Steve Rogers isn't the only man to have ever called himself Captain America, and here's your guide to all the other heroes who have gone by that superhero identity. Marvel has long considered the "Captain America" mantle to be a legacy, and that's about to be true in the MCU as well. Falcon and Winter Soldier is expected to see Sam Wilson prove himself worthy to wield the shield as Steve Rogers' successor, and actor Anthony Mackie still has several films left on his contract, meaning he'll presumably be sticking around for quite some time yet.
The comics have revealed that the legacy of Captain America runs all the way back to the American War of Independence, and it's entirely possible there have been Captains America running through history. Given that's the case, it should really come as no surprise that some Captains America have just been mentioned, while others have starred in their own runs. What's more, the Multiverse has allowed Marvel to switch things up on occasion, creating some pretty unique and distinctive new Captains America.
So here's your brief guide to all the different versions of Captain America from the comics. It deliberately omits alternate versions of Steve Rogers himself, simply because there are so many; instead, it's purely concerned with all the other men (and women) who've called themselves Captain America as well.
Captain Steven Rogers - The First Captain America
In the comics, the first Captain America appeared on the scene in the American War of Independence. Captain Steve Rogers fought for his country's freedom, and he proved to be an inspirational leader. A series of bizarre circumstances led him to don a gaudy costume as part of an ill-fated infiltration mission, and he even carried a shield. Unfortunately Steve Rogers had an impetuous nature, and he would have died if not for the intervention of an immortal being named Ulysses Bloodstone. Centuries later, the Captain's example inspired his ancestor, who had been named after him and became the greatest Captain America of them all.
Isaiah Bradley
Just as in the MCU, the US Government attempted to find a way to continue the super-soldier program after it had successfully enhanced Steve Rogers. They experimented on a number of African-Americans, a mirror of the infamous Tuskegee Syphilis Study, and only five of three hundred soldiers survived the original trials. Isaiah Bradley was the only one who was granted powers, and he stole a spare costume and shield that had been intended for Steve Rogers in order to destroy a Nazi attempt to recreate the super-soldier serum. Although he triumphed, he was court-martialled for his actions, and was imprisoned. Isaiah Bradley was freed by President Eisenhower in 1960, and he's generally considered an urban legend. Decades later, Steve Rogers was shocked to learn that he was real.
William Naslund, the Spirit of '76
The next Captain America was retconned into Marvel Comics history in order to fix contradictory accounts. When Steve Rogers was believed dead, the US Government decided they couldn't allow the American public to know Captain America was dead. To that end, they recruited a fledgling patriotic superhero named the Spirit of '76, and had him suit up as Captain America. Unfortunately, he was tragically killed while protecting a young politician named John F. Kennedy.
Jeffrey Mace, the Patriot
Naslund had served alongside another patriotic vigilante, Jeffrey Mace, who operated under the codename "Patriot." He was at Naslund's side when he died, and agreed to continue the impersonation, fighting crime as Captain America until 1949. He retired to marry the love of his life, his sidekick Golden Girl, and lived a long and fulfilled life, dying of cancer in the 2000s. Mace is one of the few alternate Captain Americas to have made it into the wider MCU; he was played by Jason O'Mara in Agents of SHIELD season 4, which reinterpreted the Patriot as a former journalist who took an experimental serum in order to pretend to be an Inhuman and lead SHIELD. Unfortunately, this version of Jeffrey Mace didn't fare so well as his comic book equivalent, and died after only a few months in service.
William Burnside
The next Captain America was William Burnside, a history teacher who became obsessed with Captain America and even created his own flawed version of the super-soldier serum. Unfortunately, while the treatment gave him super-strength, without the treatment of he Vita Rays he was driven insane by the process. His madness peaked during the height of the Communist Red Scare in the 1950s, and he started seeing traitors everywhere. In the end, the US Government was forced to have him cryogenically frozen. He was eventually awoken and his fractured mind was healed, leading Burnside to become the superhero Nomad.
John Walker, the US Agent
The last few Captains America are relatively esoteric, and very much little-known. But John Walker is one of the more interesting, and complex, characters to wield the shield in Steve Rogers' stead. A disillusioned Steve Rogers had quit after uncovering a conspiracy that went all the way to the top of the White House, and the US Government insisted it had the right to choose his successor. Walker was intended as a mirror-image of Rogers, representing a very different kind of patriotism, and unfortunately Walker proved psychologically unstable. In the end, Steve Rogers had to take him down, but he's since operated as the hero US Agent. Wyatt Russell will play the MCU's John Walker, who will be introduced in the Falcon and Winter Soldier TV series. It's generally assumed the plot will be similar to the comics, with the US Government rejecting the idea of Sam Wilson becoming Captain America and instead choosing its own candidate. Presumably he'll be just as flawed as he is in the comics.
Sam Wilson, the Falcon who Became Captain America
Sam Wilson is best known as the superhero Falcon, but he's actually become Captain America twice in the comics. The first time was in 1999's Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty miniseries, when Steve Rogers found himself transformed into a symbol of white supremacists. He resumed the identity in 2014, when an aged Rogers was no longer capable of continuing as a superhero. On both occasions, Sam Wilson was a far more politically active version of Captain America, earning the ire of racists and bigots, standing as a champion of liberalism in opposition to bigotry and prejudice. Avengers: Endgame saw Anthony Mackie's Sam Wilson chosen to wield the shield in the MCU as well. The path won't be an easy one, because he's clearly not going to be the US Government's first choice, and he'll have to prove himself to the world.
Bucky Barnes, Captain America's Sidekick
Moving into the 2000s, Steve Rogers was believed killed in the aftermath of the Civil War event. Fortunately, Cap's old sidekick Bucky had just been freed from Hydra's mind control, and he was seeking to redeem himself after serving as the Winter Soldier for years. Bucky eventually decided to honor his fallen friend as the next Captain America, serving as a member of a covert Avengers team who wee on the run from SHIELD. He fought on the front lines of several major battles, waging war against everything from Skrull shapeshifters to rampaging Asgardian gods. Unfortunately, at this stage it looks unlikely that the MCU's Bucky will ever suit up as Captain America.
Danielle Cage, Daughter of Luke Cage and Captain America
Danielle Cage is the daughter of the superhero Luke Cage, and in one future timeline she was trained by Black Widow in order to become Captain America. This future Avenger has only been seen a handful of times, transported through time to help the present-day Avengers. She's a formidable warrior and a charismatic leader, and uses magnets to control her shield in the same manner seen in Avengers: Age of Ultron. Her nemesis is the Golden Skull, who's inherited the Red Skull's mission and ideology. Amusingly, Danielle Cage isn't the only one of Luke Cage's ancestors to have wielded the shield. There's been mention of another Captain America called Kiyoshi Morales, who originated in a distant timeline and was also implied to be related to Luke.
Captain America 2099
It's somewhat amusing to note that women have only become Captains America in alternate or future timelines. Roberta Mendez is one of the most intriguing, and she's a supporting character in Peter David's Spider-Man 2099 comic. She was subjected to the super-soldier serum against her will, and she actually suffers from a strange version of multiple personality disorder. Roberta works for the company Alchemax, and in her civilian identity she's completely unaware of her superheroic alter-ego. Although Captain America 2099 has the usual super-powers, she's vulnerable to trigger words that can be used to control her.
Peggy Carter
Marvel Studios are preparing to introduce an alt-universe Peggy Carter who becomes Captain America, as part of their animated What If? series. No surprise, Marvel Comics beat them to it in 2018, when the reality-jumping Exiles visited a parallel universe in which Peggy Carter had gone through Project Rebirth. They found themselves working to prevent her timeline being obliterated by the Red Skull's atomic bomb.
Samantha Wilson, Spider-Gwen's Captain America
Finally, writer Jason Latour created his own version of Captain America as part of Spider-Gwen's twisted alt-reality. In this timeline, the Nazis attacked Project Rebirth in force, and killed most of the scientists and test subjects. Only one candidate managed to fight her way through to the Vita-Ray Chamber, and she claimed the identity of Captain America. Unfortunately the Nazis launched a time-trap, and she was blasted through time and space, exploring the Multiverse; there have even been hints she briefly visited the mainstream Marvel Comics universe. Samantha Wilson is only a secondary character, but she's one of the most impressive Captains America to date.