I. “Captain” America
There’s a reason he’s not called Buck Private America, and that is that aside from being the epitome of human physical potential, he is also a highly trained, highly capable, military bred leader and resourceful tactician with experience in leading men during one of the worst periods of modern history. This should be given due focus, more so than any shield-tossing shenanigans.
Who will lead the Avengers is a question that is up in the air. Iron Man led them early on in the comics, and Downey definitely has the most star power of the cast thus far. Then again Stark’s characterization in his own series shows him pretty far from being the leader-type, so maybe Nick Fury will lead the Avengers himself, but whoever it, its important to at least set up the eventuality of Captain America leading he Avengers by showing him as leader capable of commanding a bunch of disparate characters.
II. The ‘40’s
I’m a bit of a 1940s/WWII enthusiast, so I hope to see a few of the political and cultural figures of the time. I wish to see something like Rogers sharing the stage with Bob Hope at a USO show, or Roosevelt asking Rogers to rise to the occasion, or Patton chewing him out… etc. Kind of like the opening montage of Watchmen, but spread over a few scenes, or like Forrest Gump in WWII.
III. The Howling Commando
The Howling Commandos are confirmed as part of the movie, as an elite unit commanded by Steve Rogers himself. However, to date the only original Howling Commando that has been cast is Neal McDonough as Dum-Dum Dugan. Bucky can be reasonably be expected to be part of the unit as well, and other rumored members are Jacques Dernier and Jim Morita, allies of the Howling Commandos in the comic books but not actual members, as well a Montgomery Falsworth, who curiously enough doesn’t seem to be Union Jack but rather seems to be a regular soldier, a member of the British 1st Airborne, and very similar in appearance to actual Howling Commando Pinky Pinkerton.
I don’t know what to make of that, honestly. But I hope there’s more of the original Howling Commandos than just Dugan such as Dino Manelli and Rebel Ralston. The 6 second clip from a while ago shows a group of at least nine soldiers following Captain America, that included Dugan and Falsworth. That leaves room for at least four other Howlers.
IV. The genesis of SHIELD and the modern HYDRA
In a previous article I speculated that we would see the founding of SHIELD or at least the prototype for SHIELD, the Strategic Scientific Reserve. I hope I was right, and I also hope we would see Hydra surviving to wreak havoc another day, as I think they’d make a better adversary for the Avengers than Skrulls. Let’s see for instance that Zemo and/or Strucker are introduced in a cameo as high ranking members of Hydra who escape to South America, much like several real-life Nazi war criminals did, to found a new independent HYDRA.
V. Run of the mill Nazis
The main antagonists are going to be Hydra troops. I’m alright with that as – and this is something a lot of people keep forgetting – Hydra will be presented as a Nazi organization that ends up going rogue. That’s a satisfying direction that will help set up an adversary of SHIELD. I, however, still hope to see Captain America duke it out with soldiers of the SS or Whermacht, if even for one scene.
VI. Battles
Somewhat related to the above. I tink Cap’s exploits will be more of the secret agent/adventurer type of affair, but I do hope we see Cap fighting in an all-out battle during the war. Now, there’s a limit to what they can have in a PG13 rated film, so I doubt we’ll see Captain America giving Imperial Japanese troops what for, but something like the opening montage of X-Men Origins: Wolverine would be cool. Wouldn't it be sweet to see Captain America running up Omaha Beach, shield in one hand and a belt-fed Browning machinegun in the other, while Samuel L. Jackson runs up a distance behind him saying "I have had it with these mother******* Nazis on this mother******* beach"?
VII. A partial disregard for The Incredible Hulk
The portrayal of Cap’s power levels has varied, though supposedly the peak of human potential, some have gone as far as have him go toe-to-toe with Giant Man or jump out of an airplane without a parachute. The Incredible Hulk portrayed Blonsky getting the super-soldier treatment that enables him to recover from a life-endangering injury in less than a day. That’s just too powerful. What I think makes Cap badass is that while he did get handed considerable abilities on a silver platter, it was only a tool he had to augment with training and skill. He was strong, but still vulnerable enough that when he fought, it mattered that he managed to get through it in one piece and win.
VIII. Cap and Bucky’s Bromance
This is a bit awkward, but I’ve always felt that the most significant relationship Rogers was ever a part in, much more than any he can had with any love interest, was his friendship with Bucky. Sebastian Stan alluded to “Band of Brothers” as an inspiration, which is a pretty bromantic show, so I think that’s covered. Remember, it’s guy love, there’s nothing gay about it.
IX. A Joe Simon cameo
Joe Simon co-created Captain America with Jack Kirby, and is the only one of the two still alive. Stan Lee will likely get a cameo, and he has left his mark so perhaps he should, but give credit where credit’s due. Joe Simon deserves his own moment on the big screen.