As much as I’m looking forward to seeing Asgard come to life in Thor, seeing Matthew Vaughn take on the X-Men, and getting to know Green Lantern, it’s The First Avenger which really has me excited for 2011! Seeing Captain America’s origin portrayed on the big screen along with all of the iconic moments that come along with it, surely points at its having the potential to be one of the best comic book movies ever! Add in a great cast that includes the likes of Chris Evans and Hugo Weaving and, in my opinion, you have a recipe for success! Below are the ten things that I most want to see in the upcoming movie which I think would help make it even better than it’s already shaping up to be. They’re not quite as obscure as some of my choices from my Avengers and Spider-Man lists but they’re all things that I know from countless discussions here on CBM that many of us would like to see. Hopefully, some of them you won't have thought of and as always, I look forward to hearing what you think!
10. Wolverine Yes, I know it's unlikely (read: never gonna happen, lol!) but hear me out for a minute! There’s a multitude of ways that they could handle this sort of thing but here’s my take. Fox owns the rights to Wolverine, and as the character is such a huge money earner for them, I can't see their allowing Marvel Studios to get their hands on him any time soon. However, what’s to stop Hugh Jackman, in army fatigues, fighting alongside Captain America with a cigar in his mouth and a hairstyle pretty similar to that of Logan’s? All we’d need would be Chris Evans turning to him and saying, “Thanks Jim” and that would surely end up being one of the greatest moments in comic book movie history! As he’s never referred to as Wolverine, there’s literally nothing to stop Jackman taking a small cameo. After all, he’s expressed how much he cares about the character in the past, so why wouldn’t he take on a cameo such as this one? It's a sight that fans of both Cap and Wolverine would love to see! Plus, a future reference to “Jim” might explain that claw like scar Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury is sporting under that eye patch of his!
9. HYDRA Although it would be easy enough to introduce A.I.M, I’d be much happier seeing the far more iconic HYDRA!
The First Avenger is the perfect opportunity for them to show the beginnings of the terrorist organization which was headed by Baron Wolfgang von Strucker, who was supported by the Red Skull. A young Strucker would leave the door open for an older version to return in the future. All the while HYDRA could very much serve as the main enemy of the newly formed S.H.I.E.L.D. This is a storyline which could then be fleshed out even more in future Marvel Studios movies.
8. Easter Eggs After both of the
Iron Man movies, this has pretty much become a must have for me in any Marvel Studios movie! Howard Stark is the obvious choice, especially as he’s apparently been cast in
The First Avenger already (Dominic Cooper). I think there are plenty of other things they could include as a nod to us comic book readers! Wakanda is a perfect example especially as Cap’s shield is made of vibranium - the same element that many believe Tony Stark recreated in
Iron Man 2. One example of what they could do is to use this opportunity to introduce the modern day Black Panther’s father, in costume, who gives Howard Stark the limited amount of vibranium he needs to create the shield. And of course, there are literally countless possibilities when it comes to showing the founding of S.H.I.E.L.D and exactly how much Stark and Fury were involved. Along with cameos of various WWII Marvel characters and villains,
The First Avenger is the perfect opportunity for Marvel Studios to show viewers the origins of the movie universe. And there is of course one moment, I’m sure we’d all like to see recreated on the big screen: Captain America punching Adolf Hitler right in the face!
7. The Invaders Yeah, this one is pretty much a given I know but I think Marvel Studios needs to be very careful when it comes to using the team in my opinion. Super powered characters like Namor and the Human Torch (Jim Hammond) could very easily end up taking the spotlight away from Chris Evans’ Captain America which would be a huge mistake. This movie has to establish the title character for when he’s both part of the Avengers and in future solo movies. Personally, I’d like to see
The First Avenger focus on Captain America and Bucky along with Union Jack, Spitfire, and Nick Fury. Not what the fan boy in me would like to see, I must admit, but Namor and the Human Torch would just take far too long to introduce. I’d rather not see them at all, than see them handled poorly. If they can find a way to include them without rushing it and taking too much of the spotlight, that would be awesome. Until then I’d be happy enough with the two British characters whose powers are less show stealing along with Nick Fury who are all better suited to a realistic WWII surrounding and to non-comic book readers who might not be all that accepting of an android whose able to set himself on fire and fly!
6. Baron Zemo Many times I’ve expressed my worries about their including too many characters in this movie. I think it would be a real shame not to include Baron Zemo in some way! I don’t think there would be any problem with making him a minor villain who works alongside the Red Skull. If the movie does indeed take place over a number of years, it would be easy enough for him and Captain America to clash in order to tell the story of his mask being glued to his face (during an altercation with Cap and a vat of “Adhesive X” in case you didn’t know!). This eventually causing his descent into insanity. And don’t forget, it was the Skull that sent Zemo to London to retrieve the experimental airplane that resulted in their landing in the English Channel and being frozen. They could either follow the classic storyline from the comic books, or do some variation of it--but Baron Zemo is a character they could very easily bring to the big screen!
5. Bad Ass Bucky It’s a real pity that Marvel Studios wasn’t able to use Ed Brubaker as a consultant on
The First Avenger (I think I read somewhere that he was too busy) They should use almost all of the updated and improved elements that he’s introduced since taking over writing duties circa 2004. As he had Captain America explain a few issues into his run:
“…while our advance scout cleared the way. Which is the real secret of what Bucky was. The official story said he was a symbol to counter the rise of the Hitler Youth, and there was some truth to that, but like all things in war, there was a darker truth underneath. Bucky did the things I couldn’t. I was the icon. I wore the flag…but while I gave speeches to troops in the trenches, he was doing what he’d been trained to do and he was highly trained.” You may or may not remember that during that monologue, Bucky is shown to be sneaking behind enemy lines taking out the bad guys in a pretty brutal fashion armed only with a knife. This is the Bucky I want to see in the movie! Not a cheesy teenage sidekick who snaps off a few one-liners here and there. Put him and Cap in the brightly coloured costumes at some point, as has been rumoured. However, when they both head off to war, put him in more realistic outfit (along with the mask of course!). Let him kick Nazi ass as a believable soldier who does the things Captain America can't. Obviously, it would be a mistake to make him too “dark,” as that would pose a risk of alienating the audience. Especially in the event they plan on ever bringing him back as the Winter Soldier. All I want is to see a more realistic and interesting version and not a WWII version of a useless character like Robin. lol!
4. Master Man A cheesy villain? Maybe. But I’d love to see this character make his way onto the big screen! Of course, I want to see Captain America and the Red Skull face off at some point. But seeing Cap along with The Invaders taking on the super powered Nazi would result in some really exciting action packed scenes as I think the panels I’ve posted above clearly demonstrate! Master Man was created by the Nazi version of the super-soldier program and so his involvement in this movie would be a great way of giving Cap an opponent to face who’s even more powerful than he is. Obviously we don’t know the structure of
The First Avenger yet (whether it will be one adventure or take place over a number of years) but Master Man is the perfect candidate for a villain Captain America can face before finally facing the Red Skull!
3. Captain America…FOUND! On the one hand, this is a scene that really belongs in
The Avengers movie. On the other, it’s already been revealed that
The First Avenger will feature modern day bookends so this is a moment that I would love to see! At this point, the team only consists of Tony Stark as a consultant. We have no idea what will happen by the end of
Thor while it’s still unclear whether characters like Ant-Man, Wasp, and Hawkeye will be included on the roster. That makes me think we won't actually see the team formed until
The Avengers movie after Cap’s found. This is why I think that it’ll be S.H.I.E.L.D who end up finding him in a similar style to Mark Millar’s
The Ultimates. And in all honesty, I’m more than ok with that. After all, I can't think of a better way for the movie to end than with a scene similar to the image I’ve posted above or a close-up of Captain America’s eye opening and the screen immediately going to black and the credits rolling!
2. Cosmic Cube There are two ways that they could handle the Cosmic Cube. Either it’s the main focus of why Captain America needs to stop the Red Skull or it’s mentioned only enough to set up its appearance in future movies. Personally, I’m hoping for the former. This may be a variation on the classic origins of the Cube, but if the two had to race to be the first ones to gain the Cube it could lead to a real sense of excitement and tension in the movie. Not only that, if the Red Skull eventually gets his hands on it, just imagine how epic a fight between him and Cap would be with those sort of stakes! As well as the fact that this would a great way to bring in A.I.M, the inclusion of the Cosmic Cube also opens the door for the cosmic side of the Marvel Universe in future movies. They could then include everyone from the Skrulls to Thanos. Finally, the Cube is also the perfect device to bring back the Red Skull in future Captain America movies. Only one film with the brilliant Hugo Weaving playing the Skull sure isn’t enough for me. So trapping him in the Cube to bring back later, seems like the perfect solution to that particular problem!
1. The Birth of The Winter Soldier! Picture this: The credits roll and as is now standard with Marvel Studios’ movies, we get an after credits scene. The year is 1945 and we see a Russian submarine moving through the same icy waters that Captain America fell into. The sub comes across a body which they bring inside only to see it’s not Cap…it’s a one armed Bucky! The scene ends with the same lines (in Russian with subtitles) from Ed Brubaker’s
Captain America #8 as they loom over his unconscious body:
“It’s not Captain America…What is this Karpov?”
“It is hope, my friend…for the future…” And fade to black! If
The First Avenger is going to have modern day bookends there really is no need to use this scene up with more hints at
The Avengers. The scenario I’ve written above, as seen in the comic books, is the perfect way for them to leave the door open for the return of Bucky even if that wasn’t until much later in the franchise. Bucky has become such a popular character with fans, Marvel didn’t hesitate in keeping him as Captain America despite Steve Rogers’ return to the Marvel Universe. It makes perfect sense for them to adapt the Winter Soldier storyline. From a storytelling point of view, an adaptation of this arc would lead to some great moments on the big screen and it could easily be tweaked in order to make a live action translation easier to understand. And I’m not sure about you, but I’d love to see more than just one movie focusing on Cap’s WWII adventures - bringing back Bucky along with a handful of flashbacks would be the perfect opportunity!
So there you have it. The ten things that I most want to see in
Captain America: The First Avenger! Please feel free to share your thoughts about my choices. Add your own in the usual place or use the below poll to vote for which of my 10 picks you’d like to see most! Thanks for reading!