As leader of the Avengers, Captain America fought alongside countless Marvel heroes, but he considers only three of them equal in combat – and his choices of Black Panther, Nick Fury and the Punisher will surprise many readers. Especially notable is the omission of Wolverine, but according to Captain America, only these three heroes are on his level.
1996 Captain America: Legend – written by Mark Gruenwald, with art by Jason Franzone – cataloged the best moments in the hero’s history, covering everything fans would like to know about Captain America’s adventures over the decades.
One of the most fascinating aspects of this book was Captain America naming the villains he considers to be a Thanos-level threat. The other interesting part was Captain America naming the three heroes he considers to be on the same level as him – and it’s surprising who Captain America chose, as iconic names like Wolverine weren’t included.
Captain America names the three Marvel heroes in his “weight class”: Nick Fury, Punisher and Black Panther
Captain America: Legend – Written by Mark Gruenwald; Art by Jason Franzone, Comicraft and Paul Becton
In Captain America: LegendCap separates his enemies and allies into different categories: increased strength and moderately skilled, increased strength, limited abilities, and peak human strength and highly skilled. Captain America claims he belongs to the latteras well as the three surprising choices of Black Panther, Nick Fury and Punisher. Captain America claims that these three are exactly like him. While characters like Nick Fury and Black Panther make sense, including the Punisher is especially surprising.
It’s no surprise, at least, that Captain America includes Black Panther. T’Challa is one of the greatest fighters on Earth, and thanks to Wakanda’s Heart-Shaped Herb, his body has been pushed to its absolute limits. T’Challa’s strength, speed, and durability are at the highest level possible without becoming truly superhuman. This puts him on exactly the same level as Captain America, thanks to Steve’s Super Soldier Serum. While T’Challa seems obvious, the other two are a little more surprising.
Captain America’s designation of Nick Fury and Punisher as his equals surprised many readers
Starting decades of debate
Nick Fury is a surprising choice, as he rarely tends to get directly involved in fights. However, that doesn’t change the fact that when he needs to spring into action, there is almost no one who can resist his skills. Captain America is known as one of the best unarmed fighters in the Marvel Universe, and Nick Fury has managed to hone his skills over decades and can keep up with Steve. Although Fury doesn’t use his abilities often, there’s no denying how dangerous he is.
There’s no denying that Frank Castle is an incredible hand-to-hand combatant, and it’s hard to believe that Steve wouldn’t have some level of respect for Frank considering they’re both war heroes.
The most surprising inclusion, however, is that of Frank Castle. It’s no secret that Captain America doesn’t respect the Punisher. During the events of Civil Warwhen Steve recruited just about anyone to defeat Iron Man, he still refused to work with Frank, even threatening to take down Frank himself. Still, there’s no denying that Frank Castle is an incredible hand-to-hand combatant, and it’s hard to believe that Steve wouldn’t have some level of respect for Frank, considering they’re both war heroes. While Steve may disagree with Frank’s methods, there’s no denying that he’s good at what he does.
If anyone is an authority on Marvel’s best melee fighters, it’s Captain America
Your opinion has weight
If anyone in the Marvel Universe can be considered a reliable perspective on the best fighters – heroic and villainous – in the world, it’s Captain America. More than just a trained super soldier and an experienced fighter, he is also a consummate leader, meaning he has an astute ability to judge the best qualities of other individuals. By naming Nick Fury, Black Panther and even the Punisher as his equals, Captain America officially raises them to his level, even if in Frank Castle’s case he is reluctant.
While Captain America may not agree with everything these characters stand for, he can’t deny that they are on the exact same skill level as him.
Captain America is a fantastic hand-to-hand fighter and there simply aren’t many people on his level. There are many fighters in the Marvel Universe, and some of the greatest received training directly from Captain America. But these three characters are different. Black Panther, Nick Fury, and the Punisher have all reached peak human fitness and have the fighting skills to truly put that strength to use. While Captain America While he may not agree with everything these characters represent, he can’t deny that they are on the exact same skill level as him.
Captain America: Legend is now available from Marvel Comics!