Disclaimer: I do not claim ownership of any of the characters listed in this top 5. They are owned by Marvel Comics as are the stories told. Also, there are spoilers for the story told in the COMIC VERSION OF CIVIL WAR.
By: Christopher Johnson
Introduction:
I know it seems I have been writing a lot about Captain America and I probably have. I just thought it would be fun to write this to commemorate the Fourth of July. This list contains my favorites of everyone who has held the title of Captain America. Other “American Themed” heroes like Union Jack or U.S. Agent do not count as they are not Captain America. Without any further adieu, let’s begin.
- Frank Castle
After Steve’s death in the original “Civil War” comics, Frank Castle took up the mantle before passing onto Bucky. The main reason Frank stopped being Cap is that he did not want to tarnish the mantle. I have him at 5 because he was Cap for a short time and though there are strict comparisons made between him and Steve in the Civil War comics, his way of saving the day does not fit what you expect of Cap. I simply added him to the list because I find it idea interesting.
- Danielle Cage
The daughter of Luke Cage and Jessica Jones. She has appeared twice as a future Captain America; once in “Ultron Forever” and another time in “New Avengers” by Al Ewing issues 3 and 4(My review can be found here). I have always liked alternate realities and just like the idea of the mantle being passed down to the daughter of a current hero. She is low on the list because we really know nothing about how she became cap or even who she is as a person. All we know is that she is the Cap of her timeline and we know a lot more about the other 3 on the list.
- Bucky Barnes
James Buchanan “Bucky” Barnes began as Captain America’s original sidekick during his time as a soldier in World War II. On one particular mission, Cap and Bucky chased Baron Zemo to an experimental drone plane where they tried to disarm a bomb. The bomb exploded, Cap fell into the Atlantic and Bucky’s body was never discovered. Long story short, he was found by Russian General Vasily Karpov then several years later Cap was able to use the cosmic cube to restore his memories. Then it came to the Civil War when Captain America died and bucky replaced him as Captain America. I really like the idea of Bucky as Cap, but design wise he looks so much like Steve so it is hard to really distinguish the two, in my opinion. That is why he has the third spot.
- Sam Wilson
Sam Wilson was originally known as the Falcon and became the modern day partner to Steve Rogers. Then in late 2014, the Iron Nail drained the serum out of Steve’s body and he became an old man. The mantle of Captain America was then passed down to Sam Wilson. Instead of adapting Steve’s old costume, Sam wore a slightly modified one and kept his wings. I have liked Falcon and his “partner” Redwing before he became Captain America, now I like “Captain Falcon” just as much as I had. Plus, the wings allows his design to stand out from the classic design.
- Steve Rogers
By now, who does not know the basics behind Steve’s origin? Steve is as classic as you can get and it is no wonder he is one of my favorite superheroes of all time! He is humble and is a patriot through and through. He is the prime example of a superhero and can do amazing things with his shield. There is no Captain America better than the original and though his costume might be outdated compared to Sam’s, it is timeless when Steve wears it and can not be outdone.
Conclusion:
Thank you for taking the time to read this! I know I may have written a little too much about Captain America in these last few months, but I thought this would be a fun article to write, so I did. I hope you enjoyed it and if you did you may want to check out “Top 5 Beards in Comic Books” and “Top 5 Joke Characters in Comics”. Also, feel free to follow @Cjohnson0545 on Twitter or like “Comic Conversations” on Facebook if you want to know when I post another top 5.
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