How Strong Is Captain America?

Captain America is one of Marvel Comics' oldest characters, having debuted in 1940's "Captain America Comics" #1. The company wasn't even called Marvel at the time, but Cap has since become one of the leading superheroes in the publisher's large library of characters. Cap was popular throughout World War II but faded a bit and returned to print in the Silver Age of Comics in 1964. Since then, he's been a leader of the Avengers and SHIELD, as well as a member of several prominent groups, including the Illuminati and the Invaders.

Cap is an interesting superhero because, unlike most of Marvel's characters, he doesn't have any superpowers. But he's unimaginably strong, athletic, and able to do things no mere mortal can achieve. This is all thanks to the Super Soldier Serum that unlocked his abilities. The serum made Steve Rogers incredibly strong, transforming a literal 98-pound weakling into an superhero capable of leading men into battle to take on the Nazi threat.

In the 80+ years Captain America has been around, his strength has been shown to be immense. He's been known to fight people far stronger than he is, and he's made it out alive. He's lifted and thrown things most people couldn't, including his incredible shield. Cap has also been a mainstay of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), and his strength in the movies has suggested he's more than meets the eye. This begs the question, "Just how strong is Captain America?"

You can't talk about Cap's strength without understanding the Super Soldier Serum. In "Captain America Comics" #1, Rogers walks into a room and is injected with the serum. In the following panels, he transforms into the man we know today. Shortly after this, the serum is lost, seemingly forever. In the comic, the serum is little more than a plot device, but it's since become a major factor in Marvel Comics, as various adaptations have used versions of the serum to empower others.

The most notable aspect of the serum is the fact that it doesn't give Rogers superpowers. What it does is unlock the full potential of the subject, pushing them to the uppermost limit of human physicality. Essentially, it's a shot that transforms whoever takes it into the greatest athlete of all time, so it's a bit of a cheat. For Rogers, it unlocks his full potential, making him into the man he'd become had he devoted his life to improving his body to absolute perfection.

This distinction is important because, while Cap is certainly strong, he's not super strong. He merely reaches the maximum of what is theoretically possible. Everything he does after he receives the serum revolves around his physical change. That said, he also learns military tactics and becomes an expert martial artist, so Cap is more than just the serum — he's also a skilled military commander and tactician, the likes of which are rarely seen on the battlefield.

While there have been several adaptations of the original Captain America over the years, and numerous characters have taken up the mantle, Steve Rogers is the OG. After receiving the Super Soldier Serum, Rogers' body transforms in several ways. His muscles grow exponentially, and he puts on a great deal of mass. The serum makes it possible for him to exert himself physically for hours without tiring, and it boosts his metabolism.

He also becomes incredibly strong, making it possible for him to lift 800 pounds over his head. Marvel Comics has a rating for its characters, and Cap's strength is set at three out of seven. Because he's been around for nearly a century, artists and writers have made some tweaks here and there to his strength levels. In some comics, he's seen lifting around 500 pounds on an incline bench as a sort of warm-up exercise.

In "Captain America" #402, Cap benches 1,100 pounds — even possibly twice that – while in "Captain America: The Chosen," he lifts a 3,000-pound car, so there's not a lot of consistency to how strong he is. Cap works out regularly, so it's likely that his increased strength is due to improving on the Super Soldier Serum's changes to his body. Had he never exercised, his baseline might remain 800 pounds, but his regular exercise routine likely adds to that. Regardless, Cap is incredibly strong, and his ability to lift between 800 and 1,100 pounds and more under certain conditions is impressive.

Back in 2000, Marvel Comics launched its "Ultimate" line of books, which focused on updated, 21st-century versions of its characters with numerous changes to their personalities and abilities in an entirely new universe. Cap was included in this new line of books, first appearing in "Ultimates" #1 in 2002, and many of the aspects of his characterization made the leap into the MCU, so it's important to cover Cap from Earth-1610 (the regular Marvel Universe is Earth-616).

One of the most notable differences between Ultimate Cap and his Earth-616 counterpart is his strength, which is significantly greater. In "The Ultimates" #13, Nick Fury describes Cap as being strong enough to "bench-press a Toyota," and he demonstrates an ability to catch a pine tree, likely weighing upwards of 6,000+ pounds. He's able to grab it before it crushes a group of troops, and in some instances, he bends metal with his bare hands without breaking a sweat. Cap can also knock a normal person unconscious by tapping them on the head.

In several engagements, Cap is able to injure the likes of Juggernaut, and he beats down the Hulk in "The Ultimates" #3. In the following issue, he singlehandedly defeats Giant-Man. This puts Ultimate Cap's strength considerably higher than the other guy. Unfortunately, Marvel hasn't officially given him a strength rating, but given his abilities demonstrated in the comics, he could likely lift around four tons above his head should the need arise.

Chris Evans didn't want to play Captain America in the MCU at first, but thankfully, he changed his mind. Evans' portrayal of the character has been exceptional, and throughout his appearances, he shows immense strength. His greatest display comes in "Captain America: Civil War," when he stops an Airbus AS350 helicopter from taking off by grabbing it with one hand and holding onto a building with the other. The film's AS350 has a maximum takeoff weight of 3,000 pounds, which suggests Cap would have to exceed that to keep it in place.

In "Avengers: Infinity War," Cap fights Thanos in an admittedly short bit of hand-to-hand combat. He manages to grab Thanos' hand, which is clad in the Infinity Gauntlet, and briefly hold it in place, causing Thanos to stop what he's doing and look upon his new foe with a bewildered look on his face. Thanos then slams him to the ground, knocking Cap unconscious, but for a moment, he holds back Thanos, which is something even the Hulk couldn't do.

It's difficult to quantify how strong Cap would have to be to do that, but it's likely Thanos doesn't put all of his strength into fighting someone he perceives as a mere mortal. Regardless, given all of his feats, Cap can likely lift upwards of four tons when pushed to his limits. From his original comic book counterpart to the Ultimate version to the MCU, these three versions of Captain America can lift between 800 and 8,000 pounds — making him pretty damn strong.