Top 10 Captain America Fights From the Comics

#10: Captain America vs. Thanos

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“The Infinity Gauntlet” #4 (1991) After Thanos obtains the six Infinity Gems and wipes out half of all living beings in the universe, it’s up to earth's remaining heroes to make a desperate attempt to defeat him. Sadly Thanos’ power is absolutely immeasurable thanks to his infinity gauntlet and he makes quick work of them. With the majority of the heroes taken out, Captain America confronts Thanos one on one. While he doesn’t make much of an impact against the Titan and is quickly defeated, you can’t help but admire his bravery against someone whose power vastly outweighs his own.

#9: Captain America vs. Baron Blood

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“Captain America” Vol. 1 #254 (1981) Captain America has navigated a surprising amount of horror-themed stories over the years, including one that saw him briefly become a werewolf. However, the greatest of Steve Rogers’ supernatural exploits has to be the climactic fight against the undead Baron Blood. Cap’s fight against the vampire came to a gory conclusion when he found himself forced to behead the creature of the night with his shield. Luckily, the brutality happens off-panel, and readers are only given the horrified reaction of English ally Union Jack. The action seemed to effect Cap pretty heavily, but we’d honestly be more worried if it hadn’t.

#8: Captain America vs. William Burnside

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“Captain America” Vol. 1 #156 (1972) In 1964, Captain America was reintroduced to a new generation of readers. During his years on his ice however, a lot happened. In this 1972 story, a doppelganger of Steve meant to have been a replacement for the super soldier in the 1950s shows up, causing all sorts of trouble. He captures Cap and his allies, after which an extended series of action sequences ends with a one-on-one fight between Cap and his imposter in front of a war memorial and crowd of people. The doppelganger calls Rogers a coward and a traitor, but Rogers counters that hatred is never what Captain America stood for - promptly knocking the pretender out with a strong right hook.

#7: Captain America vs. Batman

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“Avengers/JLA” #2 (2003) This one might be a surprise for some, but it has happened! During one of the few crossovers that Marvel and DC have taken part in, Captain America came toe-to-toe with the Caped Crusader, Batman. The two have a brief but fun brawl before they join up as allies, but the fight is what we really want to see here. The two trade blows and seem evenly-matched, with Batman’s training and strategy countering Cap’s super soldier abilities. This fight may not last long, but it’s one we may not ever see again, and so the little bit of fan service goes a long way.

“Ultimates” Vol. 1 #5 (2002) The Ultimate universe’s version of the Avengers, appropriately known as the Ultimates, got their own blockbuster limited series in 2002. The third issue saw the newly-formed team face off against a raging Hulk in Manhattan. After the Hulk tears through the rest of the team, Captain America is the only one that’s left to stop him - and Rogers actually manages to beat the Hulk down. Well, temporarily. Just when it looks like Steve might get Hulk Smashed, Thor arrives to save his life, before Wasp saves the day. Some of the series’ dialogue may not have aged too well, but Ultimate Cap holding his own against the Hulk will never get old.

“Black Panther/Captain America: Flags of our Fathers” Vol. 1 #1 (2010) In 2010, Marvel released a four-issue series starring a WWII-era Captain America alongside T’Challa’s grandfather and Black Panther, Azzuri. The series involves a mission into Wakanda, but when Cap arrives, the Wakandans are none too pleased. Azzuri and Steve spar in an exciting display of both men’s abilities. The two quickly develop a mutual respect for one another, as these things often tend to go in superhero comics. Featuring gorgeous art, this series filled out some fascinating backstory and gave us an exciting showdown between Captain America and a Marvel figure we’d like to learn more about.

“Avengers vs. X-Men” #3 (2012) When the Phoenix Force’s arrival on Earth is imminent once again, the X-Men and the Avengers are at odds over what should be done. When Wolverine, who was a member of the Avengers at the time, disagrees with Cap on how their mission should be handled, a fight breaks out between the two. Oh, and by the way, this all happens aboard the Quincarrier. The fight only comes to an end when Hank Pym arrives in favor of Cap, and they launch Logan out of the back of the jet. Come on now, Steve, we all know he has a healing factor but that seems a little harsh.

“Captain America” Vol. 3 #17 (1999) When Red Skull gets a hold of the Cosmic Cube and starts taking over the world, it’s up to Steve Rogers to stop him. The only problem is that Red Skull used the Cube to de-power him. When Steve goes after Skull, he gets pulverized. Fortunately for Cap, Red Skull’s ego gets the best of him, evening the playing field. With the stakes higher than ever, a rejuvenated Rogers pounds the villain into submission, saving the day. Despite the minor cop-out of giving Cap’s new shield powers, seeing an outmatched Captain America stand up to the all-powerful villain was an inspirational and memorable moment for Marvel’s American hero.

“Captain America” Vol. 5 #14 (2006) When writer Ed Brubaker revealed that Bucky Barnes had survived the explosion that was believed to have killed him, it should have been a happy reunion. But Bucky had become a sleeper agent for the Soviet Union known as the Winter Soldier, and so it was only a matter of time before he and Cap would come to blows. The showdown did not disappoint, with Cap trying to bring a mind-wiped Bucky to his senses as the assassin brutally fought back. The confrontation ends when Cap tells Bucky that if he really doesn’t remember him, he can just shoot him. It’s a powerful moment that ends a great fight.

“Civil War” #1-7 (2006) These two longtime allies have had a rocky relationship! Steve Rogers and Tony Stark have come to blows on several occasions, for reasons that range from mind-control to deeply seated political differences. Their most notable conflict occurred in the “Civil War” storyline, when they found themselves on opposite sides of the Superhero Registration Act. While Iron Man supported the Act, Cap objected and formed the Secret Avengers. This culminated in a truly epic showdown that Cap was on the cusp of winning … before realizing the awful cost of victory.