From FIRST AVENGER To CIVIL WAR; Captain America's 6 Marvel Cinematic Universe Appearances Ranked
Chris Evans has made Captain America cool, but looking back over his six appearances in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, how does the character fare? Here's a ranking of them all from worst to best...
Marvel were so unsure about a movie revolving around Captain America being a success back in 2011 that they went ahead and just called the movie, "The First Avenger" in a lot of countries. It's easy to understand why given the way the US is (often unfairly) perceived, though some questioned whether even those at home would be interested in watching the adventures of a guy draped in the flag.
They did, and while his origin story was only a modest hit, Captain Steve Rogers has done very well in the years which have followed as a leader of The Avengers and the star of his now massively successful solo franchise. The credit for that goes to the likes of Kevin Feige, Joe Johnston, Joss Whedon, Joe and Anthony Russo, and Christopher Markus and Stephen McFreely. Oh, and Chris Evans!
The actor - who was the best part of the Fantastic Four movies - faced a lot of scepticism when he was first cast, but knocked this role out of the park, becoming many people's favourite hero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as a result. However, how good have his six appearances over the past five years actually been? What you'll find here is a ranking of all of those from the least to most satisfying...
Honourable Mention: Thor: The Dark World
As cameo appearances in the Marvel Cinematic Universe go, this may very well go down as the best to date. Loki transforming into Captain America during a sequence in Thor: The Dark World which saw him mocking his brother's new Earthly pals was an unexpected treat, even if it did have us all worrying for a second there that Marvel had wasted one of Chris Evans' six contracted appearances as the star spangled Avenger.
The best part about this is that a behind the scenes video has since revealed that Tom Hiddleston suited up in Cap's costume for this scene, with Evans then using that as a reference in order tom help make us believe that's really a disguised Loki. This wasn't a fully fledged appearance (hence why it only gets an honourable mention), but was definitely a memorable one!
5. The Avengers
Joss Whedon had to squeeze a lot into The Avengers, and that probably explains why the movie glossed over both his discovery in the ice with a quick flashback and the fact that Steve Rogers is now a man out of time.
It was clearly during the events between Captain America: The First Avenger's epilogue and this movie that he got used to his new surroundings, but it was disappointing not to see that addressed a little more directly here. Despite being the one to step up and lead the team, it's also worth noting that Cap doesn't really get a big hero moment; instead, those go to characters like The Hulk, Thor, and ultimately Iron Man when he saves the city.
As a result, despite how well Whedon wrote Steve here, he ended up being overshadowed in a big way. Oh, and that costume? It really, really sucked.
4. Age Of Ultron
Captain America fared much better in Avengers: Age of Ultron as he battled Ultron first atop a lorry and later inside a train before recruiting Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch to the ranks of Earth's Mightiest Heroes. He was also the one who made it clear that the team would not and could not leave Sokovia until they saved every single civilian even if it resulted in them failing to make it off the floating city alive.
Throw in the fact that he actually managed to make Mjolnir budge (I don't think we'll ever be able to forgive Marvel if they don't follow up on that in Avengers: Infinity War), and Cap definitely came out of this one looking like a million bucks. However, with it being a large ensemble piece, it's necessary to take a look at those in order to find out where the character was actually handled the best.
3. Civil War
There's no denying that Captain America: Civil War is a masterpiece, and the Russo Brothers once again proved that they know what they're doing when it comes to telling the story of Steve Rogers.
It's definitely a relief that Cap isn't overshadowed in this movie (especially with the likes of Iron Man, Black Panther, and Spider-Man making their respective presences felt), and while all those extra characters mean his story doesn't move along quite as much as it would have done had this been another solo outing, the exploration of his relationship with Bucky is pretty much perfect.
The hero's decision to rally against the Sokovia Accords is one it's easy to get behind, and while it would be easy to find fault with him for choosing his friend over keeping The Avengers together, that ending has promise.
2. The Winter Soldier
If you're looking for the movie which made Captain America cool, then this is it. The Winter Soldier ditched the dorky costume from The Avengers to make Steve a Super Soldier, and with fight scenes which rivalled Bourne and a story which saw the patriotic hero forced to question everything he believes in to take down a threat he thought he finished during World War II, everything about this movie just worked.
That included the return of Bucky as a HYDRA assassin, and if you don't have tears in your eyes when he tells his old pal that he'll be with him until the end of the line, you may be dead inside. The Winter Soldier did a good job of emphasising the fact that Steve had been away from the world for a very long time too, and seeing him back in that classic suit was surprisingly satisfying.
1. The First Avenger
The fight scenes may not have been the coolest and the costume sometimes looked a little daft, but Captain America: The First Avenger remains an underrated gem.
This was a story which could have very easily taken place over two movies, but Joe Johnston managed to hit all the important beats, taking the scrawny Steve Rogers (that grenade scene epitomises what an amazing character we have here) on a fascinating journey which saw him go from that to USO act to a rebellious hero who decided it was up to him to help turn the tide against HYDRA and win the war.
Making the ultimate sacrifice at the end to save the world, The First Avenger did a great job of bringing a character to the big screen who could very easily have been laughed at and ridiculed if not handled the right way.
Which of Captain America's MCU appearances is your favourite? Let us know your thoughts on that and celebrate all things Cap in the comments section below!
DISCLAIMER: ComicBookMovie.com is protected under the DMCA (Digital Millenium Copyright Act) and...
[MORE]
ComicBookMovie.com, and/or the user who contributed this post, may earn commissions or revenue through clicks or purchases made through any third-party links contained within the content above.