Captain America: The Winter Soldier (April 2014)
Primary Characters
Times viewed: A dozen or more
- Steve Rogers/Captain America
- Natasha Romanov/Black Widow
- Sam Wilson/Falcon
- Bucky Barnes/The Winter Soldier
- Director Nick Fury
- Secretary Alexander Pierce
Secondary Characters
- Deputy Director Maria Hill
- Peggy Carter
- Sharon Carter/Agent 13
- Brock Rumlow
- Arnim Zola
- Jasper Sitwell
- Batroc
- Senator Stern
Notable Story Elements
- SHIELD
- STRIKE
- Hydra
- Triskelion
- Project Insight Helicarriers
- World Security Council
- Original theatrical release
- Multiple full viewings, and partial viewings on TV
- Friday Family Movie Night sometime in the past year
- 23 Days of Marvel - March 26th, 2020
Easter Eggs
- "On your left" is repeated not only in a key scene this movie, but also in one of the best fanservice moments of Endgame
- The name of the ship in the opening action sequence, the Lumurian Star, may be a reference to the Atlantis-like lost land that appears in a great deal of fiction, including Marvel comics
- The support group led by Sam is later echoed by the one led by Steve following the events of Infinity War
- It's Been a Long, Long Time plays in Steve's apartment when Fury retreats there; it's heard again in his home with Peggy in Endgame
In the low-stakes game of comic book deaths, there were only two truisms:
Not long into that run, through 2006 and 2007, the Civil War event shook up the Marvel Universe. Its themes, if not its precise narrative, are revisited in the third Captain America movie, and both were hugely successful for Marvel Comics and the MCU.
I loathed and loved the comic book stories.
Just yesterday, I was boarding and bagging my New Warriors collection, and this morning, an ad in my Facebook feed for Marvel Unlimited included the Civil War-era image of Steve Rogers and Tony Stark, both in costume but unmasked, repulsors violently meeting shield. Its caption:
The setup for Civil War involved the blundering death of the New Warriors - and over 600 civilians, prompting public outcry and a renewed push for a Superhuman Registration Act, something that'd been explored in Avengers and X-Men comics years earlier.
That sucked. The Warriors were some of my favorites, and I had followed them for almost a decade. They had been relegated to reality show punchlines, but were by no means throwaways.
The Civil War stories that followed did not suck. Cap and his underground resistance to the SRA were badass. Mark Millar has his faults, but he was in top form here.
At Civil War's conclusion, Steve Rogers "died" and Bucky Barnes inherited the mantle of Captain America. What followed truly was a major shake-up of the Marvel Universe. One Avengers title followed the anti-establishment heroes, and another the "corporate" heroes. Carol Danvers was elevated during this time. The teen heroes of Avengers: The Initiative had much the same vibe as early New Warriors comics. Some of the consequences of Civil War even carried over into the next big event, the Secret Invasion of the Skrulls.
Now, about a decade later, and after Civil War II in 2016 (this one pitting Tony Stark against Carol Danvers), it's all irrelevant. None of the characters whose relationships were tested during Civil War seem marred by grudges or suspicions. Some of the once-deceased New Warriors are being advertised on the cover of the group's new series as mentors to new youths.
That's the problem with Marvel Comics; there are epic moments, but they change nothing in the end. Years of character development, like Jane Foster as Thor and Sam Wilson as Captain America, are wiped away in broad editorial strokes. Maybe this was exacerbated by Bucky returning, with nothing truly sacred after that. (Bucky "died" again in another Marvel event, 2011's Fear Itself. Last week, I bought a comic teaming him and Sam Wilson - just in time for their upcoming Disney+ show.)
I'd planned to pen a separate post on my problems with Marvel Comics, but this seemed as appropriate a space as any for them.
The Winter Soldier isn't a superhero movie. It's an espionage thriller with spandex. I enjoy the latter (espionage thrillers, not spandex), and my wife Melanie does not. I also have a long history with Captain America and the guilt he carried for years at the loss of Bucky, and read and loved Brubaker's Winter Soldier stories. So, while this one is middle of the pack of the MCU movies for her, it's among my favorites.
I first saw it in a small theater in the U.P. with my childhood friend Scott during a breather from the busiest time in my life. I'd just finished years of work on my Masters degree and would graduate in a few weeks. At the same time, our family of four - including a 6-year old and 2-year old - was preparing for the move from our home of over 10 years. That would be enough, but also in the back of my mind was packing up the 3rd grade classroom I'd taught in for 8 years, and moving to another school and different grade level.
For those 2 hours of spring break at the Willow Creek Cinema, I left all the stress behind and was absolutely blown away. All stunt doubles deserved bonus pay.
Most of my all-time favorite comic characters (minus Hulk and Hawkeye) are front-and-center. If Black Widow never had her own, this could effectively be "THE Black Widow movie."
Steve has a slicker militaristic uniform, but also less pathos over his lost years than in The Avengers. His list of things on which to catch up, glimpsed when Sam pitches Marvin Gaye's Trouble Man (and heard during the denouement), is both startling and humorous.
That's not to say this is a lighthearted affair. We watched Guardians of the Galaxy the night after this one, and while it has the laughs, this is clearly one of the more serious and consequential MCU outings.
The Winter Soldier's action is intense and frequent but more exhilarating than exhausting. Fury finally gets to cut loose. Black Widow is at her best. Falcon is sure and smooth, and this was the perfect time to bring him into the circle. In the '70s comics when Steve Rogers uncovered deep corruption in the U.S. government (by the Secret Empire, not Hydra) and abandoned the stars, stripes and shield to become the Nomad, his comic was actually titled Captain America and the Falcon, a branding change that lasted over 7 years.
The Winter Soldier is perfectly portrayed here as a Keyzer Soze-esqe menace... and then a very real, visceral one.
Cap's iconic shield is used better here than anywhere else, and his prowess, too, gets plenty of flex. "Before we get started, does anyone want to get out?" Bad. Ass. Sitwell's reaction to his improbable escape fuels fist-pumps.
There are quieter poignant moments. Steve's bedside visit with Peggy was heart-wrenching at this time, and even more touching on another viewing now that their full story has been told. "I couldn't leave my best girl, not when she owes me a dance." Whew. Steve and Natasha's conversation about kissing is light and sweet.
There's so much polish here, from the use of Arnim Zola, a classic Captain America villian, right down to his camera-head and digitized face, to Captain America: The First Avenger actor Dominic Cooper being pictured in the bunker as Howard Stark, even when he'd since been portrayed by John Slattery in Iron Man 2.
Just as significantly, SHIELD was truly shook up by what transpires. The stakes are high, and the consequences are real. I have not watched the TV series, but know that it was deeply impacted, and we never see SHIELD quite the same way in the MCU.
It's a fantastic movie made even better by what preceded and what follows, as well as the numerous nods to its source material.
- Bucky is dead;
- Uncle Ben is dead.
Not long into that run, through 2006 and 2007, the Civil War event shook up the Marvel Universe. Its themes, if not its precise narrative, are revisited in the third Captain America movie, and both were hugely successful for Marvel Comics and the MCU.
I loathed and loved the comic book stories.
Just yesterday, I was boarding and bagging my New Warriors collection, and this morning, an ad in my Facebook feed for Marvel Unlimited included the Civil War-era image of Steve Rogers and Tony Stark, both in costume but unmasked, repulsors violently meeting shield. Its caption:
Relive the epic Marvel moments that changed everything. Start your Marvel Unlimited journey now!
The setup for Civil War involved the blundering death of the New Warriors - and over 600 civilians, prompting public outcry and a renewed push for a Superhuman Registration Act, something that'd been explored in Avengers and X-Men comics years earlier.
That sucked. The Warriors were some of my favorites, and I had followed them for almost a decade. They had been relegated to reality show punchlines, but were by no means throwaways.
The Civil War stories that followed did not suck. Cap and his underground resistance to the SRA were badass. Mark Millar has his faults, but he was in top form here.
At Civil War's conclusion, Steve Rogers "died" and Bucky Barnes inherited the mantle of Captain America. What followed truly was a major shake-up of the Marvel Universe. One Avengers title followed the anti-establishment heroes, and another the "corporate" heroes. Carol Danvers was elevated during this time. The teen heroes of Avengers: The Initiative had much the same vibe as early New Warriors comics. Some of the consequences of Civil War even carried over into the next big event, the Secret Invasion of the Skrulls.
Now, about a decade later, and after Civil War II in 2016 (this one pitting Tony Stark against Carol Danvers), it's all irrelevant. None of the characters whose relationships were tested during Civil War seem marred by grudges or suspicions. Some of the once-deceased New Warriors are being advertised on the cover of the group's new series as mentors to new youths.
That's the problem with Marvel Comics; there are epic moments, but they change nothing in the end. Years of character development, like Jane Foster as Thor and Sam Wilson as Captain America, are wiped away in broad editorial strokes. Maybe this was exacerbated by Bucky returning, with nothing truly sacred after that. (Bucky "died" again in another Marvel event, 2011's Fear Itself. Last week, I bought a comic teaming him and Sam Wilson - just in time for their upcoming Disney+ show.)
I'd planned to pen a separate post on my problems with Marvel Comics, but this seemed as appropriate a space as any for them.
The Winter Soldier isn't a superhero movie. It's an espionage thriller with spandex. I enjoy the latter (espionage thrillers, not spandex), and my wife Melanie does not. I also have a long history with Captain America and the guilt he carried for years at the loss of Bucky, and read and loved Brubaker's Winter Soldier stories. So, while this one is middle of the pack of the MCU movies for her, it's among my favorites.
I first saw it in a small theater in the U.P. with my childhood friend Scott during a breather from the busiest time in my life. I'd just finished years of work on my Masters degree and would graduate in a few weeks. At the same time, our family of four - including a 6-year old and 2-year old - was preparing for the move from our home of over 10 years. That would be enough, but also in the back of my mind was packing up the 3rd grade classroom I'd taught in for 8 years, and moving to another school and different grade level.
For those 2 hours of spring break at the Willow Creek Cinema, I left all the stress behind and was absolutely blown away. All stunt doubles deserved bonus pay.
Most of my all-time favorite comic characters (minus Hulk and Hawkeye) are front-and-center. If Black Widow never had her own, this could effectively be "THE Black Widow movie."
Steve has a slicker militaristic uniform, but also less pathos over his lost years than in The Avengers. His list of things on which to catch up, glimpsed when Sam pitches Marvin Gaye's Trouble Man (and heard during the denouement), is both startling and humorous.
"Rocky (Rocky II?)"One of the treats of multiple viewings over many years has been catching more of the list each time.
That's not to say this is a lighthearted affair. We watched Guardians of the Galaxy the night after this one, and while it has the laughs, this is clearly one of the more serious and consequential MCU outings.
The Winter Soldier's action is intense and frequent but more exhilarating than exhausting. Fury finally gets to cut loose. Black Widow is at her best. Falcon is sure and smooth, and this was the perfect time to bring him into the circle. In the '70s comics when Steve Rogers uncovered deep corruption in the U.S. government (by the Secret Empire, not Hydra) and abandoned the stars, stripes and shield to become the Nomad, his comic was actually titled Captain America and the Falcon, a branding change that lasted over 7 years.
The Winter Soldier is perfectly portrayed here as a Keyzer Soze-esqe menace... and then a very real, visceral one.
Cap's iconic shield is used better here than anywhere else, and his prowess, too, gets plenty of flex. "Before we get started, does anyone want to get out?" Bad. Ass. Sitwell's reaction to his improbable escape fuels fist-pumps.
There are quieter poignant moments. Steve's bedside visit with Peggy was heart-wrenching at this time, and even more touching on another viewing now that their full story has been told. "I couldn't leave my best girl, not when she owes me a dance." Whew. Steve and Natasha's conversation about kissing is light and sweet.
There's so much polish here, from the use of Arnim Zola, a classic Captain America villian, right down to his camera-head and digitized face, to Captain America: The First Avenger actor Dominic Cooper being pictured in the bunker as Howard Stark, even when he'd since been portrayed by John Slattery in Iron Man 2.
Just as significantly, SHIELD was truly shook up by what transpires. The stakes are high, and the consequences are real. I have not watched the TV series, but know that it was deeply impacted, and we never see SHIELD quite the same way in the MCU.
It's a fantastic movie made even better by what preceded and what follows, as well as the numerous nods to its source material.
Ranking
- The Avengers
- Captain America: The Winter Soldier
- Iron Man
- Iron Man 3
- Iron Man 2
- Captain Marvel
- Captain America: The First Avenger
- Thor
- Thor: The Dark World
- The Incredible Hulk
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