Steve Rogers, AKA Captain America, is a leading Avenger, a good-hearted man, a hero for all... and occasionally, a bit of a conundrum. As to expected with extreme scrutinization of pop culture, there's always going to be something to talk about after everything is brought into the light.
In the MCU, nothing too weird happened with Steve as in the comics (like turning in a werewolf), but rather, there are more practical sorts of questions raised. Here are 10 things about Steve's mindset or things involving him that are a tad bizarre to think about.
How DOES That Shield Work?
As Spider-man once riffed to Cap, "That thing does not obey the laws of physics at all!" It really doesn't. For all of the arguments to be made that Steve can do rapid geometry in his head and that the shield is perfectly weighted, it's just odd to see the circular disc be capable of virtually everything and still come back as reliably as a boomerang. At one point, he was given a magnetic strip to call it back with, but that doesn't explain the previous years of use.
Did He Suspect He Could Wield Mjolnir At The Party?
So, in Age Of Ultron, the best parts of the film are when the Avengers just get to hang out. And in one such scene, at the party in Avengers Tower, everyone takes turns trying to pick up Thor's mighty weapon, Mjolnir, which can only be picked up by someone who is worthy of the power of Thor. Everyone fails to pick up the hammer, but when Steve grabs it, it jostles slightly, sending Thor into a barely perceptible panic. But if everyone was trying their best to pick it up... did he actually try to pick it up, but couldn't quite get it? Or was Steve pretending to pull as hard as he could, knowing perfectly well he could, so as to not upset Thor? Steve putting aside his (virtually nonexistent) pride for a friend would make sense.
Were There Any BAD Traits That The Super Soldier Serum Enhanced In Steve?
While explaining the super soldier serum to a small, non-beefcake Steve Rogers, Dr. Erskine notes that the serum doesn't just enhance physical traits of the subject, but the mental/emotional ones as well, meaning a bad person would be even more terrible, and a good one would be even better.
So obviously, Steve was the best candidate for it... but were there any traits that Steve got juiced up that were bad? He's still human, after all. Maybe his awkwardness with women was one of them. Speaking of which...
Was Steve "Inexperienced" For The Vast Majority Of His Life?
Steve's so innocent and helpless that he thought "fondue" was some sort of slang for sex. He also seemed pretty helpless when it came to interpreting women's cues, and he certainly had trouble grabbing dates, especially with Bucky serving more as a date-stealer than a wingman. Then, once he became one of the hottest hunks around, he was engaged in World War II, and not to mention, was hopelessly dedicated to Peggy Carter.
After that... he was put on-ice for about 65 years and almost immediately went back to superhero duties. And for him, his love for Peggy was yesterday. So did he actually get around to doing the deed at any point? When? With who? These are the important questions in life, after all.
When/Why Did He Stop Using Guns?
In First Avenger, Steve is pretty comfortable using guns to blast away the HYDRA baddies left and right. And likewise, his co-Avengers are pretty heavily armed. Black Widow uses guns, Hawkeye has a lethal bow, Iron Man is a walking tank, and Hulk and Thor have no problem killing. And yes, Cap's two closest compadres use guns; Bucky always has rifles and machine guns on him, and Falcon dual-wields Steyer submachine guns. So if virtually everyone is cool with it, and Cap used to use them, when and why did he stop using guns in battle? It takes a lot more work to punch people.
Why Didn't He Clue In Tony About Bucky's Past?
Steve finds out that HYDRA was responsible for the deaths of Tony Stark's parents sometime before Civil War, meaning they were assassinated. And for a sharp guy, it doesn't take much to think that a top assassin probably executed those murders. And considering Bucky's entire Winter Soldier outing, it wouldn't be hard to put two and two together. But even if he wasn't aware it was directly Bucky, Steve probably should have told Tony at some point that HYDRA took out his parents.
How Did He Find Out About "I Love Lucy" Before The Moon Landing?
This is just weird. In what possible circumstances did someone bring up I Love Lucy before mentioning Apollo 11? Not to mention everything else on his "catchup" list. And better yet, who was such a keen fan of I Love Lucy in Steve's life? Nick Fury? There's also the fact that the list is seen in Winter Soldier, which takes place a few years after Steve has woken up from the ice. Did he not know that humanity made it to the moon for nearly 2 years?
Why Did He Keep His Old Outfit In Wakanda?
Why would Steve wear such a tattered and grimy outfit for such a high stakes battle, where he needs to be at his top game? If the outfit has a tear in it, that's less effective than a new or slightly used costume with the fabric and armor still held together. It's also incredibly unfashionable -- perhaps less of a priority than the protection factor, but noteworthy all the same!
Why On Earth Did He Wear That Outfit In The First "Avengers" Film?
While the topic of Steve's wardrobe is present, there's no avoiding the obvious. Steve's outfit in Avengers was simply horrendous. It looked like a Halloween costume for a frat party more than a superhero costume. It was impractical and ugly. There was no padding or armor, and while it captured his former propaganda uniform days, they could have drawn inspiration from his actual combat ones instead, especially with an impending alien invasion. And as Avengers: Endgame pointed out, it did him no favors.
What Was Up With Those Educational Videos?
Too bad Cap had to film several educational videos in that aforementioned outfit. In Spider-man: Homecoming, it is shown that there are multiple PSAs recorded by Captain America on various topics... gym class, detention, puberty, and yes, patience. Who convinced Cap to do these, and in full costume? Why were they able to get an Avenger to do them, but still have such low budget constraints? It's one of the most hilarious little reveals in the entire MCU, but it's so casual that it's baffling as to what the circumstances behind it were.
