One of America's best-loved superheroes, Captain America is also one of the longest-running comic-book characters in existence. In the 1940s, he fought the Nazis in World War II (1939–45). In the 1950s, he was enlisted in the Cold War (1945–91; see entry under 1940s—The Way We Lived in volume 3) against Russia. Since the 1960s, he has been battling a wide range of evil villains as the star of his own monthly Marvel Comics (see entry under 1940s—Print Culture in volume 3) adventure. The star-spangled crusader's ability to adapt to the changing times has made him an enduring symbol of American patriotism.

Captain America was the brainchild of writer Joe Simon (1913–) and artist Jack Kirby (1917–1994), part of the creative team at Marvel Comics in the 1940s. Both men favored U.S. intervention to stop Adolf Hitler (1889–1945) from conquering the nations of Europe. They came up with the Captain...