10 Insane Alternate Versions Of Captain America You Won't Believe Exist

9. Secret Empire

From one evil depiction of the Captain to another now, except this particular one was ten times as controversial as his predecessor.

Tone deaf, needless, and ham-fisted in a great many ways, Marvel's Secret Empire event sought to make Captain America - one of the biggest anti-fascist symbols going, and a creation of Jewish due Joe Simon and Jack Kirby - an actual Nazi. The book, well intentioned or not, never seemed to be able to convey its message of how Cap's been misappropriated over the years, and after arriving during a period where fans felt they needed Steve most, it didn't prove to be popular in the long run.

This was largely because, for much of the comic's story, Marvel maintained that this evil version of Captain America was actually the real one, and bluntly refuted claims to the contrary. So, when it turned out that Nazi Cap was an imposter, fans groaned a collective groan and moved on to pastures new, with the real Rogers having been locked away by Kobik, the real life manifestation of the Cosmic Cube.

Needless to say, the sooner this Cap was forgotten, the better, and now the real Steve is touring America as he should, in a brilliant series penned by Atlantic reporter and Black Panther scribe Ta-Nehisi Coates.