General BJB Breakdown: Captain America -- Analyzing the Fighting Styles/Skills of Steve Rogers

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Devante

Active Member
Dec 28, 2018
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In comic books and the live action versions of them, we are routinely exposed to the most fantastic elements of a person’s imagination splashed across pages and screens (big and small). We have beings with an immense amount of superhuman ability; they have enhanced strength, super speed, hyper agility, advanced healing, invulnerability, enhanced senses, flight, energy manipulation, control of the elements, etc -- things that at best are far off in the future, at worst are just unrealistic or impossible. But somewhere in these stories of the fantastical and the incredible there are things we can see, things that are possible, things that translate. That is where this article comes in, as we discuss one of the biggest comic book heroes in the world -- Steve Rogers, AKA Captain America.
Now we haven’t seen the creation of super soldiers -- men or women with the physical tools to fight 15-20 soldiers or assassins, outrun cars, leap off buildings without harm, lift heavy objects, or kick people halfway across the room. But what we have seen is well-trained men and women who operate at the highest level of human physical ability. More importantly, we have seen men and women who have committed themselves to learning a myriad of martial arts -- blending different styles, techniques, and philosophies -- all to physically dominate an opponent. In Captain America, we have a man who does something similar in the Marvel Universe, so it's worth breaking down the fighting style and techniques of the First Avenger, the finest hand-to-hand combatant in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

One of the fundamental pillars of Steve Rogers’ fighting style is boxing; it is the one constant in almost every hand-to-hand engagement he’s had, be it against highly paid mercenary, super soldier assassin, technological genius in a suit of armor, or god. Rogers has showcased not just individual offensive technique, but defensive skills, offensive skills, and counter skills employed in a textbook fashion. Unlike some in the Marvel Universe who are educated brawlers (I’m talking to you, Daredevil; look for that article in the near future), Rogers instead leans on positioning, slick defensive maneuvers, and flawlessly executed offense to be successful, even in light of the tremendous physical advantages he has that others don’t have. (Yes I am still talking to you, Matt Murdock.)