Steph had several hurdles to jump to get where she was. She had her health holding her back, as well as her gender. Even as Phillips' secretary, at first, the Colonel had no trouble ignoring her and dismissing her as nothing. He figured she was fun to keep around for Erskine, like a gerbil. While Erskine genuinely considered Steph's determination and genuine attitude toward others and Phillips was impressed that she jumped on the grenade, both were concerned that Washington would not be open to the idea of a female soldier.
So when Steph became the recipient of the serum, there were talks of simply shipping her off with a new identity to the middle of nowhere and pretend the entire project didn't even happen. She begged to be sent to the front lines, to do anything. But the world simply wasn't ready. Senator Brandt, however, knew how well Rosie the Riveter posters were selling and encouraged Steph to become an icon to "give the boys over there something worth fighting for." Between being stuck in a lab and being able to sell bonds, Steph chose to sell bonds. Her relationship with Brandt was strained due to how she felt like a gussed up USO doll to parade in front of people and to be ogled at instead of being considered a fellow soldier. The other USO girls didn't see what was so special about Steph and gleefully excluded her from any group activities off stage, further alienating her.
When she rescued the men, however, things were still uneasy about having a female soldier leading a team and leading the front lines. There were more talks of just sending her home. Arguments were made that she would distract the men from fighting, be too emotional for the battlefield. No team would ever follow a woman into the jaws of death.
"One chance, Ms. Rogers," was what they told her. One mission. The second that mission went wrong, she would be sent to live a civilian life in the middle of nowhere. Steph understood the risk.
So when she approached the men that would be the Howling Commandos, she made it clear: they would not be following a woman, she knew how much of a blow to the ego it could be. They would be fighting together. Side by side. They saw what she could do at the HYDRA factory. Dum Dum commented that he would love to see "those bastards run since Hell hath no fury like a woman on a mission!"
Bucky wanted her to go home. He didn't want her on the front lines because he didn't want her to get hurt. She reminded him that it would be like all those times they got into fights back home. That Washington wanted to send her home anyway, far away from where she would ever see him again. The threat of losing Bucky, her constant friend through childhood and adulthood, was enough to make her determined to stay.
One chance. That was the mantra they gave her. Every mission had the threat of being sent home and away looming over her head. Slowly with each mission they embarked on, she gained the respect of the Commandos. She fought twice as hard just to prove to Washington that she could do it, she could be on the front lines without being a distraction, without being too emotional, and that she could fight just as well or even better than anyone else on the battlefield.
During this time, Peggy and Steph's friendship grew. Steph had finally met another woman that didn't particularly care about how she got where she got. During downtime, the two would chat about how they would go dancing and really give the boys something to talk about. Steph had found a female friend that finally understood her.
When she lost Bucky, she feared the worst. Besides losing one of the most important people in her life, she thought that Washington was going to give her orders to go home, to wipe her existence away in one fell swoop. Peggy encouraged her to continue fighting, to keep living from mission to mission and prove once and for all that women were more than capable of being on the battlefield. Steph proved it to Bucky, Peggy reminded, and he would want to see her prove it to the world.
That last mission, she decided, that she would wipe Red Skull and his HYDRA agents off the map entirely. Then Washington could do whatever the hell they wanted with her. Without Bucky to fight for, there really wasn't much else she could live for. Despite Peggy's encouragements, Steph wanted to finish what she started and was ready to turn herself over to the government to do as they pleased.
Expansion on Personality
So when Steph became the recipient of the serum, there were talks of simply shipping her off with a new identity to the middle of nowhere and pretend the entire project didn't even happen. She begged to be sent to the front lines, to do anything. But the world simply wasn't ready. Senator Brandt, however, knew how well Rosie the Riveter posters were selling and encouraged Steph to become an icon to "give the boys over there something worth fighting for." Between being stuck in a lab and being able to sell bonds, Steph chose to sell bonds. Her relationship with Brandt was strained due to how she felt like a gussed up USO doll to parade in front of people and to be ogled at instead of being considered a fellow soldier. The other USO girls didn't see what was so special about Steph and gleefully excluded her from any group activities off stage, further alienating her.
When she rescued the men, however, things were still uneasy about having a female soldier leading a team and leading the front lines. There were more talks of just sending her home. Arguments were made that she would distract the men from fighting, be too emotional for the battlefield. No team would ever follow a woman into the jaws of death.
"One chance, Ms. Rogers," was what they told her. One mission. The second that mission went wrong, she would be sent to live a civilian life in the middle of nowhere. Steph understood the risk.
So when she approached the men that would be the Howling Commandos, she made it clear: they would not be following a woman, she knew how much of a blow to the ego it could be. They would be fighting together. Side by side. They saw what she could do at the HYDRA factory. Dum Dum commented that he would love to see "those bastards run since Hell hath no fury like a woman on a mission!"
Bucky wanted her to go home. He didn't want her on the front lines because he didn't want her to get hurt. She reminded him that it would be like all those times they got into fights back home. That Washington wanted to send her home anyway, far away from where she would ever see him again. The threat of losing Bucky, her constant friend through childhood and adulthood, was enough to make her determined to stay.
One chance. That was the mantra they gave her. Every mission had the threat of being sent home and away looming over her head. Slowly with each mission they embarked on, she gained the respect of the Commandos. She fought twice as hard just to prove to Washington that she could do it, she could be on the front lines without being a distraction, without being too emotional, and that she could fight just as well or even better than anyone else on the battlefield.
During this time, Peggy and Steph's friendship grew. Steph had finally met another woman that didn't particularly care about how she got where she got. During downtime, the two would chat about how they would go dancing and really give the boys something to talk about. Steph had found a female friend that finally understood her.
When she lost Bucky, she feared the worst. Besides losing one of the most important people in her life, she thought that Washington was going to give her orders to go home, to wipe her existence away in one fell swoop. Peggy encouraged her to continue fighting, to keep living from mission to mission and prove once and for all that women were more than capable of being on the battlefield. Steph proved it to Bucky, Peggy reminded, and he would want to see her prove it to the world.
That last mission, she decided, that she would wipe Red Skull and his HYDRA agents off the map entirely. Then Washington could do whatever the hell they wanted with her. Without Bucky to fight for, there really wasn't much else she could live for. Despite Peggy's encouragements, Steph wanted to finish what she started and was ready to turn herself over to the government to do as they pleased.