The 6 Most Devastating Losses in Captain America’s History, Ranked

Captain America can be considered one of the greatest superheroes to ever grace the pages of comic books. He has led the Avengers, one of the most influential teams in comic history, has fought off some of the most powerful villains to appear the pages of Marvel’s books, and has been an inspiration to many over the years. When comic fans talk about who some of the most popular and influential characters are, many will bring up Captain America.

Despite this, Captain America has shown that he is still human. He may have used a serum to make him stronger and faster than the average human being, but he still loses sometimes, too. It allows fans to be able to relate to Steve Rogers and see that just because he is super powered it does not mean that he has no weaknesses. Captain America has been beaten on numerous occasions, showing that even the greatest Avenger has to fall and pick himself back up.

6) The Winter Soldier Defeats Captain America

In Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty #6, Cap and Bucky, aka the Winter Soldier, engage in combat. The two begin fighting after Captain America tries to stop the Winter Soldier from taking action against the organization that had engineered his entire life. The fight shows the men go blow for blow, with Bucky coming out as the victor. This is a big defeat for Captain America as it shows that even though he is one of the most skilled fighters in the Marvel universe, he can still be beaten. It lets fans see that Steve Rogers is just as human as those reading the comic books, and that even he will stumble and fall at times.

5) Beaten by Baron Zemo at Avengers Mansion

The Avengers storyline “Under Siege” sees Captain America lose to The Masters of Evil led by Baron Zemo. The group restrains Cap and then proceed to torture him emotionally. The villains then ravage the Avengers Mansion and then destroy a number of Captain America’s personal belongings. This includes the only photo of his mother that he owned, as she did not like taking pictures, making this a particularly personal loss. Even though the Avengers win in the end, the whole affair brings Captain America to tears and shows how human he is. The war was ultimately won by the Avengers, but the heroes experienced immense losses, especially Captain America.

4) Captain America’s Shield is Broken in Age of Ultron

The Age of Ultron limited series takes place on alternate Earths, including one where Ultron has destroyed much of humanity. In a battle not seen, Captain America’s shield is broken. Steve Rogers is found utterly defeated after a battle with Ultron and his drones, with his head between his knees and his suit tattered and torn. This scene shows a Captain America that has been beaten down completely, as the position he is found in just screams defeat. Steve Rogers has been beat before, but this is definitely one of the worst losses that he has had to endure as he is beaten not only physically, but seemingly emotionally as well.

3) Steve Rogers Loses His Best Friend

Toward the end of World War II, Captain America and his sidekick Bucky Barnes were on the tail of Nazi scientist Baron Heinrich Zemo. The chase ends with Bucky’s dying and Steve Rogers getting frozen in ice. It was one of Cap’s biggest losses and would haunt him for quite some time after he was revived. Even though Bucky does return as the Winter Soldier years later, his initial death was a hit for both Captain America and comic book readers as they had to see the iconic sidekick lose his life. This loss may be Steve’s most personal and while it’s less of a situation where he is beaten down by villains, it’s still a difficult loss just for the true cost: his best friend.

2) Thanos Beats the Cap

The Infinity Gauntlet storyline sees the Mad Titan Thanos get ahold of the Infinity Gauntlet and all of the Infinity Gems. He succeeds in snapping away half of life in the universe, taking out many of the Marvel’s heroes. In one last charge, Captain America takes on Thanos, but is swiftly defeated. The Mad Titan destroys Cap’s shield, easily beating him down. It is one of Captain America’s greatest losses, especially considering how quick and brutal it was. The lesson here? There are some threats that are stronger than even Captain America.

1) Captain America is Defeated in Civil War

The Civil War story arc was one of Marvel’s biggest events to span comic books. It saw a large number of Marvel heroes who were once allies battle each other over differing ideals. It culminates into one final fight between Iron Man and Captain America. Just as Captain America is about to deliver the final blow, he is pulled off of Iron Man and forced to surrender. This is one of the deepest defeats that Captain America has ever faced and ends with him being assassinated. Captain America has lost a number of his battles, but his loss in Civil War is definitely a landmark event for the character, both because of his shocking death, but because we see Captain America surrender, which is seriously a punch in the gut.

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