Attention: contains spoilers for the movie “Captain America: Guardian of Freedom No. 1”!
While Captain America is Marvel’s most morally decent superhero, even he has his flaws—and he just admitted one of his biggest. A memorable conversation during the Marvel Civil War event between Steve Rogers and a reporter infamous among Captain America fans, in which the reporter mentioned hinted that the hero was too far from the American people to understand him. In “Captain America: Guardian of Freedom No. 1” these slandered assumptions are confirmed by none other than Captain America himself.
Fifteen years after its conclusion, Marvel’s “Civil War” event continues to shape their universe. This event irrevocably changed several heroes — Spider-Man was publicly exposed, which led directly to the near death of Aunt May and the events of “One More Day”, for example — but Steve Rogers tragically died shortly after the conflict. But one of the most memorable moments of the Civil War actually happened before the event itself; In Civil War: Frontline #11, reporter Sally Floyd sharply chastised Steve Rogers for not understanding MySpace, never watching The Simpsons, and never attending a NASCAR race.
The reporter’s line of questioning has been widely ridiculed, but in “Captain America: Sentinel of Freedom No. 1”, written by Jackson Lanzing and Colleen Kelly with art by Carmen Carnero, Steve Rogers decides to return to his roots as an ordinary American living in New York. . Realizing that he has broken away from communication with the average citizen, he strives to live a (relatively) normal life. “I almost forgot what it’s like to have friends,” he muses. “Civilians, not super suits, Earthlings, ordinary, real friends.” Rogers drinks at a bar with friends, attends a baseball game, attends art classes (Steve wanted to be an artist before becoming Captain America) and talks to his new neighbors on the radio.
Sally Floyd’s line of questioning, although executed incorrectly, was based on the truth. Captain America lives a relatively sheltered life—not in terms of the danger he faces when fighting a supervillain, but in terms of the lack of participation in the daily struggles of the average American. Captain America is a famous World War II hero and a celebrity who doesn’t seem to have any acquaintances outside of the army or the superhero community. He will never lack money or power, and he could easily live in any luxury apartment if he really wanted to.
Captain America may not use MySpace, but he also doesn’t need to balance a budget, plan meals, or struggle to find a job. Unfortunately, Steve Rogers never returned from the war, as his time in the Avengers requires constant vigilance. Supervillains like the Red Skull can attack at any minute, and while Captain America may let someone else fight his battles, he never will; the tragedy of the character is his inability to ever live a normal life after the end of the fighting.
