Captain America and Hitler: 80 years of the very first Avenger

While the US endures unprecedented political upheaval, Captain America turns 80. Donal O’Keeffe looks at the abiding legacy of an American popular culture icon

Marvel for Mark

Eight decades on, the cover of Captain America Comics #1 remains breath-taking in its audacity: Adolf Hitler is knocked down by an explosive punch, as a Nazi bullet bounces off the star-spangled interloper’s shield.

A full year before Pearl Harbour forced the US into World War II, this wasn’t nod-and-wink stuff: probably the world’s most recognisable leader, against a backdrop of swastikas, being walloped by a man wearing the American flag.