Today isn't just Independence Day - it's also the 100th birthday of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Captain America, who was born on July 4, 1918.
It's been seven years since Chris Evans made his debut as the frail but determined Steve Rogers in Avengers: Infinity War, so he may not be in the mood for birthday cake and presents. However, we can still celebrate seven years of Cap on the big screen, and 77 years since he made his debut in Captain America #1.
Related: Kevin Feige Hints At Captain America Movies Without Steve Rogers
We know Cap's exact date of birth thanks to a scene early on in Captain America: The First Avenger, when pre-serum Steve Rogers attempts (not for the first time) to sign up for the army. The doctor dismisses him due to his long list of ailments, and in the process gives the audience a look at his medical records, which include his date of birth. Naturally, he was born on Independence Day.
The comic book version of Captain America, meanwhile, is actually 101 years old, having been born on July 4, 1917. His birth date is often incorrectly cited as being July 4, 1920, since that's the date given on his Wikipedia page. However, The Adventures of Captain America #1 (the source for Wikipedia's claim) states that he was born in 1917.
He may be a centenarian in both the comic books and the movies, but Captain America is still fighting fit. He put up a worthy fight against Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War, and in Avengers 4 he will surely come back strong to try and restore the friends that he lost - including his old pal Bucky Barnes, who also made it to the future by being frozen, and was Steve's last surviving close friend from his previous life.
Physically, of course, Steve Rogers is only 32 years old. He was frozen in 1943, at the age of 25, and his body was discovered and thawed out in 2011. It's unclear whether the MCU's Captain America ages at the same rate as regular people, or if his super-metabolism and healing abilities have the side-effect of slowing his ageing process, but hopefully he'll stick around in the MCU long enough for us to find out.
Happy birthday, Cap!
