Every Captain America Part II: 1970 to 1980
Yesterday we shared part I of Marvel's "Ever Captain America ever" video series, which showed Cap's changing looks and politics from his creation in 1941 during World War II to 1964. The series shows all the iterations our most patriotic Avenger has undergone, including snippets about his adventures, misadventures and his changing views on politics and the world at large. Cap has always been more complex than many readers remember.
Today in part II, we catch up with Cap beginning in 1974, when baseball legend Bob Russo took the shield from Steve Rogers. Actually, 1974 was an incredibly busy year for Captain America (you'll see why in the video), which included a biker named "Scar" Turpin taking up the role of Cap, only to be beaten by a gang. In fact, in the two decades represented here, America's collective Cold War anxiety reached a peak, and our fears were reflected in the choices Steve Rogers made throughout the two decades, including denouncing his role at one point in 1987. Our comic superheroes have always been a mirror of the times in which they were created as well as the decades in which their stories were told, so it's no surprise that Cap's ever changing identity throughout the 70s and 80s were so fraught with introspection and outright rebellion against his role. Much of the 1980s saw various other superheroes trying to convince Captain America to take up his shield again and fight for America. These were trying times.
Check out the video below:
