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Why wasn't Captain America "enough" for Colonel Chester Philips?

Science Fiction & Fantasy Asked on April 15, 2021

In the movie Captain America: The First Avenger, we hear this dialogue between Steve Rogers and Colonel Chester Philips:

Col. Chester Phillips: You’re an experiment. You’re going to Alamogordo.
Steve Rogers: The serum worked.
Col. Chester Phillips: I asked for an army and all I got was you. You are not enough.

Given that this takes place in the second World War (about 1940-1944) and the serum was a great technological invention, shouldn’t they think that he could lead in a battle instead of dancing with girls for fund-raising?

2 Answers

Phillips didn’t want to send Steve off on the tour to get people to sign up, his plan was for Cap to go to Alamogordo to try and reproduce the serum so he could create the army he wanted. It is Brandt that decides to send him off on the tour to get more people to sign up/war bonds, Brandt’s comments immediately after the part you’ve quoted makes both his and Phillips motivations clear.

Senator Brandt: With all due respect to the Colonel, I think we may be missing the point. I’ve seen you in action, Steve. More importantly, the country’s seen it. Paper. The enlistment lines have been around the block since your picture hit the newsstands. You don’t take a soldier, a symbol like that, and hide him in a lab. Son, do you want to serve your country on the most important battlefield of the war?

Captain America: The First Avenger

He’s not enough because one man is never usually going to be enough and they’re still not sure how good the formula is. But even if the serum was excellent Steve can’t be everywhere in the war at once. Phillips’ plan was to recreate the serum using Steve’s blood and create an army that would all but guarantee the victory.

Brandt came along and suggested instead they use Steve to get people to sign up as more men would help create the victory. He then later used Steve to get people to buy war bonds to help fund the war.

Correct answer by TheLethalCarrot on April 15, 2021

Knowledge has been lost

In the middle of the experiment that created Captain America, the Dr. Erskine, the German scientist leading the project (Stanley Tucci), was killed by a Nazi assassin. Because of poor "bus factor", the knowledge of how to reproduce the experiment at scale died with Dr. Erskine.

Col. Philips was frustrated by the huge setback in the project.

Col. Philips wanted to send Captain America to Alamogordo to assist other scientists in trying to reconstruct Dr. Erskine's work, a role which would basically consist of being a "lab rat".

The context was "going to Germany to fight HYDRA"

"You are not enough" means that Philips wanted more than one soldier to square off against HYDRA.

Col. Chester Philips: I spoke to the president this morning. As of today, the SSR is being re-tasked. We are taking the fight to HYDRA. Pack your bags, Agent Carter. You too, Stark. We're flying to London tonight.
Steve Rogers: Sir, if you're going after Schmidt, I want in.
Col. Chester Phillips: You're an experiment. You're going to Alamogordo.
Steve Rogers: The serum worked.
Col. Chester Phillips: I asked for an army and all I got was you. You are not enough.

... (to fight HYDRA).

Answered by Harper - Reinstate Monica on April 15, 2021

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