Sarah Rogers died when Steve was in his late teens, having taxed herself to the limit to provide for her son as the depression wore on. Out on his own, Rogers supported himself first as a paper boy and later as a "would-be" freelance artist, painting murals for subway stations and the like. Times were difficult but he managed to get by. A visit to the movies changed Steve's life forever as he watched with horror the newsreel footage of the Nazi's relentless march across war-torn Europe.

Inspired by the evils he witnessed in the theater, Rogers decided to enlist and therebye do his duty to help his country against the horrors caused by the Nazi party. However, upon reaching the Army recruiting center, Rogers discovers he was 4-F, being far too frail for military service. Rogers protested and his shouts coupled with his determintion to serve his country attracted the attention of a nearby General Phillips, who offers Rogers a chance to serve his country.

Not necessarily ready, but more than willing, Rogers was whisked away to a secret army base whereupon he discovered he was to be a candidate for a secret experiment entitled Operation: Rebirth. Developed by Dr. Abraham Erskine, a scientist who defected from Germany, the project was to create a perfect man through various biological and physical processes, to create in effect, a super soldier. Rogers and the rest of the candidates were put through rigorous training and numerous tests for weeks before Steve was chosen as the test subject.

On the day the experiment would be put to the test, General Phillips, accompanied by U.S. special agents, were invited to watch as Erskine administered Rogers his super-soldier formula. Encouraged by an administration of Vita Rays which sped up the serum's process, Steve Rogers' frail body was replace with that of a perfect man, a super-soldier. However, before any could celebrate the success of Operation: Rebirth, one of the agents who witnessed the Rogers' transformation revealed himself as a Nazi spy and shot Dr. Erskine for being a traitor to the Germany. Underestimating his own newfound strength, Rogers threw the spy into the vita ray machine, destroying it. The spy, rather than being captured, grabbed hold of a broken cable and electrocuted himself.

The United States was unable to duplicate the formula, Dr. Erskine having commited most of it to memory. Around this time, a Nazi agent who called himself the Red Skull began to increase in popularity among his German supporters, spreading terror across the face of Europe. To battle this personification of evil, the U.S. government created Rogers to be his opposite, cladding him in a red, white and blue uniform and dubbing him Captain America, creating a living symbol of freedom and democracy for the American people.

Stationed at Camp Lehigh, Steve Rogers posed as a bungling private by day, thwarting Nazi spies and the like by night as the costumed avenger, Captain America, his popularity increasing with the American people with each successful mission. One night young James Buchanan Barnes, camp mascot of Lehigh and friend to Steve, walked in on Rogers as he was changing into Captain America. Vowing to keep Steve's secret, Bucky underwent months of intensive training and became Cap's partner in the fight against Germany.

America officially went to war December 7th, 1941, Captain America and his partner Bucky leading the front lines, allying themselves with a group of super heroes. The team was dubbed the Invaders by Winston Churchhill. For four years, Captain America battled the Nazi menance in all it's bizarre forms. During the final days of the war, tragedy occured as Cap and Bucky attempted to stop a runaway experimental drone plane. Cap and Bucky were caught on the speeding plane as it headed out over the Atlantic. While attempting to diffuse the bomb, the plane exploded, killing Bucky and sending Cap into the icy waters of the ocean.