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Is Captain America the peak of human potential? Or superhuman?

Is Captain America superhuman or peak human?

  • Superhuman

    Votes: 804 80.4%

  • Peak human

    Votes: 196 19.6%
  • Total voters
    1,000
  • Poll closed .
Yasuke

Yasuke

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
19,817
What do y'all think? And how do you distinguish between the two (largely arbitrary) terms?

I've always argued he was straight up superhuman, especially as he's depicted in the MCU. Peak humans fall more into a class with Batman to me. There's nothing about Steve, physically, that could ever be attained through rigorous training.

The comics are, of course, inconsistent on distinguishing between the two categories for Steve, but I've always chosen to just view the "peak human" examples as erroneous.

What say y'all?
 
MadLaughter

MadLaughter

Avenger
Oct 25, 2017
13,098
Yasuke said:
What do y'all think? And how do you distinguish between the two (largely arbitrary) terms?

I've always argued he was straight up superhuman, especially as he's depicted in the MCU. Peak humans fall more into a class with Batman to me. There's nothing about Steve, physically, that could ever be attained through rigorous training.

The comics are, of course, inconsistent on distinguishing between the two categories for Steve, but I've always chosen to just view the "peak human" examples as erroneous.

What say y'all?
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

That time he kicked someone off of the boat in TWS means he's superhuman.
 
El Toporo

El Toporo

Member
Oct 25, 2017
4,122
Doesn't he hold onto a helicopter to keep it from flying off in Civil War? Definitely not peak human in MCU.
Either way, it is what the writers want it to be.
 
Richiek

Richiek

Member
Nov 2, 2017
12,063
MCU, definitely superhuman. Cap can lift a motorcycle over his head, outrun cars and can stop a chopper from taking off.

Black Widow is most likely peak human.
 
Pickman

Pickman

Member
Nov 20, 2017
2,266
Huntington, WV
Someone did the math on the helicopter scene and determined he was doing the equivalent of deadlifting 1500 lbs with EACH ARM. So no, not peak human.
 
The Artisan

The Artisan

"Angels are singing in monasteries..."
Moderator
Oct 27, 2017
8,132
I would like to believe he is peak human, but unfortunately, the evidence is there that he is superhuman in the MCU.
 
Slayven

Slayven

Never read a comic in his life
Moderator
Oct 25, 2017
93,143
Per marvel's in universe rules he is only peak human, anywhere else he would be labeled superhuman. It is mostly a super nerdy classification thing
 
The Artisan

The Artisan

"Angels are singing in monasteries..."
Moderator
Oct 27, 2017
8,132
OP I would distinguish between the two as peak human being the most potential an adept person can do.

But a peak human can't crush a radio with one hand. Capabilities have to be limited.
 
Buckle

Buckle

Member
Oct 27, 2017
41,117
Depends on who is writing and what universe it is.

In the MCU? He's absolutely superhuman.
 
SpinierBlakeD

SpinierBlakeD

Attempted to circumvent ban with an alt account
Banned
Oct 28, 2018
1,353
I saw a video breaking down the math and it determined Cap's punches are equivalent to getting hit by a Ford Excursion going something like 20 mph.
 
Slayven

Slayven

Never read a comic in his life
Moderator
Oct 25, 2017
93,143
Pickman said:
Someone did the math on the helicopter scene and determined he was doing the equivalent of deadlifting 1500 lbs with EACH ARM. So no, not peak human.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
3200396-captain_america_benchpress.jpg
 
Slayven

Slayven

Never read a comic in his life
Moderator
Oct 25, 2017
93,143
Captain is more than the sum of his parts. It isn't jsut that he is peak human, he is peak human in every aspect.

Think of a mother lifting a car to save her kid

Somebody running a under 4 minute mile

Someone that drinks like a fish, but lives to be a 100

Can eat a popeye's a day old popeye biscuit without water

He is all these things and can do them on command.
 
nDesh

nDesh

The Three Eyed Raven
Member
Oct 27, 2017
3,072
Peak human in The First Avenger and Avengers 1.

Superhuman since The Winter Soldier.
 
bionic77

bionic77

Member
Oct 25, 2017
30,894
Factually and scientifically speaking Magic Johnson and Cedric Ceballos are peak human. So anything beyond that would have to be superhuman.

Based on my analysis of the movies I think he is still in peak human territory as I think my man Ced could probably pull off most of those feats if you gave him a special shield.
 
BossAttack

BossAttack

Member
Oct 27, 2017
43,007
Slayven said:
Captain is more than the sum of his parts. It isn't jsut that he is peak human, he is peak human in every aspect.

Think of a mother lifting a car to save her kid

Somebody running a under 4 minute mile

Someone that drinks like a fish, but lives to be a 100

Can eat a popeye's a day old popeye biscuit without water

He is all these things and can do them on command.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Yeah, but that's not a real thing.
 
OP
OP
Yasuke

Yasuke

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
19,817
Slayven said:
Per marvel's in universe rules he is only peak human, anywhere else he would be labeled superhuman. It is mostly a super nerdy classification thing
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Right.

This is why I started the thread. A friend of mine who adheres to rules like that a little too strictly won't hear otherwise on the subject, and I was curious what people thought in general.

MadLaughter said:
That time he kicked someone off of the boat in TWS means he's superhuman.
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We're in agreement.
 
Sub Boss

Sub Boss

Banned
Nov 14, 2017
13,441
he doesn,t exist

but in comics, i imagine he is not even the most powerful of the human made superheroes/villains, maybe the best looking one
 
Hanbei

Hanbei

Member
Nov 11, 2017
4,089
Captain America is an enhanced human. If you want to know what the peak of human potential looks like, you're looking for Batman.
 
Plum

Plum

Member
May 31, 2018
17,299
He's definitely Superhuman in the MCU. The First Avenger has a scene in which Steve laments that he can't get drunk due to the regenerative abilities given to him by the serum. If that's not a confirmation then I don't know what is.
 
Richiek

Richiek

Member
Nov 2, 2017
12,063
WastefulUnfitAsianelephant-size_restricted.gif


Cap and Black Panther are definitely superhuman in the MCU and are roughly the same power level.

I think in the comics, BP is also just "peak human"
 
BarringGaffner

BarringGaffner

Member
Nov 11, 2017
2,249
He has to be superhuman for any of it to make sense. Otherwise he would just catch a bullet in the eye and be dead.
 
virtua_44

virtua_44

Member
Jan 16, 2019
1,082
Always thought that "canonically" he was simply peak human. But the feats that he achieves are definitely superhuman (kicking dudes 30 feet backwards, holding down a helicopter) despite being called peak human in-universe.

nDesh said:
Peak human in The First Avenger and Avengers 1.

Superhuman since The Winter Soldier.
Click to expand...
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Did anything change in-universe or did he just get begin getting "stronger" b/c writers wrote in more absurd feats for him?
 
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