WHO WAS STEVE ROGERS BEFORE HE BECAME CAPTAIN AMERICA, AND HOW DID HE BECOME THE FIRST AVENGER? Before Steve Rogers became one of Marvel's strongest heroes, he was actually a sickly young man who was repeatedly rejected from military service. Steve was born and raised in Brooklyn. He wanted to serve his country during World War II, but his small body and poor health made him an easy target for rejection. He kept trying anyway. Eventually, Steve was selected for the Super-Soldier Program, an experiment created to produce enhanced soldiers. The scientist behind the experiment was Dr. Abraham Erskine. Erskine chose Steve for a simple reason. Steve wasn't interested in becoming powerful. He wanted to protect people. Steve was injected with the Super-Soldier Serum and exposed to Vita-Rays. The experiment transformed his body, giving him enhanced strength, speed, stamina, durability and reflexes. But there was a problem. The serum couldn't simply be mass-produced. Erskine was killed shortly after Steve's transformation, and the secret of creating more Super-Soldiers was lost. Steve became Captain America and was sent into battle against HYDRA. But his greatest sacrifice came later. During his final mission, Steve crashed the Red Skull's aircraft into the Arctic Ocean to prevent it from reaching its target. He survived. But he was frozen in the ice for decades. When he finally woke up, the world he knew was gone. His friends were dead. The war was over. And everyone he loved had moved on. Steve Rogers didn't just lose a battle. He woke up in a completely different world. And that is what makes Captain America's story more tragic than people realize.