to his girlfriend, the Avengers soon learned that Ultron had wiped out their computer files on Strucker. Together they went through their paperwork and discovered that Ultron would be going after Vibranium which he would get that from Ulysses Klaue in Johannesburg.

Battle at the Salvage Yard


"I know you've suffered." "Urgh, Captain America, God's righteous man, pretending you could live without war. I can't physically throw up in my mouth but..."

- Captain America and Ultron

They traveled to Klaue's location and found Ultron along with Pietro and Wanda Maximoff, the powered twins who had attacked the team earlier, the Avengers learned that Ultron had already purchased the Vibranium from the now injured Ulysses Klaue. Rogers attempted to gain the Maximoff's trust but they seemed to have no interest in siding with the Avengers and Ultron simply mocked Rogers. When peace negotiations quickly failed, the team engaged in a fierce fight with Ultron, the Maximoff twins, and Klaue's soldiers. While Iron Man and Ultron fought over the skyline, Captain America and Thor teamed up to destroy many of the Ultron Sentries while Black Widow and Hawkeye took out Klaue's soldiers. Eventually, Rogers was able to knock Pietro Maximoff to the ground with a hit from his shield, ordering him to stay down. Rogers took a direct punch to the face by Pietro Maximoff before Wanda Maximoff used her powers to make Rogers see visions of the life he could have had with his former comrades and Peggy Carter after World War II. Rogers saw himself in a ballroom in the 1940's when Carter approached him and told him he could finally stop fighting. When he turned around, however, everyone had vanished and Rogers stood alone. The tactic was used in an attempt to break Rogers' heart when confronted by his tragic situation. With most members of the team suffering from these visions and Iron Man fighting the deranged Hulk in the middle of Johannesburg, a decision was made for the team to escape. While on board the Quinjet, Clint Barton flew the team to safety while Maria Hill updated them on the public's perception of the Avengers after the Hulk's destructive rampage. While Rogers, Thor, and Romanoff tried to cope with what they had seen, Barton made the call for them to hide out at his homestead where they could not be found and could rest up for a brief period.

Retreat


"Every time someone tries to end a war before it starts, innocent people die. Every time."

- Steve Rogers speaks to Tony Stark

When the team arrived at Clint Barton's Homestead they discovered that Barton was married with two children and one more on the way. Clint Barton explained that the reason the team was unaware of his family was due to Nick Fury helping him to have this second peaceful life outside S.H.I.E.L.D. where his family could be safe. Once introductions had been made, Thor informed the team that he intended to try and learn more about the vision he had had and so left the farm to look for answers. Rogers and Tony Stark went outside and chopped wood together. They discussed how Wanda Maximoff had been able to use her powers to pull the team apart. When the conversation moved to how Stark and Bruce Banner inadvertently created Ultron, they began to argue and debate whether or not Stark should have ever experimented on the Scepter. As the argument became more intense Rogers ripped a log in half with his bare hands. Rogers told him that trying to end wars before they start results in the deaths of innocent people. The team was later joined by Nick Fury who motivated them to gather together and restart the fight against Ultron, noting that they only had their wit and their will to save the world but must stand and fight together. Bruce Banner worked out that Ultron's plan would be to create another body made of synthetic tissue using the Cradle, and would likely do this with the help of Helen Cho. Rogers spoke to Stark and Fury before they left as Fury requested the help of Maria Hill.

Battle of Seoul


"You know what’s in that Cradle? The power to make real change and that terrifies you." "I wouldn’t call it a comfort."

- Ultron and Captain America

The team tracked down Ultron at Helen Cho's lab in Seoul where he was attempting to build a new being. When Rogers entered the lab he found Cho lying injured on the floor after being shot by Ultron. She explained to him that the being in the Cradle that Ultron had stolen had a powerful gem on its head, which could not be destroyed without creating a massive explosion which could destroy all of Seoul. As Ultron attempted to escape in a truck, Rogers engaged him and they began an intense battle with Ultron insisting that the being in the Cradle had the potential to create real change which was the Avengers' nightmare. Rogers threw his shield at Ultron but the robot was able to knock it off the truck. As Ultron gained the upper hand and began to strangle Rogers, Natasha Romanoff caught up with them on her motorbike and threw Rogers his shield back which he used to knock Ultron's hand back before continuing to battle the robot. Soon Rogers and Ultron were thrown onto a train and continued their fight; Rogers was helped by Pietro and Wanda Maximoff who had betrayed Ultron after learning Ultron's plan to eradicate all human life. Seeing that he was outnumbered, Ultron destroyed the controls of the train and escaped. Rogers ordered the Maximoffs to assist him; he sent Pietro to move people out of the way of the train while Wanda used her powers to successfully stop the train, saving thousands of lives. By the end of the battle, The Avengers took control of the Cradle with the being inside but Natasha Romanoff was taken prisoner by Ultron. Rogers recruited the Maximoffs as temporary members of the Avengers, seeing their willingness to stop Ultron's plans. Before they left, Rogers spoke to Wanda Maximoff, who expressed her fears of Tony Stark getting possession of Ultron's new body, making the comparisons between the war mongering A.I. and Stark as they both intended to save the world but could not see that they were destroying it.

Birth of the Vision


"Are you on our side?" "I don't think it's that simple."

- Captain America and Vision

Back at the Avengers Tower, the team began searching for Romanoff and discovered that Tony Stark and Bruce Banner were attempting to transfer J.A.R.V.I.S.' consciousness into the being Ultron had created. When Rogers saw this he and the Maximoff twins confronted them and they engaged in a short fight. Their fight was quickly interrupted when Thor arrived and used his lightning to activate the Cradle and give life to the being. The being launched out of the Cradle and briefly attacked the team, causing Thor to throw it across the room. The being stopped mid-flight when it stared out of the window at the city. The being apologized for its mistake and called itself the Vision, giving itself a uniform and cape based on Thor's uniform and promised to assist the Avengers in their war with Ultron]]. In an attempt to show its worthiness to the team, as Rogers and the others questioned it, the Vision casually lifted Mjølnir and handed it to Thor, proving his trustworthiness. The Avengers then teamed up with the Maximoff twins and regained their weapons ready to go into war with Ultron. They discovered that Ultron was heading back to Sokovia with a plan to destroy the world. Rogers gathered with Tony Stark and Bruce Banner to discuss their plan of attack, Stark noted that it was unlikely that they would all survive the battle but Rogers did not let this stop him, noting that he had no other plans. As they flew to Sokovia in the Quinjet, Rogers gave a speech where he informed the team that their priority was to get the people of Sokovia away from the battle before engaging Ultron.

Battle of Sokovia


"You get hurt, hurt ‘em back. You get killed… walk it off."

- Steve Rogers to the Avengers

Once the Avengers arrived in Sokovia, Rogers sent the team to evacuate the civilians from the danger. Eventually, however, Ultron made his move and used a device to levitate Novi Grad and to drop it on Earth to destroy the planet. Rogers led the Avengers in the battle against the Ultron Sentries. They knew that if Ultron was able to activate the device's engine he would destroy the entire city so they defended it against a seemingly endless horde of Ultron Robots. As the army of machines continued to attack the civilians of the city, Rogers spotted a woman in a car dangling on the edge of the broken bridge, Rogers attempted to save her but was seconds too late as the car fell from a bridge, tumbling hundreds of feet. Thor came to their aid and flew down, pulling the woman out of the car and throwing her to Rogers, who was able to pull her back to safety. Another Ultron Sentries then attempted to kill them but Rogers was able to use his shield to rip it in half before throwing its mangled body off the bridge, mocking it as it fell. While Hawkeye, Scarlet Witch, and Quicksilver battled the Ultron Sentries in the city centre, Captain America and Thor fought the incoming army on the outer limits of the city, protecting the citizens from harm. When Black Widow arrived she and Rogers fought side by side, assisting each other until the first wave of Sentries were all destroyed. During this time Iron Man flew outside the city to try and work out how to stop Ultron when he suggested that they destroy the city, Rogers insisted that they would not leave the city and risk the lives of the thousands of citizens.

Reinforcements


"Fury, you son of a bitch." "Oh, do you kiss your mother with that mouth?"

- Captain America and Nick Fury

Eventually, Nick Fury and Maria Hill arrived onboard a Helicarrier and used it to enact Rogers' plan and evacuate the civilians while War Machine joined the battle. Rogers was surprised yet delighted at Fury's surprise arrival, jokingly calling him a son of a bitch, to which Fury asked if he spoke to his mother the same way. Fury sent out a squad of rescue boats to evacuate the citizens while Rogers and the Avengers ensured no one was left behind.

Protecting the Key


"We gotta move out. Even I can tell the air is getting thin. You guys get to the boats, I’ll sweep for stragglers, be right behind you."

- Captain America to the Avengers

Seeing the Avengers was winning the battle, Ultron attempted to activate the key and destroy the planet. Captain America and the rest of the team arrived in the church and surrounded the key in order to protect it. When Thor mocked Ultron, the robot showed off his army of hundreds of Ultron Sentries, Rogers then turned to Thor and commented on how he had to provoke Ultron. As Ultron continued to monologue about how he intended to destroy them, Iron Man said they would defeat him the way Rogers had suggested, together. With the challenge accepted, Ultron unleashed his army of Ultron Sentries upon them. Rogers and the Avengers put all their force into destroying the seemingly endless horde of Ultron Sentries, with Rogers ripping off their heads and crushing them under his shield until finally they were pushed back. When Ultron attempted to join the fight in his strongest form, the Vision, Iron Man and Thor nearly destroyed him with their combined powers. With the battle almost won, Rogers ordered the team to get to a rescue boat and leave the city before Iron Man and Thor destroyed the city. Scarlet Witch agreed to stay behind to protect the key and Rogers made his way to safety. Before they to leave, Ultron took control of their Quinjet and used it to fire a hail of bullets upon the Avengers, killing Quicksilver, Rogers quietly carried Maximoff's body onto the rescue boat while Hawkeye saved a young boy. Without warning, Ultron managed to activate the key and Rogers was barely able to escape before Thor and Iron Man were able to destroy the device, saving the earth. With the battle won, Vision was able to destroy the final Ultron body, effectively killing him.

New Avengers


"Well, we're not the '27 Yankees"

." "We've got some hitters." "They're good; they're not a team." "Let's beat 'em into shape.|Steve Rogers and Natasha Romanoff|Avengers: Age of Ultron}} The Avengers were disbanded in the aftermath of the Battle of Sokovia, with Tony Stark and Clint Barton retiring and Bruce Banner still missing in action. Rogers, Stark, and Thor met at the New Avengers Facility where they discussed the Vision keeping the Mind Stone in his head, Thor insisted that he could as he had proven himself worthy by lifting Mjølnir, although Rogers questioned if this counted as Vision was a machine. Thor then returned to Asgard to learn more about the Infinity Stones. Tony Stark then departed the facility. Rogers then explored the New Avengers Facility, which had been formed by Nick Fury, with the help of Maria Hill, Erik Selvig, Helen Cho and other former S.H.I.E.L.D. agents to train a new Avengers team, consisting of Captain America, Black Widow, Vision, Scarlet Witch, War Machine, and Falcon. After a conversation with Stark about settling down like Barton, Rogers finally chose to let go of the past and to accept the world he is living in.

Finding Bucky
Rogers and Sam Wilson eventually tracked Bucky Barnes down to a remote location and managed to capture him by trapping his cybernetic arm in a vice. Rogers told Wilson that they would not inform Tony Stark of Barnes' capture, as Stark could not be trusted with the information. They then discussed recruiting Ant-Man, whom Wilson had recently encountered. He also learned that Bucky had begun to remember his old self and Steve.

Attack on the IFID Headquarters
Captain America is deployed to Lagos, Nigeria as the leader of the new Avengers team where he and the team are sent to stop Crossbones, a former HYDRA Agent-turned mercenary leader, and terrorist, from acquiring a chemical weapon. He arrives at the city where he engages combat with a small group of mercenaries and eventually Falcon and Scarlet Witch arrive to support him. He eventually heads to a  marketplace where he is attacked by Crossbones and the two of them fight. This ends with Cap winning but Crossbones detonates a bomb he had on him and Scarlet flies him up to a building where he explodes killing dozens of innocent civilians in the process.