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Steve Rogers, aka Captain America, is an iconic piece of comic book history. He is a leader of the Avengers, a champion of the underdog, and a pillar of the Marvel universe. His shield of stars and stripes is a symbol of justice that takes a certain caliber of person to wield.
Not many men can fill the shoes of Captain America, but Disney’s recent What If…? series showed Peggy Carter could. In the show, Carter took Steve’s place to become the super-solider known as Captain Carter, and she used the shield as brilliantly as he ever did. Now, we’re taking a closer look at the women who heard the call to take up the shield and fight for those who couldn’t.
America Chavez
America Chavez normally wears her own unique style of stars and stripes. However, in All-New Hawkeye #3 (by Jeff Lemire and Ramón Pérez) she officially took over the role of Captain America.
A glimpse into a possible future showed an America Chavez who wore an outfit similar to that classically worn by Steve Rogers. At some point in this future, America joined S.H.I.E.L.D and settled into the new identity. Even in this future, she stays a loyal friend to the female Hawkeye, Kate Bishop.
Roberta Mendez
Secret Wars 2099 #1 (by Peter David and Will Sliney) introduced many alternate versions of the Avengers. This world featured a female Captain America named Roberta Mendez who was forcefully given a version of the Super-Solider Serum by her husband, Alchemax Operative One-Nine-Four-Zero. With the serum, Mendez had all of the same abilities as Steve Rogers. Her costume and shield were very similar to that of the original Cap, with the addition of hidden Falcon-like wings.
Unlike other iterations of the Star-Spangled Avenger, this version of Captain America had no idea she was a hero. When attacked or triggered with certain phrases, Mendez would turn into Captain America, but when the threat was neutralized she would return to normal with no memory of her crime-fighting activities.
Danielle Cage
As the daughter of two heroic Avengers, Danielle Cage already has a lot to live up to. The Danielle of the main timeline is still a child, but a future version of her showed that she inherited powers from both of her parents — Luke Cage and Jessica Jones — meaning she is both unbreakable and superhumanly strong.
Danielle first appeared as Captain America in 2015’s Avengers: Ultron Forever #1 by Al Ewing and Alan Davis. The year 20XX has Danielle in full Captain America gear along with the iconic shield and a voice-command drone upgrade. Living up to the role in her own way, Danielle dove into her fight against the Golden Skull by yelling that she doesn’t “just throw the shield — I am the shield!”
American Dream
In the MC2 Universe, a new generation of heroes rose up to replace Captain America, Spider-Man and the other heroes of the modern age. One of the brightest stars of this group was American Dream, the cousin of Sharon Carter. Created by Tom DeFalco and Ron Frenz in 1998’s A-Next #1, Shannon Carter was originally a tour guide at the Avengers Mansion, before she was invited to join that era’s Avengers team.
Although she did not possess any superhuman abilities of her own, American Dream trained herself to be in peak human condition. Like the original Captain America, she leads her time’s Avengers and, after getting the seal of approval from Steve Rogers, began wielding Cap’s iconic shield as well.
Nichelle Wright
In the new series The United States of Captain America, many different people from all walks of life have taken up their own version of the historical mantle. Issue #2 (by Christopher Cantwell, Dale Eaglesham, Mohale Mashigo, and Natacha Bustos) brought Steve Rogers and Sam Wilson to the home of a woman who had heard and heeded the call.
Nichelle Wright, a former gymnast, decided her activism and vigilante work needed an all-American upgrade. The African-American young woman then made her own outfit and shield modeled after the Sentinel of Liberty. Using the Captain America visage, Nichelle worked hard to keep her neighborhood safe from criminals and keeping clean water flowing.
Peggy Carter
The new What If…? Disney+ show gave fans an alternate to Captain America — Captain Carter. This story explored Peggy Carter receiving the Super-Solider Serum after Steve Rogers had been injured. However, instead of the stars and stripes, Carter’s shield featured a stylized Union Jack.
Other than the flag change, Peggy seemed very similar to the original Captain America. She successfully fought against Hydra and Red Skull, even with a tentacled space monster attacking. Prior to the series, Peggy also appeared as Captain America in the video game Marvel Puzzle Quest and in 2018’s Exiles #3, by Saladin Ahmed and Javier Rodríguez.
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