Avengers: Endgame - 13 Things It Actually Took From The Comics

7. Captain America Fights Captain America

Although most fans believe that Captain America was gone between the years of 1945-1964 (when Steve Rogers returned in Avengers #4), that's not entirely accurate. Both the character and his sidekick Bucky Barnes appeared in a series of comics during the 1950s, even though Stan Lee and Jack Kirby's comic established that both had gone missing during World War II.

It was later revealed that this version of Captain America was a man called William Burnside. Burnside idolised the original Captain America to the point of obsession, and managed to track down a version of the super soldier serum. He injects into his bloodstream but the procedure goes wrong, making Burnside even more mentally unstable than he was before.

Burnside works as a stellar commentary on how certain groups have misappropriated the character, and so of course the original Captain America has fought him repeatedly, much to the delight of those who love to see Nazis getting their just desserts.

It's not at all the same context that saw Steve face off with his younger self in Avengers: Endgame, but the visual was likely inspired by one of the many duels between the character and Burnside.