Captain America
When Captain America was introduced in 1941, he represented a “patriotic ideal” that related to the consumer, its target audience either aspiring young men or soldiers of war. “A hero emblazoned in stars and stripes was never going to be an easy sell” (Lupoi, 2012), yet he became the symbol of an “idealised freedom fighter” during World War II, branded with a costume modelled on the American Flag. He represented Liberty during the “Golden Age” of America. “The fact that many readers would soon find themselves in that… army helped ensure ‘Cap’s’ popularity; the new soldiers remained comic book fans, and they, too, hoped to be heroes in disguise.” (Abrams, 1991, [Online]) His popularity meant Captain America became a “leading patriot”; an “artefact” of popular culture through “old” and “new” media convergence.
