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[unspangled]

IN-CHARACTER:
Character name: Steven Grant Rogers
Character journal: unspangled
Series name: Marvel Cinematic Universe AU
Canon notes: MCU AU in which Steve fell from the train instead of Bucky Barnes near the end of CA: TFA and was captured by the Russians/HYDRA. He is from post-The Winter Soldier in late 2014.

Species: Human enhanced with Abraham Erskine's original super-soldier serum.

History: Once upon a time, there was a Marvel Cinematic Universe where Steve Rogers, small and sickly, with an oversized sense of right and wrong, and an even bigger heart, grew up to become Captain America. He saved his best friend from the clutches of HYDRA, formed an elite commando unit, and proceeded to terrorize the Nazis and HYDRA for the latter half of WWII. And then he fell from a train in the Alps, instead of his best friend, and was assumed killed in action.

Except that wasn't the end of his story. Before James Barnes could gather resources to look for his body, Steve was found by Soviet troops and turned over to the very organization that'd he'd spent his Army career fighting - HYDRA. Suffering amnesia and broken bones, his temporary weaknesses were exploited, keeping him only semi-conscious. His experiences closely parallel MCU Bucky. They also gave him experimental drug cocktails to prolong his amnesia, helped the serum fix what was physically broken, and began training him in their newly formed Winter Soldier program. It took years, frankly, to break down Steve's personality. When training and brainwashing wavered, torture frequently took over, and they never left him to his own devices long enough for the serum to start trying to fix his brain. This was their golden opportunity to strike back at the Allies (and the world). Especially with the Red Skull missing and Arnim Zola working in the shadows. Cut one head down, two more rise. Blah blah blah.

The name Steve Rogers became a legend, a patriot who gave his life in the war for love of country and love of freedom. The man himself became a ghost, trained in the use of most weapons, most martial arts, how to move silently and swiftly to complete his missions and put the fear of the unknown into the hearts and minds of the world. For seven decades, he moved through the world at the direction of HYDRA, shaping and reshaping history as his masters saw fit, never stopping, never complaining, always successful. The perfect soldier. Erskine would have been horrified to see the culmination of his life's work come to such a dangerous pinnacle.

Steve's work as the Asset follows much the same path as MCU!canon Bucky Barnes. He shot presidents and assassinated friends and moved through the 20th century so quietly that his mere existence was considered at best a rumor and at worst a hoax. Being kept on ice (cryo) between missions also helped his elusive reputation, but that was more about keeping his version of the serum from starting to repair the damage that HYDRA wreaked on him with drugs and torture and regular memory wipes. Then there were a few hiccups concerning Project Insight in 2014, and his masters unleashed him onto the recently found and thawed Captain America, a man who turned out not to be his greatest enemy, but his best friend - Bucky Barnes. It was Bucky who managed to push through decades of conditioning, who refused to fight once he'd sabotaged the project, and who reminded Steve that he was a person in the first place, instead of just a walking, talking weapon.

Personality: Steve is a stubborn and compassionate person at heart, who isn't afraid to bend, break, or ignore rules that get in the way of doing the right thing. He's always ready to step between a victim and a bully, regardless of whether that bully is just a local thug or politician, or someone like the leaders of the Third Reich. He does not tolerate bigotry or prejudice and prefers to use people's actions and how they treat other people as a baseline judgment of their moral character. And, because he was a short, sickly person most of his life, understands the value of strength and compassion, especially where it's least expected. He has a terrible temper that sometimes gets away from him, but he's also smart and resourceful, accustoming to looking for solutions to problems outside the proverbial box. He's a good man with a huge heart who can't stand unfairness in any form.

That's the man who falls into the mountain ravine. That man is, for all intents and purposes, dead and buried for seventy-plus years. HYDRA takes the willingness to fight, the urge to protect everyone around him, and twists it into a willingness to fight for their beliefs, and a willingness to protect and please his masters, to complete each mission at whatever cost. They hollow him out and replace his solid moral compass with a mockery of it. HYDRA becomes the hand, the trigger finger, who aims and shoots Steve at their enemies. He has no remorse and displays a sense of ruthlessness that is only hinted at in his earlier years. (See: willingness to get into the Army by any means necessary.)

Without the grounding of his morals, and people like Bucky to believe in him, Steve becomes his own dark side. Anger, frustration, resolve, the underbelly of the human condition is writ large across the brainwashed assassin. And his conditioning is so absolute that it takes the face of an old friend, and Steve hearing his own name, to find the will to try and break it. Because that's the other part of his personality. Outside of his heart and compassion and determination to help other people, even when it means facing down incredible odds, Steve is stubborn. Often too stubborn for his own good like listening to reason or trusting opinions other than his own. And it's not until Bucky reappears in his life that Steve is suddenly confronted with that sense of reasonableness to balance out his own more extreme personality traits that HYDRA's perfect soldier falters. It's only after the battle in DC, when Steve is forced to come face to face with his own past and the horrific things he did under HYDRA's control, that his original personality begins to filter through.

He's still quiet, reserved, stubborn, and incredibly traumatized, but he's also capable of putting others before himself and standing up to bullies again. Even if that bully is himself. Additionally, his original personality traits - the good ones and the negative ones - will begin to resurface the longer he is out of cryo and thinking for himself. But Steve is a broken man, weighted down by PTSD and the violence and traumas both wrought on him by his enemies and the violence and trauma he wrought on his victims. It is not going to be an easy road to travel, and he may not fully ever be the man he once was. Steve is willing to try though. Which is probably the best testament of all to the legacy of Steve Rogers and Captain America.

Abilities:
Through Project Rebirth, and as Captain America, Steve gained the following powers and abilities:

Enhanced Physiology - Intelligence, Strength, Durability, Speed, Stamina, Agility, Reflexes, and Senses (see, hear, smell, feel, and taste)

Regenerative Healing - Immunity to all Earth's infections, diseases, and disorders, and he can't become intoxicated by alcohol, drugs, toxins, or other impurities.

Shield Mastery - The vibranium shield he wielded as Cap is unique and he is an expert at using it both as a long-distance weapon and in close combat thanks to countless hours of practice and approximately a year of wartime experience.

Master Tactician - Steve is a master strategist. He can come up with impromptu plans that work, utilizing the strength of team members, strangers, and enemies. He led the Commandos behind enemy lines more than once with 99.9% mission success (the .01 failure being his own death).

Artist - Before WWII, Steve made his living as a professional artist. Not only is he really good at art (even taking classes), he can also use that talent to help frame missions, like being able to accurately pinpoint HYDRA bases after seeing a map for only a few seconds during his rescue of Bucky.

[Source: MCU!Wiki]

Through HYDRA, and the Winter Soldier Program, Steve gained the following powers and abilities:

Master Martial Artist - Initially trained to fight by the Army and Agent Carter, Steve's martial arts training was continued by HYDRA. He is formidable, capable of taking out single opponents or larger groups and utilizes expertise in various martial arts including elements of Kali knife fighting, Boxing, Taekwondo, and Krav Maga.

Knife Mastery - Steve is an expert in Kali style blade fighting and every bit the knife-wielding threat his Soldier counterpart is in canon MCU.

Master Marksman - While Steve wasn't a sniper before his fall and capture, he has been trained to fully proficient status with a wide array of firearms, including handguns and rifles. But he does not have quite the natural flair for it that MCU Bucky does.

Master Assassin - He is the Winter Soldier, the HYDRA operative that takes out their enemies, most often with no one the wiser. His very existence is a rumor in intelligence circles but he was still credited with over two dozen kills before being unmasked on the streets of DC. His actual body count is much higher.

Master Acrobat - thanks to Erskine's serum and enhanced physicality, Steve is a master acrobat capable of twisting his body fast enough to dodge short bursts of gunfire. He can also ride a motorcycle and perform Olympic level tricks with ease.

Expert Pilot - As the Soldier, Steve was trained to fly jets, helicopters, all-terrain vehicles, and the occasional boat for mission readiness. He also knows how to fly WWII era planes from his Rebirth training.

Multilingualism - Steve is fluent in English, French, Spanish, Russian, Romanian and German. He is also likely proficient in other languages, considering the other Winter Soldiers (in his future) each spoke over thirty.

[Source: MCU!Wiki]

Augment Skillset: Communications