Captain America,
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However, because of his frailty and sickness, he was rejected. But overhearing the boy's earnest plea to be accepted, General Chester Phillips of the U.S. Army offered Rogers the opportunity to take part in a special experiment called Operation: Rebirth. Rogers agreed and was taken to a secret laboratory in Washington, D.C. where he was introduced to Dr. Abrahan Erskine (code-named, Prof. Reinstein), the creator of a Super-Soldier formula.
After weeks of enduring many army tests, Rogers was at last administered the Super-Soldier serum. This would later bring on the Captain America persona. Given part of the compound intravenously and another part orally, Rogers was then bombarded by "vita-rays". These rays turned out to be a special combination of exotic (at least in 1941) wavelengths of radiation designed to accelerate and stabilize the serum's effect on his body.
Steve Rogers emerged from the vita-ray chamber with a body as perfect as a body can be and still be human. A Nazi spy, who observed the experiment, murdered Dr. Erskine mere minutes after its conclusion. Erskine died without fully committing the Super-Soldier formula to paper, leaving Steve Rogers the Sole beneficiary of his genius.
Rogers was then put through as intensive a physical and tactical training program as the army could muster. The training consisted of gymnastics, hand-to-hand combat and military strategy. Three months later, he was given his first assignment, to stop the top Nazi agent called the Red Skull. To help him become a symbolic counterpart to the Red Skull, Rogers was given the red, white, and blue costume of Captain America.
During the war, Captain America served as both a symbol of freedom and America's most effective special operative. But alas, during the final days of the war, he and his partner, Bucky, were trying to stop a bomb-loaded drone-plane launched by Nazi technician Baron Heinrich Zemo. But the plane exploded, killing his partner Bucky, and throwing him unhurt into icy Arctic waters.
The Super-Soldier formula prevented crystallization of Captain
America's bodily fluids, allowing him to enter a state of suspended
animation. Decades later, he was rescued by the newly formed
Avengers and became a cornerstone of the team. His might and
patriotism remain undiminished. Captain America thus remains a
symbol of liberty and justice.
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The Super-Soldier formula that he has metabolized has enhanced all of his bodily functions to the peak of human efficiency. Notably, his body eliminates the excessive build-up of fatigue-producing poisons in his muscles, granting him phenomenal endurance.
Captain America has mastered the martial art of American-style boxing and judo. He has combined these disciplines with his own unique hand-to-hand style of combat. He engages in a daily regimen of rigorous exercise (including aerobics, weight lifting, gymnastics, and simulated combat) to keep himself in peek condition. Captain America is one of the finest human combatants Earth has ever known. But he is also subject to all human vulnerabilities, although his immunity to diseases is extraordinary.
Captain America's only weapon is his shield, a concave disk 2.5 feet in diameter, weighing 12 pounds. It consists of a unique alloy of Vibranium and Adimantium that has never been duplicated. The Shield was cast by American metallurgist Dr. Myron MacLain, who was contracted by the U.S. government to create an impenetrable substance to use for tanks during World War II.
During his experiments, MacLain combined Vibranium with an Adamantium-steel alloy he was working with and created the disc- shaped shield. MacLain was never able to duplicate the process due to his inability to identify a still unknown factor that played a role in it. The shield was awarded to Captain America by the government several months after the beginning of his career.
The shield has great aerodynamic properties. It has the ability to sail through the air with minimal wind resistance and deflection of path. Its great overall resilience, combined with its natural concentric stiffness, enables it to rebound from objects with minimal loss of angular momentum. The shield is virtually indestructible. It is resistant to penetration, temperature extremes, and the entire electromagnetic spectrum of radiation. The only way it can be damaged in any way is by tampering with its molecular bonding.
Now if you happen to be into collecting and reading more, I have researched some excellent resources. Here is a collection of
Captain America comics and back issues
. I don’t think you will be disappointed. You may very well find a tidbit or two worthy of your interest. And of course, the ole standby, Amazon has a few items to tickle your taste buds. Don’t stay too long though, and come back here.
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Dave Gieber