Steven Grant Rogers has been the unprecedented love of my life since my first exposure to comic books at a young age. He is someone (though fictional) that I see as an idol and as a hero. He is smart, and trustworthy, and passionate, and empathetic, and protective, and fiercely loyal- I could go on all day. But the bottom-line is this: Captain America represents to me what it means to be a good person and a good American. And in the times that we are facing now, he is someone we should all look up to. Here’s why we need more men like him:
1. He’s beautiful:
Let’s just get it out of the way. He’s all blonde-hair, blue-eyes, and muscles. He’s shaped like the most ethereal dorito. I never want to stop looking at him. In a time when we’re faced with ill-dressed cheeto men, we need a better, more attractive representation of America.
2. He’s just a kid from Brooklyn
Captain America didn’t start out as a huge, strong, force of American values. He was incredibly small and incredibly sick before his scientific modification. He’s the son of immigrants who grew up during the depression in a predominantly immigrant neighborhood. He faced a lot of hardship and oppression in a time when (like today) immigrants were not valued for their importance to our nation. He was an outsider. That all being said, he represents what really makes America what it is- a great nation built in diversity and strife.
3. His relationship with Bucky Barnes
Bucky Barnes is Steve Rogers’ best friend from childhood. Bucky protects Steve when he’s too weak to protect himself, they face loss and extreme financial hardship together, they are inseparable. They’re with each other ‘til the end of the line. When Steve was still small and sickly, Bucky goes off to war. After Steve’s transformation, he also goes to war, and they reunite. Bucky then faces torture and is perceived to be dead by Steve, and Steve never really recovers emotionally from the loss of his best friend. The two of them are incredibly close and defy the classic stereotypes of male friendships. They are affectionate and emotional with one another, but it never compromises their strength. I think we can learn a lot about what it’s like to be masculine and vulnerable at the same time from their friendship. Masculinity is just too fragile nowadays.
4. He punches Nazi’s
Need I say more?
5. He stands up for what he believes in- no matter what it takes
He would pick fights in alley ways with people 3 times his size as a young adult in order to defend the honor and humanity of others. He stood up to a comic book equivalent of Hitler and refused to let fascism and genocide prevail. He defied a corrupt government and advised others to do the same, even at the expense of becoming a fugitive and causing a war within his organization. He violently opposed a registry in order to protect the safety of those he saw could be at risk, and lost friends over it. He is a true champion to all of those who are walked over and pushed down and violently oppressed. He has always seen those in need and put himself on the line for their well-being. He is a true American hero.