How ABC Is Celebrating Captain America's 75th Anniversary

We’re only a few, precious months away from the release of Captain America: Civil War, and, as one of the most influential Marvel comics characters, few could say he doesn’t deserve his own movie series. Well, now that the proposed final film in that series is almost upon us, Marvel and ABC have decided to give Cap a little extra attention.

On January 19, ABC will air the special Marvel’s Captain America: 75 Heroic Years. The show will look at the decades long history of Captain America and see how he continues to impact the world of superheroes today. The documentary will detail the ways in which this character has has mirrored changing times in the real world. The one hour special will feature Marvel personalities and actors from various Marvel properties, such as Stan Lee, Joe Quesada, Jeph Loeb, Chris Evans and Hayley Atwell. And, as anyone who’s followed the Captain America story for just a few years will know, the special will have a lot of ground to cover.

Captain America was created in 1940 by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby. WWII was raging and their belief in freedom led them to create a character with a strong moral compass who always seeks to do the right thing and correct injustices when he sees them. Cap always fights for his beliefs and has served as a beacon of truth and justice in the vast Marvel universe.

Steve Rogers was a scrawny student who tried to enlist to fight in WWII, but failed the physical requirements. His intense dedication to wanting to serve his country led to him being invited to volunteer for the government’s Operation: Rebirth, a mission meant to make American soldiers present the height of physical perfection. Rogers undergoes the procedure, and comes out a changed man; he’s no longer a scrawny hopeful rejected by the military, Steve Rogers is now Captain America.

After his service leads to him being incased in ice in the North Atlantic, he’s found in the modern day and becomes one of The Avengers. In the comics, Cap goes on to lead or participate in many teams, and even have several adventures on his own, many of which require him to protect the Earth from global threats.

Well, Captain America certainly has a storied and complicated history for the documentary to explore. That’s not a surprise, either, since the character has been a part of the comic book landscape for a whopping 75 years. Cap has become one of the more popular and well-know heroes outside of comic fan circles in recent years, due to the start of the character’s film presence in Captain America: The First Avenger in 2011. His portrayal on screen by Chris Evans has brought a whole new group of Captain America lovers into the fold. And I’m sure that will lead to the success of this show, especially on ABC, which has strong ties to Marvel now.

You can see more of Captain America when Captain America: Civil War opens on May 6, 2016.