The Falcon & The Winter Soldier: All alternative Captain Americas

The Falcon & The Winter Soldier

The Falcon & The Winter Soldier, the new Disney + series, takes us back to the Marvel Cinematic Universe after the events of Avengers: Endgame, a new world in which the Blip has radically changed society. As we've seen in both Spider-Man: Far From Home and WandaVision, the company has been understandably shocked, especially now that it faces a heavy loss: there is no longer a Captain America. Historical role that of Cap, irreplaceable for everyone, but are we sure it really is? Apparently not, as passionate readers of Marvel comics well know, who over the years have seen several characters wield the Shield. Which leads us to ask a question: who are all the Captain America seen in the comics?

How many characters have been Captain America, besides Steve Rogers?

Among the heirs of the original Cap, alternate versions and temporary alter egos, many have taken the place of the Sentinel of Freedom . The Falcon & The Winter Soldier will focus its attention on two of the original Captain America's replacements, but the company of heroes wielding the Captain's Shield is definitely nurturing.

Steve Rogers Isaiah Bradley William Naslund Jeffrey Mace William Burnside Roscoe Simmons John Walker Bucky Barnes Sam Wilson Alternative versions

Steve Rogers

The Captain par excellence, the first to take on the role of the Sentinel of Liberty . Steve Rogers has always represented not only the image of Cap, but his authentic spirit of him, moved by a moral code that also led him to give up his role when he felt that Captain America was no longer a symbol. but a poor tool. On the other hand, despite having been born on the emotional wave of patriot comics during the days before the United States entered the war in the Second World War, the original Captain America represented not only American heroism but also a sense of honor and defense of morality that has never been lacking in Rogers' life.

Isaiah Bradley

During the Second World War, the US government was not ready to abandon the Rebirth Project, despite his death of Dr. Erskine, creator of the Super Soldier Serum who transformed Steve Rogers. Erskine's research was continued by Josef Reinstein, who developed a new formula tested on a platoon of black soldiers, including Isaiah Bradley. These soldiers were sent to fight under the orders of General Walker Price, who did not hesitate to use them as cannon fodder.

Isaiah, the only survivor of his squad, was commissioned to carry out a suicide mission with the aim of destroy a secret Nazi military installation in which other super soldiers were being created. Before leaving for this post, Bradley wore a Captain America uniform without authorization. Although he had managed to complete the mission, Isaiah was taken prisoner by the Nazis, being saved by the partisans who managed to send him back to his homeland. But here, he was convicted by the army for stealing Cap's uniform, being sentenced to prison and solitary confinement. A condition that turned him into a symbol for African American superheroes, who always called him Black Captain America.

Isaiah's nephew, Eliah, grew up following his example, becoming the superhero Patriot, thanks to the hiring of a particular drug, growth hormone mutated, but after being wounded in battle he received a blood transfusion from Isaiah, as a result of which he inherited the same powers as his grandfather.

William Naslund

Created in 1977 by Roy Thomas, Willian Naslund is the first replacement for Captain America. At the time of the Second World War, Naslund decides to become a superhero by following in the footsteps of his idol, Steve Rogers, assuming the identity of the '76 Spirit, in homage to the American war of independence. During the war, Naslund fights alongside the English formation of the Crusaders, but when he discovers that their leader is a Nazi spy, he decides to fight alone.

When Captain America apparently dies in battle in 1945, the president Truman chooses Naslund as Rogers' heir, who wears Cap's uniform until he is killed in action.

Jeffrey Mace

Born during the Golden Age of comics at the hands of Raymond Gill and Bill Everett, Jeffrey Mace is the superhero Patiota. Devoid of superpowers, Mace fights on American soil by hunting Nazi spies, only to accept to serve in Europe as commander of the Legion of Liberty.

Back home he continued to serve as a hero, assuming the role of Captain America on the death of Willian Naslund, a task he carried out from 1948 to 1950, when he decided to marry the heron Betsy Ross, known as the Golden Girl, retiring to private life.

William Burnside

Complex character, who owes his story to names like Stan Lee, John Romita Jr and Sal Buscema. Willian Burnside is a boy who grew up with the legend of Captain America, to the point of turning it into an obsession. First appearing in 1953's Young Men # 24, Burnside is also known as the Captain America of the 1950s, where the Sentinel of Liberty earned the title of Commie Smasher, for her fight against infiltrated Communist enemies of America.

After recovering a sample of Cap's blood at the scene of his alleged death in Germany, Burnside develops his own version of the super soldier, which he offers the Korean War-engaged American government on one condition: to become the new Captain America . He is so obsessed with being Cap that he undergoes corrective surgery to become like Steve Rogers. This fixation on Captain America was the source of his madness, which was further aggravated by the serum he injected, which caused his precarious mental state to worsen.

After being removed from his role as Captain America and hibernating, Burnside was later freed and used by several Rogers enemies, re-emerged from the ice as an adversary, making him the model of the racist, the violent and embodying the opposite of the American Dream embodied by the Captain's ideal. To the point of becoming one of his enemies, the Grand Director.

Roscoe Simmons

When Rogers discovered a conspiracy at the top of the government during the saga of the Secret Empire, a cartoon representation of the Watergate scandal gave up the shield, assuming the identity of Nomad. A young gymnast, Roscoe Simmons, decided to try in every way to become the new Cap, also asking Falcon, Rogers' faithful shoulder, to train him. After an initial refusal, Falcon finally decided to take Roscoe under his wing, who after stealing a uniform from Captain America had begun to fight against crime.

Roscoe and Falcon face a mysterious enemy bent on killing Captain America, an opponent who turned out to be Red Skull, who angered to discover the true identity of the 'fake' Cap, brutally killed him, prompting Rogers to retake the Shield to face him.

John Walker

Captain America has always been a symbol, and Steve Rogers has always behaved as such. But when the laws and the American government move in a direction that the man behind the shield does not think is right, his sense of honor leads him to abandon his role. On one of these occasions, the Shield passes to John Walker, a soldier who, unlike Rogers, was not used to contest orders, even resorting to violence in order to carry out his duties.

Walker had powers partly similar to those Rogers, obtained thanks to the intervention of Power Broker, a criminal who provided superhuman abilities to other outlaws. Before being Captain America, Walker had introduced himself as Super-Patriot, a role he had opposed to Rogers, before replacing him when he refused to submit to the authority of the Commission on Superhuman Affairs. When his actions prompted Cap to return to being the Sentinel of Freedom, Walker agreed to give him the shield, indeed prompting Rogers to resume the role that was his and that Walker felt he did not deserve. The latter, free from the position of Captain America, continued to serve the States as U.S. Agent.

In The Falcon & The Winter Soldier, when America is faced with the absence of the figure of Cap, John Walker is initially chosen as Rogers' replacement, as we see in the finale of the first episode of the series, The New World Order.

Bucky Barnes

The Winter Soldier had the opportunity to take up the Shield, becoming Cap after the death of Steve Rogers at the end of the first Civil War, when Captain America was apparently the victim of an attack. His time as Cap was not easy for Bucky Barnes, who had to win the trust of the Americans and the metahuman community of the Marvel Universe, mindful of his past as a Winter Soldier.

Sam Wilson

The foundation upon which The Falcon & The Winter Soldier is built. Sam Wilson, after being Steve Rogers 'loyal sidekick, was close to becoming Captain America a first time during Rogers' departure which led to Walker's nomination as Shield holder.

After Cap's death at the end of Civil War she is unmasked as a complex plan of the Red Skull aided by Doctor Doom, Rogers, saved by his friends, returns to wear the Shield briefly, before the Serum of the Supersoldier is drained of his blood, making him a third man age. Faced with this new adversity, Steve decides to deliver the Shield to Sam Wilson, naming him the new Captain America.

Under the leadership of Rick Remender, the new Captain America was forced to address issues of great social importance, such as racism and growing violence within American society of the period.

Alternate Versions

Like every Marvel character, Captain America has his own host of alternate versions. In the universe of Earth-65, the place of origin of Spider-Gwen, Samantha 'Sam' Wilson plays the role of the Captain, while in Marvel 2009 the Captain's Shield was wielded by Roberta Mendez, but it is another version Cap female that particularly impressed: Peggy Carter.

Created by Judd Winick and Mike McKone in Exiles, Earth-86315's Peggy Carter is convinced by Howard Stark to take part in the Rebirth Project, after the death of Steve Rogers and Dr. Erskine. This alternate version of Captain America will also be the inspiration for one of the tales from What if ...? , the Marvel animated series coming to Disney + this summer.

You can watch Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and other streaming services thanks to the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K