 A World War II veteran who was enhanced to the peak of human physicality by an experimental serum and frozen in suspended animation before waking up in the modern world . Evans was cast as part of a deal to star in three Marvel films , in addition to The Avengers . Evans said that Steve Rogers is much darker in The Avengers : " It 's just about him trying to come to terms with the modern world . You 've got to imagine , it 's enough of a shock to accept the fact that you 're in a completely different time , but everybody you know is dead . Everybody you cared about . . . He was a soldier , obviously , everybody he went to battle with , all of his brothers in arms , they 're all dead . He 's just lonely . I think in the beginning it 's a fish @-@ out @-@ of @-@ water scene , and it 's tough . It 's a tough pill for him to swallow . Then comes trying to find a balance with the modern world . " Regarding the dynamic between Rogers and Tony Stark , Evans said , " I think there 's certainly a dichotomy — this kind of friction between myself and Tony Stark , they 're polar opposites . One guy is flash and spotlight and smooth , and the other guy is selfless and in the shadows and kind of quiet and they have to get along . They explore that , and it 's pretty fun . " 
