When Is Captain America’s Birthday in Marvel Comics?

Happy birthday, Captain America! Steve Rogers was born on July 4, 1920 in Marvel comics. I remember when Captain America: The First Avenger came out in 2011. I had never heard of the character before and was confused about why Marvel Studios would follow up Iron Man and Iron Man 2 with a period piece starring a character no one knew — never mind that prior to the first film’s release, I hadn’t known who Iron Man was either.

Of course, comic book fans have known Steve Rogers since 1940, so I was just woefully uninformed. But not even my deep and abiding love for Chris Evans or my interest in WWII managed to get me to the movies. It wasn’t until I saw The Avengers a few years after its 2012 release that I first met Captain America.

Everything changed after that. I came to know Captain America for the dynamic and complex figure he is — flaws and all.

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Marvel’s Resident Boy Scout

Steve Rogers became a comfort character for me, and even now he’s someone I look up to. As a Captain America fan, it’s not unusual to hear people call him a Boy Scout, and they tend not to mean it affectionately.

Apparently some people think he’s a boring character, and that’s fine. People are allowed their opinions, however misguided. But writing Steve off that way does him a disservice. One of Steve’s most recognizable traits is his absolute conviction to do what he believes to be the right thing, no matter what. It’s the “what he believes” part that’s most important here because that standard is wholly subjective. His resolve makes him a hero because Steve is a good man with a selfless heart. He says himself in Captain America: The First Avenger that he doesn’t like bullies. But what if he’d turned out to be one instead of someone dedicated to fighting them?

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A Hero with His Own Rules

Of course, Steve isn’t a bully. But he also isn’t afraid to act in a way that goes against majority rule, or even the law. He lies on his Army enlistment forms three times — which is illegal — before Dr. Erskine recruits him. He crosses into enemy territory on the Italian warfront to save Bucky (and the rest of his captured unit), despite being told by Colonel Phillips that they would not be mounting a rescue mission.

Sure, Steve presents himself for disciplinary action afterwards, but the issue is that he went in the first place. He refuses to sign the Sokovia Accords that would establish a panel to oversee and ultimately control the Avengers because he doesn’t like the idea of someone else deciding where, when, and even if the team can go to help people. Plus, he helps Bucky escape the CIA and makes himself an international fugitive in order to save Bucky and prove him innocent of the UN terrorist bombing in Geneva. Breaking rules isn’t a problem to Steve when he decides that the rules are wrong.

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What If … Captain America Were Different?

But what happens if Steve Rogers isn’t good to his core? What if he decides that all of the rules are wrong? The ferocity of his conviction is a heroic thing when he’s dedicated to protecting people, but that same conviction and unwillingness to compromise on his ideals drove the plot of Captain America: Civil War. That very same conviction led to the dissolution of the team he worked hard to build. So what would the MCU look like if Steve Rogers’ Captain America believed in might, control, and self-service, rather than justice and equality?

It’s that “what if” that makes Steve so interesting. After all, the proverbial one bad day could come along at any moment and break him, turning him into a tyrant à la DC’s Injustice-verse Superman. But it’s his unrelenting goodness and his dedication to serving others that make him an inspiration. Steve Rogers is always going to do what he can to protect people. He’s always going to fight for those who can’t fight for themselves, and he’s never going to let anything or anyone sway him once he’s made his stand.

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It is incredibly brave to stand firm in your own decisions when they’re unpopular and speak up even when it can get you in trouble or put you in danger. And sure, Steve’s just a character — but saying that does him a disservice, too. It’s unfair to call him just a character when characters and the stories they tell are why we’re all here, why we buy collectibles and movie tickets and comic books. Characters show us who we are and, sometimes, who we want to be.

So on this day, Steve Rogers’ birthday, I think I’ll continue to look up to this so-called Boy Scout. Maybe if I keep watching and keep reading, a little bit of his stubborn (almost spiteful) goodness will sink into my soul and make me a little braver, too.

Why do you admire Steve Rogers? Join the conversation with other Marvel fans over at Sideshow Social Network or at side.show/geekgroup, and don’t forget to Let Your Geek Sideshow!