Captain America: The Winter Soldier

But I always find time to sit down and simply enjoy this film. Great entries have come before, and dare I say, better ones have come after. Still, for my personal enjoyment, this was the film that cemented the MCU’s true potential. The duality of man and what it means to have unbridled, unchecked power are all fully explored here – through the lens of a man who has been imbued with incredible power. We see the fear from those around him, but because we know Steve and what he is capable of, not to mention what he is willing to do, the paranoia that spins out from their fear becomes weaponized. Dangerously so.

The superhero genre has been with us for decades, growing in complexity and ingenuity, so there are always efforts to reinvent the wheel or tackle different aspects. Captain America: The Winter Soldier is a full-blown conspiracy thriller wrapped up neatly in the form of a comic book movie. These kinds of films come with certain expectations – a compelling plot, a daring misdirect, upped stakes, and the possibility of everything changing. The Winter Soldier does not miss the mark in any regard. By the time the credits have rolled, S.H.I.E.L.D. has been revealed to have been thoroughly compromised, necessitating its disassembly; Steve is questioning his place in this world and the role of the government he had signed up to protect now more than ever and the threat of Bucky Barnes is left as an open question mark. How we get there is a thrilling ride with

Captain America: The Winter Soldier reintroduces us to Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) after the incident with Loki in New York, having struggled to truly settle into a normal life in D.C. Yet, he has found a routine, including a brewing friendship/rivalry with another vet, Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) and a light flirtation with his neighbor, Kate (Emily VanCamp), who is later revealed to be Sharon Carter, “Agent 13.” While Sam has a more prominent supporting role, Sharon is presented as an important character, only to fall by the wayside once the plot kicks into high gear. Instead, the second most important character this time around is Natasha Romanoff, Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson). Unlike her role in Iron Man 2, where she was undercover for much of the film, Natasha can emphasize her capabilities from the beginning. Steve and Natasha spend most of the second act investigating the conspiracy while on the run from the U.S. government, their actions driving the plot forward.

This film features one of Nick Fury’s (Samuel L. Jackson) largest roles, with The Avengers (2012), Captain Marvel, The Marvels, and Secret Invasion being the other major appearances of his character. As the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. and the one who launched the Avengers Initiative, he is a trained spook, a man with a plan (and contingencies), and not one who trusts easily. He was the one who placed “Kate” near Steve to keep an eye on him and ensure that he was protected if he ever became a target. This makes the rot within S.H.I.E.L.D., which is revealed to have always been present, dynamically tying back to real U.S. history where the Allied Powers pardoned Axis-based scientists for any number of crimes to further the Allied Powers’ interests. Arnim Zola (Toby Jones), the secondary antagonist in Captain America: The First Avenger, standing next to the Red Skull, helping to further his agenda, laid the groundwork for the conspiracy to spiral out of control during The Winter Soldier. While he is no longer among the living, he still exerts control, allowing the main antagonist to hide in the background for most of the film.

The major supporting cast also sees the return of Maria Hill (Colbie Smulders) as Fury’s right hand. Haley Atwell returns as Peggy Carter with makeup and prosthetics, having lived a long life and the last remaining touchstone to Steve’s original life. At least, until Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) is revealed to be the assassin targeting Fury, which throws the conflict into high gear. Where Armin’s mind presents a major threat, the titular Winter Soldier is the primary physical threat to the heroes. No-nonsense, direct, and lethal, when he shows up on screen, the risk to everybody present rises significantly. A thriller conspiracy at its core, The Winter Soldier also highlights the emotional toll that Steve has gone through but had to put on the mental back burner since he arrived in the modern era. This punctuates Steve’s desire to save Bucky, not only from himself but also from his tormentors. Everybody else argues against this move, viewing him as a lost cause, but Steve would never leave a man behind. Especially his best friend.

Additionally, to fill out the threat that H.Y.D.R.A. actually represents through its infiltration of S.H.I.E.L.D., Senator Stern’s (Gary Shandling), and Jasper Sitwell’s (Maximiliano Hernández) return from Iron Man 2 and Thor/The Avengers respectively, showing just how deep the rot is. One thing of note, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. had begun its run concurrently with the films released in 2013 and 2014, such as Thor: The Dark World and Iron Man 3, and was meant to tie in more heavily than ultimately ended up happening. Because of how secretive Marvel is with the MCU, allowing it to keep many of its great twists and reveals hidden until release, this left Agents scrambling to adjust its entire concept with how this film ended. Eventually, the show would pivot almost entirely away from trying to tie into the greater MCU; it is up to you for better or for worse.

The dynamic between Steve and Natasha, Steve and Fury, and Steve and Bucky are what pushes this film into being my favorite. Each relationship is built on a different side of Steve, representing a glimpse into his future, present, and past, respectively. Whether certain aspects of the MCU’s future were known, the foundation of Steve and Natasha’s friendship is fully reinforced in this film.

Her dance between lie and truth, dark and light, drives her character arc throughout the next few appearances, all leading to her being most unwilling to pick a side in Captain America: Civil War.

Additionally, while Nick Fury’s decisions as a leader call his actions into question by Steve, Steve understands the fundamental reasons behind them, even if he doesn’t like them. The world is and always has been, morally gray, and what defines an enemy becomes more complicated to pinpoint the further along we as a society go. This makes it easier for Steve to challenge those who want to dismiss Bucky as a lost cause. Seeing how others handle the world’s complexities gives him the license, if not outright freedom, to fight to protect Bucky.

However, the one whose role truly lays the path forward for is Sam Wilson – the Falcon. He would become the man Steve relies on most as the series continues, not as a replacement for Bucky but as a modern-day equivalent and addition. As one of the most significant supporting characters in the film, much is made of his growth as a character and his eventual turn to heroism. True to form, with the upcoming release of Brave New World, everything in Sam’s adventure on screen has led to this.

As the first film directed by the Russo Brothers (Joe and Anthony), it became apparent that Marvel had captured lightning in a bottle. The brothers would return to direct Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame before seeming to step back from the franchise. The mark they left on the MCU became as indelible as that of Kevin Feige, often credited for being the mastermind behind Marvel’s cinematic successes (despite behind-the-scenes issues that nearly derailed the entire project). With a deft hand, an appreciation for the material, and the ability to consistently deliver massively popular and insanely profitable movies, is it any wonder that they were invited back when Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars ran into ever-increasing difficulties?

The central themes of this film, identity, trust, truth versus lies, and corruption, are woven throughout its narrative and how the character arcs unfold. Who can you trust when those working alongside you are prone to deception, half-truths, and simple omission? Steve spends much of the film clinging to his ideals, trying to make them fit into the modern era while also grappling with the façade that he unknowingly grew up in, that only the benefit of hindsight and a rearview mirror can expose. It recontextualizes everything from The First Avenger while building off his growth in The Avengers, culminating in the decisions he would make here and in the succeeding films. But beyond the threads it picks up or lays down for future installments, The Winter Soldier conveys a dark, thrilling conspiracy, and those are the kinds of stories I enjoy watching and reading.

Now, with a few days before the fourth Captain America film drops, let us all gather around and anticipate what lies ahead of us.