Chester Philips
Phillips was the officer in command of the secret project in the Strategic Scientific Reserve aimed to create a series of super soldiers for the United States Army. He was the chief of the Camp Lehigh in which the candidates were trained. Arriving at the camp, Phillips found Peggy Carter was already hitting one of the recruits for stepping out of line. Phillips gave a speech of the candidates about how they would create the best soldier to defeat HYDRA .
Eventually, Abraham Erskine presented Steve Rogers as a potential candidate for the Project, but Rogers' frail physique led Phillips to view him as unsuitable, suggesting Gilmore Hodge, a physically superior soldier but also a bully. To prove his own theory correct, Phillips threw a fake grenade at the soldiers, but Rogers was the one who attempted to shield the blast while the other soldiers ran for cover. Phillips then reluctantly acquiesced.
Months later, several companies of men from in the 107th Infantry disappeared behind enemy lines, while Steve Rogers was in the area as part of his own USO tour. Upon discovering that one of the missing soldiers was Bucky Barnes, Rogers pleaded with Phillips to stage a rescue attempt. Phillips, though regretful for his soldiers' fate, refused, planning to bomb the facility instead of risking more lives. A frustrated Rogers defied Phillips' order and went on the mission with the help of Peggy Carter and Howard Stark.
Before he could punish Carter for her part in the mission, they were interrupted when Rogers returned successfully in rescuing the men alone. While all the soldiers in the camp happily greeted Rogers along with the rescued Barnes, Dum Dum Dugan and hundreds of others, many of whom needed medical attention, Phillips allowed him to work in the field rather than court martialing him, and entrusted him with a special elite commando force, Howling Commandoes, to take onto the front lines in order to take the fight to Red Skull's forces.
During one of his Howling Commandos missions, Captain America was able to capture Arnim Zola, at the loss of Bucky Barnes. Philips went to interrogate him and decided to confuse him by offering him a steak dinner, which was refused; when Zola said it was because he was a vegetarian, Phillips poked fun at how Zola is the only member of HYDRA not to commit suicide. Philips had, however, sent a radio message claiming Zola had given the HYDRA secrets to SSR, the plan being that HYDRA would decode the message and view Zola as a traitor. Phillips interrogation of Arnim Zola was successful and with his help the Strategic Scientific Reserve located Johann Schmidt's last secret HYDRA base. Eventually, Phillips helped Rogers in reaching the Valkyrie riding Schmidt's special car. As they caught up to the plane, Rogers was pulled back by Peggy Carter who gave him a kiss goodbye, leading to Phillips making it clear that he would not be kissing him. Phillips managed to get Rogers onto the plane before ending on the edge of a ravine and seeing the plane flying away with Rogers and the Skull on board to have a final fight.
Phillips continued the fight with the Howling Commandoes now under Dum Dum Dugan's (Timothy Dugan) lead. After the War Colonel Phillips joined with Howard Stark and Peggy Carter to form SHIELD out of their department. He retired with several grandchildren and died iving with them happily in 1980s
Species
Year of Death
1983
Aligned Organization
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