This paper will analyze what makes Steve Rogers as displayed in the movie “Captain America – the first avenger” directed by Joe Johnson in 2011, a leader. This will be examined with current literature about various leadership styles. The author used the model of Bass & Avolio who described the transformational leadership style. After evaluating if Captain America is a transformational leader this paper will continue and analyses the character of the fictional person and determine why he used his abilities for protecting humanity from evil and not used it against it. For this, the paper refers to the BKD Model by Campbell (2004).
The movie “Captain America: The First Avenger” is based on a comic book called “Captain America I” which was published in 1941. The book showed Captain America fighting Nazi Germany and predicted the participation of the United States at World War II. The authors claim that Captain America was created to enhance the patriotic spirit of young Americans during that time (Weiner, 2009). Before becoming Captain America, Steve Rogers was a thin, small and frail young man driven by the desire to enlist for the military and contribute his part in World War II. Despite several tries under different aliases the military refused to draft him due to his bad physical condition and numerous diseases. In his last attempted to enlist for the army, the scientist Dr. Abraham Erskine who was the leading scientist for the secret super soldier project, gave Rogers a chance to become a soldier. After attending a training camp, Erskine administered a serum to Rogers which transformed the little and frail young man into a muscular and tall super soldier. This was the birth of the character Captain America. (Johnston, 2011).
Leadership is a very broad topic and it appears that back in the early 1970’s every leadership writer had its own definition. Researchers recorded in 2008 on a Google search on leadership 168,000,000 results and by 2011 the amount increased to 418,000,000. Thus, it can be argued that the amount of definitions for leadership will multiply in the following years. (Iszatt-White, Saunders, 2014).
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- Introduction
- Theoretical background
- Analysis
- Conclusion
- Sources
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This paper analyzes the leadership qualities of Steve Rogers, as depicted in the movie "Captain America: The First Avenger," using existing literature on various leadership styles. The paper explores if Captain America embodies a transformational leadership style, and subsequently examines his decision to utilize his abilities for the benefit of humanity rather than for personal gain. The author references the BKD Model by Campbell (2004) to examine the character of Captain America.
- Analyzing the leadership style of Captain America
- Applying the transformational leadership model of Bass & Avolio
- Examining the character of Steve Rogers and his motivations
- Utilizing the BKD Model by Campbell (2004)
- Exploring the concept of leadership in the context of a US Soldier
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
- Introduction: This chapter introduces the research topic, which is the analysis of Steve Rogers' leadership as portrayed in the movie "Captain America: The First Avenger." It outlines the methodology used to analyze Captain America's leadership, referencing the transformational leadership style and the BKD Model by Campbell (2004). The chapter provides background information on the movie and the comic book character.
- Theoretical background: This chapter explores the concept of leadership and its definitions, highlighting the vast number of interpretations available. It focuses on the US Army's definition of leadership, which emphasizes influence, purpose, direction, motivation, and mission accomplishment. The chapter introduces the transformational leadership style, its components, and differentiates between authentic and pseudo-transformational leaders.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
The main keywords and focus topics include leadership, transformational leadership, Captain America, Steve Rogers, US Army, BKD Model, values, attributes, character, and ethical leadership. The paper explores the application of leadership theory to a fictional character, analyzing his motivations and decision-making process.
- Quote paper
- Anonym (Author), 2020, What makes Captain America a Leader, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/967000
