One of the first things that come to mind when anyone thinks of Steve Rogers, is his moral integrity. It’s one of the things that makes Captain America such a respectable (and slightly annoying) hero. Some have argued that Steve becoming a hero had to do with the super-soldier serum, but that’s not true, and What If…? proves it.
The hypothetical “what if” scenarios of the series purposefully challenge the MCU as it’s existed for over a decade. Despite some changes, some things continue to remain the same. The scenario of What If…?’s first episode proves this perfectly. No matter who received the serum, Steve Rogers would always be a hero.
Episode one recreates events from Captain America: The First Avenger with a twist. Early on, Steve is shot by Heinz Kruger, the same man that assassinates Doctor Erskine. This makes Steve unable to lend his body to the super-soldier experiment as he and Doctor Erskine planned. In his place, Peggy Carter takes the serum and becomes Captain Carter. Rehabbing from his gunshot wounds, Steve follows Peggy in her journey to prove herself to the army and to the rest of the world.
Standing by Peggy, whether she is Captain Carter or not, is not foreign to Steve Rogers. On the normal MCU timeline, prior to receiving the serum, Steve takes an interest in Peggy. Because of his small stature, the pressure of the experiment, and the belief that Peggy and Howard Stark are fonduing, Steve doesn’t act on it. Once he receives the serum in The First Avenger and begins to fight for what he believes in, he remains loyal to Peggy and the two make plans to go dancing. 70 years later, Steve continued to stick by her side when he found out she was alive and was one of the pallbearers at her funeral. No matter the decade, Steve Rogers would always have a home at Peggy Carter’s side.
Endgame proved how far Steve was willing to go to remain by her side. In a controversial ending for Chris Evans’ portrayal of the star-spangled hero, Steve leaves his longtime friend Bucky Barnes behind and gives Sam Wilson his shield. Many saw this ending as a complete 180 from Steve’s character who would always sacrifice anything for the greater good. Yet, he’d done this once before when he sank the plane that left him stuck in the ice for 70 years. When given the chance to reunite with Peggy, he jumped on it. As out of character as it may seem for Steve to leave his modern family behind, his decision can simply be boiled down to his connection to Peggy. As the many movies between The First Avenger and Endgame hint toward, she was never something he entirely got over.
Even though Steve doesn’t receive the serum in What If…?, he still proves himself to be a man worthy of the hero title. As Doctor Erskine reminds Steve prior to the experiment, “the serum amplifies everything that is inside.” While Steve became great, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier showed what happens when someone with harsh intentions takes the serum. Without the serum, Steve still has his moral integrity and it never falters. Erskine himself insisted that Steve was chosen because a man as small as Steve who understands the value of physical strength, also knows compassion. Rather than claiming the Captain America mantle in What If…?, Steve uses a suit called the Hydra Stomper to assist Captain Carter.
Given the time period The First Avenger is set during, the robotic suit Steve uses in the first episode of What If…? doesn’t give him as much mobility as the modernized Hulkbuster Tony designed. Designed by his father, the Hydra Stomper may serve as a future design inspiration for Tony in the What If…? universe. By taking control of the Hydra Stomper without any other form of protection (like the serum), Steve proves that in order to accomplish the right thing, he will always be willing to lay it all on the line.
As selfish as it may seem for Steve to stay with Peggy in Endgame and leave Bucky behind, he was reclaiming what he had seen Tony and even Natasha gain: a family. When Sam questions whether something went wrong or right in Endgame, Steve reasons that he went out and got the life Tony had always told him to get. While Steve and Tony certainly had their fair share of disagreements, beneath it lied a level of respect for one another. Tony’s biggest issue with Steve (aside from his father’s admiration for Steve) was Steve’s moral conscience. This played a key part in their fight in Civil War, as Steve stuck by his beliefs without being swayed by the pressure of Tony and many others siding against him. Even if none of the other Avengers had agreed with him, Steve would’ve stood alone in his decision not to sign the accords.
It was never the serum that made Steve brave. Instead, the serum only put him in the position to be able to do something with his bravery. Life pre-serum involved Steve sticking up for himself to the best of his ability and wishing to help others despite never being able to do as much as he wished. He enrolled in the army countless times and was always rejected. When someone other than Bucky came along to take a chance on him and believe in him, Steve was given a dose of physical strength that matched his internal resilience. Without the serum, Steve remained the same man that is passionate about helping everyone around him. His lack of physical strength just wouldn’t allow him to execute it in the way Captain America would have. Using the Hydra Stomper, Steve was still able to assist with trying to shut Hydra down and fight alongside the Howling Commandos and his childhood friend Bucky Barnes.
While Chris Evans has been the face of Captain America since his debut in 2011, his departure in Endgame along with the opening of the Multiverse has led many to question whether it’s possible to see Evans return to the role. While those rumors have largely been debunked, Sam’s acceptance of the Captain America mantle makes it clear that Marvel is moving past Steve Rogers. Sam’s assimilation into the role doesn’t mean Captain America will be entirely different, as Sam does uphold a lot of the values Steve had, especially a strong moral compass. In fact, it was likely a huge factor in Steve’s decision to give Sam the shield.
Despite having a new face, What If…? revisits Evans’ Captain America era, but Evans is not the voice behind the animated “Skinny Steve.” Instead, seasoned voice actor John Keaton gave Steve Rogers a voice. Keaton is not unaccustomed to voicing Marvel characters and has given a voice to Norman Osborn, Ant-Man, and Iron Man. No matter who is the voice or face of Captain America, it just matters that they have a strong sense of morality and bravery. Steve Rogers is proof that in order to be a hero, it’s what lies within that counts most.
What If…? is now streaming on Disney+.