Captain America: The First Avenger is a 2011 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character Captain America, produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Paramount Pictures. It is the fifth film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). The film was directed by Joe Johnston, written by the writing team of Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, and stars Chris Evans as Steve Rogers / Captain America, alongside Tommy Lee Jones, Hugo Weaving, Hayley Atwell, Sebastian Stan, Dominic Cooper, Neal McDonough, Derek Luke, and Stanley Tucci. Set predominantly during World War II, Captain America: The First Avenger tells the story of Steve Rogers, a sickly man from Brooklyn who is transformed into super-soldier Captain America and must stop the Red Skull, who intends to use an artifact called the "Tesseract" as an energy-source for world domination.
Plot[]
In the present day, scientists in the Arctic uncover an old, frozen aircraft. In March 1942, Nazi officer Johann Schmidt and his men steal a mysterious relic called the Tesseract,[N 2] which possesses untold powers, from the town of Tønsberg in German-occupied Norway.
In New York City, Steve Rogers is rejected for World War II military recruitment because of various health and physical problems. While attending an exhibition of future technologies with his friend, Sgt. James "Bucky" Barnes, Rogers again attempts to enlist. Overhearing Rogers' conversation with Barnes about wanting to help in the war, Dr. Abraham Erskine allows Rogers to enlist. He is recruited into the Strategic Scientific Reserve as part of a "super-soldier" experiment under Erskine, Col. Chester Phillips, and British agent Peggy Carter. Phillips is unconvinced by Erskine's claims that Rogers is the right person for the procedure but relents after seeing Rogers commit an act of self-sacrificing bravery. The night before the treatment, Erskine reveals to Rogers that Schmidt underwent an imperfect version of the procedure and suffered permanent side-effects.
Schmidt and Dr. Arnim Zola harness the energies of the Tesseract, intending to use the power to fuel Zola's inventions, mounting an offensive that will change the world. Schmidt discovers Erskine's location and dispatches assassin Heinz Kruger to kill him. Erskine subjects Rogers to the super-soldier treatment, injecting him with a special serum and dosing him with "vita-rays". After Rogers emerges from the experiment taller and more muscular, an undercover Kruger kills Erskine and flees. Rogers pursues and captures Kruger, but the assassin avoids interrogation by committing suicide with a cyanide capsule. With Erskine dead and his super-soldier formula lost, U.S. Senator Brandt has Rogers tour the nation in a colorful costume as "Captain America" to promote war bonds while scientists study him and attempt to reverse-engineer the formula. In 1943, while on tour in Italy performing for active servicemen, Rogers learns that Barnes' unit was MIA in a battle against Schmidt's forces. Refusing to believe that Barnes is dead, Rogers has Carter and engineer Howard Stark fly him behind enemy lines to mount a solo rescue attempt. Rogers infiltrates the fortress of Schmidt's Nazi division Hydra, freeing Barnes and the other prisoners. Rogers confronts Schmidt, who removes a mask to reveal a red, skull-like visage that earned him the sobriquet "the Red Skull". Schmidt escapes and Rogers returns to base with the freed soldiers.
Rogers recruits Barnes, Dum Dum Dugan, Gabe Jones, Jim Morita, James Montgomery Falsworth, and Jacques Dernier to attack other known Hydra bases. Stark outfits Rogers with advanced equipment, most notably a circular shield made of vibranium, a rare, nearly indestructible metal. Rogers and his team sabotage various Hydra operations. The team later assaults a train carrying Zola. Rogers and Jones succeed in capturing Zola, but Barnes falls from the train to his assumed death.[N 3] Using information extracted from Zola, the final Hydra stronghold is located, and Rogers leads an attack to stop Schmidt from using weapons of mass destruction on major American cities. Rogers climbs aboard Schmidt's aircraft as it takes off. During the subsequent fight, the Tesseract's container is damaged. Schmidt physically handles the Tesseract, which opens a wormhole into space, sucking him into it. The Tesseract burns through the plane and is lost in the ocean. Seeing no way to land the plane without the risk of detonating its weapons, Rogers crashes it in the Arctic. Stark later recovers the Tesseract from the ocean floor but is unable to locate Rogers or the aircraft, presuming him dead.
Rogers awakens in a 1940s-style hospital room. Deducing from an anachronistic radio broadcast that something is wrong, he flees outside and finds himself in present-day Times Square, where S.H.I.E.L.D. director Nick Fury informs him that he has been "asleep" for nearly 70 years. In a post-credits scene, Fury approaches Rogers and proposes a mission with worldwide ramifications.
Cast[]
- Chris Evans as Steve Rogers/Captain America
- Hayley Atwell as Agent Peggy Carter
- Sebastian Stan as Sergeant Bucky Barnes
- Tommy Lee Jones as Colonel Chester Phillips
- Hugo Weaving as Johann Schmidt/Red Skull
- Dominic Cooper as Howard Stark
- Richard Armitage as Heinz Kruger
- Stanley Tucci as Doctor Abraham Erskine
- Samuel L. Jackson as Director Nick Fury
- Toby Jones as Doctor Arnim Zola
- Neal McDonough as Sergeant Dum Dum Dugan
- Derek Luke as Private Gabe Jones
- Kenneth Choi as Private Jim Morita
- JJ Feild as James Montgomery Falsworth
- Bruno Ricci as Jacques Dernier
- Lex Shrapnel as Private Gilmore Hodge
- Michael Brandon as Senator Brandt
- Natalie Dormer as Private Lorraine
- Jenna-Louise Coleman as Connie
- Sophie Colquhoun as Bonnie
- Damon Driver as Sergeant Michael Duffy
- Anatole Taubman as Roeder
- Jan Pohl as Hutter
- Erich Redman as Schneider
- Patrick Monckeberg as Velt
- Peter Stark as a HYDRA Lieutenant
- Amanda Righetti as a S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent
- Marek Oravec as Jan
- David Bradley as Church Keeper
- Kieran O'Connor as Loud Jerk
- James Payton as "Adolf Hitler"
- Laura Haddock as Autograph Seeker
- Stan Lee as General (uncredited)
- Unknown Actor as Michael O'Connell (uncredited)
- Unknown Actor as Henry Kaminsky (uncredited)
Sequels[]
Captain America: The First Avenger was followed by two sequels: Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) and Captain America: Civil War (2016) a fourth film Captain America: New World Order is scheduled for 2024.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- This is the fifth film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
- This is the second film centering on Captain America.
- This is the lowest grossing Captain America.
- This is the first film in the Captain America series.
- This is the only Captain American film not to be directed by Anthony and Joe Russo.
- Chris Evans declined the role three times before accepting the part. Not out of dislike for the role, but because he feared what the effects of the sudden increase of fame would be on his private life. Then Robert Downey Jr. convinced him to take the part, and thus gain the freedom to sign on any other role he'd want afterwards. After that, he had a meeting with director Joe Johnston and the producers, who convinced him to take the role.
- Originally, cameo appearances were planned in the film for James "Logan" Howlett (Wolverine) and Erik Lehnsherr (Magneto), who were present during World War II (Logan was a soldier and Lehnsherr was in an internment camp). These cameos were scrapped due to rights issues.
- Unlike some of his other fellow actors and actresses who play parts in the film, Chris Evans didn't have to audition for the role of Steve Rogers/Captain America, since the filmmakers were desperate to have him play the part.
- Chris Evans was paid $300,000 to play the title role.
- This is Chris Evans' sixth comic book movie after Fantastic Four (2005), Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007), Push (2009), The Losers (2010), and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010). He voiced Casey Jones in TMNT (2007), also based on a comic book.
- Joe Simon, who created the "Captain America" comic book in 1941 (before Stan Lee revived it in 1964), was approached to make a cameo appearance in the film.
- Stan Lee made a cameo appearance as a General. The officer sitting next to him was played by Reb Brown, who played the title character in Captain America (1979) and Captain America II: Death Too Soon (1979).
- The final Paramount Pictures film produced with Marvel Studios. Disney bought the rights to Avengers Assemble (2012) and Iron Man 3 (2013).
- Chris Evans was attracted to the role of Captain America by its character: "Even if it wasn't a comic book. I think the story of Steve Rogers is great. He's a great guy. Even if it was just a script about anybody, I would probably want to do it. It wasn't necessarily about the comic itself. He's a great character to play. He just happens to be a comic book character."
- Reb Brown and Matt Salinger, who portrayed Captain America in previous adaptations, separately contacted producers for the opportunity to make cameos in the film.
- Sebastian Stan was considered for the role of Captain America, but got the role of Bucky instead.
- Joe Johnston was chosen as the film's director because of his previous work on the period films The Rocketeer (1991) and October Sky (1999).
- This is the fifth live-action adaptation of the superhero. The first was the serial Captain America (1944); the second was the television movie Captain America (1979) and its sequel Captain America II: Death Too Soon (1979); and the fourth was the theatrical film Captain America (1990).
- It is the last Marvel movie to be distributed by Paramount Pictures.
- Edgar Wright had been rumored to have secretly re-written the film, but he publicly denied this. Wright wrote his own Marvel Studios film, Ant-Man (2015), but left the film before it was finished, due to a falling out with Marvel.
- Alice Eve, Gemma Arterton, and Keira Knightley were considered for the role of Peggy Carter. Emily Blunt turned down the role.
- The film takes place from March 1942 to May 1945, and in 2012.
- Despite being "The First Avenger", it is the last solo Avenger film to be released before the team-up film Avengers Assemble (2012).
- Jon Favreau was originally chosen by Marvel Studios to direct this film (which he intended to make as a buddy comedy), but he chose to direct Iron Man (2008). Nick Cassavetes, was also considered to direct this film, and had been set as a director for Iron Man (2008) in December 2004.
- The film takes place seventy years before Avengers Assemble (2012).
- Stanley Tucci and Toby Jones appeared in The Hunger Games film franchise.
- Dane Cook, Kevin Jonas, and Joe Jonas auditioned for the role of Steve Rogers/Captain America.
- David Bradley and Toby Jones appeared in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002), along with Sir Kenneth Branagh, the director of Thor (2011).
- Richard Armitage and Hugo Weaving appeared in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012). Also appearing in that film was Martin Freeman, who later appeared in Captain America: Civil War (2016) and Black Panther.
- Chris Evans played Johnny Storm in Fantastic Four (2005) and Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007). This is Chris Evans' third Marvel comic book film.
- The only MCU film directed by an Oscar winner.
- Hugo Weaving's second consecutive collaboration with Joe Johnston, having worked with him previously on The Wolfman (2010).
| Captain America |
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| Captain America: The First Avenger (2011), Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014), Captain America: Civil War (2016), Captain America 4 |
| Phase One |
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| Iron Man (2008), The Incredible Hulk (2008), Iron Man 2 (2010), Thor (2011), Captain America: The First Avenger (2011), The Avengers (2012) |