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marvel - Why hasn't Captain America been promoted?


Considering that he's performed exceptionally for many years, has proven leadership capabilities and is highly intelligent, why haven't they given him a higher rank?




Answer



Because rank follows job


Army rank isn't just a question of experience, heroics or capabilities. It's not like going up a level in a D&D game. After a certain point, an officer's rank implies his job, not only his abilities.


A US Army Captain usually commands units the size of Companies or smaller, meaning at most a group of 80-250 soldiers. This is in keeping with Captain America's usual scale - he usually leads platoons, actually, but in the First Avenger movie we saw him lead a larger group to rescue hostages.


Generally speaking, the work he does is not that of a Major, Colonel or General. He's a field agent and tactical warrior, not a strategist or high-level commander.


Because you have to be in service to be promoted


Of course, all this ignores the fact that as far as I know he isn't, as of the main Marvel timeline, an active member of the US Army. He works with S.H.I.E.L.D, and keeps his existing rank, but since he's not an active commissioned officer, he won't continue moving up the ranks.


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