I never liked Captain America that much in the comics, but he is quickly becoming my favorite hero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Other than The Avengers, Captain America: The First Avenger was my favorite Phase One movie. And of the Phase Two movies, Captain America: The Winter Soldier is the leader in the clubhouse.
The Winter Soldier had all of the comic book action you’ve come to expect from Marvel, but it really worked because of its 70s spy movie elements. I enjoyed seeing Steve Rogers trying to fit into the world of today, attempting to be a hero without compromising his own high standards.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier was great and I highly recommend it. Here are some other thoughts I had while watching the movie.
Trust
Trust is definitely a major theme in The Winter Soldier. Trust is a non-negotiable for Steve Rogers. He even says that trust makes an army; without trust there would just be a bunch of men walking around with guns. Unfortunately for Cap, he doesn’t know who to trust and who not to trust. Sometimes we face the same problem. Even though it takes time to figure out who we can and can’t trust, we still need to make the effort. We need people in our lives that we can trust. Trust allows us to move beyond ourselves and invite others into our lives. We can never know for certain if someone will betray our trust, but the alternative is living life alone, completely unknown. And even in a 70s style spy thriller that seems untenable.
Identity
In a world of Nazis and the greatest generation, it was easy for Steve Rogers to know who he was. He was Captain America fighting the evils of Hitler and Hydra. In the present day, though, Rogers has a harder time knowing who he is. In a murkier world without an identifiable enemy, who does Captain America really fight for? Who does he fight against? Even though we’re not the super soldier we still can wrestle with our identity. We often stare into the mirror and wonder who is looking back. Any question we have about our identity, though, always needs to go back to Jesus. Our identity is founded on Christ and the person God created us to be. No matter what we hear from the world around us or the voices in our heads, we can never forget that we are God’s and he created us for a purpose.
Sacrifice
I enjoy the movie incarnation of Captain America because he has always been a hero at heart. Thor and Tony Stark had to learn how to be selfless and how to sacrifice. Steve Rogers always understood what it meant to sacrifice for others, even when he was a 90-pound asthmatic. The Captain is no different in The Winter Soldier, willing to sacrifice his life for others and the greater good. More than any of the other heroes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Captain America seeks the greater good over and above his own. He’s no savior, but his willingness to sacrifice might make for a good allusion in a Good Friday sermon (which I will be giving in less than two weeks).
Captain America: The Winter Soldier was great. I can’t wait to see it again and it has only made me more excited for Guardians of the Galaxy, The Avengers: Age of Ultron and ever Phase Three film. I can’t believe we live in a world where a Captain America movie is not only great but also has mass appeal. If it weren’t for Big Bang Theory still propagating nerd stereotypes, this would definitely be the golden age of nerdom.
What did you think about Captain America: The Winter Soldier?
I’m with you on the Cap love. I never really read many of his comics growing up, and the few Avengers books I read with never presented me with a hero I could be interested in.
But the movies are a whole other story. When THE AVENGERS came out, my theater gave away figures of the “big four” heroes as toppers on their extra large drinks. I splurged, and my choice was between Iron Man and Cap. As much as I like Tony Stark, I admired the hero in Cap more.
As far as the BBT is concerned, sitcoms nearly always trade in stereotypes – they reduce the characters down to easy-to-write-for mannerisms. I enjoy the show simply for the nerd references that get tossed in. This would not have happened so successfully ten years ago.