Captain America is the Living Legend of World War II and, even though he was frozen in ice for 66 years, Captain Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) would actually be eligible for back pay from the U.S. Army. The star-spangled superhero was introduced in Captain America: The First Avenger, which depicted his origin and his exploits fighting Hydra in World War II before he was frozen in ice in 1945 while stopping his arch-nemesis, the Red Skull (Hugo Weaving), from attacking the United States.

Before he was chosen by Dr. Abraham Erskine (Stanley Tucci) to be the subject of the Super-Soldier Serum, Steve Rogers was a frail, sickly kid from Brooklyn who, nonetheless, wanted to do his part to fight the Nazis in World War II. Rogers was labeled 4F and he was repeatedly rejected from service in the Army before Erskine saw the qualities in him that would make for an ideal super-soldier; in short, Rogers was a good man. The experiment worked and Rogers was transformed into a physically perfect specimen but when Erksine was killed by Hydra, the Army decided not to risk their lone super-soldier in the field. After serving as the costumed propaganda character called Captain America, Rogers finally entered combat and proved himself by liberating 400 POWs from Hydra. Captain America and his Howling Commandos then waged numerous assaults on Hydra before Rogers was frozen in ice and presumed dead in 1945.

Related: Captain America: Steve Rogers Was Chosen For His Defiance (Not His Heroism)

Captain America was found perfectly preserved in the northern ice in 2011; when he was revived by SHIELD, Steve became the leader of the Avengers. He then signed on as an Agent of SHIELD until Hydra's control over the spy agency was exposed in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. While Steve never actually returned to the U.S. Army after World War, it turns out that Captain Rogers — a rank he retained for the rest of his incredibly long life — is owed 66 years of back pay as part of his benefits as an O-3 Army captain, which was verified by Wayne Hall, a U.S. Army spokesman. However, the amount of back pay Steve Rogers would receive is dependent on several variables, due to his unusual circumstances.

Old Steve Rogers looking up in Avengers Endgame

Redditor Anon33249038 first crunched the numbers and concluded that Captain America is owed $3,154,619.52 adjusted for inflation. The Redditor factored in the 1945 pay rate for U.S. Army O-3 Captains, biannual raises, and the 66 years Rogers spent frozen in ice. However, Wayne Hall disputed these figures because the Redditor had some of his facts wrong, indicating that Captain Rogers' $313.50 pay rate was monthly and not quarterly. Hall also said the Redditor misinterpreted military pay scales and any potential promotions Rogers may have received while he was listed as 'missing in action'.

Nerdist provided a more accurate number for what Steve is owed, accounting for the variables. Rogers was never promoted to Major so his time-in-service pay increases stops at 18 years. Calculating Steve's monthly pay at the same rate for 66 years amounts to $375,474. But adjusted for inflation until 2011 and Captain America is eligible to receive $4,692,152.56. This is a drop in the bucket to a billionaire like Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), but it's a sizable chunk of change for Steve Rogers.

It's not clear if the Army or Steve Rogers ever broached the subject of back pay he was eligible for. Steve was employed by SHIELD and was able to maintain a Washington, D.C. apartment in 2014, but after SHIELD collapsed, Cap still had the Avengers to fall back on. It's very likely that every member of the Avengers received a paycheck from Stark Industries and room and board in Avengers Tower and the Avengers Compound was part of the deal. It's also hard to see how Steve would have been able to cash in on his Army back pay in the decades he lived with Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell) after he time traveled in Avengers: Endgame. However, the old Steve Rogers in 2023 could possibly receive the $4-million in back pay the Army owes him and it's a nice nest egg he can retire on or use as he sees fit.

Next: Marvel's Phase 4 Is A Battle For Captain America's MCU Legacy

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