3. Steve has experienced genuine tragedy
There’s only one thing we love more than an underdog, and that’s an underdog who confronts real hardship with dignity and sincerity.
In the course of The First Avenger, Steve must come to terms with the death of his friend (later turned enemy) Bucky; to further rub salt in the wound, he can’t even drink to his pal’s demise because his enhanced abilities mean he’s destined to live in a state of perpetual sobriety.
Even more courageous was Steve’s climactic decision to put himself on ice – literally – and freeze himself to protect the entire world, waking up seven decades later utterly bewildered to face the modern age. That’s an act of sacrifice that dwarfs anything undertaken by the other Avengers – and to further compound things, let’s not forget he left behind his great love Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell) in the process (sadness reinforced by the genuinely poignant and terrific reunion scene in The Winter Soldier).
