In both Marvel Comics and the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Steve Rogers embodies the purest concept of heroism. The Super Soldier Serum gave Steve incredible powers and his tenure as Captain America was has instrumental in saving the MCU. Captain America is by definition meant to be a protector, to the point of having a shield as his favorite weapon.
But no character is completely black and white. While Steve may have good intentions and solid motivations, he's often proven to be selfish and short-sighted. Captain America may be the ultimate hero, the man with the plan, but Steve Rogers is a regular person and his decisions haven't always been the best. In fact, some of them contradict his purpose in life, and his heroism isn't as genuine as he may like to believe.
10 Steve Doesn't Acknowledge The Threat He Poses
Steve Rogers is a skinny kid from Brooklyn who becomes a Super Soldier and a hero against all odds. Prior to Project Rebirth, Steve's medical history rightly disqualified him as a possible soldier. Leaving aside his own health issues, his mother Sarah Rogers died of tuberculosis, which leaves Steve at high risk of being a latent carrier of the infection.
A test to detect this was invented in 1940, but contact with Sarah alone would have made the army reject Steve. Other issues on his health form include asthma, scarlet fever, rheumatic fever, heart trouble, and sinusitis. With all these problems, it seems hard to understand how Steve could possibly think he could join others on the front and not be a liability. It seems like a matter of pride more than anything else.
9 He's More Focused On His Principles Than The End Result
From the moment Steve and Tony Stark meet, the two rub each other the wrong way. Tony has good reasons to be resentful of Steve due to his strained relationship with his father Howard. Steve is, however, immediately judgmental and accuses Tony of not being a hero. This continues to happen throughout the MCU, particularly because Steve is more focused on his principles than the end result.
When Tony points out they need a true deterrent against larger threats and they'll lose if they don't have it, Steve replies they will lose together. Steve's idealism doesn't provide much comfort when that actually happens. Tony even calls him out on it during Avengers: Endgame.
8 He Decides To Reveal All Of SHIELD's Secrets
Confused by his new present, Steve decides to continue his military service and starts working for SHIELD. His life falls apart all over again with the reveal of Project Insight. Steve learns SHIELD has been taken over by Hydra, and they've been using his friend Bucky Barnes as their personal assassin, the Winter Soldier. In order to stop Hydra, Steve decides to topple the entire organization, revealing all its secrets to the world.
He claims he is willing to pay the price of freedom, but at the same time, he takes the freedom of choice from every other member of SHIELD. There were countless innocents employed in the organization, some of them not even military personnel, others undercover agents in high-risk missions. Steve doesn't even think of the damage he does when he has Natasha spill their identities and missions on the Internet.
7 He Hides The Truth About Tony's Parents
One of the most important missions carried out by the Winter Soldier is the assassination of Tony's parents, Howard and Maria. Steve hides the truth from Tony, worried about his reaction. It makes sense that Steve would want to protect his friend, who isn't truly responsible for what happened. But it was important to do damage control beforehand instead of just hiding the truth.
Steve's actions are made worse by the fact that he owed Howard a lot. Without Howard, Steve would have never become Captain America. It was his machines that made Erskine's serum more potent, and it was also him who created the vibranium shield. He even flew Steve into a war zone, at great personal risk. After Steve's fall into the ice, he never stopped looking for him. Steve acknowledges his own selfishness, but his regret feels rather empty.
6 He Blames Tony For Keeping Secrets
During Age of Ultron, the Avengers take a significant blow. After being mentally attacked by Wanda Maximoff, Tony experiments on Loki's scepter. This leads to the creation of the rogue A.I. Ultron. Following their confrontation with Ultron, the team all accuse Tony, with Thor even physically assaulting him. Steve seems to take this in stride and accepts it as normal. He later blames Tony for keeping secrets, even if he's been doing the same to Tony the whole time. It's incredibly hypocritical.
5 He Trusts The Word Of Hydra Agents Over That Of His Teammate
During a conversation with Maria Hill, Steve shows that he empathizes with Wanda and Pietro. He seems to understand what it's like to be a science experiment, but at the same time, associates Wanda and Pietro's decision to join Hydra with his own determination to join the army. This puts Steve's original motivations even more into question and has unfortunate effects.
When Wanda tells Steve Tony is about to create something horrific, he takes her word for it. He even attacks Tony and may have seriously injured him if not for Tony's quick reflexes. Steve's not necessarily wrong to be wary of Tony's choices, but he completely ignores the fact that Wanda has been working with Ultron and mentally assaulted each of them.
4 Steve Doesn't Properly Address The Fiasco In Lagos
After the events of Age of Ultron, Wanda joins the team, supposedly reformed. Under Steve's leadership, the Avengers travel to Lagos to hunt down Crossbones. The mission ends in a massive fiasco, as Wanda accidentally directs Crossbones' suicidal explosion into an inhabited building. Steve tries to cheer up Wanda, but the way he does it isn't the best. Steve acknowledges responsibility for what happened, but doesn't plan to make any changes so that the incident doesn't occur again. To him, collateral damage is natural. While it's true that Wanda did her best, this kind of situation has to be properly addressed. It can't be set aside.
3 Steve Refuses To Sign The Accords Or Reach A Compromise
The Sokovia Accords are the problematic document that stands as the apparent basis of the conflict between Captain America and Iron Man. Numerous countries are in support of the Accords, and even continue being so after the Blip. Tony Stark acknowledges that superheroes need some kind of accountability. Uncomfortable with government authority after the Hydra reveal, Steve refuses to sign.
Both parties have their own justifiable reasons, but what Steve doesn't acknowledge is that the Accords were going to happen whether he liked it or not. He claims to stand up for his principles, but if he had stayed, he could have worked together with Tony to make proper changes and help everyone instead of just himself.
2 Steve Endangers Everyone Who Joins Team Cap
After Bucky reveals the existence of the other Winter Soldiers, Steve recruits Sam Wilson, Ant-Man, Clint, and Wanda, to travel with him to Siberia and defeat them. He believes Tony will not help him, but strangely enough, he doesn't try to explain beyond making a passing comment. This is highly short-sighted, and it just leads to everyone being arrested. It's his knowledge of Bucky's history with Tony that keeps him from turning to Iron Man, since at this point he probably realizes the truth will come out soon.
1 Steve Travels Back In Time And Leaves Everyone Behind
One of the most problematic things about Avengers: Endgame is Steve's choice to stay in the past. Many fans took issues with it and not just because Steve has essentially stolen Peggy's true future from her. Steve leaves his friends behind and only returns when he is an old man. Not even the writers and directors can agree on how this was possible.
Steve would have had to make next to no changes to the timeline, which seems very difficult, or live a completely different timeline – somehow mysteriously allowed by the Time Variance Authority. Additionally, there would have been another Steve Rogers trapped in the ice. Regardless of what happened, one wonders if the Captain America of the future killed the real one, just so that he could take his place.
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