Does the Army owe Captain America back pay? No — he cashed out 30 years ago

Forget "Captain America: Civil War." What about "Captain America: Military Millionaire"?

The superhero's financial status earned some online buzz this week when the Army weighed in on a Reddit user's estimate that the World War II veteran, frozen for decades before thawing out in time to star in two blockbuster sequels, would be owed about $3 million in back pay for his service.

The post, under the online forum's Fan Theories section, caught the eye of Business Insider reporter James Grebey, who took user anon33249038's math direct to the source. Army spokesman Wayne Hall found a number of flaws with the Redditor's calculations, including a misread of World War II-era pay tables and a failure to account for the likely promotions Capt. Steve Rogers would've received while listed as missing in action, although "Lieutenant Colonel America: Civil War" probably wouldn't gross $190 million domestic in four days.

"[A] a wide variety of variables would have to be taken into consideration to actually calculate the true amount of back pay to which he would be entitled to receive," Hall said, per Business Insider. "[G]iven that he is a fictional character we cannot truly capture all of those variables accurately."
One variable not mentioned: The superhero already received his back pay, which amounted to around $1 million, in Captain America No. 312, published in December 1985.

Per multiple online comic-book data repositories, Rogers gets his check in the mail, out of the blue, and is not allowed to return it. He uses the money to fund a hotline that would allow citizens to call on him, quite literally, in moments of need, but the roll-out is ruined by the debut of an anti-nationalist villain aptly named the Flag-Smasher.
One variable not mentioned: The superhero already received his back pay, which amounted to around $1 million, in Captain America No. 312, published in December 1985.

Per multiple online comic-book data repositories, Rogers gets his check in the mail, out of the blue, and is not allowed to return it. He uses the money to fund a hotline that would allow citizens to call on him, quite literally, in moments of need, but the roll-out is ruined by the debut of an anti-nationalist villain aptly named the Flag-Smasher.