If you think you know the story of Steve Rogers because you’ve seen Chris Evans flex his way through a Brooklyn alleyway, you’re only getting half the picture. Honestly, the Captain America first appearance in Captain America Comics #1 is weirder, grittier, and way more political than the sanitized version we see in the MCU today.
It hit the stands on December 20, 1940, though the cover says March 1941. That’s a full year before Pearl Harbor. While most of America was trying to look the other way, two Jewish kids from New York—Joe Simon and Jack Kirby—decided to put a guy in a flag suit and have him deck Adolf Hitler right in the jaw.
It was a total gut punch to the isolationist mood of the time.
The Cover That Almost Got the Creators Killed
You’ve seen the image. Cap is mid-swing, Hitler is reeling, and Nazi soldiers are bumbling in the background. Today, it’s a classic. In 1940? It was a lightning rod.
At that point, the United States wasn't at war. There was a huge movement called "America First" that wanted absolutely nothing to do with Europe’s "mess." Because of this, Simon and Kirby started getting death threats. Pro-Nazi groups in the U.S. were actually a thing—the German American Bund was holding rallies in Madison Square Garden. These guys were furious.
They even showed up at the Timely Comics offices to find the guys responsible. Legend has it that Jack Kirby, who grew up in the rough Lower East Side, rolled up his sleeves and headed down to the lobby to fight them himself. Luckily (or unluckily for the Nazis), they had left by the time he got there. Eventually, NYC Mayor Fiorello La Guardia had to step in and provide police protection for the creators.
He basically told them, "The city of New York will see that no harm comes to you." Talk about high stakes for a ten-cent book.
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Forget the "Vita-Rays"—The Serum Was Different Back Then
When you read that first issue, you notice things are... off. Steve Rogers is still the scrawny kid we know, but the "science" behind his transformation is way less polished.
In the original Captain America first appearance, there are no high-tech pods or glowing "Vita-Rays." Those were added much later in the 1960s to make it feel more "science-fictiony." In 1940, Steve just gets injected with a "super-soldier serum" and—poof—he’s a hunk.
A Few Weird Details from the Origin Story:
- The Scientist’s Name: He isn't Abraham Erskine yet. He’s called "Professor Reinstein." It was a pretty thin play on Einstein.
- The Shield: Cap doesn't have the round, vibranium disc. He carries a triangular heater shield. This actually caused a legal headache because another publisher, MLJ, had a hero called The Shield with a similar chest plate. Marvel (then Timely) had to change it to the circle design by issue #2.
- The Intelligence Boost: The serum didn't just give him big arms; the narration explicitly says it increased his intelligence. He became a literal "perfect" human in every category.
Bucky Barnes: Not exactly the Winter Soldier
If you’re used to the brooding, metal-armed assassin from the movies, the 1940 Bucky is going to be a shock. He’s basically a pre-teen mascot.
Steve is stationed at Camp Lehigh, pretending to be a clumsy private so nobody suspects he’s Captain America. Bucky, the "camp mascot," walks in on Steve changing into his costume. Instead of turning him in, Steve basically says, "Keep my secret and you can be my sidekick."
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It’s incredibly irresponsible by modern standards. They basically send a kid into active war zones in a bright blue suit. They even called themselves the "Sentinels of Liberty."
The Red Skull’s Real Identity (It’s Not Johann Schmidt)
Most people assume the Red Skull has always been Johann Schmidt. Nope.
In his first appearance, the Red Skull is actually George Maxon, the owner of an aircraft corporation. He’s a traitor working for the Nazis, and he wears a mask to scare people to death—literally. He uses a poison that makes people's faces look like his mask.
It was later retconned that the real Red Skull (Schmidt) was behind the scenes using Maxon as a puppet, but if you just read issue #1, Maxon is the guy. He even seemingly dies at the end of the story, though in comics, "dead" is a very loose term.
Why This Issue Is Worth Millions
If you find a copy of Captain America Comics #1 in your attic, you’re basically looking at a winning lottery ticket.
In April 2022, a high-grade copy (CGC 9.4) sold for $3.12 million. It’s one of the "Big Three" of the Golden Age, sitting right alongside Action Comics #1 (Superman) and Detective Comics #27 (Batman).
Even copies in terrible condition—we’re talking "found in a dumpster" quality—can fetch over $50,000. Why? Because most of these were recycled during WWII paper drives. Very few survived the war that the character was created to fight.
Actionable Insights for Collectors and Fans
If you're looking to dive deeper into the history of the Star-Spangled Avenger, here is what you should do next:
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- Read the Digital Version: You don't need $3 million. Marvel Unlimited has the original Captain America Comics #1 available to read. It’s worth it just to see the weird, jagged art style of a young Jack Kirby.
- Look for the "First Round Shield" Issue: Since the shield changed in issue #2, that specific book is also a major "key" issue for collectors.
- Study the Simon/Kirby Dynamics: If you want to understand why Cap feels different than other heroes, look up the partnership of Joe Simon and Jack Kirby. They weren't just making "content"; they were making a political statement.
- Verify Authenticity: If you ever buy a Golden Age book, never buy it raw. Always look for CGC or CBCS grading to ensure the cover isn't a high-quality "re-pro" or that the pages haven't been "married" from other copies.
Captain America started as a middle finger to fascism before the rest of the world was ready to join the fight. That’s why he’s still around today. He wasn't born out of a corporate boardroom; he was born out of the anger and hope of two creators who wanted to see a better world.