How ‘The First Avenger’ Made Us Fall In Love With Captain America

The start of possibly the greatest trilogy in comic book movie history

After taking us to space with Thor, the only logical place for Marvel to go was back in time, right? Captain America: The First Avenger put the spotlight firmly on Steve Rogers, the puny guy with the huge heart — not enlarged — , who showed everyone it takes more than muscle and braun to be a hero or even a good soldier. Of course, once he did get those muscles thanks to the super soldier serum, he turned out to not be so bad at flexing it to save the world.

Joe Johnston’s 2011 movie served as the appetizer to 2012’s The Avengers, not only showing us how Rogers became Captain America during World War II and becaome an Avenger in present day, but also the beginnings of S.H.I.E.L.D. The flick had a lot of things to juggle and as you’ll read, we believe it did so with several dozen flying colors.

Marcus Benjamin, G. Hylton, and Raj Anand take you on a trip to the 1940’s, then back to the pre-Avenger days and reminisce on the movie that, in a way, set everything off.

Garfield: Here’s where we get into the good shit. So, full disclosure, I had almost zero prior knowledge of Cap before I saw this movie. Everybody else, I’ve had a passing familiarity with. With Captain America, I just never checked for him. So, as a newbie coming into it, I liked this movie about as much as I liked the first Iron Man. I’m not saying it’s as good as the first IM, I’m saying, the way people feel about Iron Man is the way I feel about The First Avenger. Not to mention, it’s the beginning of what is NON-arguably the greatest trilogy of the MCU.

Marcus: You know what? I’m with you. I love this movie as much as I love the first Iron Man and I feel like this is where they really hit their stride. Joe Johnston was the perfect cat to direct this because he’s at home in that era and time. It feels so much like The Rocketeer, and it was the start of their .1000 percent batting average when it comes to Cap as a character and his movies. The First Avenger is slept on because it’s not one of its sequels but there’s so much dope shit in here to ignore. Also if either one of you haven’t seen The Rocketeer, you should go do that.

Raj: My two cents, this movie was great, and both subsequent Captain America movies got even better. This is easily the best standalone MCU franchise.

Marcus: Well that was painless. I figured there’d be more arguing and name calling. Why are we all saying this one is great?

Garfield: Because Steve Rogers feels human. He wants to do the right thing. He wants to help his friends. He recognizes when things are wrong and he isn’t afraid to say so. The movie never feels too cheesy, even though it’s based on a comic book. It just hits so many good notes when people say they didn’t like it, I figured it’s because they’re already familiar with the story. But for me, THIS is how I wished they’d have written the Thor movie.

Marcus: Yeah, it’s Rogers; the whole thing is on his shoulders. Yes, the other characters are great, even if the villain is lacking — another Marvel hallmark — but the goodness of Steve Rogers shines through. That first scene with him as regular ole Steve Rogers willing to stand up to a group of bullies, even though he knows he’s going to get his ass whipped, says so much about this flick and the character. Much how I feel about Spider-Man, I feel like I could be Steve Rogers and I’m a lot closer to him than Thor or Tony Stark. That whole thing about wanting to do the right thing even if it hurts you in the process is just a beautiful sentiment, even if it does seem old fashioned in 2018. Shit, it felt old fashioned in 2011.

Raj: Echoing what you guys said here. Steve Roger’s moral compass is the differentiator here. Most of the other guys have a shoot first, ask questions later mentality, but Steve is always struggling with justifying his use of force. It’s frustrating sometimes, but it’s human, and ultimately it’s what makes him more relatable to the average viewer, even if other guys like Stark are more badass. It’ll be interesting to see how they move forward after they kill off Cap in Infinity War.

Marcus: How do we feel about his relationship with Bucky and his relationship with Peggy?

Raj: I’m a huge fan of Bucky Barnes, and even though he doesn’t have a very significant role in this movie, they set the stage well for Winter Soldier. He just seems like a regular sidekick in The First Avenger, and didn’t particularly stand out to me, especially the first time I watched it and had no clue who the characters were and would become.

Marcus: Ah so I’m the resident comic book geek who knew who he was. Continue…

Raj: Peggy actually also didn’t stand out to me much either. But the shit with her, Cap, and her niece gets really weird in the next movie.

Marcus: Yeah it’s really not cool. It’s hard looking at it and divorcing yourself from what came but the man dating her niece just isn’t a great look. Peggy gets a much better representation in her gone-too-soon show on ABC. I love her character and genuinely miss seeing her in these movies.

Garfield: Something I noticed during my rewatch. There’s Peggy as the love interest, but this movie is centered on the relationship between Steve and Bucky, which sort of doesn’t leave room one with Peggy. Steve wanted to join the war to fight the good fight because he doesn’t like bullies, but it isn’t until Bucky’s capture where Steve decides to stop pretending to be a soldier and actually becomes one.

Raj: I also really enjoyed the historical element to this movie. Being based in World War II gives it another interesting angle. Relative to the other Avengers, Captain America is outdated in terms of abilities, but it fits perfectly in era the movie’s based in.

My last notable point on The First Avenger, is this was the first movie I ever watched in 3D at home. I was at my fiance’s place in San Diego, and we had found a cheap 3D TV on Craigslist right down by the border. I was in SD for another day before heading back to my spot in LA but we took it out for the night just to see what the fuss was about. I managed to find a 3D version of Captain America online and we had a blast watching Red Skull’s ugly mug pop out of the frame.

Marcus: Red Skull is another whiff.

Garfield: It took three watches for me to realize that’s Agent Smith from The Matrix. I thought he was limited in scope but I found his scenes to be pertinent, even though he doesn’t get a lot of screen time.

Marcus: Hugo Weaving is wasted and he’s nothing more than a twirling mustache. The Red Skull is such a nefarious villain and so insidious, it really is a tragedy that they just used him as a mosquito basically. But to end it on a good note, that scene with Steve crashing the plane in the water? Makes me teary eyed every single time. And then it ends with that perfect button when he’s back in our present day and says he’s late for a dance. I love it so damn much. I remember people wondering how would Chris Evans play Cap when everyone was used to him being Johnny Storm. Dude killed it and I just buy him. Cap is exactly what and who Superman should be in 2018.

Garfield: I know y’all didn’t think we were getting out of here without talking about the propaganda of war for a hero named “Captain America,” right? Captain America started out as a symbol. They paraded him in front of crowds and made movies as a way to recruit people to joined the armed services. That sort of marketing can’t be ignored, particularly when I think about Black people joining the military and specifically, the recruiting tactics used in the hoods I grew up in. Recruiters made joining the army sound like some shit every American citizen is sworn to do to protect our freedoms. There’s very little talk of stories such as the 107th Division (in the movie) getting nearly wiped out shortly before Rogers goes on his quest to find Bucky.

Marcus: That’s a great pull, Gar. It’s another thread of how the Cap movies are almost subversive in showing a mirror to society and displaying our worst qualities. You gotta believe that a guy like Nick Fury saw that WW2 stuff as a kid and was enamored by it. But what makes the movie work, is Cap knows it’s bullshit. It’d be great if he actually said it, but maybe I’m expecting too much from a Disney movie.

Garfield: I think we’ll discuss this more in-depth for Winter Soldier, but Cap knows when something feels off. When people’s intentions aren’t pure and the ulterior motives which can color his perception of “the mission.” In some ways, his naivety could very well be a reflection of the general American public. Cap wants to fight the bad guys, but the bad guys aren’t always clearly defined. It tears at him because at heart, he’s a soldier. He’s supposed to trust the people in command, but that’s exactly what they are, people. And, as he’ll later say in Civil War, “people have agendas.”

Enjoyed what you’ve read so far from our ‘Infinity War Month’? Be sure to browse all of the other articles as we count down the days until the flick hits theaters.

Please recommend the article if you enjoyed it. Be sure to follow us on Twitter and Facebook, username WeAreStillCrew.