When Captain America was thrust forward in time by the Time Stone, he met the Avengers of 500 years in the future, but they weren't exactly friendly. In fact, the future Captain America loathes Steve Rogers, with one rant leaving little doubt as to why he has such a grudge against his twenty-first century predecessor.
During a confrontation with Iron Man regarding his handling of the reality-destroying Incursion event, many of the Avengers are thrust forward into the future, stopping briefly in different futures before being sent even further forward. Each of these futures contains different versions of the Avengers, and one in particular presents a fascinating twist on the characters that readers know and love. Many centuries in the future, Earth is ruled by Ultron and policed by the future Avengers - robotic copies built from recorded data of the originals, and retaining some semblance of their personalities and ideals The Captain America of this timeline is especially interesting because of how he views Cap’s role in the Avengers, and by extension, his relationship with the people of Earth.
This Future Captain America, seen in Jonathan Hickman and Leinil Francis Yu’s Avengers Vol 5 #31 hates the imagery that his purpose has surrounded him with, saying, "The herd was supposed to look up to me and trust me to protect them. I was built to evoke a communal memory... The good Captain will save you." This very framing betrays this Cap’s perspective. As an extension of Ultron, this Captain America views the human race as little more than livestock, and Captain America as their shepherd. It’s fascinating to see exactly how Ultron interprets Steve Rogers' purpose, and how the future version is consumed by resentment in living a lie. The future Captain America is trapped in his heroic identity, but he sees it all as a false performance to placate humanity, hating Steve Rogers for creating the icon he's since been forced to embody.
Ultron's Captain America Doesn't Believe in Steve's Legacy
However, this still might be the best-case scenario for a future Cap-as-corrupted-by-Ultron. It’s easy to imagine a world where Captain America’s patriotic symbolism is turned into divisive, jingoistic rhetoric. Various alternate realities, most notably the Ultimate Universe, have played with this, making Cap a more nationalistic figure - one who pursues American interests to the detriment of the rest of the world. Ultron's Cap may hate living out Steve Rogers' legacy, but he's wrong that it's a lie - the modern Captain America really is a symbol of hope who'll give anything to help others. What’s tragic is that this trip to the future only serves to turn Steve Rogers away from his core ideals. At the time, Steve is reeling from discovering that Iron Man and the Illuminati have betrayed him by wiping his memory of the Incursions, and his trip through time solidifies his desire to stop them, no matter what.
Seeing the Future Corrupted Captain America
Cap’s journeys into the future is full of characters trying to convince him to put aside his personal grievances and embrace his larger meaning. However, all this does is further Steve’s resolve, convincing him that his purpose is saving lives, and that therefore he has to stop the Illuminati from potentially destroying worlds to stop the Incursions. At the end of the run, in Avengers Vol 5 #44, by Hickman, Stefano Caselli and Kev Walker, Captain America and Iron Man literally attempt to kill each other while the universe burns around them, putting aside all thoughts of heroism. Captain America essentially becomes his evil future self - empty symbolism ignoring a humanity that could still be given hope and comfort. It’s a tragic fate, and a reminder that Captain America is an ideal Steve Rogers must strive to embody, not just a name he uses while he's in costume.