Steven Grant Rogers is a superhero portrayed by Chris Evans in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) media franchise—based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name—commonly known by his alias, Captain America. Rogers is depicted as a World War II–era super soldier who was given a serum that provided him with superhuman abilities, including enhanced durability, strength, and athleticism. He is childhood best friends with Bucky Barnes and served alongside him in the Howling Commandos; during his fight against the Nazi secret organization Hydra, he was frozen in the Arctic for nearly seventy years until being revived in the 21st century. Rogers becomes a founding member and leader of the Avengers. Following internal conflict within the Avengers due to the Sokovia Accords and Thanos initiating the Blip, Rogers leads the team on a final mission, and they successfully restore trillions of lives across the universe and defeat Thanos. After returning the Infinity Stones to their original timelines, he remains in the 1940s with his lost love, Peggy Carter; they marry, and Rogers lives a full life. Rogers chooses Sam Wilson to be his successor, passing his shield and the title of Captain America on to him. Rogers is a central figure in the MCU, appearing in nine films as of 2026. When first introduced in Captain America: The First Avenger (2011), the character received mixed reception, but gradually became a fan favorite. Chris Evans's portrayal of Steve Rogers has received acclaim, and the character is often cited, along with Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark, as cementing the success of the MCU. His story arc is considered to be one of the best in the MCU, and the Captain America films within the "Infinity Saga" are commonly referred to as the franchise's best trilogy. Rogers will return in Avengers: Doomsday (2026). Alternate versions of Rogers from within the MCU multiverse also appear in the film Avengers: Endgame (2019) and in the animated series What If...? (2021–2023), voiced by Josh Keaton. These versions include an incarnation of Rogers, who, instead of receiving the serum, wears a mechanized suit of armor and becomes the Hydra Stomper.
Concept and creation Captain America was first conceived as a comic book character in 1940, as a direct response to the military actions of Nazi Germany, prior to the United States entering World War II. The initial introduction of the character included the concepts of a soldier named Steve Rogers being given a serum bestowing enhanced strength and agility, wearing a patriotic red, white and blue uniform, carrying a shield, and having as a sidekick, a teenaged Bucky Barnes. In the 1960s, Marvel decided to test bringing the character back as part of the Avengers, with the premise that the character had been frozen for the two decades since the war, and was "haunted by past memories, and trying to adapt to 1960s society". Live-action performances of the character in television and film serials began within a few years after its creation, with a 1990 feature film resulting in critical and financial failure. In the mid-2000s, Kevin Feige realized that Marvel still owned the rights to the core members of the Avengers, which included Captain America. Feige, a self-professed "fanboy", envisioned creating a shared universe just as creators Stan Lee and Jack Kirby had done with their comic books in the early 1960s. In 2005, Marvel received a $525 million investment from Merrill Lynch, allowing them to independently produce ten films, including Captain America. Paramount Pictures agreed to distribute the film.
Originally, the film would stand alone; Feige said "about half" the movie would be set during World War II before moving into the modern day. Producer Avi Arad said, "The biggest opportunity with Captain America is as a man 'out of time', coming back today, looking at our world through the eyes of someone who thought the perfect world was small-town United States. Sixty years go by, and who are we today? Are we better?" He cited the Back to the Future trilogy as an influence, and claimed he had "someone in mind to be the star, and definitely someone in mind to be the director". In February 2006, Arad hoped to have a summer 2008 theatrical release date. In April 2006, David Self was hired to write the script. Joe Johnston met with Marvel to discuss directing the film and signed on in November 2008, hiring Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely to rewrite. Variety reported in March 2010 that Chris Evans was cast as Captain America; Ryan Phillippe and John Krasinski were also considered for the role. Evans, who previously worked with Marvel as the Human Torch in the Fantastic Four film series, initially declined the part three times before signing a six-picture deal with Marvel, saying, "I think Marvel is doing a lot of good things right now, and it's a fun character. ... I think the story of Steve Rogers is great. He's a great guy. Even if it [were] just a script about anybody, I would probably want to do it. So it wasn't necessarily about the comic itself." In April, it was reported that Joss Whedon would rewrite the script as part of his negotiation to write and direct The Avengers. Whedon said in August, "I just got to make some character connections. The structure of the thing was really tight and I loved it, but there were a couple of opportunities to find his voice a little bit —and some of the other characters'— and make the connections so that you understood exactly why he wanted to be who he wanted to be. And progressing through the script to flesh it out a little bit".
List of appearances
Fictional character biography
Early life Steve Rogers was born on July 4, 1918, in Brooklyn, New York, to Joseph and Sarah Rogers. His father, a member of the 107th Infantry Regiment, was killed by mustard gas during World War I. He was raised by his mother, a nurse, who died of tuberculosis, leaving Rogers alone at the age of eighteen. At just 5-foot-4-inch (1.63 m) tall and weighing only 90 pounds (41 kg), Rogers was also afflicted with a number of medical issues including asthma, scoliosis, heart arrhythmia, partial deafness, stomach ulcers, and pernicious anemia.
World War II
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