Captain America wasn’t one of my favorite Marvel characters, but for a time in the 80’s and early 90’s I was a regular reader. You could not deny his importance. Captain America was the one dude in the superhero community that all the other Marvel Characters trusted to open up to. From Spider-Man bemoaning his Aunt May’s latest heart attack, to The Black Widow complaining about that not-so-fresh feeling, Captain A was your go-to guy. His inspiring words got them back up n’ at ‘em.
In continuity, Cap was really the first superhero in the Marvel Universe (if you don’t count various wild west heroes). He fought through World War 2, and up till modern times has been the pinnacle of human perfection. His sparring partner, German bellhop turned Hitlerian super soldier named The Red Skull, came to modern times with him to continue the eternal dance.
In the media Cap never got a fair shake. He had a horrible TV pilot (he was a surfer dude, if I recall) back in the day, and in 1990 he finally got the big screen treatment. Despite a great back-up cast, including Ronny “Total Recall” Cox, Ned “Squeal like a pig!” Beatty, and Darrin “Kolchak” Mcgavin, it was a real stinker. Matt Salinger as Cap was uninspired casting. Plus they made the Red Skull an Italian. Huh? Wha? Was that even necessary? Was one of the producers German or something? Chalk that up to one of the most head scratching changes in comic to film history (making the 5’2” Wolverine a skinny 6’1” guy is a close second).
Now we are getting a new Cap film, one based in the new Marvel cinematic universe. The movie trailer footage looks great, with Cap in his WW2 natural environment. Cap is in the Nazi killing business, and brother, business is a’ boomin’! Iron Man set a high bar for this new generation of movie heroes, and both Thor and the upcoming Avengers film are going to at least be feasts for fanboy eyes (but hopefully better stories and continuity than the last Wolverine and X-Men films).
Hugo Weaving as the Red Skull is a no-brainer, and from the pic above you can see they are going the right direction for him. Since childhood I dreamed of comic book movies that didn’t suck and at least half-assed tried to get it right. For a fanboy of any age, this is looking like a good time to be alive if you love these iconic ink and paint characters.
It seems that with Marvel in control of the movie production, rather than the usual crop of Hollywood morons, superhero movies might finally get the treatment they deserve.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I'm gonna have to get one of those Hydra belt buckles.
"making the 5’2” Wolverine a skinny 6’1” guy is a close second"
ReplyDeleteUgh. Agreed.
You've seen 'Fight Club' I'm guessing? In at least one of the fight scenes held in the basement, there's an extra who is a dead-ringer for Claremont-era Logan. If I'm feeling adventurous tomorrow night I'll put up a screen cap.
E.G. - I'm sure those buckels will be marketed. If this film is big, Hydra shall finally be a household name. A.I.M. (Advanced Idea Mechanics), however, shall continue to languish in back issues.
ReplyDeleteGreg: I didn't notice the dude, but I'll for sure be watching next time for the guy.
Very much looking forward to the Captain America movie. It's the WWII setting that most has be excited. It would be cool if other supers that were active during that era would received the period treatment in a big budget movie (Wonder Woman, I'm looking at you).
ReplyDeleteRisus: Our best chance to see her was the upcoming Justice League film that went on hiatus the other year. If The Avengers does well, that should end up back on track. I wasn't happy about some of the possible actresses that were being bandied about then, including Jessica Biel and Beyonce.
ReplyDeleteI too am looking forward to this one more-so than almost any other new crop of superhero flix. The wwII aspect is definitely a classy move.
ReplyDeleteBliss: Captain America really is two characters with two completly different stories. WW2, and then modern times as a WW2 warhorse who has seen it all and fought 'em all. I'm so glad we are getting the WW2 stuff in an entire film. Give him a lot of Gravitas when he is hanging with Thor and Iron Man in The Avengers.
ReplyDeleteSo...Arnim Zola. You know, headless Nazi scientist with a tv in his chest that shows an image of his face? Will he get a cameo? Chance for a spin-off?