Positive Influence of «Captain America» on American Society as Propaganda during World War II (1941-1945)

Introduction

A strong culture must be built upon solid principles, clear ideals, and ambitious horizons. A nation’s history plays a crucial role in acquiring these elements. Once a country has this combination of history and ideals, inevitably, “symbols” that define, embody, and strengthen those ideals appear. Those symbols could be people, stories, or figures that help build the nation’s identity.

Almost eight decades ago, in 1939, World War II burst, and two years after that, the United States joined the war to be a decisive element in that global conflict. The United States managed to go from a neutral position towards war, at the beginning of the conflict, to becoming an authentic war machine and decided to win that war in a matter of 5 years. To achieve such a change, the United States had to change the mindset of its whole society, and to do so, the government boosted the use of propaganda, targeting American society.

From that specific context in the history of the United States, the nation was provided with a character that would become a symbol that crystallized the patriotic principles and American ideals of those years and became an expression of American identity: Captain America.

This research is intended to delve into the general historical context that led the United States to engage in World War II, the circumstances of the creation of Captain America through comic books, the specific objectives and goals that motivated his creation as propaganda, and the long-lasting impact that this character had in the society of United States.

Today, Captain America is only an element of entertainment that still inspires the living out of noble values and ideals, nevertheless, the precise circumstance of his creation remains unknown to many. Indeed, very few people know that the original context of this superhero was intended for more than just entertainment. He also meant to reinforce American identity and change the nation’s mindset regarding the war as propaganda during World War II.

Part I:
United States goes to war

American Society before World War II

When we think of America before World War II, we would be mistaken if we imagine a society that was anxious about entering the war or that all American people were longing for the opportunity to assume an active role in the conflict. The last thing that most of the American population (citizens) wanted was to stay away from war. To sustain this, we can consider two essential elements: the social and economic instability provoked by the Great Depression of 1929 and the fear of war in America caused by the horrifying consequences of World War I.[i]

In 1929, the stock market crashed, causing an unprecedented economic crisis known today as “The Great Depression.” It lasted until about 1939, the year in which the war started. The consequences of this event were devastating: the GDP (Gross domestic product) fell 29% from 1929 to 1933; consumer prices fell 25%; wholesale prices dropped 32%, and about a third of the banking system failed between 1930 and 1933.[ii]

That decade of 1930 would be remembered as the decade of the Depression. In those years, the economic struggle was evident, and this also brought about a social crisis almost immediately because of unemployment, the rate of which peaked at 24.9% in 1933.[iii] Therefore, by the end of the decade, Americans only wanted a moment of comfort and stability, which was the opposite of engaging in a war.

On top of the social and economic crisis, the concept of war had become something loathsome for American society because of the bloody memories of the so-called “Great War,” which had taken place no more than three decades before. Fear was a predominant feeling, and most people were unwilling to accept the suffering of a new world conflict. Most people had a precise determination: to avoid foreign entanglements.

A clear proof of this determination of society was the multiple neutrality acts held throughout the 1930’s to prevent the United States’ involvement in future conflicts. Also, some movements, such as “America First,” appeared, asking for neutrality. Even in 1939, right after the beginning of World War II, President Franklin D. Roosevelt reaffirmed the neutrality of the country, but also added that he could not ask Americans to remain neutral in thought.[iv]

Roosevelt Running Towards the Conflict

Although Roosevelt supported the neutrality of America, based on his actions, we can deduce that he wanted to enter the war from the beginning, and he would approach the conflict under the surface, sustaining a title of “neutrality” so as not to alarm the people. Roosevelt had to create a plan to move public opinion from neutral to belligerent, and he did manage to do so to a certain extent. Some historians have qualified this maneuver as a deception, for Roosevelt played a double role at the time. On the one hand, he promised neutrality to society, but on the other hand, he was looking for the opportunity to go to war.[v]

In June of 1940, Roosevelt started sending war recourses to Britain as an aid against the Nazis. This help included ammunition, tanks, airplanes, trucks, food, and other raw materials. Later that same year, Roosevelt formalized this aid under the name of the “Lend-Lease Program” with the approval of Congress. This legislation allowed the president to aid any nation whose defense he believed vital to the United States and to accept repayment «in kind or property, or any other direct or indirect benefit which the President deems satisfactory.»[vi]

Many people, even in the government, opposed this initiative because they perceived it as the first intervention in World War II. But these complaints were not even close to stopping Roosevelt in his projects, and he knew how to manage the situation; it was in this context that he gave his famous “Four Freedom Speech,” and he used the rights proposed in this speech as an argument to justify the aid to other countries against the enemy.

From the beginning of the Lend-Lease program, until June 1941, Roosevelt used his speeches to try to change the mindset of society regarding war, taking it from neutrality to belligerency. Besides using noble ideals like those presented in his Four Freedoms Speech, he fostered hatred of Nazis, making them appear as a threat to the United States and the whole world.

The first and fundamental fact is that what started as a European war has developed, as the Nazis always intended it should develop, into a world war for world domination.
Adolf Hitler never considered the domination of Europe as an end in itself. European conquest was but a step toward ultimate goals in all the other continents. It is unmistakably apparent to all of us that, unless the advance of Hitlerism is forcibly checked now, the Western Hemisphere will be within range of the Nazi weapons of destruction.[vii]

After Hitler invaded the Soviet Union in June of 1941, Roosevelt extended the Lend-Lease Program to aid also Russia, even if many Americans disliked this decision. Roosevelt’s interventions and aid to other countries made it hard to believe he still wanted the United States to remain neutral in the war.

In August of 1941, after Roosevelt signed a declaration with Churchill about the common aims of the war, Churchill reported to the British War Cabinet:

The President (Roosevelt) had said he would wage war but not declare it, and that he would become more and more provocative. If the Germans did not like it, they could attack American forces… The president made it clear that he would look for an incident which would justify him in opening hostilities.[viii]

That incident came on December 7, 1941, when Japan attacked an American military base in Pearl Harbour, causing the death of many soldiers and even civilians. Luckily for America, the most significant part of its fleet was not in Pearl Harbour at the moment of the attack, which would have been catastrophic for the country. Roosevelt and his Congress formally declared war on Japan the following day. Three days after the incident, Germany and Italy also declared war on the United States.[ix]

Therefore, in December of 1941, Roosevelt achieved his objective, and the United States abandoned its position of neutrality to become officially at war. The President, after Pearl Harbour, declared: «No matter how long it may take us to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people in their righteous might will win through absolute victory.»[x]

Propaganda as Ignition for War

It is not hard to see the opposition between American society’s opinion and Roosevelt’s ideas regarding World War II. Therefore, the President knew that he would need some extra help and strategy if he wanted to change the mindset of his people. It was clear to him that he had to move the people to a belligerent position.

Besides his inspiring speeches exalting high values of heroism in front of the conflict, Roosevelt allowed an unconceivable amount of propaganda to influence America. Formally speaking, the propaganda campaign was led by an agency called “Writers War Board,” which is typically qualified as a quasi-governmental agency. Nevertheless, this campaign always had the support of the President. Propaganda appeared in magazines, newspapers, radio programs, books, cartoons, and movies.[xi]

From a general standpoint, propaganda sought to foster two main societal elements: hatred and fear of the enemy. Even before the war, Americans generated hatred towards the Nazi regime because they saw the atrocities that Hitler was capable of on his way to the war, like his radical antisemitism. 

But this hatred was moderated, and the ones pro-war in the United States knew that this moderated hatred had to be transformed into a radical one if they wanted the people to become belligerent, even if this implied hate for all German people. It had to foster the idea of this war as “total good fighting total evil”: America is total good; the enemy is total evil. Combined with hatred, the constant fear of people of a hypothetical Nazi invasion was something that propaganda wanted to keep alive.

When the United States entered the war in 1941, most of society was still strongly opposed to a shooting war. Nevertheless, halfway through the conflict in 1943, when propaganda reached its peak, a considerable amount of American society was immersed in a frenzy of hatred that lasted even after the war.

Social opposition within America rose against these uncontrolled waves of hatred by their American fellows. Some movements sought to stop hatred when war was still going on because it was evident that it had grown out of control.[xii]

Already engaged in war, it is evident that propaganda ignited many Americans to finally embrace a belligerent position. We can see that propaganda brought many adverse effects that would take years to reverse, but not everything was negative. Positive values and ideals were also present in the middle of the war. Although there were not as many as the ones promoting hatred, those positive values were more profound and long lasting than the negative ones in American society. Now, let us delve into one figure that, created as propaganda, embodied those positive values that resounded in the hearts of the American people from the beginning.

Part II:
Arrival of Captain America

The Creation of a New Hero

Although comic books might seem outdated nowadays, during the period of World War II, the comic industry experienced a “Golden Age” in which the popularity of these elements increased in American society of comics was experiencing a “Golden Age” where the popularity of these elements increased in American Society. This period of success was initiated by the first appearance of Superman in 1938. Therefore, when Captain America arrived in 1941, people had already generated acceptance of comic books.[xiii]

When the war began, 15 million comic books were published a month, and in two years, that number rose to 25 million copies sold a month.[xiv] Thus, the government of the United States used this wave of popularity to use comic books as wartime propaganda.

In this context, comics used as propaganda sought to foster a «sense of patriotism and political obligation to the United States of America to encourage readers to contribute to the war effort.»[xv] At the same time, the government tried to promote its wartime programs to encourage young men to enter the armed forces or to contribute to the war effort from the so-called home front, which was the term used for American territory. In other words, the government intended to use comic books to sell the war to citizens through a combination of storylines, advertisements, and activities.

In this context, it was at the beginning of 1941 when Jack Kirby and Joe Simon created the first issue of Captain America, published by Timely Comics, which then would become Marvel Comics. Joe Simon, speaking about the circumstances behind creating this superhero, says: 

We both (J. Simon and S. Kirby) read the newspapers; we knew what was going on over in Europe. World events gave us the perfect comic-book villain, Adolf Hitler, with his ranting, goose-stepping, and ridiculous mustache. So, we decided to create the perfect hero who would be his foil. I did that first sketch of Captain America, and Jack and I did the entire first issue before showing it to (publisher) Martin Goodman at Timely Comics. He loved it immediately.[xvi]

Besides this, Kirby and Simon had reasons to promote the engagement of America in World War II, for both were raised in Jewish families, and they had come to know the crisis that the Jews were suffering because of Hitler.

The cover page of the first issue shows Captain America punching Adolf Hiter in the face. It speaks very eloquently about the initial message that Simon and Kirby wanted to convey, on the one hand, to capitalize on American patriotism, and on the other hand, to mock Nazis and ridicule their leader. Indeed, we can see that Captain America is not exempt from sharing the common traits of the American wartime propaganda during those years.

An example is that in Captain America comics, we find an exaggeration of racial differences between the United States and the one from the Axis Powers. Whereas Americans are always portrayed as strong, hero-like white men, the Axis powers are always shown as either buffoon, animal-like, or subhuman. Japanese characters were drawn very negatively compared to all other races in comic books; «they were drawn with yellow skin, with wither buck teeth or fangs, slanted eyes, and generally did not look fully human.»[xvii]

We can see those elements mirroring the immense hatred and fear present in all World War II propaganda. Nevertheless, although the first issues of Captain America had those negative aspects, they did not take away all the positive values present in these comics. These positive values stood out even more than the negative ones, and they were the ones that caused this superhero to have a positive impact on American society during the war.

One of the main objectives of creating Captain America was to present a personification of American ideals. Indeed, they succeeded in creating this character who embodies the most important principles, ideals, and values for Americans.[xviii]

Simon and Kirby believed in the United States’ founding principles, liberty, justice, and the idea of democracy, and it is easy to see these principles repeated several times in their comics. «Creating Captain America was the ultimate show of patriotism for Kirby and Simon since Captain America stood as an embodiment of American principles that Simon and Kirby viewed as fundamental to the American way of life.»[xix] On the other hand, the comics portray Captain America’s enemies as the perfect opposite of American values.

Simon and Kirby were not afraid to include political obligations in this comic book, even if the primary consumers were children, because it was good to start fostering patriotism in all Americans, regardless of age. The most general example of political obligations during World War II was the economic support from the citizens through the purchasing of stamps and bonds.

Finally, with the creation of Captain America and other propaganda, they wanted to make everybody feel part of the war effort and that each person’s contribution was most important; the important thing to win the war was all Americans pitching and doing their part.[xx] In this line, they emphasized that Americans did not have to fight in the front to be helpful. Still, if they fulfilled their political obligations and role in society, they would contribute almost directly to winning the war. This sought to «engage readers’ sense of patriotism and enthusiasm to contribute to winning the war.»[xxi]

The Propaganda that Became a War Symbol

As soon as Timely Comics released the first issue of Captain America, its success in American society was immediate. Once the United States entered the war, this hero sold a million editions a month.

From Captain America’s debut, he had an effect of anticipating and reflecting the national attitudes toward war and patriotism, which is why he had a lot of acceptance among society during those years. We can find an example of this anticipation of Captain America in the first issue published in 1940, nine months before the Pearl Harbour attack. Kirby and Simon did not want to wait to start promoting the idea of seeing this war as a “good war.” On the other hand, the government was already looking for means for preparing the country to enter the war.

Another element that boosted this superhero’s popularity was that he constantly seemed to be fighting against the enemy in the enemy’s territory. That is special because most of the comic books during wartime showed the heroes staying at home and fighting only in American territory. It contributed to creating general support for Captain America in his comics and, most importantly, supporting the war effort.[xxii] At the same time, Captain America brought forth the idea that all citizens could actively support those soldiers fighting abroad.

Captain America went beyond the comics in American society with the foundation of “Sentinels of Liberty.” That was the official club of fans of the superhero. Of course, it was mainly thought for children to be involved in it, nevertheless, the creators of Sentinels of Liberty took advantage of this opportunity to foster the idea of helping to win the war, and it constantly invited people to buy stamps and bonds, which were considered private familiar obligations. 

Sentinels of Liberty was a huge success, and we can consider this as a concrete way in which the character of Captain America influenced American society. The ones involved in Sentinels of Liberty were provided with a special card that included a pledge to honor God, the Constitution of the United States, and their duties as citizens.[xxiii]

We can find several examples of this appeal in posters and advertisements featuring Captain America saying: «Wake up Americans! Drive the Axis to decay by buying war stamps every day!»[xxiv]

Nevertheless, Captain America’s use of public obligations was different from common propaganda because it was not always a direct invitation but rather a subtle exhortation to join Captain America’s noble cause to win the war. To fight “the good fight,” Captain America appealed to Americans’ sense of patriotism and service through direct patriotic appeals to the audience to fight on behalf of the American nation-state.[xxv]

Indeed, Captain America influenced many American citizens because of the great success of his comics and programs like “Sentinels of Liberty,” but citizens in the United States were not the only ones influenced by this superhero. Captain America also had a significant influence on the soldiers fighting the war.

One in every four magazines sent to troops was a comic book, and over 40% of troops in training camps read at least six comic books a month.[xxvi] Soon, many soldiers became interested in Captain America’s storylines and character development, and they would find inspiration in the virtuous fight against evil and oppression presented in different published issues. If we count the United States Army as a single comics customer, it was the largest one in the United States.

During World War II, America felt a sense of pride towards this character; as his comics increased in sales, this character seems to have contributed to change Americans’ perspective of the war. Captain America helped reinforce the country’s identity and was a clear statement of the American ideals and principles at the time: patriotism and heroism, which were required to win that war. 

This hero was not the only strong influence that moved society to contribute to winning the war, but he played a unique role in this massive wave of propaganda. Captain America went beyond fear and hatred to move the people. He appealed to values that echoed in the hearts of all Americans, and that still echoes in the hearts of every man.

Steve Rogers: The Definition of the Perfect Patriot

A poor orphan from the wrong side of the tracks in the days leading up to World War II, goodhearted Steve Rogers enlisted in the army to fight the Axis Powers but met with rejection due to his small size and underdeveloped physique. Professor Abraham Erskine, a pioneer in the development of a Super-Soldier for the United States, saw potential in Rogers and whisked him into Project Rebirth, the professor’s bold experiment in enhancing the human body to its peak powers. Rogers found himself subjected to Erskine’s treatments— a specialized serum and exposure to a unique form of radiation—and realized the professor’s dream, becoming the world’s first, fully developed Super-Soldier. Now muscular and tall, as well as possessed of amazing strength and agility, the former ninety-eight-pound weakling watched in horror as a Nazi spy shot and killed Erskine, and thereby ensured Rogers would be the last of his kind.[xxvii]

If we analyze this character carefully, we will see that his figure is already eloquent without saying a word. His uniform is all made from the colors of the American flag, so the red, white, and blue of his uniform speaks about the strong nationalism proposed by this hero.

On the other hand, Steve Rogers, unlike many other superheroes, does not use an aggressive weapon like a hammer to defeat the enemy; instead, he only has his shield, also with the colors and a star referencing the national flag. That mirrored the posture of the United States government towards war, which President Roosevelt also explained on numerous occasions: America was not entering the war as if it was a competition or as if the country was only looking for glory, but instead, they saw entering the war as a moral duty to preserve justice in the world and reestablish peace. Cap’s shield expressed that the American attitude was not that of an avenger but rather that of a defensive and responsible response to the evil held by the Axis Powers. In the words of Captain America, he and the United States would «gain the strength and the will to safeguard our shores.»[xxviii]

In this saying of “American principles and ideals,” we can count on an unconditional search for justice and love for the country, a total self-giving for the sake of America, pride for the colors of the national flag, resilience in battle, submission to the Constitution and the government, trust in God, boldness, and bravery. The list can go on, but no matter how long it gets, the character of Captain America is thought to meet all those ideals; not only does he embody these principles, but he is also willing to die defending them and what is right.

It is well known that publishers often transformed superheroes to fit the ideal patriotic character at the time, but very few times do we see a character who is able to embody that patriotic spirit completely, as it is with Steve Rogers. He embodied the «ideal virtues of American soldiers and demonstrated the courage and resolve needed to fight evil during World War II.»[xxix]

The defense of democracy was a recurrent theme in the first comics to encourage citizens to contribute to the war effort. Captain America was always «The greatest fighter for democracy.»[xxx] Simon and Kirby displayed their patriotism and confidence in democracy by condemning Hitler and his regime in their comics.

Finally, Captain America was also presented as fighting on behalf of the American government and never fighting on his own as an avenger. It is essential to consider this because it showed the people how the government was responsible for taking the initiative and leading America towards victory in war.

Part III:
The Legacy of Steve Rogers

Captain America Beyond World War II

The amount of propaganda made by the government of the United States during World War II is countless. Nevertheless, we can count a few figures or elements of that propaganda that survived the war to be integrated as part of the identity of this nation. Among those elements, we find Captain America, who became a symbol of the United States.

Nowadays, we can consider Captain America a symbol of the United States, but it was not always like that. The initial reason for this character was to fuel the war effort; therefore, as soon as the war was over, logically, Steve Rogers lost his initial momentum and entered a process of losing popularity as time passed by. It was hard to keep this hero alive once the war ended; therefore, Captain America was canceled in 1956.

Nonetheless, only a few years later, Steve Roger returned, and he was shown again in comic books, leading America’s war efforts in different conflicts of the mid-nineteen hundreds that involved the country. Later, during the Cold War, Captain America’s comics became unpopular, and «as the anti-war protests roiled the nation, the best way to preserve the altruistic self-conception of U.S. power at the core of Captain America was to tie him inextricably to past glories.»[xxxi] It was then that, more than a man out of time, Captain America became a symbol out of time that lasts until our days. His character has also been evolving as time passes, and Marvel has made an effort for Steve Rogers to adopt new ways to keep reaching out to society, such as TV series or movies.

It is remarkable how easy it was to recover this superhero after he disappeared from the comic books, and it was surprising the general acceptance of society as soon as Captain America returned. Though Captain America embodied the virtues of what it was to fight evil during World War II, the comic book still represents the same virtues in the present. He is still alive in the current American culture because his values do not apply only to war but to the human heart. From this perspective, we could state that Captain America was a humanistic character because he appealed to the values that resonate with man’s heart, regardless of whether he was American.

A Modern Foundational Epic

A foundational epic is a literary work of epic scope which seeks to or is believed to capture and express the essence or spirit of a particular nation […] (they) frequently recount the origin of a nation, a part of its history, or a crucial event in the development of national identity such as other national symbols.[xxxii]

From a conservative literary point of view, it is hard to classify Captain America’s comic as a foundational epic because they do not meet all the general standards and patterns that we find in the foundational epics of different cultures. Here, we can mention having a catalog, including an invocation of a muse, being about a journey, and direct involvement of the supernatural (in most of the cases). Another strong argument not to consider Captain America as an epic could be that it is not written as a poem or narrative, but rather in a new and modern literary style, such as comic books, which do not have a counterpart in the past and are not considered to be an elevated literary style.

Homer’s Iliad and Odessey, Virgil’s Aeneid, Beowulf, and The Song of Mio Cid are all literary works that might not share the same style as Captain America, but that does not take away the fact that they do share some similarities—both in the elements of the story and, most importantly, in the objectives and aim.

In Captain America and the other foundational epics, we find a hero whose character embodies the nation’s most important values and exemplifies them through his deeds. Also, this hero can do things and feats that an ordinary human could not do, and this opens the horizons to show the greatness of what the nation is called to be.

Finally, the creation of Captain America could be thought of as sharing the same aim of a national epic. Not only the initial objectives but also the results and impact this hero had can resemble, on a medium scale, the impact great epics such as the Iliad or Aeneid had in Greek and Roman cultures.

Any epic should strive to build up the identity of a culture by reaffirming its values and principles, strengthening its ideals, and providing symbols or figures that can be referred to as eloquent embodiments of these elements. That may lead us to conclude that Captain America, even though it does not entirely fulfill the classical standards of an epic, gathers enough elements to call it a “modern foundational epic of the United States” based on its aims and impact.

Conclusion

Captain America, the superhero thought only to be war-time propaganda, could break away from the limits of World War II to go beyond its initial expectations. The fact that Steve Roers was created for almost only political reasons is now remembered by only a few people. When the younger generations think of Captain America, they do not consider him as old or outdated but rather just as eloquent and inspiring as it was when he first appeared in the comic books.

Even though Captain America is still portrayed as an old-school superhero, he has never bored his audience. His patriotism, virtues, and noble spirit might never cease to captivate the audience, and the reason to state this is that all those principles embodied by Captain America will always be in each man’s heart. In other words, Steve Rogers did not only echo in the hearts of Americans, but he served as a manly ideal of virtue for every reader, no matter the place of period.

After all these facts, we could say that Captain America substantially impacted American Society during World War II. His comics might not have been the only thing that influenced the United States or the strongest element, but their contribution to the war effort was considerable.

Today, we cannot scientifically prove the consequences and impact that Cap’s stories had on all those readers of his stories. Nevertheless, since this character is still present in our days, if we approach his story through movies or even comic books, it will not be hard to feel that same fire that sparked the hearts of many American citizens during World War II; that same fire that inspires us to become better people in a very humanistic way.

If he keeps impacting people even in our days, it is not because he is strong, patriotic, or American but because we perceive drops of intangible values that, although imperfect, can somehow reflect something about a higher good, beauty, and truth in the form of virtue and strength. That is what every man seeks and what always finds echo in our hearts.

[i] Cf. «WWII, America’s motivations and impact», State Historical Society of Iowa, in https://history.iowa.gov/history/education/educator-resources/primary-source-sets/world-war-ii, [May 15, 2024].

[ii] Cf.  WHEELOCK D., «Recorded discussion on The Great Depression», in Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, 2013. https://www.stlouisfed.org/the-great-depression, [January 30, 2024].

[iii] Cf. «Great Depression Facts», F.D. Roosevelt Library, https://www.fdrlibrary.org/great-depression-facts, [March 21, 2024].

[iv] BOYER P.S., American history: a very short introduction, Oxford University Press, NY, 2012, p 100.

[v] COLBY B., ‘Twas a famous war: deception and propaganda in the war with Germany, Arlington House Publishers, NY, 1979, p 35.

[vi] «Lend-Lease Act (1941)», National Archives, in https://www.archives.gov, [January 30, 2024].

[vii] ROOSEVELT, F.D, «Radio Address Announcing an Unlimited National Emergency», The American Presidency Project, in https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/209607, [January 31, 2024].

[viii] COLBY B., ‘Twas a famous war, p 36.

[ix] Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. «Pearl Harbor attack». Encyclopedia Britannica, 17 May. 2024, in https://www.britannica.com/event/Pearl-Harbor-attack, [May 20, 2024].

[x] GILBERT M., A history of the twentieth century, Avon Books, NY, 2000, p 408.

[xi] COLBY B., ‘Twas a famous war, p 132.

[xii] Ibidem, pp 149-153.

[xiii] SOSTARIC M., «The American Wartime Propaganda During World War II: How Comic Books Sold the War», Australasian Journal of American Studies, 2019, in https://www.jstor.org, [March 13, 2024].

[xiv] Cf. MISIROGLU G., EURY M., SANDERSON P., «Superhero», Encyclopedia Britannica, 2023, in https://www.britannica.com/art/superhero, [22 March 2024].

[xv] SOSTARIC M., «The American Wartime Propaganda During World War II»,  in https://www. jstor.org, [March 23, 2024].

[xvi] SIMON J., My life in comics, Titan Books, London, 2011.

[xvii] SOSTARIC M., «The American Wartime Propaganda During World War II»,  in https://www. jstor.org, [March 26, 2024].

[xviii] Ibid.

[xix] Ibid.

[xx] ONYON D., «The political influence of comics in America during WWII», in Thought Hub, 2018. https://www.sagu.edu/thoughthub, [March 18, 2024].

[xxi] SOSTARIC M., «The American Wartime Propaganda During World War II»,  in https://www. jstor.org, [March 30, 2024].

[xxii] Cf. ONYON D., «The political influence of comics in America during WWII», in https://www.sagu.edu/thoughthub, [March 18, 2024].

[xxiii] Cf. PARROT R.J., «Captain America: Changing Conscience of a Nation», in Origins: Current events in historical perspective, 2021. https://origins.osu.edu/milestones/captain-america-changing-conscience-nation, [March 10 2024].

[xxiv] SOSTARIC M., «The American Wartime Propaganda During World War II»,  in https://www. jstor.org, [March 22, 2024].

[xxv] Cf. Ibid.

[xxvi] PARROT R.J., «Captain America: Changing Conscience of a Nation», in https://origins. osu.edu/milestones/captain-america-changing-conscience-nation, [March 10 2024].

[xxvii]«Captain America», in Marvel. https://www.marvel.com/characters/captain-america-steve-rogers/in-comics, [March 10, 2024].

[xxviii] KIRBY J., SIMON J., Captain America: Issue #1, Marvel Comics, 1944, in   https://www.marvel.com/comics, [March 15, 2024].

[xxix] Cf. ONYON D., «The political influence of comics in America during WWII», in https://www.sagu.edu/thoughthub, [March 18, 2024].

[xxx] Captain America: Issue #51, Marvel Comics, 1944, in https://www.marvel.com/comics, [March 15, 2024].

[xxxi] PARROT R.J., «Captain America: Changing Conscience of a Nation», in https://origins. osu.edu/milestones/captain-america-changing-conscience-nation, [March 10 2024].

[xxxii]  «National epic», in Wikipedia.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nationalepic, [March 22, 2024].