vampires, spaceships, and fantastical worlds—the tales of L.E. Teetzel

When I tell people Captain America is my favourite superhero, I’m usually met with one of two responses:

“Oh, because Chris Evans is hot, right?”

“Why?”

I’ll be completely honest and say that, yes, I was probably drawn to Steve Rogers initially because Chris Evans is extremely good-looking. As a demisexual, I don’t usually notice looks beyond an objective “that person is attractive,” but sometimes, for reasons I’m not totally sure of, I will see someone and kind of… latch on, for lack of a better term. Maybe “become fascinated by,” would be better, but the point is, I pay attention to those people.

In 2011 when Captain America: The First Avenger came out, I only really knew Chris Evans from his turn as Johnny Storm in Fantastic Four and Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, and Sunshine and Push. I had always like Chris Evans as an actor—he has a great subtlety that I think is often overlooked—and his characters were usually my favourites. And while I was looking forward to The First Avenger, and was immediately charmed by its aesthetic in the trailers, I didn’t have much of an opinion about Captain America as a character. I knew almost nothing about him, frankly, but I knew Chris Evans looked really good playing him, and I was much more curious about his version of the character than I expected to be.

So, sure. His looks probably helped draw me to the character, but they weren’t what made him my favourite, and I would never say they were why Steve Rogers is my favourite MCU character. He’s not even just my favourite MCU character anymore. He might be my favourite Marvel comic book character too, especially when he’s written by someone who really understands him.

Steve Rogers is my favourite character for two reasons. One, because he is an optimist. He believes in the good in people, believes most people deserve a second chance, and believes good will come out on top in the end. And two, because he fights for what’s right. He doesn’t take the easy path, like, ever, and he will stand up to anyone, even when he’s alone and/or vastly outnumbered or outclassed.

The first is something I connect with because I, too, am an optimist. As hard as I am on myself and as much as I get down on myself, and as bad as things are, I believe in the good in people and that good will come out on top. Is it getting harder to hold onto those beliefs? Absolutely. But I just can’t shake the optimism at my core. Maybe I’ve watched too many movies or read too many books or watched too much TV or played too many games where a steadfast belief in love and goodness and light wins out, but that’s just the truth of who I am, honestly.

The second is something I aspire to. I am someone who will do what I can to fight for what’s right, but I am also someone who doesn’t like confrontation (I never have). Also, my body’s first reaction to conflict, confrontation, and/or stress is to cry. Which always, always, undermines my point, and has even made people laugh at me when I was trying to be serious or get a point across. So I usually come out of a confrontation feeling weak, which is something no one likes to feel. (There is some childhood trauma stuff tied up in this for me, too, but that’s too heavy for this post and requires some more examination.) I want to be like Steve, unafraid to stand up to even the biggest bullies, and I think we’re always drawn to characters who embody qualities we want to see in ourselves.

Another reason Steve became my favourite Marvel character is likely because of who my favourite superhero was before him. For the first like, twenty years of my life, Batman was my favourite superhero. I grew up watching Batman The Animated Series, reruns of the Adam West Batman show, and the Batman movies of the ‘90s. I was obsessed. I wanted a Batmobile for Christmas (and I was recently informed I also wanted Bruce Wayne’s sport coupe dinky car as well), I wanted to live in Gotham City, and I wanted to be part of the Bat Family. But, as campy as Batman could be, there was always a darker undertone (except for maybe in the Adam West show). In 2005, Batman Begins came out, with one of my favourite actors playing Bruce Wayne, and my obsession kicked back into high gear. I still love Christopher Nolan’s trilogy a whole lot, but they were gritty and dark and realistic. And a lot of other superhero movies of the time were too, or at least tried to be.

Iron Man brought a brighter superhero world to the screen, once the MCU build on, and one which became the signature of the MCU. I’ve seen criticisms of this since Iron Man, but I was sure ready for something brighter and more positive by then. So, when skinny little Steve Rogers stepped onto the screen in 2011, with his refusal to quit and his determination to stand up to bullies, I was enamoured.

And that fascination only grew because of all I’ve mentioned above. Chris Evans actually became more attractive to me through playing Steve, and I’ve loved seeing the different versions of Steve play into each other, changing the character into something more: MCU Steve became more acrobatic in his fighting due partially to Chris Evans playing the Captain America video game (which is actually pretty good, by the way), comic book Steve began to sound more like MCU Steve, and MCU Steve was given lines that reflected iconic moments from the comics, too. There are of course many more examples. MCU Steve is my favourite-favourite, but I’ve enjoyed diving into more Captain America comics as well.

Before 2011, I, like a lot of people, thought Captain America was all about fighting for the USA, that he was just a propaganda machine. And that is part of his history, for sure, but Steve was always meant to fight for the ideal USA. He stood for the best version of the country, and he stood against the horrors of WWII. That was his purpose upon creation, but that evolved over time, as it should have. Steve fights for what’s right, plain and simple, and if you think that includes any sort of bigotry or hate, you are wrong. And have missed the point entirely.

Honestly, I could wax poetic about Steve Rogers and give you probably a dozen more reasons he’s my favourite character—like the ease with which he talks about his emotions, how he tries to always do the best thing for the most people, or how Chris Evans’s subtle acting gave Steve a wonderful depth that no one ever talks about—but I’ll only talk about one more thing, the only that is most unique to me and my love for the character.

By the time Captain America:: The First Avenger came out, I had already made my original character for the MCU, Quinn Scott, but her personality and background was almost entirely different, and she was going to end up with Thor. I was trying to write my fanfiction, and it just wasn’t happening. Writing isn’t always easy for me, but I was struggling. Then, one day, sometimes after Avengers came out, I was talking to my friend and we were discussing how much Steve needed a friend. And a hug. So we started making up a character together. Somewhere in that, I said, sort of joking, “What if he and Quinn went out on a date?”

And then I started thinking about Steve and Quinn. And we started talking about them as a couple. And the pieces just sort of… fell into place. It felt like Quinn was becoming who she was always meant to be and she took on a whole new voice. Writing my fanfiction became so much easier. I wrote out a massive timeline, planning Quinn’s journey through the MCU. I added to it every time a new movie or show or something came out that would involve her.

I have never had a character and their story come together like that, all from a half-joking suggestion. Quinn loved Steve the way someone might love a celebrity. And then she loved the man after they met. And, as their connection grew, so did mine to the character, both as he is on the screen and how I write him (because characters are always at least a little different based on who’s writing them).

As much as I’ve loved characters in the past, and had other favourites, none of them have really come close to Steve Rogers. Is it weird that I still get so attached to fictional characters? Maybe, but I don’t really care. The MCU brings me a lot of joy, and so will Steve Rogers, even though he’s gone (I don’t think he’s dead, but that’s another discussion), and I’ll keep on with what makes me happy. It’s the best way I know how to live my life.

If you’d like to check out my fanfiction, you can find it here!

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