Back to the Future with “Captain America: The First Avenger”

By Addie Strong
July 22, 2011

Captain America

Chris Evan as Captain America in the new movie, out today

It is 1942, and a small, frail man named Steve Rogers has been tapped as the world’s main hope in defeating the evil Hydra Organization and its leader, the Red Skull. Rogers, played by actor Chris Evan in a new and much-anticipated movie, out today, is an unlikely hero: A sickly and desperate wannabe soldier who has been ruled unfit for combat, he is plucked from oblivion for a radical new experiment that changes him into a muscular superpower.

As Captain America, he decides to use his newfound strength to fight the world’s villains. Still, even as a superhero, Rogers is not without his struggles, as this huge responsibility falls largely on his own rookie shoulders. This is the first in a string of similarities between the character Steve Rogers and the actor Chris Evans.

Captain America

Evans was reluctant to carry the weight of the Captain America series, now celebrating its 70th anniversary as a legendary Marvel comic. In fact, the actor, who had experienced anxiety issues throughout his short career, turned down studio offers several times before accepting.

As studio executives pursued him for "Captain America," the 30-year-old actor wrestled with his emotions. “The reason I kept saying no was because I was scared,” he told the New York Times. “Maybe this is exactly what I had to do. Maybe this is exactly what I had to face,” he said of the blockbuster role.

Captain America

Evans’ vulnerability made him even more desirable to the film’s director, Joe Johnston, who has helmed movies like “The Rocketeer” and served as visual effects art director on “Raiders of the Lost Ark.”

“Steve Rogers is a guy who, at the art of it, has a very simple mission,” Johnston told the Times. “He just wants to serve his country and do the right thing. And Chris [Evans] comes off as basically a really good human being. He can wear his heart on his sleeve when he needs to.”

As the director, Johnston also made the important decision to make “Captain America” a movie that looks back at 1942 and envisions what people of that time thought the future might look like. Although the weapons and vehicles do look futuristic, they are not accurate to what we see in the world today. “It is the future as seen from the past,” Johnston told the L.A. Times.

Captain America

The Captain America filmmakers were also sensitive to the way the world’s perception of America has changed since the comic book debuted in 1941. In fact, they have chosen to release the film not as “Captain America” but simply as “The First Avenger” in South Korea, Russia and Ukraine. Even Rogers himself often covers his red, white and blue superhero suit with a beat-up leather jacket in this movie version.

Perhaps the actor playing Captain America summed it up best when he told the L.A. Times: “Right now in America, how we handle ourselves in political and global issues is up for questioning. I still think Captain America is timeless. He might wear the red, white and blue, but I don’t think this is all about America. It is what America stands for. It could be called ‘Captain Good.’”

Captain America

This summer, Evans is filming “The Avengers,” the next movie in the series, which brings the characters to present day and is slated for release next summer.

In the meantime, Demand for all things “Captain America” is up—way up. Total sales on eBay for Captain America related merchandise in the last month are up 17 percent compared to the prior period. Total listings are up 14 percent, and total bids have soared 27 percent over the previous month.

(all images courtesy of Paramount Pictures Corp.)