Cartoonists are bound by few rules, especially if their job is to create a superhero. So, it is intriguing that cartoonists Joe Simon and Jack Kirby didn’t create a character with infinite power to end the horrifying atrocities of the Nazis. Instead, they created Captain America – a human who performs at his peak and has a strong moral compass.

Their patriotic superhero was an instant success. Even a year before the US joined the Allied Forces, a comic that showed Captain America punching Adolf Hitler sold over a million copies. Although there have been some ups and downs, as there should be in any human life, the legendary character has now spanned more than 70 years of comics, TV and movies. Despite having no superhuman ability, he is ranked sixth on IGN’s list of top 100 comic-book heroes of all time.¹