Valentine, you’re a super friend!

While this card is plainly geared for a more platonic relationship, Captain America, or Steve Rogers, has had his share of romantic interests.

Cap’s first love was Betsy Ross. Not the one believed to be the mother of the American flag, but a character introduced in the pre-Marvel era. Ross was also the Golden Age super heroine Golden Girl.

1979 Captain America Valentine Card

When Marvel brought Cap back, his history was retrofitted with another first love named Peggy Carter. Like her predecessor, Peggy was a woman Cap met during the war. All evidence of Betsy was dispatched with and Peggy essentially took her place sans super powers. Instead, Peggy was a member of the French resistance. It is unclear is she even knew Cap’s real identity.

When Cap met his fate in the waning days of World War II, Peggy suffered amnesia.

Cap would later meet Sharon Carter. When he was initially unfrozen, World War II was only two decades old, so Sharon was made a younger sister of Peggy. As time passed, her heritage was changed to grand niece to better fit the real passage of time. While they shared a strong bond for many years, their time together passed and the two became close friends instead.

Bernie Rosenthal entered the picture in the early 1980s during John Byrne’s historic year-long run on the title. At one point the two became engaged, but the nuptials were curtailed when Bernie moved to Ohio to attend law school. The two remained close after and she even represented Bucky for crimes he committed as the Winter Soldier.

Love is never simple. Especially in the Marvel Universe.