I believe that Captain America is a unique Hero/Superhero among all the other mainstream comic book heroes. Mainly because he is the only one who had no reason to become a hero and face the hardships and yet he did. Let me explain by comparing Cap's origin with other mainstream super heroes:
- Death in the family/Revenge
This seems to be one of the most common super hero origins among the DC and Marvel universes. We have Batman who chose to become batman after his parents were killed. Daredevil because of his father. While there are some who share this partially, such as Spider-man got super powers "accidentally" (we'll get to that) and chose to do good after his uncle Ben was murdered. We have Spawn whose family was assassinated and then he was "chosen" (we'll get to that as well) to become the spawn. Punisher, The Flash, Wolverine, Green Arrow Robin (Grayson) and so on and so forth. Captain America didn’t have such motivation of revenge or hatred and yet he chose to serve his country and be a hero against all odds by enlisting in the army.
- Accidental Superpowers
This is probably THE most common method a superhero gets his powers. By accident, and then he decides to become a Hero and fight crime and sometimes he becomes "Bad" (but we'll get to that) The list includes: Spider-man, Daredevil, The Flash, The Fantastic Four, Hulk, Captain Marvel, Cyborg, Venom, Firestorm and so on and so forth. Captain America underwent a Government experiment to become a peak human, there were no accidents that gave him any motive or SUPERpowers for that matter. He was always motivated to do well and help the weak. He didn't need any added incentive of super speed or unbreakable skin to be a Hero.
- The Chosen one/Government Agents
This is a rather less common way for heroes to get there superpowers and there are a few well know characters who got their powers this way. Dr. Strange was chosen by the One to be the next sorcerer supreme, Ghost rider was mephisto's next rider, spawn was chosen by the devil, Constantine was chosen by the God, Silver surfer was one of Galactus' Heralds, Green Lantern was chose by the Lantern Corp., Agent venom was chosen by SHIELD and so were all the other Agents of SHIELD like Black widow and Hawkeye. You can argue that Cap was also chosen by the military but then again he was chosen for his Morality, not because he sold his soul to the devil or because he was a world class assassin. In other words they turned a Hero into a Super Hero. Even though the government didn't allow him to engage, yet he decided to help his brother in arms.
- SCIENCE (Experiments/Suits)
And sometimes when Governments/large organizations cannot choose a skilled person for their good or bad deeds, they create them. Wolverine was a government experiment, Antman was his own lab rat, Iron man made his own suit, and so did atom and even our beloved ninja turtles were the result of SCIENCE! O_O. And once they get their powers they are either compelled by their creator to do good or by their new found abilities. Now before you say that Cap's powers also come from SCIENCE. Think again, because what we are discussing here is not how a hero gets his super/powers. But what motivation he had to put his life on the line repeatedly for his fellow humans. And we saw, how Cap jumped on that grenade BEFORE he even knew he will be selected for the weapon plus programme.
- Race or Legacy
This is another motivation for someone to fight the good fight when they realize that they either belong to a Guardian and/or Superior Race. We have all the X-Men who fall in this bracket; we have the Asgardians (Thor), the Amazonians (wonder Woman), the Atlanteans (Namor/Aquaman), the Inhumans and so on and so forth. Then some superior race beings do it because it is either their legacy to serve and protect like Shazam and Black panther or they are among the last few survivors of their race and they dare to make a difference by using their super human abilities.
The list includes Martian Manhunter, Star lord, super girl, Groot, Spock, Riddick and the Original Superhero... SUPERMAN! Sadly, Captain had no such luxuries of belonging to a master race or being passed down a legacy and support of a family or an empire to be a superhero. He is just a kid from Brooklyn; born in an earnest hardworking family, raised on the streets and the only extras he has to help him fight evil is his shield.
- Anti-heroes/ Mercenaries/ Villains
This is a rather popular niche nowadays. Here a comic book character might have a motive of doing well out of nowhere similar to Captain America. But deep inside he is still evil with Ulterior Motives or just an A-Hole after money and not a true selfless Hero like cap. The list includes Magneto, Deadpool, Deadshot, Deathstroke, Guardians of the galaxy.
Sooo, What do you guys think of my analysis and do you think that it is wrong to think that Captain America really does have a unique standing when it comes to Heroic motivations and origin. Keep in mind that this comparison was made among the mainstream comic book super heroes. If there is a similar character in some indie Japanese manga, that doesn't count.