Captain America is one of the most iconic heroes of all time. From his solo adventures dating back to World War II, to the formation of the Avengers, and everything since, Captain America has had a long and illustrious career as one of the world's foremost superheroes. But there was a time when Captain America lost his powers and had to rely on a super-suit crafted by Iron Man to keep his fighting edge.

Everyone knows the origins of Captain America's powers. During World War II the US government selected Steve Rogers as the recipient for the Super Soldier Serum, a wondrous chemical that could turn any human into the peak of physical human potential. After being administered the serum, Steve Rogers became known as Captain America, Super Soldier. But many decades later, the serum began to fail him. His body became weak at times, resulting in sporadic muscle seizures. In Captain America #436 by Mark Gruenwald and Dave Hoover, Captain America lost control of his body in a heated battle with the villain Mr. Hyde. A final burst of physical exertion caused him to suffer a heart attack so severe that he became paralyzed in 95% of his body.

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As Captain America slowly came to, it was Tony Stark that came to his aid with the invention of a massive suit of super armor. Being as paralyzed as he was, sensors were placed within Captain America's body so that he would be able to control the suit. The suit itself was equipped with Mylar sheaths and disruptor beams that caused intense bouts of vertigo; these weapons were non-lethal to adhere to Steve's ideology of not killing his enemies. Magnetic gloves were also built into the suit, as well as anti-missile armaments which were mounted onto the suit's wrists. The biggest ability the suit gave Captain America, though, was flight.

A great number of foes were fought while Captain America donned this armor: Flagmasher, the Dead Ringer, MODOK, and Zeitgeist to name a few. But the events leading to the disuse of the armor is a bit more complicated. The mysterious hero Black Crow told Steve that while the suit enhanced his combat skills, it wasn't healing his heart. He told Steve that he had only 24 hours left to live. As he lay on his death bed, Captain America's body was stolen away by Red Skull who saved him by performing a bone and blood transplant from his own body which was actually a clone of the First Avenger's. What transpired after was a reality-warping fight with and against Red Skull not just for the fate of the world, but for the Cosmic Cube itself. It was here that Captain America stopped wearing the exosuit as his body had been healed through the Red Skull's operation.

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Later, during the catastrophic "AXIS" event, an aging Captain America who no longer had the beneficial effects of the Super Soldier Serum once again wore the exosuit to fight alongside the White Skull against the inverted heroes of Earth. Since this battle, though, the exosuit hasn't been seen.

With or without the Super Soldier Serum, Captain America is a hero. It's ingrained into every fiber of his being, heart, and soul. Something that signifies the heroism in him is his iconic original suit. The scaled armor, the vibrant red, white, and blue design: these things define Captain America. While the exosuit is a useful piece of equipment, it isn't and never will be a replacement for his suit. Captain America as an ideology doesn't need a super exosuit to bolster it; his will is one that doesn't need to hide behind a suit of armor.

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