Captain America The First Avenger 10th Anniversary: 10 Things You Didn’t Know About The Movie

Within the  Marvel Cinematic Universe, Steve Rogers is a legend even to the other heroes that make up his fellow Avengers with a legacy that continues to loom large after his retirement. In Captain America: The First Avenger, audiences see how the legend came to be following the hero in his role throughout World War II. With it, there’s the understanding that Steve Rogers, even under the Captain America mythos, is just a man.

Ten years later, this film is still an essential stepping stone in the MCU as it leads to the crucial introduction of many iconic figures. Without Captain America: The First Avengers, fans wouldn’t have a fan-favorite series such as The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Many interesting behind-the-scenes facts of the film, however, showcase how the movie helped build the MCU into the powerhouse it is today.

10 A New Accent

Dr. Erskine is the creator of the super-soldier serum, and so he plays a huge role in Steve becoming Captain America. He is one of the very few people to believe in Steve. Without him, Captain America would never come to be.

According to Slash Film, Stanley Tucci took on the role of scientist Dr. Abraham Erksine due to the accent. After roles in such movies as Julie and Julia and The Lovely Bones, the role of a German scientist in a superhero movie was new and refreshing. More importantly, it allowed Tucci to learn a German accent, which he always wanted to use in a role.

9 Evans’ Body Double Gets His Moment

It is a pretty well-known fact that filmmakers had to use a smaller body double to create pre-serum Steve. Steve, at the beginning of the movie, is very small and sickly, which is the exact opposite of Chris Evans. It would almost impossible, and unsafe, for Evans to alter his body to be small enough. Body double Leander Deeny was brought in to make small Steve possible.

What some fans may not know, is that Deeny gets a part all to his own in Captain America: The First Avenger. Ranker points out that Deeny is a bartender in the film. Now, fans can finally see the face of the man who helped make pre-serum Steve a reality.

8 Four Shields

Captain America’s shield is an iconic symbol in the MCU. It represents everything he has fought for: freedom, the right to choose, and the greater good. In Avengers: Endgame, Steve proves that the shield goes beyond him and has created a meaning of its own by passing it down to one of his best friends, Sam Wilson.

In Captain America: The First Avenger, Chris Evans had four different shields, according to CinemaBlend. Depending on what kind of scene was being shot, a different shield was used in each one. A rubber shield was used during fight scenes; a metal shield was used for close-ups; a fiberglass shield; and the fourth was technically a CGI shield.

7 Timeline Confusion

By now fans know that the MCU has a very long and complicated timeline. Throw in the fact that the movies aren’t always released in timeline order and this just gets even more confusing. Despite this, Marvel is very good at making sure all the details of the timeline make sense. For the most part.

During Steve’s tour around America as Captain America, he is approached by a woman for an autograph. This woman is played by Laura Haddock, but this isn’t her only Marvel film. Haddock also plays Meredith Quill, Peter Quill’s mother, in both Guardians of the Galaxy films. It doesn’t entirely make sense for her to be in both places, but both roles are relatively small.

6 Captain America Comics #1

The first Captain America comic came out in 1941, just one year before the U.S. entered World War II. This comic is instrumental in creating the Marvel fans know now, especially the world of the MCU. It’s a nice Easter egg to see that the original comic made it into Captain America: The First Avenger.

Ranker points out another Easter egg within this though. The original cover of Captain America Comics #1 featured both Steve Rogers as Captain America and as well his sidekick Bucky Barnes. For the movie, he was removed from the cover because in the comics Bucky is a teenager whereas in the films he is technically a year older than Steve.

5 You Can’t Resist Captain America

Of course, the big moment of the film is when Steve is finally dosed with the super-soldier serum. The moment is full of tension as Steve fights through the pain and insists on going through with it. When it is finally revealed that the serum worked, audiences are given the first glimpse of the new and improved Steve Rogers.

Much of the appeal of the super-soldier serum is the height and muscle definition it gives Steve, so no one can blame Peggy Carter when she instinctively reaches out to touch his chest. What makes this moment even better, reports Vanity Fair, is that Hayley Atwell, the actor behind Agent Carter, improvised this moment. This was a good call as the moment really ups the tension between Steve and Peggy.

4 A Height Challenge

One of the points of the super-solider serum is that it makes Steve larger than life. Everything about him amplified, as Dr. Erskine explained, even Steve’s personality traits. Everything about Steve Rogers grew, and that includes his height.

This lead to some difficulty when it came to shooting, reports Entertainment Weekly. Chris Evans is pretty tall at 6′, but this isn’t quite tall enough when his co-star Sebastian Stan is also 6′. If Steve is the only character in this to have come into contact with the serum, then he needs to be taller than his comrades. This slight problem was eventually fixed with tricky camera angles and staging.

3 Captain Bucky

Sebastian Stan is the actor behind Bucky Barnes and has been with the character through World War II, brainwashing, and Steve’s retirement. His performance in the role is one of the best parts of the MCU, according to the legions of devoted Bucky fans out there. However, audiences almost got to see Stan in the role of Captain America instead.

According to The Things, Sebastian Stan originally tried out for the part of Steve Rogers. While there is no doubt that Stan is an amazing actor, much like Tom Hiddleston as Thor, picturing him as Steve Rogers is definitely hard. Bucky isn’t the main character that Stan was originally going for, but he remains a strong part of the MCU.

2 Emily Blunt As Agent Carter

Peggy Carter is one of the best supporting characters in Captain America films. She is a strong character, completely capable of taking care of herself and doing her job well all while supporting others. Hayley Atwell does a brilliant job portraying her, but what if someone else landed the role?

In a 2014 interview with Vulture, Emily Blunt revealed that she had been in talks with Marvel for the role of Agent Carter. Marvel had also approached Blunt previously bout the part of Black Widow. Unfortunately, neither of these panned out due to scheduling conflicts.

1 Chris Evans Turned Down Captain America

Chris Evans is the iconic actor that brings Steve Rogers to life. He really knows how to capture the humility and strength within the character. Evans’ portrayal of Captain America is so well-loved that it’s hard to picture anyone else playing the part of Steve, which almost happened.

According to CinemaBlend, Chris Evans turned down the role of Rogers multiple times before finally excepting it. At that point in time, Evans had already been in many comic book-based like Fantastic Four and Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. So it wasn’t exactly the genre that made Evans shy from the part, but the potential for extreme stardom. Thankfully for fans Evans decided to go for it and gave audiences an amazing performance for years to come.

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