The Marvel Cinematic Universe has a lot of films and storylines to go through, some characters being shown in their own films or the likes of Hulk who has his story arc go over several other films instead of his own. This post will be about Captain America, if it wasn’t obvious from the title, and this is the franchise that spans the largest time frame of any as well as including one of the most influential films of the franchise outside the ‘Avengers’ films.
Now, as many of my own conversations with other nerd inclined individuals I’ve found that people either love Captain America or they find him a bit boring. One thing that rings true for a majority of the people I’ve spoken to is that the trilogy under Cap’s name doesn’t feel like a trilogy. Or at least doesn’t when comparing it to others such as Iron Man or Thor. I’m here to say how I don’t agree with this, not only do I disagree with this but I find it the most consistent of any of MCUs franchises.
It obviously starts where all things do, at the beginning, 2011’s Captain America: The First Avenger. Before I go any further, this film isn’t without its faults, and a lot of the time it is deemed to be one of MCUs shorter comings. However, it is hugely important for the trilogy and for Captain America himself, it is the one to set the tone for the rest. Cap is always seen as the one hero to always do the right thing, he’s the moral backbone of the Avengers and the one others look to when trying to choose between right and wrong. Although, Cap has one blind spot, that blind spot’s name is Bucky Barnes, his best friend and the driving force of the trilogy.
First Avenger plods along and Cap is visibly frustrated with his lack of involvement in the War, not being able to fight alongside his fellow countrymen against the Nazis. He doesn’t do anything about this until he finds out Bucky is one of the many captured behind enemy lines, this is the moment Cap goes from a cheerleader on steroids to the hero the franchise is built on and all because of Bucky. Who we all know is soon lost to a snow slowed fall off an Uncharted train. Another turning point for the super soldier. But there’s a mission that needs finishing and a third act of the film to do so alas the weightlifting Boy Scout continues on without him.
Then comes 2014’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier, the Russo Brother’s introduction the director’s of MCU as well as Cap’s first solo outing in the 21st Century. So, yes, a lot of this film shows Cap’s struggle to handle being out of time both socially and professionally, which are both handled with care. The social aspect is the one to focus though, as everyone now knows and as comic fans knew once the title was revealed, the one and only Bucky Barnes is not only in this movie but set up to be Cap’s physical antagonist.
As the film makes clear to the audience that the villain of this film is Hydra that have infiltrated Shield, but Captain America’s physical equal to go one on one against is The Winter Soldier. Although, this is also the emotional turn in the film, until this point everyone we find out is working for Shield while secretly working for Hydra is a simple black and white “This the bad guy, here.” That is until Cap unmasks Bucky after one of the best hand to hand fights Marvel has to offer to date, its at this point Cap questions the grey area between good and bad.
The man he risked his life to save and the one that convinced him to go from an entertainer to an Avenger is now not only the one he’s fighting but he has no memory of his old pal Steve. All of this happens right after he finds his new BFF Sam Wilson, being able to find someone similar to Bucky from at least the sense of a good man and a good soldier. The rest of the film Cap is trying to stop those who are working for Hydra which can only be done with the complete eradication of Shield itself. However, that’s not his main focus, his focus is getting Bucky back. Even stopping his fight in the hope that will get is brainwashed bud back from his Hydra hypnotisers.
And we all know how that ends, Shield is in pieces, Bucky saves Cap from the water and there’s a lot of fish that need to temporarily share their sleeping quarters with three recently destroyed Helicarriers. The MCU goes on and then comes around the third and final Cap film, 2016’s Captain America: Civil War, the film most people will say feels less like a Cap film and more like Avengers 2.5. Which, I will admit that at times it does, with only Thor and Hulk being the only missing parts in the ensemble for this throw down film. And yes, the main plot is about the battle between Iron Man and Cap about the Sokovia accords being the battle field for them, when they aren’t disrupting flight schedules.
Again, this film for Cap is about no one more than Bucky Barnes, it’s the Winter Soldier himself that puts the final nail in the coffin for which side Cap is on. Now, he doesn’t agree with the accords anyway, but its his fight to save Bucky from Black Panther and the United Nations that pushes the accords to where they are. We find out that it is all instrumented by Zemo, and he uses Bucky to start this war with Earth’s mightiest heroes. However, Cap’s fighting force is to help his buddy Bucky, from start to finish, Bucky is his last remaining hold on his own time. Everyone else in his life from the early 20th Century has died whether of natural causes or foul play, with the last being the love of his life, Peggy Carter.
Now, he has his best friend from his childhood, the one remaining anchor to what he considers his actual time, who has not only had to deal with having his brain washed and wiped over and over again. But now is the target of every official on the planet as well as a pissed of Royal prince in a cat costume and half of the Avengers. Then to makes things even worse, its revealed that his bested friend in the world is also the one that killed Iron Man’s parents. Even having video evidence of him choking Mrs Stark out and punching Mr Stark until he was able to smell the back of his own head. Leading to the final fight of the film, a showdown where Iron Man will do anything to kill Bucky and Cap who will do anything to save him. The biggest and dirtiest fight between any two heroes put to screen and solely for Cap to save his best friend.
So, in conclusion of this overly long post about a trilogy most people don’t tend to want to sit through, the Captain America trilogy is the most tightly told trilogy even though it spans over 70 years of time and tackles many different real world issues. At the heart of the trilogy it is all about the friendship between Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes. It begins with small Steve being saved by the bigger Bucky and ends with Bucky being saved by the bigger Steve. Even including the comedic outlet of both Bucky and Sam being jealous of the other’s friendship with the main man himself.
The Nerdy Bartender 