In the late 1930's, when WWII was still 'over there' and Marvel Comics was still a fledgling imprint of the much larger 'Timely Publications', editor Joe Simon and artist Jack Kirby conceived and designed the first American Super Soldier.
The legendary Steve Rogers was a skinny, sickly kid from Brooklyn who desperately wanted to serve his country, but he just could not pass the Army's physical exam. Then through a bizarre twist of fate, Rogers became the first and (as even more fate would have it) only subject of 'Operation Re-Birth', a secret Government program devised to build an army of Super-Soldiers to defend the USA.  In the parallel universe of the comics, Captain America battled on to lead the USA and the free world to victory in the Second World War!
In 1941, Captain America became the first 'Super Hero' to star in his own comic book. He was eventually brought 'up-to-date' in Marvel Comics' The Avengers in 1964.