As an avid follower of the Marvel films that tie into The Avengers, one begins to question if the quality of these amazing films will be lost due to the quantity. Thankfully, Captain America: Winter Soldier has laid all those worries to rest.
NOTE: POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD
To fully understand the impact of Captain America, our first Avenger, it is important to remember when Captain America first premiered in 1941. World War II swept the world into turmoil and uncertainty as Europe desperately defended itself from catastrophic Nazi rule. America needed a hero; therefore, Marvel provided a symbol of hope and faith in the form of their savior, Captain America. With red, white, and blue painted all across his uniform, readers of all ages were able to feel patriotic and to momentarily detach themselves from the horrors of reality.
In the first Captain America film, Captain America: The First Avenger, we meet Steve Rogers, a small man with a big heart who is willing to sacrifice his own life and happiness to protect his country. Through science, technology, and the help of Tony Stark’s (Iron Man’s) father, his weak body evolves to match his strong and noble heart. He fights in the war, stands as a beacon of hope, and eventually falls into the addictive life of fame. However, he remembers why he transformed himself and uses his abilities to protect people who cannot protect themselves, ultimately sacrificing himself (or so we are lead to believe).
Flash forward to The Avengers where we see a preserved Steve Rogers confused about the current situation of the world. He says it best as he talks to Nick Fury: “I went under, the world was at war. I wake up, they say we won. They didn’t say we lost.” It would be nice to believe that watching Captain America: The First Avenger is almost like watching a part of history; but, the truth is, we are still at war, we still have soldiers sacrificing their lives to protect us, and we still need a symbol of hope in the form of a hero.
Captain America: Winter Soldier is a great example of how we would like to think that we are much more advanced socially and politically then we were in the 1940s, but we aren’t. We’ve just found new excuses to start wars. Yes, someone could argue that these are just films and comic books. However, Marvel has done an amazing job of creating a world where “real life” personalities are shaped by different life challenges and obstacles. In all the films, especially Captain America: Winter Soldier, Rogers is told that he must compromise certain beliefs in order to fulfill an end result and that being a good person does not always pay off in the end. A film critic under the name of FILM CRITIC HULK said it best when he tweeted out his idea of the movie, saying, “What’s interesting about good and moral people is that they actually have to try and function in a world that isn’t.” Winter Soldier deals with the interesting topic of not only good versus evil, but good versus what someone believes is “good.” In the end, Captain America is no longer just a symbol for WWII, but he has evolved into a symbol of honesty and integrity for the common citizen.
Picture via Captain America #109 (Jan. 1969)
The context you gave to Captain America makes the story seem so much more interesting!