Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
We meet the young Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) in 1942, against the backdrop of America becoming embroiled in the second World War. As a physically small man with a plethora of health issues, Rogers is forced to watch as his friends enlist in the U.S Army and head off to fight for freedom. He is frustrated and desperate to join them – but is continually rejected.
During an evening out with his best friend ‘Bucky’ Barnes (Sebastian Stan) – to celebrate Bucky’s imminent departure for the front line – Rogers decides to make one last-ditch attempt to join the Army. In doing so, he meets Dr. Abraham Erskine (Stanley Tucci) – a German scientist trying to help the allies defeat Hitler by perfecting a Super Soldier Serum.
Erskine, along with Agent Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell), decides that Rogers is a prime candidate for his project – not just because he would most benefit from physical enhancement, but because the Serum enhances the personal qualities of the subject as well as their body. An inherently good person will become the best person, while a morally questionable person will become worse.
It is revealed that Erskine’s Serum has been used by Johann Schmidt (Hugo Weaving) of the dastardly HYDRA organization, resulting in the creation of the supervillain Red Skull. As HYDRA seeks to regain control of Erskine’s Super Soldier Serum (in the first instance, by assassinating Erskine), the newly enhanced Rogers is set on a collision course with Red Skull. As Steve develops a bond with Agent Carter – based upon mutual respect as much as attraction – he progresses from selling war bonds for the U.S government to breaking the Army chain of command and rescuing Bucky’s unit, which is trapped behind enemy lines.
Captain America: The First Avenger creates five compelling narrative threads that will carry these remaining characters through the rest of the trilogy, while providing scope for the introduction of new characters and further integration into the MCU.
Firstly, there is the nature of the lead character. Steve Rogers is stubborn, wilful and determined, with a strong moral compass, a large dose of bravery and courage, and a tendency to trust his instincts above all else. When the Super Soldier Serum is administered, all of these qualities are enhanced, along with his physical stature. This is why he doggedly does his duty selling war bonds, even though he finds it somewhat degrading. It’s important to note, at this point, that Captain America isn’t exactly an Army Captain in the way that many of his fellow soldiers might be. The moniker is essentially a stage name, afforded him by the U.S Army to boost its propaganda. He doesn’t earn the title until he rescues Bucky’s unit and leads them back to camp.
Secondly, and in relation to the nature of Steve, there is Steve clashing with authority. He refused to accept the continual rejection from the U.S Army. He refuses to stay in the theatrical box initially defined for him by the U.S Army. Ultimately, he refuses to accept attempts by government agents to risk finding a way to bring Red Skull’s plane down to try to save his life – and instead sacrifices himself for the greater good.
Thirdly, there is Agent Peggy Carter. She is, at once, a part of the establishment that Steve so regularly clashes with, while also being a kindred spirit. Constantly battling the sexism and prejudice of the day, she is as obstinate and determined as Steve – and as unwilling to accept the limitations that society attempts to impose upon her. The difference is that she has made it to her place in the midst of the fray without the aid of a Super Soldier Serum.
Steve first meets Agent Carter prior to his final selection as the subject of the experimental procedure – and they recognize their mutual traits in each other. Before the Super Soldier procedure, Steve is in awe of Peggy – being aware of the fact that she has reached her position against the odds, through nothing but grit, skill and determination. After the procedure, she remains a talisman of sorts – a goal to which he can aspire, and a friend with a fundamental understanding of who he is.
Fourth, there is S.H.I.E.L.D – the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division. In Captain America: The First Avenger, the organisation that was already introduced to the MCU at the end of Iron Man, three years earlier, is seen in its fledgling state, known as the SSR (Strategic Science Reserve). It is under the banner of this division that the Super Soldier project is undertaken, as a part of the World War II battle against Nazism and HYDRA. It is also the organization that unites the broad range of characters in this film, and beyond – including Tony Stark (Iron Man), whose father played a significant role in SHIELD before his death.
Lastly, and most significantly, there is Bucky Barnes. Bucky is the best friend of Rogers – the two having grown up together. Bucky enlists in the U.S Army ahead of Rogers and is already seeing active duty when the latter receives the Super Soldier Serum. Bucky and his unit are imprisoned by the enemy, and this is the event that inspires Captain America to leave his stage show and enter the fray. When he single-handedly launches an assault on the compound in which the soldiers are being held, he finds Bucky restrained on a table, having apparently undergone some kind of procedure.
It is Bucky that continues to motivate Captain America. Their relationship is clearly changed, though – the power dynamic between the two was always framed with Bucky being in a leadership position, due to Steve’s physical limitations. Post-transformation, a new power dynamic exists, and the two must adjust accordingly. Bucky falls from a speeding train during an action sequence and is presumed dead – an event that profoundly affects the newly enhanced Rogers, since he was still unable to save his best friend, despite being a Super Soldier.
At the end of the film, when Captain America awakes after 70 years of slumber to find himself in the care of modern day S.H.I.E.L.D., he is a man whose existence is informed by loss. As far as he knows, he has lost his best friend, Bucky, and he has also lost any contemporary connection with his talisman, Peggy Carter. As a man who drew strength and courage from camaraderie, he is now alone – lost in time, and needing to redefine his sense of purpose.