Steve Rogers has come a long way from the 98-pound weakling audiences met in Captain America: The First Avenger back in 2011. His muscles are huge, he has become a legend, and he makes even other heroes stammer when they meet. Along the way he's had many fights with villains both major and minor, sometimes barely walking away from those fights.
Whether he's punching above his weight class and trying to take down Loki, or just fighting a bunch of goons in an elevator, there are many moments where it seemed Captain America had met his match, even when he pulled out the win.
10 Leaving The Airport Battle In Order To Track Down Zemo
The fight at the airport is one of the most iconic moments in the MCU. It was the moment audiences clamored for when they first saw the trailer for Captain America: Civil War. The introduction of Spider-Man into the MCU, the banter between Clint and Nat, and the Empire Strikes Back reference all made the fight memorable, but the moment that Cap met his match was the moment Falcon tells him that he and Bucky have to leave.
Cap is not the kind of soldier to leave a man behind, and here is his team telling him he has to leave four of them behind so that he can chase down the real threat. It's a humbling moment for the strong leader to take orders instead of giving them, but it is necessary in order for him to win the larger fight chasing Zemo.
9 Fighting The Winter Soldier On The Highway
This is a fight where Cap really gets to show off his fighting skill. The cold ruthlessness of the Winter Soldier is in direct opposition to Rogers' protective nature. From the opening moments when Sitwell is torn from the car, to the pause when Cap recognizes his old friend, this fight is all about that push and pull.
Cap knows he is fighting an enhanced human and he still uses restraint to not kill his opponent, even when his opponent is very clearly trying to kill him and everyone around him.
8 Fighting The Heckler In The Alley Before Becoming Captain America
The First Avenger has several moments that help define what winning really looks like for Steve Rogers, including the fight outside the movie theater. After less than 30 seconds of news reel, a young man begins shouting at the screen "Who cares?" while the audience looks increasingly uncomfortable. Steve is the only one who speaks up.
Cap takes his licks, getting knocked down repeatedly and crawling to his feet only to say "I can do this all day." Bloodied and bruised, the Brooklyn Boy also grabs a trash can lid as a defensive aid. Make no mistake, he gets knocked around in this fight, and he definitely ends up having to be rescued by Bucky. But in the end, he wins because his character is unblemished, and he's got friends to back him up because of that character.
7 Diving On The Grenade In Basic Training
Steve Rogers butting heads with the Tommy Lee Jones' drill sergeant character in The First Avenger was all in good fun. The audience was keenly aware that Steve's small stature was unimpressive for the hardened military veteran, but Steve was determined to prove himself.
When Jones' character tosses a grenade into the group of soldiers and everyone scatters except the small, weak Steve, who instead dives onto the grenade, Steve wins, impressing Dr. Erskine and endearing Peggy Carter to him even further. The something special that Dr. Erskine has been looking for is right there, in the sentence "is this a test?"
6 Fighting The Red Skull & His Energy Weapons
Cap's greatest comic book nemesis was a great villain for the Avenger's first outing. Cap begins the fight in handcuffs after being apprehended at the Skull's base, and he takes a few licks from the enhanced German commander while captive. When his Howling Commandos break through the windows and create an opening, he pursues Red Skull to a bomber carrying weapons labeled for New York.
Cap is clearly overmatched when he does not have his shield, as Red Skull has an energy pistol and rifle which are both powered by the Tesseract. When Cap is able to recover his shield and knock the Tesseract loose he is able to win the fight as a wormhole sucks away his enemy.
5 Holding The Winter Soldier From Escaping In Berlin
When Zemo reactivates the Winter Soldier in Civil War, Cap is once again forced to fight his old friend. After taking down Agent 13, Black Widow, T'Challa, and Iron Man, it is clear that the Winter Soldier is more than a force to be reckoned with. When the mind-controlled Bucky takes a helicopter and attempts to escape, Cap grabs the landing skid and holds the helicopter from leaving the pad in a scene that made audiences drool over his muscles.
When Bucky realizes he can't leave, the cold, calculating nature of his Winter Soldier programming sees him crashing the helicopter in an attempt to force Cap to let him go. When the wreckage plunges into the river, however, Bucky is knocked out and wakes up once more.
4 Fighting Hydra In An Elevator
This fight sees Cap in a confined space during a tense situation, surrounded by the enemy in plain clothes. Cap is facing overwhelming odds, saved only by his quick thinking and situational awareness. Showing off not only his strength but also his combat training, Cap takes down Rumlow and his goons before diving out the side of the elevator to escape.
While this may not be the most overmatched Cap has ever been, this fight is also the moment that he bests the Secretary of the World Security Council, Alexander Pierce, secretly a Hydra director. This fight is really Cap winning two overmatched battles simultaneously.
3 Taking On Loki Outside The Museum In Avengers
The first Avengers has some brilliant story beats and beautiful fight choreography. It also sees Cap take on a literal god and nearly hold his own. After blocking a blast from Loki's scepter and delivering an inspiring speech, Cap trades blows with the trickster. He even lands a few good hits, including a round kick to Loki's golden helmet, but this fight is way above his weight class, echoed later when Black Widow tells him to sit out a fight as "these guys come from legend, they're basically gods."
Highlighting one of the major themes of the movie, Cap is on the ropes until Iron Man shows up and assists by blasting Loki backwards. Loki surrenders himself and is taken into custody, thanks to Cap with the aid of Iron Man.
2 Fighting A Distraught Iron Man In Siberia
The ultimate showdown of Civil War peaks two hours and seven minutes into the movie with the iconic shot of Iron Man blasting Cap's shield. This is the frame where it becomes clear that Iron Man is willing to kill not only the Winter Soldier, but also Captain America.
Cap is fighting not for his life, and not only to save Bucky, but also to save Tony from himself. Before Bucky's intervention, the audience is convinced that Iron Man is actually going to put his armored fist right through Cap's face. But with the help of his oldest friend, Cap prevails.
1 Lifting Mjolnir To Take On Thanos
There are so many moments in this fight that gave audiences a reason to cheer, but there is also a good portion of it that is completely hopeless. Even when it is the heavy hitters of the Avengers—Captain America, Thor, and Iron Man—battling the Mad Titan all seems lost.
But when Cap lifts Mjolnir, there is a sudden wave of hope. The fight becomes winnable once more. This moment is short-lived, however, as Cap is very quickly being beaten down by Thanos' blade, chipping away at his shield. When Cap stands back up and tightens what remains of his shield to his arm, the audience is reminded of what makes him special. When Sam Wilson's voice comes over Cap's radio, echoing Cap's "on your left," from The Winter Soldier, it becomes clear that Cap has prolonged the fight long enough for the Avengers to actually win.