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Joseph Rivas
Professor Stephanie Jones
English 114B
15 April 2015
Whats the Problem, Captain?
Who would of thought that the short and frail man would grow up to be six feet tall with
gigantic muscles in a time span of, five minutes? That is the story displayed in the film, Captain
America: The First Avenger. Steve Rodgers is denied entry to serve for his country due to his
inabilities, but after an experiment, he becomes everyones hero and saves the world. Nothing
else seems wrong; he defeated the Nazis and prevents future domination. However, the film on
Captain America conveys more than just lessons about fearlessness and loyalty for owed to our
country. In the film of Captain America: The First Avenger, having Joseph Campbells stages of
a heros journey perspective, Captain America (Steve Rodgers) depicts real-world social issues
of stereotyping and propaganda.
Steve Rodgers starts off in an ordinary world and the stereotyping begins. World war two
is proceeding and almost everyone is joining the military. He is exhausted of the constant
bullying he endured due to his weak stature and wants to prove the size of his heart by joining
the military. Steve Rodgers proudly wanted to serve the army just like his parents and his best
friend. He persistently tried to enlist into the army but they kept denying his entrance due to his
incompetent health and physical conditions. In Encyclopedia of Race and Racism, it explains
how stereotypes, exaggerate differences between groups and underestimate individual
differences among members of a stereotyped group (Dovidio and Melissa-Sue John). Steve
Rodgers was willing to give his life up for his country but doctors and government officials felt

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that the small and weak individuals are not allowed since only the strong and tall are a perfect
example of soldiers. As soon as Steve Rodgers obtains his powers and becomes Captain America
by having to potentially sacrifice his own life, the military wants him not only for his physical
attributes but also for his character. When people judge and create unfair generalizations about
certain groups, they will never know the full potential of those people. The offenders have to
look at a persons actions and personality to judge. Society cannot solely look at one person and
make simplifications for an entire group.
Propaganda starts to display in the film after Steve Rodgers meets his mentor. His mentor
appreciates Rodgers courageous heart through his persistent enlistment and humble effort in boot
camp. He selects Rodgers to be injected with serum (steroids) and he breaks the stereotype of the
small and weak being useless on how great of a hero he is with how he uses his powers.
However, it does not mean to inject steroids, but to give an opportunity to everyone to display
him or herself of who they really are. Without the steroids being injected into him, no one would
have ever known his character. During world war two there were many propaganda posters
where artists wanted to portray the manliness and physical attributes of men who joined the war
movement since the government needed as many ideal men as possible (American Men in
Three Wartime Posters). Soon after Captain Americas birth, he toured the country, acting
instead of fighting. He took the stage showing off his muscular strength in a skintight costume
and inspired men and women to join the fight. Captain America not only started to receive
attention from women, but the beautiful Agent Carter. Before Rodgers became Captain America,
Agent Carter did not feel attracted to him. The only way to grab a persons attention and talk to
them is if youre tall and brawny. Aside from the discrimination of frail men, all the boasting and
pestering to join the military: reveal how participation in war forces Americans to define their

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very identity as a nation and the ideals for which they stand (Boulton). All the brainwashing
from the advertisements makes the American audience feel guilty and potentially forcing
themselves to join. It shows how if a tiny man can become a hero, so could anyone else as long
as they join. In addition, if an individual wants to attract women and have an adventure, they
should enlist into the military. All this propaganda is feeding into the minds of young men and
children to some day say, I want to have fun and attract all the beautiful women!
The discrimination did not stop after Rodgers became Captain America. As Rodgers
toured the country, he wanted to join the fight but military officials refused because they
perceived Rodgers as the same weak-minded person he or any other physically deficient person
were. It is the same consistent stereotype of the little guy always being insignificant. Steve
Rodgers faces his test, ally, and enemy where he disobeys orders, teams up with Agent Carter,
and destroys a Nazi camp. When Rodgers returns back to base he is praised for his actions. In
Encyclopedia of Race and Racism, it explains how the dominant social class in society,
describe not only what groups of people are like but also what they should be like (Dovidio
and Melissa-Sue John). All the oppression pressed onto Rodgers before he was injected with the
steroids and the admiration afterward shows what society wants and what they do when it is
something they dont want. The propaganda and stereotype in this event convey how society will
appreciate an individual if they possess extreme masculinity and if a person is tiny and frail they
are inadequate. Rodgers then approaches the inmost cave after his best friend died displaying the
loving friendships that people would want in their lives if they join the military. He then decides
the only one way to end the problem is to kill his adversary. Finally, Rodgers reaches his
ultimate ordeal when he fights against the powerful Red Skull. Unfortunately, after the Red Skull
dies, Captain America commits the ultimate sacrifice: his life. To avoid an atomic bomb landing

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in New York City, he plummets down with the plane crashing on polar ice caps. After the crash,
he was never found again. Within seconds, he showed his act of valor promoting military values
and destroying the stereotype that all feeble men are useless but at the same time promoting to
join the military because an individual will be seen as a hero.
Captain America: The First Avenger eloquently shows social issues of stereotyping and
propaganda. Most people do not view themselves stereotyping because, stereotyping is a
cognitive process that allows us to acquire and manage social information and make judgments
about others quickly and effortlessly(Dovidio and Melissa-Sue John). It is in our nature and we
commit it effortlessly. For example, a typical student would go to class and immediately sit on a
chair. However, most students do not check if their chair is secure enough to hold their body
weight. The student unconsciously held a common belief that all chairs are well made. It is not
bad to stereotype since it lets individuals create predictions and anticipate what is ahead.
However, in the film, if society never held a generalization about a certain group, Steve Rodger
might have never been Captain America or he might have been Captain America sooner than
before. A possible solution to end or minimize harsh stereotypes is everyone treat everyone else
the same. As soon as army officials saw Steve Rodgers acting like a soldier, they started to treat
him like one. All he needed was on opportunity to show them. In addition, propaganda is seen as
a positive in the film. People enjoyed Captain America and motivated them to join the war.
Nonetheless, the motivation was truly a: deliberate manipulation other peoples thoughts
or actions (Propaganda). The U.S military simply try to influence individuals to join. Then
when people join, they might not expect what they thought they would from the Captain America
show. Instead of trying to control people to join, the government should let people who actually
want to join without the exaggerations fed to them. Unfortunately, that wont change so it so is

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up to the audience to determine what is true or not. Before I saw Captain America telling me
how he is a great and entertaining superhero. Now I see the hidden messages the story conveyed
to make it real and shed light on to what is going on around us.

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Works Cited
"American Men in Three Wartime Posters." American Decades Primary Sources. Ed. Cynthia
Rose. Vol. 5: 1940-1949. Detroit: Gale, 2004. 170-174. Gale Virtual Reference Library.
Web. 29 Mar. 2015.
Boulton, Mark. "Propaganda, 18981945." Americans at War. Ed. John P. Resch. Vol. 3: 1901
1945. Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA, 2005. 149-152. Gale Virtual Reference
Library. Web. 8 Apr. 2015.
Bronzite, Don. "The Hero's Journey - Mythic Structure of Joseph Campbell's Monomyth." Movie
Outline. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Apr. 2015.
Dovidio, John F., and Melissa-Sue John. "Stereotype." Encyclopedia of Race and Racism. Ed.
Patrick L. Mason. 2nd ed. Vol. 4. Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA, 2013. 130-136.
Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 8 Apr. 2015.
Johnston, Joe, dir. Captain America: The First Avenger. Paramount Pictures, 2011. Film
"Propaganda." International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences. Ed. David L. Sills. Vol. 12.
New York: Macmillan, 1968. 579-589. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 14 Apr.
2015.