Difference between revisions of "Captain America"
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In Europe, [[Adolf Hitler]] was over-running the continent, and American soldiers were getting ready for the eventual conflict. One of the young men making repeated attempts to enlist - and repeatedly rejected - was Steven Rogers, a physically-frail fine-arts student and comic book artist who was aware of the atrocities committed by the Nazis and wanted to do something about it. Dr. Josef Reinstein would see the young man's determination and offer him an opportunity as a test subject in a proposed "Super Soldier Project", the idea of which would be to have a unit of specially-enhanced, physically strong soldiers who be potentially dropped behind enemy lines to carry out missions considered too dangerous for lesser men. The effect of the test - a serum combined with "vita-rays" - turns Rogers into a super-soldier, but before it could be replicated Reinstein is killed by a Nazi infiltrator who, it is later discovered, works for the leader of the German terror and espionage apparatus, Johann Schmidt, whose disfigured head gave him the byname "Red Skull". | In Europe, [[Adolf Hitler]] was over-running the continent, and American soldiers were getting ready for the eventual conflict. One of the young men making repeated attempts to enlist - and repeatedly rejected - was Steven Rogers, a physically-frail fine-arts student and comic book artist who was aware of the atrocities committed by the Nazis and wanted to do something about it. Dr. Josef Reinstein would see the young man's determination and offer him an opportunity as a test subject in a proposed "Super Soldier Project", the idea of which would be to have a unit of specially-enhanced, physically strong soldiers who be potentially dropped behind enemy lines to carry out missions considered too dangerous for lesser men. The effect of the test - a serum combined with "vita-rays" - turns Rogers into a super-soldier, but before it could be replicated Reinstein is killed by a Nazi infiltrator who, it is later discovered, works for the leader of the German terror and espionage apparatus, Johann Schmidt, whose disfigured head gave him the byname "Red Skull". | ||
| + | ==Films== | ||
| + | The character first appeared in ''Captain America''<ref>http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0036697/</ref>, a fifteen-episode serial released in 1944 by Republic Pictures, and starred Dick Purcell, Lorna Gray, and Lionel Atwill. The plot involved the attempts of Dr. Cyrus Maldor and his alter-ego the "Scarab" to steal several devices which could be constructed into weapons that he would use to conquer the world; standing in his way is a district attorney whose secret identity is Captain America. | ||
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| + | Although a success on the screen, Timely Comics was extremely unhappy with ''Captain America''. Gone were certain costume elements, such as the head "wings" and the pirate boots; the iconic shield was reduced in size to a mere belt buckle. Most alarming was the change in name and job: Private Steve Rogers was turned into District Attorney Grant Gardner; instead of the Nazis it was an sinister organization with no references either to Naziism or World War II. | ||
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| + | ==References== | ||
| + | <small><references/></small> | ||
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| + | ==External links== | ||
| + | *[http://blip.tv/1944-captain-america-serial ''Captain America''; complete 1944 serial by Republic Pictures] | ||
[[Category: Superheroes]] | [[Category: Superheroes]] | ||
[[Category: Marvel]] | [[Category: Marvel]] | ||
[[Category: Comic Characters]] | [[Category: Comic Characters]] | ||
Revision as of 14:47, May 1, 2012
Captain America is a fictional superhero created in 1941 for Timely Comics by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, and is currently published under several titles by Marvel Comics. The embodiment of American patriotism just as World War II had begun, Captain America became Timely's best-selling title during the comic industry's "golden age", over time becoming one of the most recognizable and famous characters in the genre.
Comics lore
In Europe, Adolf Hitler was over-running the continent, and American soldiers were getting ready for the eventual conflict. One of the young men making repeated attempts to enlist - and repeatedly rejected - was Steven Rogers, a physically-frail fine-arts student and comic book artist who was aware of the atrocities committed by the Nazis and wanted to do something about it. Dr. Josef Reinstein would see the young man's determination and offer him an opportunity as a test subject in a proposed "Super Soldier Project", the idea of which would be to have a unit of specially-enhanced, physically strong soldiers who be potentially dropped behind enemy lines to carry out missions considered too dangerous for lesser men. The effect of the test - a serum combined with "vita-rays" - turns Rogers into a super-soldier, but before it could be replicated Reinstein is killed by a Nazi infiltrator who, it is later discovered, works for the leader of the German terror and espionage apparatus, Johann Schmidt, whose disfigured head gave him the byname "Red Skull".
Films
The character first appeared in Captain America[1], a fifteen-episode serial released in 1944 by Republic Pictures, and starred Dick Purcell, Lorna Gray, and Lionel Atwill. The plot involved the attempts of Dr. Cyrus Maldor and his alter-ego the "Scarab" to steal several devices which could be constructed into weapons that he would use to conquer the world; standing in his way is a district attorney whose secret identity is Captain America.
Although a success on the screen, Timely Comics was extremely unhappy with Captain America. Gone were certain costume elements, such as the head "wings" and the pirate boots; the iconic shield was reduced in size to a mere belt buckle. Most alarming was the change in name and job: Private Steve Rogers was turned into District Attorney Grant Gardner; instead of the Nazis it was an sinister organization with no references either to Naziism or World War II.