Captain America is one of Marvel's oldest heroes, and he's done it all. His career kicked off during World War II, where he fought along heroes like Namor and the original Human Torch against the Red Skull and the Nazis. In that time, he was all over the place. He met the Wakandans and Nikola Tesla, saved the President on several occasions, and fought all kinds of villains, from Mister Sinister to Jack the Ripper to Dormammu. His WWII days ended with him becoming lodged in ice, seemingly never to rise again. Of course, that couldn't have been further from the truth. He emerged from his stasis in the '60s and became a founding member of the Avengers. It turned out his WWII days were only the beginning of a legendary career.

However, despite the countless heroic deeds that Cap has done in his over 70 years in comics, he's also had some morally questionable moments -- and some straight up villainous ones. Some of these heinous moments of Cap's are surprisingly obscure given how shockingly uncharacteristic Cap's behavior was. Other villainous deeds of Cap's are more well-known -- particularly how he figured into 2017's "Secret Empire". Here are Captain America's eight most heroic acts, and his seven most villainous acts.

15 HEROIC: VOLUNTEERS FOR OPERATION REBIRTH

Steve Rogers set himself apart from most superheroes due to the fact that his origin didn't happen by accident. While most superheroes have their responsibility thrust upon them after some tragedy or a science experiment gone wrong, Rogers volunteered during World War II to become the U.S.A.'s Super Soldier during WWII. The famous story was told in Captain America (Vol. 1) #109, written by Stan Lee and drawn by Jack Kirby. As a test subject for Operation Rebirth, Rogers was administered a Super Soldier serum synthesized by Doctor Abraham Erskine. Shortly after injecting Rogers with the serum, Erskine was taken out by a Nazi spy, leaving Rogers as Erskine's only true Super Soldier. Rogers was then charged with hunting down the dangerous Nazi Agent Red Skull and received his first Captain America costume. The rest, they say, was history.

What really distinguishes Captain America is that his principles come before his powers. As you'll see later in this list, even when he's depowered, he's still intent on fighting the good fight. Whereas some heroes may view their power as a burden, if not a curse, Cap rejoices in his ability to help those in need. A soldier to his core, he doesn't like to sit around when he knows there's tyranny out there that needs to be fought.

14 VILLAINOUS: BEATS DOWN THE PUNISHER

"Civil War" was packed with brutal hero vs hero fights, which is no surprise, given its premise. However, some fights even occurred between heroes who were ostensibly on the same side. One such conflict took place in Civil War #6, created by artist Steve McNiven and writer Mark Millar. Punisher, who'd recently joined Captain America's forces, guns down a pair of supervillains who came to offer their services to Cap. Cap doesn't take it so well. He leaps onto Punisher and gives him a serious beating. The worst part of it is that Punisher refuses to fight back at all. Why that is is perfectly captured by a comment from Spider-Man, who says, "Cap's probably the reason he went to Vietnam. Same guy, different war."

Punisher is a wild card, there's no doubt about that. We aren't saying that he did the right thing by gunning down the two defenseless villains, but this scene does say something about Cap and his mindset at the tail-end of "Civil War". Firstly, Cap brought on Punisher, well-aware of his ultra-violent tendencies. Also, Cap's willingness to accept supervillains onto his squad to fight the heroes on the opposing side reveals that he was becoming desperate enough to let go of some tightly held principles.

13 HEROIC: SAVES FDR'S LIFE

Captain America had several run-ins with President Franklin Delano Roosevelt during the WWII era. FDR was the one to hand Cap his first disk-shaped shield to replace his original kite-shaped one. Cap returned the personal favor by saving FDR's life on more than one occasion. First, he prevents an assassination attempt on FDR from a group called the Defenders. At another point, Namor, who'd been an ally of Cap's during WWII, seemingly lost his mind and went after President Roosevelt. Once again, Cap swooped in for the save and prevent a major crisis. Then there are the numerous ways in which Cap indirectly saved FDR, as well as entire populations. Notably, he worked alongside the Howling Commandos to stop one of Red Skull's attempts to kidnap a Manhattan project scientist. If Red Skull had gotten his hands on an atomic bomb, the FDR and the U.S., and other parts of the world would've been vulnerable to Skull's insatiable desire to destroy.

A lot of superheroes can't say they've saved the President's life before. More on that point, a lot of superheroes can't say they've been basically active since the '40s or that they fought Nazis during WWII. It's these types of things that make Captain America a one of a kind superhero.

12 VILLAINOUS: DOESN'T SAVE THE PRESIDENT

Before Marvel's 2017 event-series, Secret Empire, there was a storyline involving an evil organization by the same name that happened within Captain America during the '70s. In fact, Captain America (Vol. 1) #175, created by writer Steve Englehart and artist Sal Buscema, may be just as shocking as the 2017 Secret Empire series -- if not more so. In the story, Cap discovers a grand conspiracy rooted in the U.S. government. He follows the conspiracy's trail and is horrified to learn that it goes all the way to the top. The story reaches its conclusion as Cap enters the Oval Office to confront the masked man behind the Secret Empire. The mask comes off, and Cap is utterly shocked to see who it is. Before Cap can act, the mystery man -- who is never revealed on panel - -puts a gun to his head and takes his own life. Although it's never explicitly stated, it's heavily implied that the masked man was none other than President Richard Nixon. Writer Steve Englehart has even said that the mystery man was intended to be Nixon.

While it may seem as if Cap was just too shocked to act quickly enough to prevent the President's actions, we aren't so sure. This is Captain America we're talking about; he's not one to hesitate. Couldn't it be that Cap may have not really wanted to save Nixon? That, despite Cap's best intentions, what won out in this situation was his disgust with the President and his actions?

11 HEROIC: LEADS INEXPERIENCED AVENGERS

Captain America was one of the founding members of the Avengers. Well, sort of. Actually, he wasn't introduced onto the team until Avengers (Vol. 1) # 4, where he was then retroactively given the status of a founding member in place of the Hulk. From then on, Cap used his WWII experience to lead the World's Mightiest Heroes -- although the first wave of Avengers didn't need too much hands-on teaching. The same couldn't be said of the second team of Avengers. After Thor, Iron Man, and others left, a new inexperienced group, which included Hawkeye, Scarlet Witch, and Quicksilver, joined the team and for a while, it didn't look like they'd ever lived up to the first generation.

Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver were former X-Men villains, new to the superhero way of life, and Hawkeye had a tremendous ego. However, it wasn't long until Cap's leadership skills proved their worth. The new Avengers succeeded against top-tier villains like Kang and Doctor Doom, and the team lived up to the reputation of the first generation. Throughout the years, Captain America would continually prove his ability to mold a group inexperienced superheroes into a cohesive unit. It's for this reason that few leaders in the Marvel universe are as universally respected as Captain America.

10 VILLAINOUS: HIS LAST RESORT AGAINST BARON BLOOD

Union Jack, an ally of Captain America during the WWII era, had a brother that became a villainous vampire. His name was Baron Blood and he hated nothing more than his brother and his home country, England. After being defeated by Union Jack during Blood's first attack on England, Blood aligned himself with the Nazis. Blood died and was resurrected on several occasions until he came into conflict with Cap. Years after WWII, Blood rose again, prompting Union Jack to enlist his old ally, Captain America. During Cap's battle with the vampire, he had to resort to drastic and uncharacteristic measures in order to defeat Baron Blood. The fight concluded with Cap taking his slamming his shield down towards Blood's neck, implying a gruesome end for the vampire. Blood's body was then burned, and his ashes were scattered across the country to make sure that the deadly vampire wouldn't ever be resurrected again.

For a guy who refuses to carry a gun, this was a pretty violent way to dispose of a villain. It's one of those stories that you hear about and can't believe that Captain America would do something like that. It has us asking, was that really the only way -- as Cap seemed to think -- to defeat Baron Blood?

9 HEROIC: STANDS AGAINST THE SUPERHUMAN REGISTRATION ACT

"Civil War" erupted because Captain America refused to support the Superhuman Registration Act. In Civil War #1, written by Mark Millar and drawn by Steve McNiven, the Superhuman Registration Act was proposed after the New Warriors were involved a tragedy that amounted to massive casualties. The Superhuman Registration Act would require superhumans to register with the US government, thus giving their secret identity away and making them and their family open targets. When Captain America refused to enforce the new law, he fought with Maria Hill and her S.H.I.E.L.D. forces, just nearly escaping. After that he led the resistance, known as the "Secret Avengers", and their allies. Although he may have taken things to the extreme during the latter stages of the conflict, his intentions were noble. He wanted to protect the liberties of superhumans, and prevent their secret identities from becoming public information.

Although both of the sides fighting in the Civil War could be sympathized with, it was hard not to root for Cap and his forces. Cap's decision to go against his government couldn't have been easy on him, yet he stuck to his principles and did what he thought was the right thing to do -- even if would lead him to his eventual death.

8 VILLAINOUS: TERMINATES MUTANTS

The X-Men crossover, "Age of X", written by Mike Carey and drawn by Clay Mann and Steve Kurth, involves an alternate timeline where anti-mutant ideology has spread across the U.S. The paranoia arises in response to increased mutant birth rates. The fear of the mutants is confirmed by a huge tragedy in New York set off by Phoenix. As things escalate, new legislation is passed that mutants are to be captured and, often times executed. After a while, only the most dangerous mutants remain as fugitives. The Avengers, led by Captain America, are assembled to track down and eliminate the remaining mutants.

Cap's most villainous moment came when he met up with Mystique, one of the key players in the mutant resistance. Cap executed Mystique while she was protecting a group of children. On the brighter side, Cap's actions here inspire him to reflect and switch sides. He dies defending the mutants against the Hulk. Even though Cap realize he was on the wrong side of things eventually, this is pretty appalling behavior for the leader of the Avengers. It really takes him killing a mutant while she's protecting children to realize he's doing the wrong thing? Too little, too late, Cap.

7 HEROIC: LEADS AVENGERS DURING SIEGE

Following the conclusion of "Civil War", Steve Rogers died and then became time-displaced for a while. While he was away, "Secret Invasion" occurred, which led into the Dark Reign era. By the time Rogers would return to the present, up would be down. Norman Osborn was the leader of the Dark Avengers, while most of the real Avengers were being hunted down. The story follows Osborn as he leads his Dark Avengers in an invasion on Asgard. In response to the threat to Asgard, Captain America assembles various teams of Avengers and other Marvel heroes and leads them into battle against Osborn's forces. The core Avengers reassemble after years apart and are able to defeat Osborn and the Dark Avengers.

Rogers' return and role in putting back together the original Avengers was an event in the making since the "Avengers: Disassembled" crossover that came out six years earlier. In the end, Osborn's madness was exposed on live television and was arrested by Captain America. Even Osborn's secret weapon, the Sentry, wasn't enough for the fury of Thor. And to cap things off, Cap and the Avengers' actions during the event resulted in the decision to repeal the Superhuman Registration Act.

6 VILLAINOUS: LEADS ROSCOE SIMONS TO HIS DEATH

After uncovering the secret empire and its connections to the U.S. government, Steve Rogers became disillusioned and retired from being Captain America. Instead, he dressed in a darker uniform and went by 'Nomad'. In the meantime, several men attempted to fill Rogers' shoes as Captain America, but only one of them received Rogers' blessing. Roscoe Simons was a young and enthusiastic fan of Cap, and a mechanic, who'd proved himself -- in Rogers' eyes -- in battle. In response, Rogers handed Simons the indestructible disc-shaped shield and sent Simons out as the new Captain America. Bad idea. When Red Skull discovered that it wasn't Rogers beneath the mask, he made Simons pay. In one of the most brutal moments in Captain America's history (especially for that era), Skull tortured and then crucified Simons. Simons' death galvanized Rogers into returning to the role of Captain America.

It's hard to believe that Rogers would do such an irresponsible thing. Simons' profession prior to becoming Captain America was as a mechanic. The young man had hardly any training and had never been injected with any Super Soldier formula. In other words, Simons was hardly skilled and possessed no superpowers. By giving Simons his blessing to become Captain America, Rogers was signing Simons' death warrant.

5 HEROIC: FORMS THE UNITY AVENGERS

The epic "Avengers Vs. X-Men" event marked a turning point for both the Avengers and the X-Men. In the event's third act, the Phoenix Force possessed Cyclops and he became the Dark Phoenix. Cyclops' rampage across the planet was finally stopped and the mini-series concluded with the long-time leader of the X-Men being incarcerated. Captain America realized that relations between the mutants and the Avengers had been poor for too long, and set out on an initiative to invite more mutants onto the Avengers. He formed the Unity Avengers in an attempt to bring improve relations between mutants and humankind.

He put Havok as the leader of the team and stepped away. The exploits of the Unity Avengers have been explored in the Uncanny Avengers series for the past several years. The team has proved to be a major success thus far, having defeated the likes of the Red Skull, the Apocalypse Twins, and the Shredded Man. Leave it to Cap to work towards a harmonious solution following the chaotic events of Avengers Vs. X-Men. It's actions like these that make Captain America such a great leader. He's always working toward a greater good -- but not to the extent that the ends always justify the means.

4 VILLAINOUS: SERVES HYDRA

Captain America fans received a major surprise at the end of Captain America: Steve Rogers #1, written by Nick Spencer and drawn by Jesus Faiz. The first issue ended with Cap throwing his sidekick out of a plane before, standing back with a sinister look on his face, and saying, "Hail Hydra". Later it was revealed that Cap's history had been altered after a run-in with a sentient manifestation of the Cosmic Cube, named Kobik. Kobik, who'd been secretly indoctrinated by the Red Skull changed Cap's history so that he'd been a sleeper agent for Hydra since WWII, waiting for the perfect time to lead Hydra in a conquest of the U.S.A. Cap would even go as far as to assassinate his fellow Hydra loyalist, the Red Skull so that he could declare himself the Supreme Leader of Hydra. Cap and Hydra's attack on the U.S. was covered in the 2017 event series, Secret Empire.

"Secret Empire" was one of the more shocking and controversial storylines in recent Marvel history. Steve Rogers, an agent of Hydra -- which is basically Marvel's equivalent of being a Nazi? It was a bold move by writer Nick Spencer, and most certainly one of the most villainous things that Cap has ever done or been a part of.

3 HEROIC: BATTLES INVERTED HEROES AS AN OLD MAN

Captain America Old Cropped

Captain America reverts back into his true age as an old man at the end of Captain America (Vol.7) #21, written by Rick Remender and drawn by Nic Klein. During a battle with the Iron Nail, Captain America is stabbed and loses his Super Soldier state. Cap quickly ages until he's an old man, causing him to have to cease being Captain America. In Avengers & X-Men: Axis, written by Rick Remender and drawn by Leinil Francis Yu, heroes are inverted into villains and villains are inverted into heroes after a spell by the Scarlet Witch. Rogers forms the "Astonishing Avengers" and suits up in armor to fight the inverted heroes. He then worked together with the inverted Red Skull (the White Skull) to return the heroes and villains to their normal alignments.

The events of Avengers & X-Men: Axis only reinforce what we know about Cap from his early days -- that his character comes before his powers. For Cap, his superpowers are for pure utility. But still, as evident from this story, he doesn't need them in order to bravely fight the good fight. Of course, Cap would de-age and become a Super Soldier once more soon after the story, although we know he doesn't need the powers to display heroism.

2 VILLAINOUS: ORCHESTRATES AGENT COULSON'S DEMISE

As an agent of Hydra, Captain America did all kinds of despicable things. But before the event "Secret Empire" began, Cap may have committed his most villainous act. In Deadpool (Vol.4) #31, written by Gerry Duggan and drawn by Matteo Lolli, Captain America sends Deadpool on a mission to get rid of S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Phil Coulson. Agent Coulson is one of the only people to have discovered Cap's allegiance to Hydra. In response, Cap enlists Deadpool, who, understandably, trusts Captain America more than he does Agent Coulson. Plus, Cap is partly responsible for Deadpool receiving the opportunity of a lifetime by being offered a position on the Unity Avengers. Deadpool is indebted to Cap, so he doesn't question Cap when he's asked to hunt down Agent Coulson. Unfortunately, Deadpool succeeds and one of the few people who could've prevented "Secret Empire" dies.

Captain America's actions here are doubly villainous. Not only is he responsible for the death of the beloved Agent Coulson, but he corrupts the fan-favorite Deadpool in the process. Cap's actions here have long-term ramifications. Even after the dust settles at the end of "Secret Empire", and the forces of Hydra have been defeated, Agent Coulson is still dead.

1 HEROIC: DEFEATS HYDRA CAP

It's only fitting that the true Captain America was the one to defeat his evil counterpart. In Secret Empire #10, written by Nick Spencer and drawn by a host of artists that include Steve McNiven, David Marquez, Ron Lim, Rod Reis, and Juan Vlasco, the original Steve Rogers made his triumphant return. Hydra's opposition had been almost entirely stamped out and only a few superheroes remained free. Winter Soldier, Ant-Man, and Sam Wilson worked to bring Kobik back, who was able to provide a new body for Captain America's original personality. The original Captain America then had a showdown with the fascist Hydra Cap -- and Hydra Cap quickly lost. Kobik also reverted the world back to the way it was before Hydra Cap took over.

The original Captain America's triumphant return at the end of "Secret Empire" was a bright spot in an otherwise dark period for the Marvel Universe, and, especially, Captain America comics. Although the event was far from beloved, fans were glad that the original, freedom-loving Captain America made it back, supplanting his evil version. Hopefully, this marks the beginning of a lengthy period of nothing-but-heroism for Captain America. He's had his fair share of darkness in the past couple of years, and we'd like to see him stick it out on the side of the angels for years to come.