By Zack Zeigler
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| Chris Evans as Captain America in "Captain America: The First Avenger" |
Captain America made his comic book debut in 1941. That left director Joe Johnston with roughly 70 years of history to sift through before deciding which subplots to acknowledge and which relationships to explore in Cap's origin tale, “Captain America: The First Avenger."
Ultimately, that meant some areas from the comic book would have to change for the film. We’ve recently discussed alterations to Captain America’s suit, and the same types of tweaks were made regarding Steve Rogers/Captain America’s relationships--most notably the one between Rogers (Chris Evans) and his best friend and fellow soldier, James "Bucky" Barnes (Sebastian Stan).
"In the original Captain America comic books, Bucky was a young guy, kind of a sidekick who Steve had to look out for," said Evans. "We did it a little differently, but the relationship is still very well developed. I think it's one of the best in the film--you really care about these two guys."
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| Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes in "Captain America: The First Avenger" |
And exploring those types relationships are what can help make good super hero movies great. Watching our protagonist slice and dice handfuls of malcontents can be worth the price of admission, but understanding what fuels the character emotionally is what defines them as a hero--and why audiences will continue to follow their story.
"This movie takes place over two or three years, so we don’t see everything Cap and Bucky did over that time period,” said Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige. "There are many gaps that can be filled in later.”
"Captain America: The First Avenger" will focus on the early days of the Marvel Universe when Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) volunteers to participate in an experimental program that turns him into the Super Soldier known as Captain America. As Captain America, Rogers joins forces with Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) and Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell) to wage war on the evil HYDRA organization, led by the villainous Red Skull (Hugo Weaving).
Check out the official "Captain America: The First Avenger" teaser site as well as its hub page right here on Marvel.com for the latest on Cap's big screen adventure hitting theaters July 22!
In addition to "Captain America: The First Avenger," Marvel Studios will release a slate of films based on the Marvel characters including "Marvel's The Avengers" on May 4, 2012, and "Iron Man 3" on May 3, 2013.
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