Captain America/Steve Rogers is the epitome of truth, bravery and morality. He was introduced standing up to bullies, became an outlaw because of his beliefs and even Mjolnir considered him worthy. But could his reputation for honesty be a big sham? Is it possible that Steve Rogers is a big, fat phoney who doesn’t live up to the moral messages he passes down?
That’s what fans are arguing, saying that his decision to travel back in time and live out his days with Peggy Carter in the past is contrary to everything he previously argued for. They point to Rogers’ repeated instructions that people need to put the past behind them and move on with their lives. This is most evident in the beginning of Avengers: Endgame, when he’s hosting a support group for those who lost loved ones in the Snap. His advice to the participants was:
“I went in the ice in ’45 right after I met the love of my life. Woke up 70 years later. You gotta move on. Gotta move on.”
Later, in a conversation with Black Widow, the pair acknowledge how difficult this process can be, as he says:
“You know, I keep telling everybody they should move on and… grow. Some do. But not us.”
So, the argument goes that after telling people to “move on,” it’s hypocritical to then use time travel to reunite with the love of his life. But c’mon, let’s be fair to Captain America here.
First up, without him, all life in the universe would have been destroyed, so I’m prepared to cut him a bit of slack. Secondly, he even explicitly acknowledges that he hasn’t moved on. Thirdly, his position on ‘moving on’ makes perfect sense in a world without time travel. Once that’s on the table, all bets are off and Rogers did more than enough good with his life to deserve his happily ever after.
