Of course, as the newest Avengers movie comes out, those "favorite Avenger" conversations are bound to arise. Where do I stand? Well....
There's not much question here. I knew absolutely nothing about Captain America before I saw the first movie. The only time I had ever heard of him was the minor reference to him in "The Pursuit of Happiness." But, when I finally saw the movie, I found myself pleasantly surprised by a superhero who wasn't stuck up, didn't think too much of himself, upheld doing the right thing, stuck by his friends in the tough times, and didn't back down from a fight even when he didn't have much chance of winning.
Now, I know what you're thinking. I've heard it before. "He's too perfect." "He's not relatable." "He has no character growth because he already starts off good." I've even heard: "He's arrogant." (Now that one I take issue with. But we'll get to that.)
I agree, there isn't a lot of character development, especially when you compare him to Ironman. Ironman grows a lot in his three movies. But I think people are too quick to dismiss Captain America from the "interesting characters" list just because they think he has no room for growth. From real life, we all know that even the people who look like they have it all together have areas to work on. I have to say that I think Marvel was hinting at this with Captain America in the new Avengers movie.
*****SPOILERS****
When Captain America and Ironman are splitting logs, Ironman says he doesn't trust someone who doesn't have a dark side. Cap doesn't really make much of a response. What he was haunted with was his memories of Peggy, and the life he could have had with her. Granted, by the end he seems kind of determined not to let it bother him. But I think there might be more to it. I can't say I know what just yet, but I wouldn't dismiss Cap as having no struggles.
********END OF SPOILERS*******
I also think that people are too quick to judge that Captain America has had an easy life. Let's remember what his life was like before Dr. Erskine discovered him. He was a puny kid from Brooklyn. He still stood up for what was right, but he took the hits that came with it. Before that, he lost his father and his mother. According to Marvel's Wikia, his father died when Steve was a kid, and his mother died when Steve was in his late teens, probably before he was eighteen. (http://marvel.wikia.com/Captain_America_%28Steven_Rogers%29) Hardly sounds like a kid who's had life handed to him on a silver platter to me. But he was committed to doing the right thing and not letting tough times (or "tough people"/bullies) get him down. Like he said to Peggy: "You start running, they'll never let you stop." Even when it didn't make sense for him to put up a fight because he was sure to lose (like Bucky said: "You know, sometimes I think you like getting punched,") he didn't give up.
One of my favorite parts of the first movie is when Erskine comes and talks to Steve before the procedure.
"Can I ask you a question?"
"Just one?"
"Why me?"
"I suppose that is the only question that matters. ...The serum amplifies everything that is inside, so good becomes great; bad becomes worse. This is why you were chosen: because a strong man, who has known power all his life, can lose respect for that power. But a weak man knows the value of strength, and knows compassion."
"Thanks...I think."
"Whatever happens tomorrow, you must promise me one thing: that you will stay who you are. Not a perfect soldier, but a good man."
Steve raises his glass and says: "To the little guys."
Steve was chosen for something more than physical characteristics or intelligence. He was chosen because he is a good man. I think the best way to understand the goodness of Captain America and his transformation into the super-soldier is this article: The Catholicity of Captain America.
Erskine doesn't think Steve is perfect, and doesn't expect him to be. He wants him to just keep being himself: a good person. There is nothing about Steve Rogers that would make anyone think that he could be a hero; they wouldn't even accept him as a regular soldier. At least, nothing on the outside. Nothing physical: no muscle, no outstanding intelligence, no knack for machines.... What makes him stand out from the rest is something much deeper than that: his virtue and sense of duty.
Another area where I see a struggle of Captain America's is in the first movie.
******SPOILERS*******
Captain America has just lost his best friend Bucky in a tragic accident on a train. He seems to have disappeared, and Peggy goes looking for him. She finds him in the shambles of a bar where Cap and Bucky and their friends would go to talk and have fun.
Steve sits at a table, bottle nearby and glass in hand.
"Dr. Erskine said that the serum wouldn't just effect my muscles, it would effect my cells. Create a protective system of regeneration and healing. Which means, um, I can't get drunk. Did you know that?"
...
Peggy says, "It wasn't your fault."
"Did you see the reports?"
"Yes."
"Then you know that's not true."
"Yes."
"Then you know that's not true."
Cap blames himself for Bucky's death, even though it wasn't his fault. There really was nothing he could do. And Peggy tells him that Bucky's death was the death of a hero who thought his friend was worth dying for, and hardly something for Cap to take credit for (whether he means to, or not). I think that's something a lot of us can relate to. When bad things happen, we're tempted to blame ourselves, even if there was nothing we could have done to stop it.
*****END OF SPOILERS*******
As far as being un-relatable, I will agree that Ironman is slightly more relatable for most of us. At some point in our life, we've made a poor choice or many poor choices. Seeing Ironman rise from that, though, and become a better man is a journey that we all appreciate because it's one that all of us are on. It is also great to see Ironman, and the other Avengers, learn to use their abilities, talents, and skills for something greater than themselves, power, money, or whatever else they might be tempted to use them for. They make a choice to use their abilities to protect people.
Nonetheless, I wouldn't dismiss Captain America as completely un-relatable.
***********SPOILERS***********
In the new movie, for example. Ironman lets out a not-so-gentile word, to which Cap replies: "Language!" And he gets teased about it for the rest of the movie. Well, for some of us, that's definitely relatable. Some of us have definitely been the person to call out the person or group of persons on their language, and we can be ridiculed for it. It's not really a fun experience, though, as in Cap's case, it can be amusing. But the whole "we can't talk like this because of so-and-so" can be a little bit frustrating for the person doing the calling out. It's usually not about "don't talk that way in front of me" (though it can be); but it's about "you shouldn't really talk that way period." Of course, all of us let slip a word every now and then that we're not so proud of. I'm not condoning that; but it is the human condition. So don't rant on me about judging people by their language because I've heard it before. It's not that the language offends my ears so much as it offends your mouth and it offends the One Who made that mouth to speak words of truth and blessing.
**********END OF SPOILERS***********
I also find Cap relatable in his desire to do what's right. I think part of what makes Cap such a valuable asset to the Avengers is not just his knowledge of war tactics and ability to take the lead and strategize while in the line of fire; but also his integrity. Cap is a soldier out of the 1940s. While not all the practices of World War II may be heralded as the most morally sound, it was a just war. The soldiers in that war were fighting for peace and justice; they fought against oppression and injustice towards weaker states, and the evils of the Nazi regime. I believe that in the '40s there was a higher moral code among people than what we have today. Moral relativism wasn't as rampant then as it is now, and so people had a clearer idea that there was right and there was wrong. Cap is out of that era, and he holds himself to a higher moral standard than the average person these days. That's what makes him a valuable asset to the Avengers. He holds everyone to a higher standard than "getting by." I love Tony Stark's snarky comments, and his response to Captain America in "The Avengers," about "cutting the wire" is clever. It's what we would all like to do, and, morally speaking, what is a good thing to do if you can. However, when you don't know if you can do that without the other person dying, there are people who hold themselves to that higher standard and who will, like Cap says, "lay their life down on the wire and let the other guy crawl over them." Sacrificing your life for someone else, when there's no other way for you both to get out alive, is heroism.
I'm not putting Stark down by that, either. He does sacrifice himself in "The Avengers," thus proving Cap and anyone else wrong about him. He has a heart, and a conscience. He can make the sacrificial act. Finding the way around it is great when you can; after all, one of the natural goods we strive after as human beings is self-preservation. But there are times when you can't "cut the wire." Cap holds the Avengers to a higher standard than "cutting the wire," or "doing just enough." It's about doing what's right, as it ought to be. That's what heroes do. They make mistakes; but, it's what they do after those mistakes that matters. As Fulton Sheen said, "There are two kinds of people: a person who falls down and stays down; and a person who falls but who gets back up again." The Avengers are heroes because they get back up again. They aren't heroes because they never fall; they're heroes because they don't let that fall be the end.
I really enjoyed how the Avengers sort-of nickname for Cap is "old man." Even though he doesn't look like it, he is older than all of them. He's seen a totally different century, a different kind of war, a different kind of America than the rest of the Avengers. He's got a mentality like Samwise Gamgee: "There's some good in this world, and it's worth fighting for." Even when things look bleak, he's determined to keep doing what he knows he should do; not what is easy, not what reaps the most benefit for everybody, but what is right. It's people like that who make us all want to be better. I think part of the reason why some people don't like Captain America is that he's the kind of person who holds you to that higher standard. A lot of us are in the "getting by" mentality instead of the "excellence" mentality, and we get intimidated or defensive when people call us on to be more than what we are. But we need those people. We're not perfect, and we know it. But we can't work on our imperfections and become better if no one points them out to us, or if no one shows us how to be more than "the sum of our weaknesses," as St. John Paul II called it.
A dear friend, and fellow Avengers analyst said this to me when she heard about the blog post I was writing: "[Cap]'s almost like playing Jesus -- he's "good." He's almost like good incarnate. That makes him the hardest of the Avengers to play, and Chris Evans does a beautiful job!"
Another great thing about Captain America, though, is that I don't see him looking down on others because they don't hold them to that higher standard. "Avengers" is the movie where he's learning to balance holding himself to that higher standard and expecting others to do the same with acknowledging and understanding the struggles and imperfections of his teammates. In the end, they work through those differences. They learn to work with each other's strengths and help each other in their weaknesses. A great example of this is in "The Winter Soldier."
************SPOILERS***************
Cap and Black Widow have just come to Falcon's house to hide out because they're on the run from S.H.I.E.L.D./Hydra. (And, can I say, I love Cap's response to Project Insight: "This isn't freedom. This is fear." In our fallen state, the two exist together. But when we let fear take control of us, we lose our freedom.)
Nat is sitting down, looking thoughtful. Cap comes in and asks her if she's okay. She casually replies that she is; but Cap is persistent and gets her to tell him what's on her mind.
"When I first joined SHIELD, I thought it was going straight. But I guess I just traded in the KGB for HYDRA. I thought I knew whose lies I was telling, but... I guess I can't tell the difference anymore."
"There's a chance you might be in the wrong business."
"I owe you."
"It's okay."
"If it was the other way around, and it was down to me to save your life, and you be honest with me, would you trust me to do it?"
"I would now. And I'm always honest."
"Well, you seem pretty chipper for someone who just found out they died for nothing.?
"Well, I guess I just like to know who I'm fighting."
Cap is learning to trust his teammates. It's not always easy. He knows their imperfections, for example: Natasha's not afraid to trick people and tell lies if she has to. That makes her good at her job, but what's the guarantee that she's not lying to her friends, too? Nick Fury is the man in charge. He calls the shots, and he's good at it. But he's also afraid. He doesn't trust people, and that makes is hard for Cap to trust him. But because of what they've been through, Cap learns to trust Nat and Fury.
"All you can do's try to know who your friends are as you head off to the war." -The Call by Regina Spektor.
************END OF SPOILERS**********
I don't think that Captain America is flawless, as I made clear before. But I think that he is a very good image of the righteous man. The righteous man is a man of the Beatitudes, a man of virtue, a man who wants to do what is right no matter what. Captain America is that kind of man. This makes it, sometimes, a bit awkward for him because the rest of his team is often in a different mindset. But, for those striving for righteousness in their lives, Captain America can be someone they really relate to. You stand for what's right, and sometimes people beat you down for it. They might actually admire your convictions, but it doesn't show very much. Still, affirmation or no affirmation, you know what you have to do and you don't let what's popular get in the way of that.
You might retort and say: "Well Cap goes against his principles and says a bad word or two later in the movie." Yes, and we all have had those moments where we failed, right? Where we abandoned principles to fit in? And sometimes a word slips. Cap is also a World War II soldier, and I'm sure that it wasn't the only time that a cuss word has crossed his lips. But, compared to some, he keeps it pretty clean. I'm not saying Cap is perfect. I'm saying he's exactly what Erskine called him: "A good man."
The righteous man is a figure in many books of Scripture, especially Proverbs. But I think these two Bible verses summarize best what I love about Captain America.
Can a mortal be more righteous than God? Can even a strong man be more pure than his Maker? -Job 4:17
But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. -1 Timothy 6:11
"Those who lead many to righteousness." Sounds like Cap to me. He's determined to do the right thing, and, as the main leader of the Avengers, he leads them all to do the same (so far as he is able). Cap doesn't lord his strength over anyone. Like Erskine said, he knows compassion. He knows the value of the strength that he has because he's been on the other end of a strong man's punches. He uses his power for good. He doesn't pretend to be more than what he is, and he's not one to look for attention.
Cap's famous line from "The Avengers" is: "There's only one God, ma'am, and I'm pretty sure He doesn't dress like that." I think that the verse from Job sounds a lot like something that Captain America would relate to. He doesn't consider himself to be perfect. He's strong, but he's humble about it. He doesn't flaunt his strength or use it imprudently. He uses his gifts for good, to help people.
The verse from 1 Timothy is also really great, and it's an encouragement to all of us who feel like the Captain America in our circle: the one who stands for what's right, and isn't always esteemed for it (and sometimes is flat out ridiculed for it). Flee from sin and temptation, and continue to pursue righteousness, virtue, godliness, endurance, and gentleness. Those are qualities that I see in Captain America. He has a determination to do what's right, and to keep doing it. He is a righteous man. He is a godly man (in the original comics, he's an Irish Catholic!). He has endurance. Even when everything gets difficult, he doesn't quit. But he's also gentle. He's a gentleman, first of all; and there's a genuine look of calm and kindness about him in some of the scenes where the action has died down, like when he's trying to help Black Widow sort through what's bothering her in "The Winter Soldier." He values life, and anything that even threatens it he regards with a lot of caution.
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| "Every time someone tries to win a war before it starts, innocent people die. Every time." |
I think, in some ways, Captain America intimidates people. They see his commitment to do what's right, and they know that this is what we all are supposed to do. It is often the case that when someone challenges us to be more than what we are, our first instinct is to defend our position, and sometimes to lash out at the challenger.
But, when did righteousness become "arrogant?" When did virtue become "old fashioned?" When people became afraid of the implications of living righteously and virtuously. You're not always going to be popular. In fact, there will be a lot of times where people really don't like you. They see you as a threat to their position, their way of life, and they don't want to change the way they live, so they find fault with you. I think perhaps some of the attacks on Captain America stem from that. Chris Evans, the actor who plays Captain America, even says that Captain America is the everything that he wishes he could be. When we see where we fail, there are two things we can do with it: let it destroy us (and as a result we lash out and tear down others), or let it drive us.
Captain America is my favorite superhero, and I don't see that changing anytime soon. He really is the best of them. He's righteous, true, and good. He's committed to protecting people, and to doing what's right. This isn't arrogant; it's conviction. He knows what he has to do, and he'll make whatever personal sacrifices he has to in order to do it. He is the righteous man; the good man; and we could use a lot more of those in the world we live in.
"I know I'm asking a lot. But the price of freedom is high. It always has been. And it's a price I'm willing to pay. And if I'm the only one, then so be it. But I'm willing to bet I'm not." -Captain America, The Winter Soldier
Fight on, soldier! Fight on!
Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever. -Daniel 12:3
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