CAPTAIN AMERICA

Real Name: Bob Russo

Identity/Class: Human

Occupation: Baseball player (third baseman); vigilante (for a good ten seconds)

Group Membership: the Bears (baseball team)

Affiliations: Captain America (Steve Rogers)-idol

Enemies: Brick walls

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: ? (a city known best for its baseball team's contract with Bob Russo)

First Appearance: Captain America I#178 (October, 1974)

Powers: Bob Russo is an athlete, although he is not known to have any special combat training. Swinging on a rope is much harder than it looks, you know! He carried a shield, but it was likely made of a flimsy metal, as it bent pretty badly upon striking a brick wall.
He's much better a fielding baseballs, and that sort of thing.

History: Captain America (Steve Rogers) retired, disillusioned after learning of corruption in the White House at the conclusion of a plot involving the Secret Empire (Captain America I#175, 176).

(Cap#178) - Russo announced that he would be quitting the bears, and would be replacing Captain America. That evening, Russo, as Captain America, prowled the city and spied some criminals robbing a fur store. Leaping from a rooftop, Russo swung down to stop the criminals..but he misjudged his swing and smashed into a brick wall instead.

(Cap#179-BTS) - His left arm broken, Russo announced his retirement from the role of Captain America.

Comments: Created by Steve Englehart and Sal Buscema.

Years later, a similar thing happened with the Punisher: when he disappeared, a bunch of bumbling chuckleheads tried to adopt his identity, around the time of "Suicide Run". It's not too far off from Super-Man's "Funeral for a Friend" story (recently mimicked in Deadpool: Funeral for a Freak). In addition, this very idea had previously occurred to Captain America, as well, in Tales of Suspense I#96.

CLARIFICATIONS:
He should be distinguished from:

• Captain America of the Revolutionary War, Steven Rogers, @ Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty#6/3
• Captain America, Steve Rogers, the original Supe Soldier, @ Captain America Comics#1, Avengers I#4
• Captain America, William Nasland, formerly Spirit of 76, @ Invaders I#14, What If? I#4
• Captain America, Jeff Mace, formerly the Patriot, @ Marvel Mystery Comics#21, Marvel Premiere#29, What If? I#4
• Captain America (William Burnside) aka. "Steve Rogers", the 1950s version, who went on to become the Grand Director, @ Young Men#24, Captain America I#153
• Captain America, any of the unnamed mo-mos who tried to replace the retired original, @ Tales of Suspense I#96
• Captain America, Scar Turpin, who followed Russo's example, to similar effect, @ Captain America I#179
• Captain America, Roscoe, who also tried to replace Captain America around the same time as Russo and Turpin, @ Captain America I#178, 181
• Captain America, John Walker, now USAgent, formerly Super-Patriot, @ Captain America I#323, 333, West Coast Avengers II#44
• Captain America 2099, a figurehead president for John Herod, who posed as Rogers, @ Doom2099#33
• Captain America of Earth-Guardians of the Galaxy, any of their ships, named after Rogers, @ Giant-Size Defenders#5, Guardians of the Galaxy#4
• Captain Americana, a reactionary fruitcake who tried to kill Howard the Duck after Howard babysat his kids, @ Howard the Duck II#5/2
• Captain America-any alternate dimensional counterparts of Rogers

images:

First Posted: 06/27/2002
Last updated: 08/02/2002

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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