Captain America is one of the greats of the comic industry. First appearing in 1941’s Captain America Comics #1, co-created by Marvel’s greatest talent – Jack Kirby, he has proved to be the ultimate survivor. The character made a huge splash right away and was the only Marvel hero to survive the end of World War II. His return in 1964’s Avengers (Vol. 1) #4 proved to be one of the greatest additions to the newly minted Marvel Universe and he’s since become the leader of the superhero community, the shining example of everything that they could be. In a lot of ways, he’s the ultimate Marvel hero, one that proves their approach to the superhero is the best. He is Marvel Comics.
Marvel heroes can be quite different from their DC Comics‘ counterparts. There’s a difference between their two worlds that takes heroes in different directions. Looking at the history of Cap, though, it feels like he would just plain fit better in the DC Multiverse. Captain America would be an amazing DC hero, showing just how adaptable the character can be.
Superman is DC’s greatest hero for numerous reasons but one of the biggest is how inspiring he is. He’s an alien who lost everything, grew up on a different world, and became more human than anyone else out there. He’s the one that every other hero wants to be like and he’s only the tip of the iceberg. Look at the way legacy works in the DC Multiverse; even characters who aren’t as well-known have created legacies that stretched across decades. This is the perfect world for the Sentinel of Liberty. Much like Superman, for example, so many heroes have entered the game because of Cap’s shining example. He’s the perfect inspiration and it feels so very DC. Can you imagine him fighting alongside his old allies in the Justice Society? Superman probably would have been inspired by him, as well. Cap fits perfectly among the inspiring heroes of the DC Multiverse, becoming yet another pillar of the superhero community.
DC Comics has created the greatest villains in the history of comics. If you look at their bad guys, you can draw lines from them to antagonists in the Marvel Universe. They created the supervillain as we know it with characters like the Ultra-Humanite and many Marvel villains wouldn’t exist without them. They’re best villains are big, evil personalities, hyperbolic monsters that challenge the most powerful protectors of the Earth. Now, imagine dropping Cap into that world. He would find loads of villains who he would be perfect for. While there aren’t as many Nazi villains in the DC Multiverse, there are plenty of fascists, so Cap could keep fighting the good fight for freedom. DC’s various gimmick villains would challenge the Sentinel of Liberty and allow him to show off just how good he really is. The more I think about it, the more I realize that Lex would probably be his archenemy; Luthor is everything wrong with the American Dream and Cap would be diametrically opposed to him. Lex is just the tip of the iceberg, though; DC villains and Cap fit together like peanut butter and chocolate.
Captain America is Marvel’s greatest soldier, starting his fight against evil in the days before the supersoldier serum was in his veins (Captain America (Vol. 13) showed us young Steve Rogers, alongside the mob, fighting against a demonic Nazi plan). He is the representation of everything good about the United States, and has become the ultimate patriotic hero. His example led to numerous others wearing the red, white, and blue, with DC trying numerous times to create a patriotic hero on his level. However, they were never able to succeed. Sure, Superman is often considered patriotic, but he doesn’t wear the flag and fight alongside the US military and intelligence services. DC has every kind of hero you can imagine, but they don’t have a major patriotic one. Cap would be perfect in this role at DC, giving the publisher something they’ve been missing for years – the ultimate superhero patriot.
Captain America’s supersoldier serum is one of the most nebulous powersets out there. Basically, it’s supposed to make him a peak human, but not superhuman. However, this isn’t exactly the case. I think the best example of this is Civil War #4, when Iron Man was just unloading on him and he survived somehow or back in the Dan Jurgens run on the character when he threw his shield far enough to save Falcon after he was strapped to a missile (Captain America (Vol. 3) #27 to be exact). That’s not a peak human feat; it’s superhuman. While Marvel and DC both do this sort of thing to an extent, DC heroes are more likely to be as powerful as the story needs them to be, their power levels merely suggestions. Plus, in “Year One”, we saw Batman kick a tree in half and he didn’t have any supersoldier serum. Cap has some remarkable feats that don’t really make sense in the Marvel Universe, but they would be perfect for the DC Multiverse.
DC Comics and iconic heroes go hand in hand. Over the years, creators have given readers some of the biggest icons ever. Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, the Flash, and so many others became characters who everyone had heard of. DC, in a lot of ways, is more about the icons than the House of Ideas. It’s often said that DC is “gods trying to human” and what are gods other than the ultimate icons? Marvel has its share of icons, but they are more human than their DC counterparts and don’t really have the grandeur. Cap, though, has always been different in these respects. Steve Rogers is as human as they come in some ways, but there’s so much more to him than that. He’s a symbol and symbols are DC’s bread and butter. He would fit perfectly in the big meetings alongside the DC superhero community, helping make decisions and spurring his fellow heroes on in battle.
