Welcome to my MCU Rewatch, where I write an analysis of the MCU movies in the order of theatrical release. In this installment, I talk about nothing in particular. This film is perfect and nothing about it should ever change.
Release Date: 4 April 2014
Distributor: Disney/Marvel
Director: Anthony and Joe Russo
This is the ninth movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and, personally, one of my absolute favorites. Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) lives in the modern era and seems relatively well-adjusted. His best work-friend Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) is trying to find him a date while he makes a new friend in veteran Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie). This is the core team, the ones who can trust each other when they can trust no one else.
Of the core team, Steve and Natasha are given arcs in their own right. Steve once again pushes back against Hydra and everything it stands for while Natasha has to deal with the fact that her dirty work wasn’t for a good cause after all. This is to date the best characterization we will get for Natasha in the entire MCU. Finally, Sam says it best when he meets Nick Fury for the first time: “I do what [Captain America] does, just slower.”
The Lost Potential of Bucky’s Self-Discovery
Underlining all of this is the arc of Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), who now works as The Winter Soldier, a ghost assassin for Hydra, Russia or both. No one can confirm his existence, but people have seen him. Bucky’s arc is one of self-discovery. He learns that there is a part of him that existed before his time as a Winter Soldier. We don’t see Bucky again until Captain America: Civil War.
Which is a shame, really. Bucky learning new things about himself and getting into a lot of trouble over it would have made for a great movie. I may be biased against the superheroes that don’t set out to be superheroes (see: Loki), but I think Bucky learning how to apply his warrior skills to do the right thing would be compelling. How does he deal when he tries to do a good only to realize he did a bad? How does he learn that violence isn’t always the answer to problems? How many different places did he have to run from before he ended up in Budapest? Who did he help along the way? Other than Steve, who else reminded him of his upbringing in Brooklyn?
I think there’s a lost story there. I would love to watch it.
More Characters You Want to Root For
This movie does a lot of things right: Steve’s adherence to his moral code, Natasha’s desire to go straight to cancel out the red in her ledger, Sam’s easy interactions with everyone he meets. Those three are the Dream Team, the team I screamed for when they first appeared in Avengers: Infinity War. They’re the guys that know what’s right and are not afraid to defend it to the death.
The only thing I want to see more of is Sam Wilson without the other two. How does Sam handle a morally gray zone without Steve to be a moral center? What puts Sam off his game? What motivates him to wake up every day?
I would love to see more of that, but I understand that he’s not the focus of this movie. When there’s only so much you can put in a movie, something has to be brushed to the wayside. Yet I have to commend the Russo brothers here, because I believe in Sam even when I don’t know much about him. He’s got a heart in the right place and the skills to defend his beliefs.
The other character I’d like to see more of is Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders). We were introduced to Hill in The Avengers. Like then, we don’t see her do anything besides back up Fury with everything she’s got. It makes me wonder what Fury did to earn Hill’s loyalty. Unfortunately, Hill may always be back-up to the main event, and thus not much will ever be done with her character. Pity, really. She’s too much of a badass to keep on the sidelines.
Tune in next time as we shoot into space with a wicked soundtrack for Guardians of the Galaxy.
Random Thoughts on Captain America: The Winter Soldier
- Nick Fury has the greatest car in the history of cinema, virtual assistant included, and no one can sway me otherwise.
- Also, Nick Fury lost his eye to a disgruntled Flerken and absolutely no one can take that away from me.
- Biggest Uff-da of the movie: when Steve is blasted of a highway overpass and into a city bus.
- Runner-up Uff-da: Steve jumping out of an elevator and landing on his shield without so much as a bounce.
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