There’s no denying that the Avengers is the most anticipated comic book movie right now, with the possible exception of The Dark Knight Rises. It represents something that hasn’t been done before, the summit of the Marvel universe fan’s dreams. It is so anticipated that there are many, if not most, who think once it happens, it can’t be topped, that there couldn’t, shouldn’t or won’t be any more solo movies for anyone.
But I disagree. With a team movie, each character has only so much room for development and growth, and development and growth are important for the characters to remain interesting which makes the Avengers interesting. Having each of the characters do their own thing between Avengers movies feeds into greater potential for the next Avengers storyline. Then of course, everyone’s got a favorite. I like Captain America a hell of a lot more than I like the Hulk, so naturally I’d be all for a movie with 100% Cap.
And when you get to the bottom of it, Cap’s story-arc is so rich that it can’t really be done justice when he’s part of an ensemble. There’s also the recent Avengers rumors than indicate it is Stark-Fury-Thor centric.
But I trust in Whedon’s prowess as a writer, so I know he won’t mangle it or gloss it over. I think he’s going to set up the storyline of Cap in the present to be told in Captain America II.
My cast is…
Chiwetel Ejiofor as
Sam Wilson
The Falcon is mainstream American comics’ first African-American superhero. In the mainstream Marvel continuity, he is a former social worker granted the power to communicate with birds, and following a controversial retcon, was revealed to have been actually a pimp and gangster. In the Ultimate Marvel continuity, Wilson is a US Army veteran, SHIELD agent and scientist who created a self-repairing flight harness.
If I had to guess, I’d say we’re probably going to see the Ultimate version. But I hope not, the reason is that I feel too many connections to SHIELD and the Avengers rob from Cap’s status as a man of the people.
I don’t know if I want, or if we need Wilson as the Falcon, but he is an interesting character regardless and could help Cap in his attempts to acclimate to the modern world if portrayed as a social worker or a even a cop, as he was depicted in some continuities.
You may know Ejiofor from Salt, Serenity and Dirty Pretty Things.
Kate Mara or Hayley Atwell as
Sharon Carter
In the comic books, Peggy and Sharon Carter, initially sisters and later retconned to aunt and niece, are identical except for their hair color. And seeing how Atwell has stated she’s signed up for four movies, I expect that Marvel are considering doing the same for any future appearances of Sharon Carter.
However, they might not. An aunt and niece looking identical is a tough pill to swallow, and some might even call it corny. There’s also something vaguely unhealthy about Steve romancing two women who are related and look like each other, so I would equally expect Marvel to go for a new actress.
Watching Thor the day it debuted here in Bahrain, I caught the trailer to “Ironlcad”, and it wasn’t until the end of it did I realize that the female actress shown prominently wasn’t Hayley Atwell, but actually Kate Mara.
You know Kate Mara from Shooter, HBO’s Entourage and more relevantly Iron Man 2. In IM2 she played the government agent that serves Tony Stark a subpoena to appear at a Senate hearing. Some might point this out as why she couldn’t do it, but I still say she could.
In her brief scene, she identifies herself as a U.S. Marshall without offering a name. So who’s to say it wasn’t Sharon Carter, who would later leave the U.S. Marshalls and join SHIELD?
Bill Cobbs as
Gabriel Jones
Gabriel Jones is a highly trained US Army soldier and member of the elite Howling Commandos squad. In the CATFA, he will be portrayed by Derek Luke.
I’m not at all a fan of Ultimate Captain America, but I kind of dug the idea of how, rather than disappearing alongside Steve, Bucky lived on after the war and eventually reunited with Steve in the present, at which time he was married to Steve’s ex-fiance. However I’m a huge fan of the Winter Soldier arc, so I think Old Bucky might not be the best use of the character. But why not have another wartime comrade of Steve’s to survive to be reunited with him in the present?
In the comics, Gabe Jones also had a relationship with Peggy Carter in the 1970s when Rogers was believed dead. So it works perfectly as a parallel to Bucky and Gail Richards from the Ultimate continuity.
You may know Cobbs from A Night at the Museum.
Timothy Dalton as
Aleksander Lukin
Lukin was taken in by a Russian officer during WWII, after his mother was killed during a firefight between a combined force of Russian troops and the Invaders in the rural Russian village of Kronas. Lukin later became a high ranking figure in the military and KGB. After the fall of the Soviet union, he went rogue, and took possession of several secret weapons. One of these was the brainwashed and hibernating Bucky Barnes, now a brutal assassin known as the Winter Soldier.
You may know Timothy Dalton for playing James Bond in The Living Daylights and Licensee to Kill.
Udo Kier as
Dr. Heinrich Zemo
A brilliant German scientist, weapons designer and an early member of the Nazi party. When he killed hundreds of German civilains while testing out a new weapon, he became reviled throughout Europe, even by the his fellow Germans. Thus he began to wear a purple hood to hide his identity.
Udo Kier is a German actor who doesn’t hasn’t been in a notable film I can think of, but he’s one of those actors that pops up memorable in a lot of movies that he becomes very familiar. For instance he played vampire elder Dragonetti in Blade.
This would be a brief role used to set up Helmut Zemo. I imagine Captain America 2 or whatever movie to feature him to begin with a flashback to WWII where Cap and co. fight Zemo. In the comics he’s introduced fighting the Howling Commandos under Nick Fury, in the film he could be introduced fighting them under Captain America.
Jonathan Rhys Myers as
Helmut Zemo
The son of Dr. Zemo (though in the film he could be his grandson or great-grandson, even), who enraged upon the revival of Captain America, used his wealth and scientific and strategic genius to try and exact revenge.
Myers is know for his eponymous role in Elvis and as Henry VIII in The Tudors.
Holt McCallany as
Crossbones
A juvenile delinquent and street criminal turned mercenary. He eventually met and joined the Red Skull, whom he greatly admired and claimed was the only man he ever respected.
McCallany is know for his roles on TV’s Lights Out and on film in The Losers and Fight Club.
Thekla Reuten as
Sin
In the comic book, Synthia Schmidt is the Red Skull’s daughter, indoctrinated from a young age in her father’s views, she grew up vicious and exacting. When the Red Skull found out he was dying, she was rapidly aged so she could act as his heir.
You may know Reuten from The American and In Bruges.
Jared Harris as
Doctor Faustus
An Austrian psychiatrist and criminal mastermind with an uncanny ability to manipulate people.
You may know Harris as British ad exec Lane Pryce from Mad Men. He will also be appearing as James Moriarty in the sequel to Sherlock Holmes.
Stephen Colbert as
Stephen Colbert
Iron Man had Jim Cramer, Iron Man 2 had Bill O’Riley. It is only right that Dr. Colbert should have a scene where he interviews the revived Steve Rogers. He can even give him his shield back.