There’s a major difference between the super serum given to Steve Rogers in Captain America and the one that the character receives in the Marvel comics. The MCU often makes changes to the characters that they adapt, going as far as to have Black Widow not have a super serum at all. However, Chris Evans’ Steve Rogers is so close to his comics counterpart that it might seem strange that there’s actually such a major change.

Throughout the MCU, Steve Rogers’ abilities and strength have been a subject of fascination, both when he first became Captain America, and again when he reemerged in the 21st Century. However, some of the abilities of his super serum were distorted by the time that he spent frozen in ice and the fact that his MCU arc includes some important time travel. Regardless, it becomes clear that the MCU version of the Captain America super serum does not stop the aging process of Steve Rogers in the same way as it did in the Marvel comics.

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How Long Can Steve Rogers Live In Marvel Comics

In the Marvel Comics, Steve Rogers appears able to live forever without aging. While he can be killed, he has lived for huge periods of time without aging at all because of the effects of the super serum and how it interacts with his cells. At one point, he spent decades fighting in an alternate Earth before returning without appearing to have aged, and during another storyline, he spent years in Dimension Z before returning to Earth-616 where only a day had passed and, again, had not aged at all.

The fact that Captain America’s lack of aging is down to the super serum might seem obvious, but the Marvel Comics did confirm it at one point as well. In the comics, the impetus for Rogers passing the mantel on to Sam Wilson is that his serum is neutralized. This causes Rogers to age rapidly and he appears as the old man he would have been if not for the super serum halting his aging.

How Much Does Captain America Age In The MCU?

Chris Evans as Captain America and Old Steve Rogers

It’s noted multiple times in the MCU that Steve Rogers looks extremely good for his age. However, the MCU’s Captain America keeps his youthful looks thanks to the time in the ice, not the super soldier serum. This is evident from the fact that after he goes back in time and lives a life with Peggy he appears much older when he appears to Sam Wilson at the end of Avengers: Endgame.

Steve Rogers is born in 1918 and can be assumed to have aged normally until he is 27 and is frozen in ice in 1945. He is thawed in 2011, meaning his body is still effectively 27 but it has been 93 years since he was born. He then continues to age until the Avengers: Endgame, which takes place in 2023, at which point he would have aged to be about 39, while he had been born 105 years before. He then travels back to 1945 to spend his life with Peggy, and (assuming he returns to 2023 when Peggy dies in 2016), spends another 71 years alive, meaning he has aged up to 110, and has existed for 176 years since his birth. While 110 is an impressive age, it is not impossible, and he is clearly showing that age despite the serum given to him in Captain America.

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