Captain America's strength level

[Burning Knuckles]

I wanted to know whats Caps strenght level? In one website it saids "He can lift (press) a maximum of 800 pounds with supreme effort", but in the wizard it saids his strenght level is 2 tons. So has anyone read a Captain America comic n seen him lift something that weight more than a ton?

[Sir Tim Drake]

I don't know, but the idea of Cap lifting two tons seems ridiculous.

[marshal99]

Who cares ? It's a comic book , not actual grounded facts , stats info tends to contradict all the time in comic books. It depends on what the writer wants. If a writer wants the good captain to dodge bullets at point blank and throw people around like he is the hulk , you know that it will be written as such.

[grendel824]

Ultimate Cap is likely at least in the two-ton range. Regular Cap has shown various "peak-strength" levels, which has been the subject of debate here occasionally. I figure he has to be somewhat "superhuman" if he can throw his shield hard enough to knock a SCUD missile out of the air and snap metal chains...

[Paradox]

In a conflict between information posted ANYWHERE and info printed in Wizard, I'll go with the non-Wizard source every time. :p

And in this case, that would be the correct choice.

[Chaos_Sentry]

I'd say he's in the 800-pound range, definetly.






http://img349.imageshack.us/img349/6649/chaossentrysig41bw.jpg

[XPac]

In the actual comics, he's shown strength greater than the 800 pound limit they gave him. I'd guess he's somewhere between 1000 pounds and a ton. 2 tons seems a bit much.

[chicorage]

In the actual comics, he's shown strength greater than the 800 pound limit they gave him. I'd guess he's somewhere between 1000 pounds and a ton. 2 tons seems a bit much.

He's "supposed" to be peak human (not superhuman). But of course depending on who's writting he could be written as Hulk strength.

800 pounds should be right.

[cosmoboy]

The Wizard piece was a line up of the Ultimate universe.

[Neolucifer]

I say between 800 pounds and 1 ton . he is "only" at the pinacle of human physical health and strength .

Now of course he isnt only defined by his strength or rather "lack" of strength compared to other superheroes and mutant . He is a great tactician and a fighter of a level only a few achieve .

[ghostrider666]

I posted this question (pre-zero hour), and it went 'round & 'round. Cap does have "super-human" strngth. He can press close to 1/2 ton. There have been stories where he's had even more. Throwing cars around level.

[grendel824]

Although, technically, even lifting 2-tons could be seen as still being "peak human" - after all, a human being might be able to bench 2 tons if their bones wouldn't break and muscles wouldn't tear from the strain...

[Mr. Nobody]

Cap's strength level has often been refered to as "peak human", which i've always took to mean Cap's strength level would be about equal to that of whatever the world's top weight lifter can bench on his best day.

Really though, its a comic, so most likely it varies based on whatever the writer needs him to do.

[Sentry]

I posted this question (pre-zero hour), and it went 'round & 'round. Cap does have "super-human" strngth. He can press close to 1/2 ton. There have been stories where he's had even more. Throwing cars around level.


throwing cars is a lot different to lifting a car. i think he could lift a mini for example but throw it? no way.

i think most artists/writers make up thier own mind so if the story needs him throwing a car they will put it in but really i think he could just about lift a small one. maybe a mini, and old one mind you not one of the new ones.

[Kayless]

Rik Levins has said he and Mark Gruenwald agreed that Cap could lift 1200 lbs. back when they were working on the book in the nineties. That seems about right to me. It's amazingly strong but not quite beyond what a human may some day reach. After all, a 500 lbs. press was amazing 40 years ago but is almost routine today (among power lifters anyway). Big Gene Rychlak has the current bench press record of 1005 lbs. but I can see that being beat within a decade. So 1200 lbs. is a good number for a "peak human" like Cap.

Here's a pic from Captain America #2 published in 1941. Golden Age Cap had some nice feats. :)

[Rik Levins]

Rik Levins has said he and Mark Gruenwald agreed that Cap could lift 1200 lbs. back when they were working on the book in the nineties. That seems about right to me. It's amazingly strong but not quite beyond what a human may some day reach. After all, a 500 lbs. press was amazing 40 years ago but is almost routine today (among power lifters anyway). Big Gene Rychlak has the current bench press record of 1005 lbs. but I can see that being beat within a decade. So 1200 lbs. is a good number for a "peak human" like Cap.


1200 in a bench press, right, which is done lying on your back and lifting the weight off your chest.
The 800 lbs referred to in the Handbook is an overhead or "military" press, and that is more difficult. There was also an Avengers story in which cap is shown doing multiple curls with about 500 lbs. and obviously straining.

As a general rule, an athlete who is developed in perfect proportion* should be able to bench about 1 1/2 times as much as he can press overhead, and curl about half as much as he benches. So Cap should be able to curl about 600 lbs once, or 500 for several reps.
Ultimate Cap was recently shown curling a little under 600 lbs, so that would make him roughly equal or just slightly stronger than "regular" Cap.
--which, of course, is thoroughly contradicted by some of his other feats, such as hitting the Hulk and actually hurting him(!)
Ultimately, though (no pun intended), Mr. Nobody is correct in that a comic book character's strength is whatever the writer of the moment needs him to be able to do.

(* The key phrase here is, "in perfect proportion", which few real-life athletes actually are. For example, powerlifters do lots of bench presses but not much in the way of overhead lifts. So an amateur powerlifter who can bench, say, 400 lbs, SHOULD be able to military-press around 300, and curl around 200, but probably can't because he hasn't devoted equal training time to all of the different lifts.)

[cosmoboy]

Why can't Ultimate Cap hurt the Hulk? Ultimate Cap is significantly stronger than his 616 counterpart ( Iknow it's still up for argument) And Ultimate Hulk is NOT nearly as strong as 616 Hulk.

[chicorage]

Why can't Ultimate Cap hurt the Hulk? Ultimate Cap is significantly stronger than his 616 counterpart ( Iknow it's still up for argument) And Ultimate Hulk is NOT nearly as strong as 616 Hulk.

From my observation of the UU, everyone seems to be weaker or at least all in the same ball park for strength. The 616 universe had people that were way of the scale in some of their feats but then with bad writting have someone in the 10 ton rage beat up someone in the 100 ton range. This is course would drive us the fans crazy.
Ultimate Cap seems to be an exception to this as he appears to be stronger, although I'm not sure of that since everyone else is weaker so perhaps it's just that gap that is now smaller. For instance Ult. Cap was able to draw blood from Ult. Hulk, although Hulk still handed him his a$$ along with all the other Ultimates (Thor and Iron man included).

[grendel824]

Umm... the Ultimates I read showed Cap being much, much stronger - well within the 2 ton range.

[Jake V]

Yeah, and whens the last time the MU Colossus carried a nuclear submarine from the bottom of the ocean to the nearest beach?

We can't accurately figure out Ultimate Hulks strengh due to the limited number of times we've seen him. We haven't seen him try to lift something and fail yet, so we haven't seen his limit.

We HAVE seen Ultimate characters preform feats that their MU counterparts haven't, namely Cap and Colossus. No proof has been given however, that any UU characters are WEAKER than their MU versions.

[Kayless]

Ultimately, though (no pun intended), Mr. Nobody is correct in that a comic book character's strength is whatever the writer of the moment needs him to be able to do.
Not very satisfying but true. But where would comic fandom be without writer fiat and continuity lapses to spark debate? :D

Umm... the Ultimates I read showed Cap being much, much stronger - well within the 2 ton range.
Yeah, Ultimate Cap jumps out of planes without a parachute and can draw blood on the Hulk. He clearly has superhuman physicality.

[Harold of the Rocks]

Although, technically, even lifting 2-tons could be seen as still being "peak human" - after all, a human being might be able to bench 2 tons if their bones wouldn't break and muscles wouldn't tear from the strain...

...on the moon!

Two tons is 4000 pounds on earth! The world record (i.e. peak human) is around 900 pounds. Two tons is superhuman, and if you're bones and muscles could withstand that anyway, than you have superhuman skeleton and flesh... still superhuman.

.. on second thought, no human could bench two tons on the moon, either. Probably not even one ton.

[Harpy Prince]

Whats the equivlance of weight lifting to DDTing Giant Man To the ground? I very much doubt gravity alone was enough to drive a 59'11" man to the ground.

[grendel824]

...on the moon!

Two tons is 4000 pounds on earth! The world record (i.e. peak human) is around 900 pounds. Two tons is superhuman, and if you're bones and muscles could withstand that anyway, than you have superhuman skeleton and flesh... still superhuman.

.. on second thought, no human could bench two tons on the moon, either. Probably not even one ton.


Yes - again, notice the oh-so-important "ifs" there. While not tested in laboratories, human beings have been observed lifting near the 4000 pound range with great damage to themselves in emergency situations (people pushing cars off of each other, etc.). Crunching the numbers has shown these feats to be in the realm of the POSSIBLE, though extremely unlikely.

[Harold of the Rocks]

Grendel said it might be possible for a human to bench press two tons. Not moving two tons a little bit, not sliding aside. That is what I was responding to. Pushing or partially lifting a car and lifting a car over your head are two entirely different feats, requiring rather significant differences in strength. No one has ever been observed to lift an entire motor vehicle off the ground, especially over their head. Neither in or out of a lab. And gravity will 'drive' a feather to the ground. Did you mean into the ground, Harpy Prince?

Notice the important lack of 'ifs' in the previous paragraph. ;)

[Harpy Prince]

Grendel said it might be possible for a human to bench press two tons. Not moving two tons a little bit, not sliding aside. That is what I was responding to. Pushing or partially lifting a car and lifting a car over your head are two entirely different feats, requiring rather significant differences in strength. No one has ever been observed to lift an entire motor vehicle off the ground, especially over their head. Neither in or out of a lab. And gravity will 'drive' a feather to the ground. Did you mean into the ground, Harpy Prince?

Notice the important lack of 'ifs' in the previous paragraph. ;)
Yes that's what I meant.

[grendel824]

Grendel said it might be possible for a human to bench press two tons.


No he didn't. Get hooked on phonics, people. :rolleyes:

[powerforward]

the best raw bench (not shirt assisted) is in the 700lb range. For any one to overhead press 500lbs is incredible, so if cap is at the peak of human strength he would fall into this strength level or even slightly above.

a 1000lb+ bench or 800lb+ press would be superhuman.

[kane]

In ultimate six the UCap was as strong as spider-man. If the US-M is as strong as the 616 S-M the UCap is on the 10 tons level.

[Rik Levins]

the best raw bench (not shirt assisted) is in the 700lb range. For any one to overhead press 500lbs is incredible, so if cap is at the peak of human strength he would fall into this strength level or even slightly above.

a 1000lb+ bench or 800lb+ press would be superhuman.

Well...superhuman by today's standards, that's true. But we can't assume that we have already reached the pinnacle of human physical perfection, and that no more athletic records will ever be broken from this day forward.

Remember Roger Bannister.

Maybe someday a 1200 lb bench press may be accomplished...who knows? Captain America supposedly represents the peak of what's ultimately possible, (no pun intended), not just what's possible NOW.

Ultimate Cap is a whole 'nother smoke. He's blatently superhuman, and no one pretends otherwise.

[Kayless]

In ultimate six the UCap was as strong as spider-man. If the US-M is as strong as the 616 S-M the UCap is on the 10 tons level.
Didn't Wizard estimate that Ultimate Spidey's strength is at the 2 ton level? Not that I put much stock in what Wizard says, but it's worth mentioning regardless.

[Saotome]

Cap in Vol 3 + has done all the feats Ultimate cap has done.

Even a lot in V1. Diving into the ocean from 300 feet.

Batted around Rhino, Scrolls, Kree. Pulled a supply truck in the desert.

Remember the super soilder serum created Caps peak human.

Don't compare this to regular peak human theirs a huge difference.

Anyone remember the Medusa effect issue where Cap dented a steel door or KO'ed a Raging bull.

[grendel824]

Cap in Vol 3 + has done all the feats Ultimate cap has done.


No, he hasn't come close to Ultimate Cap's strength level. You can say that after he starts being able to lift tanks, but not before...

[Saotome]

In what exact issue number did Ultimate Cap lift a tank.

Last I checked he was working out with regular weights. Forget closer Caps probably ahead.