As the 20th century progressed, comic books thrived as anti-Semitism grew rampant in both the United States and Germany. The Great Depression demanded a reckoning, and Jews— historically stereotyped as manipulative, money-hungry, and cowardly— were an easy scapegoat. This hatred toward not only this group but the nations responsible for Germany’s humiliation post-WWI continued to simmer until it boiled over into both the Holocaust and the Second World War. Few mainstream news sources in the United States reported on either, out of both a general isolationist sentiment and the fear of making themselves a target for anti-Semetic attacks. Comic books didn’t suffer from this same self-censorship however; the industry was inhabited top to bottom by Jews, and war was largely overlooked as a “serious” form of propaganda. As such, it became a prime breeding ground for pro-interventionist propaganda. In 1938, three years before America joined the war, the editor of Timely Comics ordered his stable of artists and authors to show their characters “mopping the floor with Nazi spies and saboteurs.” (Milford 612) Of course, the Jews who filled 330 West 42nd st took this to heart, and none more iconically than Jack Kirby and Joe Shuster. on the cover of their 1941 title, Captain America Comics #1. Watch as the iconic star-spangled hero clobbers Adolf Hitler, his officers looking on in horror. One can imagine how cathartic it must have felt for Kirby to illustrate this cover, the red-gloved punch fueled not just by super serum but Kirby’s rage. Captain America’s symbolic power extended far beyond the offices of Timely, however. His depiction is that of the idealized American, indefatigable, masculine, and patriotic, a stark contrast to the conniving (though ultimately incompetent) Germans he battled. The simple, powerful imagery of the comic portrayed the fight against the Axis Powers as not just a Jewish one, but an American one. The message proved not only effective, but incredibly popular—the comic eventually outsold Time Magazine.
Consider Questions: Consider Questions: What elements of Captain America do you think made him so popular? Are there any elements of Steve Rodgers' backstory that inadvertently tie into Nazi ideals? Are there any connections to Jewish culture or folklore you notice in his characterization?
Links to Media: https://www.marvel.com/comics/issue/7849/captain_america_comics_1941_1
Bibliography:
Milford, Mike. “Veiled Intervention: Anti-Semitism, Allegory, and Captain America.” Rhetoric and Public Affairs 20, no. 4 (2017): 605–34. https://doi.org/10.14321/rhetpublaffa.20.4.0605.
Weiner, Robert G. “Marvel Comics and the Golem Legend.” Shofar, vol. 29, no. 2, 2011, pp. 50–72., https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.5703/shofar.29.2.50. Accessed 16 Nov. 2025.
