Avengers and Philosophy: Earth's Mightiest Thinkers, The Read Free Page A

or her by someone in authority (like when Cap gave Kate Bishop the mantle—and bow and arrows—of Hawkeye during one of Clint Barton’s “deaths”). 3
     
    Now we have a theory in place—we can call it the “mantle” theory—that will allow us to approach the cases of Hank Pym and Captain America in a bit more detail. Our goal with this theory is to capture the essence of what it is to be a superhero, in the same way the body and psychology theories aim to capture the essence of what it is to be a person. If we can do this successfully, then some of the puzzling cases ought to become less puzzling.
     
    Case Study 1: The Supersoldier
     
    Captain America is one of the most iconic superheroes in the Marvel Universe, and Steve Rogers is the first and most prominent person to wear the patriotic costume. But he is not the only one. In 1987, John Walker took over the job after Steve Rogers quit being Captain America, though Rogers took the job back after a year and a half. Then, in 2007, Steve Rogers allegedly died, disappearing for a few years, leading to his old sidekick Bucky Barnes becoming the new Captain America. When Rogers came back, Bucky continued as Captain America until his apparent death fighting Sin and the Serpent during the “Fear Itself” event, after which Steve once again donned the stars and stripes. 4
     
    Were John Walker and Bucky Barnes really Captain America? Or should we say that they were three different superheroes, all called “Captain America”? According to the mantle view, we have two main things to consider in determining whether they were one and the same superhero: appropriateness and legitimacy. Did each person wear the appropriate mantle, and did they come by it legitimately?
     
    The issue of appropriateness has to do with whether the bearer of the mantle has the right kinds of abilities and whether the bearer is heroic. With Captain America, the abilities are a collection of extraordinary physical features, such as the strength and agility that were given to Rogers through the super-soldier program. (Some proficiency with the round shield is also a key element.) Both Walker and Barnes satisfied these requirements, adding their own unique character to the mantle (Walker was considerably stronger than Rogers, and Bucky carried a gun). They also both acted with an appropriate kind of heroism while they wore the mantle. Neither Walker nor Barnes had a squeaky-clean past, but it is common for heroes to have their unheroic moments. What is important is that while they wear the mantle of a superhero, they are expected to be heroes; repeated failure on this score would put their superhero status in jeopardy.
     
    Legitimacy is the more interesting issue when it comes to considering multiple people being Captain America. For Walker, the moment comes when a government commission, whose job is to manage the “superhuman resources” in America, seeks a replacement for Rogers as Captain America. The government is worried about the bad press they might get from Rogers quitting in an act of protest, so they settle on Walker, another all-American who is making a name for himself as the Super-Patriot, a Cap-esque hero. They offer Walker the role as Captain America and he accepts, while having the following conversation with a member of the commission, Valerie Cooper:
     
Walker: I couldn’t just do the job without changing my name and costume . . .?
     
Cooper: No, Captain America is a tradition that goes back decades. We want to preserve it. Well?
     
Walker: Hmmm . . . Ma’am, if Uncle Sam wanted me to be Mickey Mouse, I’m that kind of American—the kind you can count on. When do I start? 5
     
    By the end of the issue, Walker is wearing the Captain America costume and everyone is calling him by that name. It seems that now he really is Captain America.
     
    For Bucky, we have a different kind of moment, but one that is just as illuminating and decisive. Bucky picked up the available