As most everyone should know by now, after the immense success of the first Iron Man movie, Marvel has pushed forward with their own "Avengers Initiative": adapting their iconic "A-team" for the big screen. For the unfamiliar, The Avengers are a team of superheroes from the Marvel Universe of comics, comprised of some of Marvel's most iconic characters: Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, The Incredible Hulk, as well as other big names from time to time. Iron Man and The Hulk have both seen modern theatrical adaptations. So to round out the roster, Marvel is releasing two high profile films this summer: Thor (5/6/11) and Captain America: The First Avenger (7/22/11). Then, in 2012, after the public becomes familiar with the origins and general whats-what of these two comic book stalwarts, all four (and more) will be brought together for the full Avengers movie (directed by the geek-approved Joss Whedon of Buffy the Vampire fame).
Since their announcement, I have been extremely excited for Thor and kind of lukewarm on Captain. Casting and plotting details have been available for Thor for quite some time now, with big names like Natalie Portman and Anthony Hopkins complimenting the fairly unknown Chris Hemsworth, who will take up the hammer as the title character. Captain was always much more shrouded in secret, with the announcement of Chris Evans coming later and receiving a mixed reaction. After all, Evans' last visit to comic book land was in the detestable Fantastic Four films, where he played Johnny Storm/The Human Torch, an extremely different type of superhero than the much more serious and valiant Captain America. And given Thor's godly origins, powers, and settings, I have just always been a bigger fan of him than the Captain. That is, until Marvel released this ridiculously bad-ass one-sheet:
Awesome, right? Well it gets better. A few days later, during the Superbowl, the first Captain America: The First Avenger trailer was aired. And while I'm still not completely sold that this is going to be a sure fire hit, I'm about 100x more excited for this film then I had been previously. You can check out the HD trailer here, or for a more nerd-friendly option, head over to IGN's Rewind Theater where they break it down frame-by-frame to show you what your pitiful human eyes wouldn't otherwise catch. It's definitely a brief clip, but when scrutinized, you realize there is actually a wealth of tasty morsels hidden in there.
I know what you're think: "Okay, great. I see the picture, I watched the trailer, but I still don't get it. Who is Captain America, and why should I care?" Good question, and to answer it, I have put together this little primer--a brief summary of the Captain America back-story (which will be the focus of this movie) and why he is important to the Marvel Universe. Thanks to Wikipedia for ensuring I got my facts straight.
Basically, born in 1917, Steven Rogers (Chris Evans) was a scrawny student who became extremely disturbed by the rise of the Third Reich during WWII. Determined to do something about it, Rogers attempted to enlist, but due to his poor physical shape, he was rejected. However, Rogers' determination didn't go unnoticed, and he was soon approached by Colonel Chester Phillips (Tommy Lee Jones). Phillips was looking for test subjects for a new defense project labeled Operation: Rebirth, an experimental procedure designed by the scientist Abraham Erksine (Stanley Tucci). The procedure employed a mix of radiation and injections of the iconic Super-Solider Serum (which we see utilized in the most recent Hulk movie), and was meant to turn normal troops into superior soldiers operating at the peak of human physical potential. Rogers, anxious to help his country, volunteers, and soon becomes the first human test subject. The process is extremely painful, but on all other accounts, a complete success--the meek Rogers is transformed into the perfect human specimen, operating at the pinnacle of what the human body is capable.Now, this next part I won't go into too much detail about, because some may consider it a "spoiler" of sorts for the movie. But let's just say that at this point, some seedy characters come into play, and as a result of this intervention, Operation: Rebirth is completely destroyed and can no longer be applied to anyone else. To cover up this failure, the government creates an alter-ego for Rogers called Captain America. They bill him as a superhero of sorts, whose powers were a gift of unknown origin, and give him a red white and blue suit and shield to round out the package. This way, Rogers can function as both himself and Captain America without anybody knowing about Operation: Rebirth or the Super-Soldier serum. And with his new identity and abilities in hand, Rogers goes on to lead the charge against the Nazis and, more specifically, the Red Skull (Hugo Weaving)--Hitler's right hand man and head of advanced weaponry, and for all intents and purposes, Captain America's number one arch nemesis. Towards the end of the war, however, the Captain is hurled into freezing North Atlantic waters. His body is never recovered, and he is presumed dead. That is, not until years later, when the superhero team the Avengers finds him frozen in suspended animation, whereafter he is revived and joins their cause in the modern era.
At this point in time, the main conflict of the film is still unclear. We know it will focus on Captain America's origins and his exploits during WWII. We know The Cap will be facing off against the Red Skull and the terrorist organization known as HYDRA. We know Cap's iconic sidekick Bucky Barnes will be around for the ride (played by Sebastian Stan), as will his wartime girlfriend Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell) and a few other Marvel mainstays (Dum Dum Dugan, played by Neal McDonough; Arnim Zola, played by Toby Jones; Howard Stark, father of Tony Stark/Iron Man, played by Dominic Cooper). We also know that the Red Skull's plans will somehow center around obtaining the Cosmic Cube, which is a mystic artifact that grants its holder immense power, and reappears within the Marvel Universe on many occasions (though apparently in the film it is known as the "Tesseract"). Beyond that, well, we'll just have to wait and see.So get excited, because it looks like Captain America: The First Avenger is prepared to wow moviegoers on July 22nd. And with Thor coming in May, and the Avengers film slated for launch in mid-2012, Marvel fans have a lot to look forward to in the coming years (not to mention 2011's X-Men: First Class and the 2012 Spiderman reboot). So stay tuned to Poposaurus for more Marvel movie updates, true believers!
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