MultiPurposePoni brought us the news that Jensen Ackles has not only read for the part of Steve Rogers but is considered part of the top choices to wield the shield! The debate between fans of the hero has been raging since day one and will never come to an end. Although Jensen doesn’t tickle every fan’s fancy, a record breaking CBM poll hosted by Brent Sprecher has declared Jensen Ackles as being the fans’ top choice! But why are most fans so eager to see Dean Winchester lace up the buccaneer boots?
The character of Steve Rogers is very particular and holds many requirements that SHOULD be demanded of its hopefuls. The fans normally jump to the physical requirements since it is a character based from a comic book. The “image” of the character must appear as intact as possible on screen with logical reason. The fans of the character must be able to distinguish its essence amongst the array of liberties that will surely be taken. The so called “essence” of the character consists of the character’s looks as much as its personality. It is after all the difference between Ironman’s success and Catwoman’s demise. The story does play a great part in the film’s success but if the character isn’t accurately portrayed, the fan base will simply walk away. And they consist of way bigger numbers than the studios give credit for.
Steve Rogers is a blond haired, blue eyed, 6’2 American born Caucasian male in his late twenties. He’s a bit frail at first but after taking the super soldier serum, he quickly becomes the pinnacle of human perfection which means his abilities become enhanced to their absolute peak and his build morphs to an athlete’s level. The actor chosen for the role must be able to lend himself naturally to those requirements if he doesn’t already fulfill them. As for the character’s hair and eyes, I wouldn’t really mind some variations per say but the less there are, the better the adaptation will be. And I believe Jessica Alba already proved that blond hair and blue eyes aren’t a naturally believable option for everyone. In regards to the character’s build, although sometimes portrayed as “bodybuilder big” in the comics, it should not be any bigger than an Olympic gymnast’s. The chosen actor must either be able to acquire that physique naturally or already have it. And since the character will be the most agile soldier ever witnessed, naturally the actor portraying the role should be well accustomed to acrobatics as well as hand to hand combat choreographies. If this is all new to him, he will look as stiff and out of place as a fat kid in a boot camp. In regards to nationality, even being a Canadian myself I have to admit that only an American born actor should have a chance at this role. It didn’t bother me that Hugh Jackman, an Australian actor, played Wolverine since the character doesn’t represent the nation like Captain America does. Captain America is the poster boy for his own nation and should be represented by an appropriately American actor. And that actor must also be Caucasian. Will Smith is a talented actor but shouldn’t be considered for the role of Captain America unless it was for the first one named Isaiah Bradley. On top of it all, any actor that cannot naturally look like he’s in his late twenties should not ever be considered.
Although most comic book fans tackle the picture before the words when contemplating a feature adaptation, we are no strangers to the acting requirement the character needs since many of our dreams have been crushed on the big screen in the past! In fact, Dogsofwar hosted a poll that asked fans what would be the most important aspect to consider in Captain America’s case and “acting” came up as #1! Fans are tired of getting below par actors for their favourite heroes. But the thing is that the director has the final say as to which performance makes the cut. It is his responsibility to make sure his actors give the best of themselves which means that even though the actor chosen might not have swayed you in his prior performances; he’s not entirely without hope because the director will be the fuel to his fire! Unless we individually hope for a completely unknown actor, we should be happy to get an actor that has previously portrayed very similar performances to what the character requires. And even though this actor will be surrounded by an “A” class cast we have to realise that no matter who they choose, the actor will be the youngest and will inevitably have the less amount of box office experience. And we shouldn’t be biased on where this actor’s performances were shown, be it the CW or live theatre, Hollywood is a whole new ball game, played on a whole new field with completely new rules and a whole new umpire calling the shots! Captain America is a pillar of patriotism and has the natural commanding presence that could make him lead an army of mortals crashing down hell’s gates. Although it is MANDITORY for the actor to exude that presence naturally without effort, the character will need to EARN his leadership amongst a hot shot billionaire and the god of thunder no less! It is in the books! Do not lie to yourselves, if you are purists, you SHOULD want the young Captain to climb his way to the top and to earn his title amongst the avengers! I guarantee you this will be Cap’s hardest challenge in the team’s first chapter!
So there you have it, these are the character’s requirements and they are undisputed. Where does Jensen Ackles stand with all this? Simple, out of all the actors ever speculated for the part, he is the only one to have every single one of these requirements AND has had the experience to prove it. Dean Winchester is quite the complex character. He has so many layers to him that it would take a whole new editorial to explain. That character has grown exponentially through five seasons and so has the actor portraying him. He’s dirty blond (light brown) haired, blue eyed and towers at 6’1. His build is decent enough not to require too much gym time prior to filming. Not only is Dean Winchester a leader but he literally fought hell’s minions personally. On Supernatural, not only has Jensen proved to have the skills to kick an ass at the drop of a dime but also to have the balls to stare death in the face without so much as a single bead of sweat in sight! When Dean Winchester looks you in the eye and tells you to do something, you do it or kiss your nuts goodbye! There is no doubt in my mind that he has the chops to pull off the scrawny kid’s passion to defend his country, the Captain’s determination in leading the troops and the Hero’s stature in representing his nation and upholding his ideals. There are many great choices to play Captain America but there is only one who is perfect; Jensen Ackles!!!
JENSEN ACKLES FOR CAPTAIN AMERICA!!!
Click on the pic, i dare ya ;)