Gilmore Hodge is a brash, physically gifted Army recruit at the training camp where Steve Rogers struggles to keep up. Big, fast, and obedient, he passes every test the program throws at him, which makes him Colonel Phillips's favored choice to receive the Super-Soldier Serum. He carries himself like the ideal candidate and treats the scrawny Rogers with open contempt.
His attitude undoes him. When Agent Carter introduces herself, Hodge mocks her accent and makes a crude remark, earning a punch to the mouth that drops him on his back in front of Phillips. His cruelty toward Steve turns Dr. Erskine against him, since Erskine values character over brawn and sees only a bully. When Phillips tosses a dummy grenade to test the recruits, Hodge dives for cover while Steve throws himself atop it, the moment that settles the choice against him for good.