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marvel - Is Captain America super-human?



Thanks to the super-soldier serum, Steve Rogers has greatly increased physical abilities, often described as being at the peak of human potential. Going along with this is usually the statement that he doesn't have superpowers or superhuman abilities. Both Wikipedia and the Marvel Wikia say that Captain America has "no superhuman powers". His official Marvel Power Grid gives him a strength rating of 3 ("peak human") and a speed rating of 2 ("normal"), both one point below "superhuman", which is consistent with this description.


His actions, however, seem to contradict this.


For example, he can run a mile in 73 seconds (1:13). That's about three times faster than the current world record, and even outpaces a champion thoroughbred. If the rules allowed it, Captain America could win the Kentucy Derby without a horse.


His strength is a little harder to measure. Wikipedia says that he can bench-press 1200 pounds, which again surpasses the world record, but not by nearly as much. His MCU incarnation is shown, in The Avengers, punching a heavy bag off its hanger and across the room, and replacing it with no visible effort. He is also able to pry open a door on the Helicarrier with his bare hands. In Agents of Shield, Mike Peterson pushes a bulldozer across a football field, and is told that he didn't do it as fast as Captain America.


Steve Rogers is said to be at peak human potential and not superhuman, but he is shown doing things that no ordinary human could do, no matter how much they trained. So, is he super-human or not?



Answer



It would depend on who you ask. Captain America has always been listed as the Pinnacle of Human Evolution. The concept of Peak Human would be considered superhuman to anyone who wasn't. If you had a person who was an Olympic level athlete IN EVERY SPORT POSSIBLE, he would appear to be an awe-inspiring superhuman even to those people who were already Olympic athletes because of his breadth of abilities.




  • Captain America is NOT considered superhuman because in the canon Marvel Universe, it is at least possible for a human being to be capable of SOME of the feats he performs.





  • He is considered NOT Superhuman because he does not have any significant abilities outside of the BEST A HUMAN (any particular well-trained, Olympic-level athlete) could have (except for his running) -- that IS superhuman, no matter how you slice it.




  • He is not considered superhuman because if you were to analyse his DNA, you would find nothing out of the ordinary; no mutant genome, nor any trace of extensive mutagenic effects similar to the Fantastic Four or the Hulk. The Super-Soldier Serum altered his body by bringing out the BEST HUMAN GENOME OPTIONS possible (and the continued regeneration of the serum over time.)




  • In our universe, he would be most assuredly be considered superhuman because he has:




    • Strength greater than any known Olympic athlete.




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  • The agility of an Olympic-level gymnast, capable of feats of acrobatics not possible without his unique brand of strength, coordination and stamina.


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  • The hand-eye coordination of an Olympic-level archer or marksman. He can throw an object like a baseball for over 100 yards with near-perfect accuracy.




  • The combat ability of a master martial artist, fusing, Judo, Akido, Boxing and his own acrobatic martial arts style into a unique and powerful offensive-defensive fighting style.




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  • He is able to swim as fast as any Olympic-level swimmer and hold his breath for over 20 minutes.




  • The running speed and stamina twice that of any Olympic runner to have ever lived! He is faster than a horse!




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  • He does not build up fatigue poisons at the same rate as a normal human, giving him unheard of levels of stamina and endurance. He can fight for over an hour, full out without fatigue, loss of puissance, or loss of accuracy.



In our universe, Captain America would be considered Superhuman because there wouldn't be anyone even remotely as capable in as many fields as he can encompass. In the Marvel Universe the border between Human and Superhuman has a slightly wider spectrum and in it, Captain America resides just at the border between Peak Human and Minor Superhuman.


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