If there’s one thing nearly everyone in Marvel seems to agree on, it’s that Captain America is the best of them. Steve Rogers worked his way up from nothing, fighting to protect innocents even when he lacked the strength to protect himself, and that unyielding spirit and pursuit of freedom have inspired generations of heroes both in and out of the Marvel Universe. Given that he was among the first generation of true superheroes in Marvel, Steve is looked on as the founding father of heroics and the number one standard to strive for. He was everyone’s childhood hero, from Spider-Man to Mister Fantastic.
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Even Cap’s villains agree that he’s the greatest there ever was, which is actually a major problem. It seems that there’s always a plot to usurp his status or create a copy of him, with Cap’s identity being stolen much more than once. In fact, Captain America (2025) #17 just gave us yet another instance of just that, with the return of the HYDRA agent version of Cap, Grant Rogers. He’s stolen Steve’s identity once again, this time aiming to groom the young clone of Victor von Doom to be HYDRA and America’s next overlord, but his plan is only a drop in the bucket of people who love to steal what Steve worked so hard to establish.
Stevil’s Return and the Rise of Another Doom
Grant Rogers, colloquially called Stevil, is the version of Cap created when Red Skull manipulated the sentient Cosmic Cube, Kobik, into turning Steve into a HYDRA loyalist since he was a child. Taking the place of the original Steve, who ceased to exist outside of Kobik’s mind, Grant conquered the United States and instituted HYDRA’s rule. He was only defeated when Kobik restored the original Steve, but Grant stuck around, occasionally popping up for more villainy. His newest scheme is a rehash of his first, stealing Steve’s identity, only this time, he’s taken the young clone of Victor von Doom under his wing.
While Steve was in a coma after his fight with Thunderbolt Ross, Grant tricked Sam into letting him flee with Vic and Cap’s shield. By the time Steve found out, Grant was already off the grid, taking Vic on a cross-country tour to somewhere he said was safe, which likely meant a HYDRA safehouse of some kind. Along the way, he’s been feeding Vic subtle propaganda to make him the perfect ruler when he grows up. After all, just like Grant is a showcase of the man Steve could have become, Doctor Doom’s shadow hangs over Vic, and Grant wants to use that potential to create the ultimate ruler for both HYDRA and, in his mind, America.
However, Grant is far from the only villain to steal Steve’s identity and shield. The Red Skull has stolen Cap’s body numerous times. He switched forms with Steve using the Cosmic Cube in Captain America #115, transferred his consciousness into Steve’s mind in Captain America: Reborn, and even once used a clone of Steve’s body, revealed in Captain America #350. There are countless other examples exactly like this. The Acrobat did it in Strange Tales #114, Primus in Captain America #279, and Speed Demon in United States of Captain America #2. This isn’t even counting villains who try to become the new Captain America, such as William Burnside stealing Steve’s name and title in the 1950s, and Punisher immediately following Steve’s apparent death in Civil War. The point is, everyone wants to be Cap, and it’s easy to see why.
The Cornerstone of Marvel
There are in-universe and out-of-universe reasons that just about every villain under the sun would want to be Captain America, but it truly boils down to the fact that Steve is the ultimate symbol of heroism in Marvel. Ever since his introduction, he’s served as the gold standard for selfless heroics, to the point where just about everyone, even villains like Doctor Doom, admires him. He was the second person besides Thor to be worthy of Mjolnir, the first being Beta Ray Bill. Everyone in the superhero community trusts him implicitly, which is exactly why deceptions using his face are so effective. Captain America is someone everyone turns to, to the point where betrayals always come out of nowhere.
More meta-contextually, Steve is the embodiment of Marvel’s unique brand of heroism. He’s not a perfect man, but he’s as close as someone could be, fighting to improve the world and always aiming to make the right choice. His soul is beyond pure, but that just paints a bigger target on his back. After all, when a hero is all good, the most obvious question is to ask what would happen if they weren’t. If you need proof, just look at the endless number of evil Superman clones. Cap holds the same position in Marvel as Superman does for superheroes in general, providing a standard and unyielding kindness that cannot be changed, and thus begs challenge and comparison.
So long as Captain America is good, villains will always try to abuse that, but which evil version of Cap is your favorite? Let us know in the comments below!
Captain America #17 is on sale now!
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