While there are many morally grey characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Captain America is one of the main heroes who is often viewed as being rather morally upstanding. However, despite being a very good character who wants to do the right thing, he has character flaws and makes mistakes, too.
These flaws are part of what makes him an interesting character, but he definitely isn’t above criticism. However, Steve Rogers also makes many honorable and good decisions, too. Here are some of his best and worst choices.
Worst: Being self-righteous
Perhaps Steve Roger’s worst overall character flaw is that he can be a bit self-righteous when it comes to doing what’s right. Even though he’s not perfect either, he is rather condescending to anyone who doesn’t do what he thinks is the right thing.
This can lead him to make some bad judgment calls, such as resisting working with Tony after they first meet, and can make him a bit annoying at times.
Best: Trusting Sam Wilson
Captain America often struggles with trusting other people, and he can be a bit guarded. This is reasonable given all of the traumatic things that happen to him.
So, when he quickly becomes friends with Sam Wilson and goes to him after learning the truth about HYDRA infiltrating SHIELD, it’s a big deal, and it's also the right decision. Sam ends up helping him, and Steve and Natasha probably wouldn’t have survived without him.
Worst: His relationship with Sharon Carter
One thing that many fans were upset about in Steve Roger’s character arc was his relationship with Sharon. This seemed mostly a decision from the studio to make sure that Steve had a female love interest, but from a character perspective, it did make him look bad.
While Sharon was a great person, their romance felt forced, and given Steve’s ending, it’s really weird that he dated Sharon while still being so into Peggy.
Best: Agreeing to take the supersoldier serum
Before Steve becomes Captain America, he wants nothing more than to join the Army and fight against bullies. While there are some flaws in his logic, his heart is in the right place. However, given all the good that he’s able to do because of becoming Captain America, this was overall the right decision.
He was definitely the right person for the job, and it’s also pretty clear that Dr. Erskine is a big reason why Steve trusted the program in the first place.
Worst: Not working with Tony over the accords
There have been many debates among fans over the years about the Accords and the entire situation in Captain America: Civil War, and truthfully both Tony and Steve made some big mistakes here.
However, even if Captain America was right to have some reservations about the Accords, he should have been a bit more willing to discuss things with Tony before letting things escalate.
Best: Sacrificing his life at the end of The First Avenger
There are many times throughout the MCU when Captain America is willing to sacrifice his life to save others, but one of the biggest and most notable is when he crashes the Valkyrie into the ice.
While he had already demonstrated his willingness to put his own life at risk when he threw himself on the fake grenade, this was a moment where he did have to sacrifice himself. While it would have been hard to make this choice, he saved many lives because of it.
Worst: Lying to Tony Stark about his parents
Steve Rogers and Tony Stark have one of the most interesting and compelling relationships in the MCU. They are often at odds, yet they clearly have strong feelings for each other. Sometimes these feelings are good and sometimes they are bad, but their relationship shapes many of the outcomes in the MCU.
While Steve might have meant to protect Tony while not telling him what happened to his parents, it was the wrong choice. It ended up being a mistake that ruined their relationship and broke up the Avengers nearly for good.
Best: Rescuing Bucky in Civil War
While some people might see Steve loving Bucky as a flaw, it’s without a doubt one of the most fascinating and real things about him. He often has moments where he tries to save Bucky, and he also made a good decision to try to keep him alive in The Winter Soldier.
While saving Bucky might have gotten him into trouble, the orders were for the soldiers to kill Bucky for something he didn’t do, and Steve was the only one who could save him.
Worst: Leaving to the past to be with Peggy
The most controversial choice Captain America makes is to leave the past using time travel to live a life with Peggy Carter. In so many ways, this is his worst mistake.
It doesn’t make sense given the rules of time travel in the film, and it basically overrides the life that Peggy had already lived. On top of that, it’s out of character and shows Steve abandoning everyone else he loves to take the easy and selfish way out.
Best: Taking Down SHIELD
One of the worst moments Steve Rogers ever has is when he discovers that SHIELD has been compromised by HYDRA. It’s clearly something that rocks his entire worldview and causes him to doubt nearly everything he’s ever known. However, despite this, he makes the right choice to do everything he can to take both organizations down instead of trying to salvage what’s left.
This was the only right choice, so it's not shocking Steve Rogers was willing to burn everything down.