There are countless lists out there that point out quality Captain America comic book stories, but the mainstream audience generally shies away from reading them. This is why we think it’s best to dive into the superhero’s stories that will be appealing to you now that we’ve become accustomed to him thanks to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Since we’re sure you know these movies very well, the following 10 stories from the comics will be right up your alley; while they have generally been underrated due to a lack of mainstream popularity, we can assure you they will now feel immensely appealing if you consider yourself a true Marvel fan.
10 Man Out Of Time
However, this miniseries is just what you need to understand Captain America’s plight at being a “man out of time.” Being a relatively recent release, the story dives into how our protagonist feels displaced from the time he knew from before he was frozen and the difficulties he faced in adjusting to the modern world.
9 The Death of Captain America
How many times have superheroes been killed and brought back? The exact number is impossible to guess, with Captain America also having died quite a lot of times. This is why this issue is overlooked because of its rather recent release and because we knew Captain America would inevitably come back.
But it is worth a read, due to how amazing the execution of the fracture between the other superheroes is after Captain America’s death. We have the Winter Soldier attempting to assassinate Iron Man after blaming the latter for whatever happened; the Falcon heading out to deliver justice; and Sharon Carter being the one to kill Captain America due to her brainwashing. It’s kind of pandemonium for the heroes, and that is exactly why the story is so engaging.
8 Captain America No More
As Spider-Man is way more popular than Captain America, people recall the Spider-Man No More story rather than the time where Captain America did something similar. And yet, there’s a huge difference that readers overlook, and that is that Steve Rogers still fought for justice in this story.
Having been replaced as Captain America by John Walker, Steve instead became “The Captain”, and assumed his own course of justice. The more intriguing aspect of this story, though, was witnessing Walker’s descent into madness, due to being unable to emulate the ideals of Captain America that Steve Rogers had placed in such high esteem.
7 Operation Rebirth
The reason why this story is underrated is because at the time of its release Captain America really wasn’t so popular anymore. It’s a shame why Operation: Rebirth is overlooked, as it brings back a classic villain in the Red Skull and Sharon Carter to the fold.
What’s more, we have attempts made to bring Hitler of all people back from death, making this story a very comic book angle, as things take one over-the-top turn after another. Too many times have we seen realism attempted to be injected into comics, so this story was a wonderful diversion.
6 Castaway in Dimension Z
We’ve held Captain America in high regard always, but how many times have we had the chance to see him really take on the role of someone responsible for another? This story had the Captain in the most difficult role of all: being the parent for a child.
What’s more, the child in question was a clone of one of Captain America’s greatest foes in Arnim Zola; this coupled with the fact that the two were transported into an entirely different dimension made this story one you could never predict.
5 The Winter Soldier
Yes, we are all familiar with this story now thanks to Captain America: The Winter Soldier deriving from this plot, but the film’s use of this angle has caused the original comic book to be largely ignored now.
Although a majority of the elements to the return of Bucky Barnes as the Winter Soldier were used in the movie, we get to see the character more closely in this comic, which follows his exploits as a brainwashed assassin, with one instance even showing him taking the life of Wolverine’s wife in 1946! Fans of the Winter Soldier need to read this one pronto.
4 Captain America Reborn
Yes, when Captain America dies, he does come back, and here we have one of the better stories that detail his resurrection. It’s not that the superhero once more arose to fight, though, but due to the mystery behind his death being solved.
The storyline gave us some mystery for a change, with the action taking a backseat as far as our interest was concerned. Here, the heroes looked to uncover the reality behind Captain America’s previous demise, with the revelation that he might be able to be revived once more.
3 Madbomb
The friendship and partnership between Captain America and Falcon needs to be revisited by all fans now especially due to Falcon taking over Captain America’s mantle in Avengers: Endgame. Before this duo was made famous by the movies, though, this storyline surrounding their dynamic wasn’t given its due credit.
It certainly deserves the plaudits, though, as this was a story that pit the two superheroes in a chase to discover and destroy the weapon known as the Madbomb. While it sounds like it might have been a somber story, it instead turned out to be a fast-paced romp that had many action-based moments.
2 The Death Of The Red Skull
Captain America and Red Skull are both old men. It’s the super serum in their bodies that kept the two ticking, but this story gave us a very harsh reality about their ages, and the archenemies clashed for what was then the final time - both in their old forms.
The two men faced off in their true, very old bodies, as good battled evil with the Red Skull’s death already a confirmation. Making this such a great story was how even at this point Captain America refused to take Red Skull’s life, and the latter had to die knowing he couldn’t break his foe’s spirit.
1 The Coming Of The Falcon
Before Captain America: The Winter Soldier, nobody really cared much for the Falcon, who was seen as another one of Captain America’s supporting characters, making his debut one that languished along the rest of the overlooked comic series.
Now that you need to know more about who this character really is, in anticipation for The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, there’s no better time to dust off the Falcon’s debut, where we see him establish his legendary dynamic with Captain America. This underrated plot can now finally have its time in the sun, and you’ll see why Captain America and Falcon are such a famed duo.