10 Characters Who Replaced Captain America

Steve Rogers hasn't been the only one to wield the shield.

Bucky Barnes as Captain America
Marvel Comics

Since 2011, Chris Evans has been bringing Captain America to the big screen. However, with the actor's contract set to expire after the next two Avengers movies, that time could soon be coming to a close and Steve Rogers' days look numbered.

Sure there's always the possibility that the character will just be recast, but what seems more likely is that Cap will go out in a blaze of glory and pass on the shield to someone else.

The question is who could his replacement be? Well, turning to the comics, there is a long precedent of people replacing Captain America.

Whether through death or by choice, there have been times when Steve Rogers has hung up his star-spangled tights and left a Captain America sized hole in the Marvel Universe. Usually though, one hero, or even several have stepped up to fill the void.

Here are ten characters who have replaced Steve Rogers while he's been otherwise indisposed. Some have crafted new identities inspired by Cap's legacy, others have stepped right into those cuffed red boots to carry on the Captain America name. Either way, they've all dedicated themselves to filling the Sentinel of Liberty's role.

For better or worse.

10. Roscoe Simons

Bucky Barnes as Captain America
Marvel Comics

In 1974, Steve Rogers became completely disillusioned with his role as Captain America when he discovered that a high-ranking member of the U.S. government (implied to actually be President Richard Nixon) was the leader of the Secret Empire terrorist group. He hung up his shield and took the identity Nomad.

After Steve abandoned the Captain America identity, three ordinary men each tried to take up the mantle. The first two (Bob Russo and "Scar" Turpin) failed dismally, but the third was more successful.

Roscoe Simons was a mechanic and a lifelong fan of Cap. After proving he knew how to fight, Steve allowed Roscoe to become the new Captain America and handed over his shield. Falcon also began training him to fight crime, in a reversal of the earlier Cap/Falcon dynamic.

Unfortunately, Roscoe's career was cut short pretty quickly. When the Red Skull found out that someone else had dared to pretend to be his nemesis, he beat Roscoe to death and strung him up as a warning to any other "fake" Captain Americas.

On the plus side, this pushed Steve to stop messing around as Nomad and go back to being the real Captain America.

Contributor

I was just a mild-mannered NCTJ accredited journalist until one day I found out the truth... that I could share my nerdy ramblings with people on the internet! It's just like mumbling to myself on the train, but without all the strange looks.