Captain America Character Analysis

Although it may not be apperent at first glance, the popular Marvel movie Captain America : The First Avenger and the ancient Babylonian myth The Epic of Gilgamesh are similar in many ways. Captain America is the tale of a meek man named Steven Rogers who wanted to join the army to help serve in World War II. When he discovers he is not eligilbe for health reasons, he is chosen to partake in an experiment that enhanced his physical and mental strengths, which he uses on his journey through combat. Gilgamesh, a hero in babylonian myth, lives through the tragic death of his best friend and goes on a journey through earth to find immortality. He eventually finds what he is looking for although it may be out of his reach. While these stories may
In Captain America, those two friends are Steve Rogers and his bestf riend Bucky. Throughout the Epic of Gilgamesh, Gilgamesh travels the world with his best friend Enkidu when Shamash says “Gilgamesh shall accept Enkidu as his brother.” Both sets of best friends seem to, throughout the story, change positions with the other in terms of character as they grow. In the beginning of the move Captain America, Steve rogers is meek and puny as well as a little socially awkward. On the other hand, his friend, Bucky, was just the opposite. Not only was his physically fit, he was well spoken and very charismatic. After Steve goes through the treatment to turn him almost god-like, he seemed to take the title of top dog in the friendship. We see Bucky recongnize this when Steve rescues him and Bucky asks, “Did you get taller?” Like-wise, during the Epic of Gilgamesh, Gilgamesh is known for being civilized and able to be a productive member of society, while his friend, Enkidu, bares the reputation of being more on the wild side and one with nature. When Enkidu decides to sleep with Shamhat, he loses his acceptance from his animal compainions and is forced into cilivilty. Later in the story when Enkidu is killed, Gilgamesh mourns by reverting to an uncivilized state of being and acts almost as Enkidu did in the beginning of the epic. Although they both
Another similarity between The Epic of Gilgamesh and Captain America: The First Avenger is that they both seem to fail at first but they succeed in a way they never thought they would. For Captain America, at the end of the war with HYDRA he seems to lose everything he loved; his best friend, Bucky, his true love, Peggy, and at first it seems as though he loses his own life. But on closer inspection, he takes away the threat to the world which was his main goal from the beginning. He also stays alive and can help serve the United States further in the future, so although losses took place in his life he ultimately achieved his goal of serving as an American hero and saved the world. He even kept his word to Dr. Erskine when he asked him, “Whatever happens tomorrow you must promise me one thing. That you will stay who you are. Not a perfect soldier, but a good man.” In The Epic of Gilgamesh, our hero, Gilgamesh does not achieve his dream of physical immortailty, but he does end with something basically the same. After he fails to gain immortality through the sleeping test he is told of a plant that will restore his youth. Utnapishman says, “If you can win that plant, you will find rejuvenation.” Although he gathers the plant, a snake steals it and it seems as though once again he has failed, he does not. As he returns to his city of Uruk, he sees that