Steven Rogers (Grand Director) (Earth-616)

From Marvel Database

Captain America of the 1950s

Gallery

Real Name

Steven Rogers II (Legally Changed to Steven Rogers in the early 1950s);
birth name unrevealed

Current Alias

Captain America of the 1950s

Aliases

Captain America, Steve, Commie Smasher; Grand Director

Identity

Secret

Alignment

Neutral

Affiliation

US Government (FBI); Former member of Army Special Ops Unit; Bucky (James Monroe)

Universe

Earth-616

Base Of Operations

SHIELD

Characteristics

Gender

Male

Height

6' 3"

Weight

220 lbs (100 kg)

Eyes

Blue

Hair

Blonde

Unusual Features

burns over large portions of chest and arms

Status

Citizenship

American

Marital Status

Single

Occupation

Soldier; US Government agent; later criminal (under mind control)

Education

Steve Rogers II possesses a Ph.D. in American History under his birth name. It was transferred to his legal name as shown when he became a teacher in the early 1950s. Rogers II specialized in the American history and symbolism as related to his childhood idol, the original Steve Rogers. He also possessed advanced chemical formation abilities as he was able to use the recovered notes of the original Super-soldier serums he discovered into a working compound.

Origin

Origin

Creators

Steve Englehart, Sal Buscema

First appearance

Historic: Young Men #24
As Steven Rogers II/ Captain America 4 Captain America #153;
As the "Grand Director" Captain America #231

History

The man who would become the fourth official Captain America was eleven years old when the first Captain America was created. Throughout World War II era, he idolized Captain America, and was shocked to learn of the original's supposed death in 1946. Although Truman hired William Naslund to replace the then lost Steve Rogers in the role of Captain America, the boy suspected the truth that Naslund was not the original Cap.

In the early 1950s after Jeffrey Mace had retired from adventuring as Captain America (some text state 1952), "Steve Rogers" graduated with a Ph.D in American History, having done his thesis on the life of Captain America. In 1953 he flew to Germany, and examined the files of Major Kerfoot, a Nazi espionage officer in the SS. He discovered that the papers contained the original Super-Soldier Formula. He revealed his discovery to certain high officials in the US government, and made a deal with the FBI for the formula whereby he would become the new Captain America, and act as a symbol during the Korean War.

The FBI accepted his offer to act as the new Captain America for the formulae. The man had his name legally changed to "Steven Rogers" and underwent extensive plastic surgery and vocal chord reconstruction to alter his appearance and voice to match that of the original. However by the time he had successfully become a physical duplicate to the original Steve Rogers, the Korean conflict ended. Deeming the need for an open patriotic symbol no longer needed, the FBI cancelled his operation as the successive Captain America. However, the FBI did not abandon Rogers II and established him with a teaching position at the elite preparatory school LeHigh in Connecticut. It is here that Rogers II started wearing glasses and took to smoking a pipe as he adjusted to life without his superheroic ambitions. But more importantly, it is at LeHigh where Rogers II met Jack Monroe, who then a teenage boy who shared Rogers II's heroic worship of Captain America. Rogers II developed a close friendship with Monroe and ultimately revealed his own past to Monroe which would led to their actual costume beginning as the 1950s Captain America and Bucky.

When in late 1953 the Red Skull reappeared and seized the United Nations, holding the delegates as hostage, Rogers II and Monroe decided to directly attack the Re-emerged Skull feeling that they would psychologically unbalance the Red Skull and defeat him. Rogers II and Monroe injected themselves with the recreated super-soldier formula and donned the costumes of Captain America and Bucky and attacked the Skull. As they had thought, the re-appearance of the thought to be original Cap did unnerve the Skull and the United Nation delegates were saved by Rogers II and Monroe. It was later revealed that this Red Skull, was not the original German World War II mastermind but a communist spy.

Deciding to captalize on the return of the supposed original Cap, the FBI allowed Rogers II to continue in the role as a selective operative for their locale raids and attacks against Communist and anti-American fifth columnist activities. But, due to some unseen event (Some text state that the formulae was incomplete or inaccurate based on earlier samples such as the one that Isaiah Bradley received while others state the formular was complete and accurate but without using the Vita-Rays process to stabilize the enhancement), both Rogers II and Monroe began to slowly go insane, beginning to brutalize anyone they thought might be agaisnt American interests not just communist. The pair were captured by the FBI and placed in suspended animation.

They were released in the 1970s, and re-captured by the now-active original Captain America and Rogers I then partner the Falcon, with help from Sharon Carter. Rogers II and Monroe were re-inserted into suspended animation, until they were remanded into the custody of Doctor Faustus, who brainwashed Rogers II into becoming the Grand Director, the leader of a neo-Nazi hate group called the National Force. After his defeat by Rogers I and Daredevil, the Grand Director triggered a suicide device in his uniform, supposedly killing himself.

It was later revealed that Rogers II had survived his attempted suicide though was badly burned in certain parts of his body, notably his torso where the flame bomb was activated. Rogers II is being kept in a catatonic state awaiting deployment if he could be successfully controlled after the murder of the original Rogers. ^[1] Briefly revived to facilitate the plans of the Red Skull, he is last seen walking the streets of New York City.

Powers and Abilities

Powers

• Super-Soldier Serum: Rogers II was a superb athlete, his physique having been enhanced by the supersoldier formula to bring him to peak condition. It is presently how well the Super-soldier serum is in his body as he has been in susani now for several decades longer than Rogers I and suffered extreme burns throughout his entire body.
  

Abilities

• Fighting Skills: Rogers II was an excellent fighter
  

Strength level

Due to some unknown interaction with the Super-Soldier serum Rogers II possessed low level direct superhuman strength enabling him to lift (press) approximately 1 ton. It is unclear if that strength level was consistent or only during his temporary revival when he fought Rogers I

Weaknesses

Rogers II possesses all of the weaknesses of a human male (sleep deprevation, fail on lack of air, food etc) though is able to resist them for far longer than average humans

Paraphernalia

Equipment:

• Shield: Rogers II carried a shield resembling the one carried by the previous Captain America. However, Roger II's shield was constructed of enhanced titanium steel and hence was not virtually indestructible like his predecessor's though was able to resist higher impacts than regular steel. Rogers II became quite effective is learning use to throw his shield with effective offensive and defense ability in a manner similar to both Rogers I and Mace but was not as effective as either of them.
  

Transportation: None known.
Weapons: None known.

Notes

• Created by Steve Englehart and artist Sal Buscema as Steve Rogers II in Captain America #153-Captain America #156
• Rogers II is largely addressed as "Captain America of the 1950s" though Mace was Cap into the early 1950s as well.
• Rogers II has largely been listed as the fourth recognized Cap, though is the third officially US government sanctioned person to have the role of Captain America as the US Government created and controls the role (Rogers I being the first, Naslund being the second. Though Mace was the second longest person to hold the role, Mace was never approved to take over the role by the government from Naslund when Naslund was killed.

Trivia

• No trivia.

See Also

• Appearances of Steven Rogers (Grand Director) (Earth-616)
• Character Gallery: Steven Rogers (Grand Director) (Earth-616)
• Fan-Art Gallery: Steven Rogers (Grand Director) (Earth-616)
• Quotations by Steven Rogers (Grand Director) (Earth-616)

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Links and References

• http://www.internationalhero.co.uk/c/capamer1.htm#1950s