MCU: 10 Times Steve Rogers Was The Smartest Person In The Room
Steve Rogers, aka Captain America, is probably the noblest and most selfless hero in the MCU, but that doesn't mean he's always the smartest. But while he makes mistakes as a hero and isn't up to date on the modern world, there are times Steve has outsmarted everyone else.
Most of Steve's intelligent moments are related to things he knows well. He can show others the difference between right and wrong, or he can take charge of a high-stakes situation. In these scenes, there is no one in the MCU smarter than Steve Rogers.
10 Saving Bucky And The Howling Commandos
Steve's relationship with Buck Barnes is one of the best in the MCU. So when Bucky goes missing behind enemy lines, there's no way Steve was going to just sit around and do nothing.
At this point, Captain America was simply being used as a USO puppet so no one, especially Col. Phillips, saw Steve as a real soldier. But Steve decided to leave his post, go behind enemy lines and rescue not only Bucky but the Howling Commandos as well. At that moment, Steve proved everyone wrong who thought he was just a song-and-dance man.
9 Standing Up To Secretary Ross
While Captain America usually follows the rules, he has been known to rebel when he thinks it is the right thing to do. This led to him and his team being dubbed outlaws by the United States government. But he comes out of hiding when Thanos shows up.
As soon as he returns, Secretary Ross tries to have him arrested. While Ross is just trying to save face after being embarrassed, Steve knows there is no time for such games and reminds Ross that they need the Avengers now. It is a rare moment when any politeness in Steve vanishes and he is the only one ready to put the past behind them to save the day.
8 Questioning Tony Imprisoning Wanda
The initial disagreement between Steve and Tony in Captain America: Civil War was about the Sokovia Accords. But just as Steve is coming around on the idea to sign them, he learns that Tony has been keeping Wanda confined to the Avengers Compound.
Steve tries to show Tony how wrong that is and how she is a member of their team. Tony believes he is doing it out of a concern for safety and is too stubborn to listen to Steve. This is the real breaking point in their relationship and shows that Steve cares more about the team than Tony does.
7 Arguing With Nick Fury About Project Insight
When Steve is unfrozen in the real world, he has a lot of catching up to do. But when it comes to right and wrong, he refuses to believe that anything has changed. This causes him to butt heads with Nick Fury, especially in regards to Project Insight.
Fury reveals the project as something that will neutralize threats before they happen, but Steve immediately sees the danger in such a move. He argues that it is using fear instead of freedom and given the fact that Hydra tries to use Project Insight to take over the world, this is another instance in which Captain America was right.
6 Recognizing The Enemies Around Him
Captain America: The Winter Soldier is a paranoia thriller in which Hydra are lurking all around Cap, disguised as allies. Though he doesn't yet see the larger conspiracy, Steve knows when he is in a room filled with enemies.
As he rides down in the elevator shared by his comrades, Captain America realizes he has been betrayed. Rumlow and the others act as if they are all still friendly, clearly hoping to take Steve by surprise. But Steve sees through this ruse and is ready for a fight. While the goons would have had a tough time beating Steve in a surprise attack, they stand no chance once he sees it coming.
5 Learning The Truth About Phase 2
When the Avengers first assembled, it is not exactly a friendly meeting. Tensions rise even further when Tony Stark suggests Fury might be hiding something about the Tesseract from them. As Tony tries hacking into the S.H.I.E.L.D. computers, Steve feels the computers act too slow and goes looking for answers himself.
As everyone is still wondering what "Phase 2" refers to, Steve informs them it is a plan to use the Tesseract to make weapons. Not only was he smart enough to uncover Fury's secret, but he also did so before Tony. Even with all his tech know-how, Tony is outsmarted by Steve's determination.
4 Not Fooled By The Fake Hospital
In an attempt to help Steve adjust to waking up in the 21st century, S.H.I.E.L.D. hatches a plan to recreate a hospital room for him as if it were the 1940s. But as soon as he wakes up and hears a baseball game on the radio, Steve recognizes it as a game he attended himself.
With all their state-of-the-art technology, S.H.I.E.L.D. must have thought they could fool this soldier from the past quite easily. But with such laziness in their attention to detail, Steve makes them all look quite foolish and renders their whole complicated plan useless.
3 Posing As A Hydra Agent
Avengers: Endgame recreates some iconic moments from the MCU, including the famous elevator sequence from Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Once again, Steve proves himself to be the smartest one in a room of Hydra agents and doesn't even need to throw a punch.
Needing to take Loki's scepter from Rumlow and the others, Steve simply tells them, "Hail Hydra." Thinking he is on their side, they hand the scepter over with no issue. Certainly, that was a lot easier than fighting his way out of the elevator.
2 Taking Charge Of The Battlefield
Despite a rocky start for the team, the Avengers ultimately come together to battle Loki's army as it invades New York City. It also doesn't take Steve long to establish himself as the leader of the team with his military command of the battlefield.
Steve not only gives orders to the police to help keep the city secure, but he also quickly comes up with a game plan for what each member of the team will need to do. Not only is it a smart plan, but the other heroes don't question his orders for a second.
1 Passing The Flag Test
As impressive as Steve Rogers became after he was given the super-soldier serum, he was always exceptional, even as a skinny kid. While taking part in the military training course, it is clear that Steve is not as physically fit as the others, but he is smarter.
After the officer offers a reward to the soldier who can capture a flag, the other soldiers try and fail to climb the flagpole. Steve simply takes a moment to assess the situation, unhooks the pole, and takes the flag when it falls to the ground.