Automoderated users, Autopatrolled users, Bureaucrats, Comment administrators, Confirmed users, Forum administrators, Interface administrators, Moderators, Rollbackers, Administrators
116,929
edits
Captain America: The First Avenger: Difference between revisions
moved link out of the title drop
Looney Toons (talk | contribs) (tropelist, quote cleanup, header cleanup) |
Looney Toons (talk | contribs) (moved link out of the title drop) |
||
| (14 intermediate revisions by 10 users not shown) | |||
Line 1:
{{work}}
{{Multiple Works Need Separate Pages}}
[[File:Captain_America_the_First_Avenger_Movie_Poster_6131.jpg|frame|Who's strong and brave, here to save the American way?]]
{{quote|''"No matter what happens, stay who you are. Not a perfect soldier... but a good man."''}}
'''''
Taking place in the timeframe of [[World War II|1942 to 1945]], ''First Avenger'' tells the story of US Army reject Steve Rogers ([[Chris Evans]]), who volunteers for a secret government program which transforms him into the very epitome of human potential. As the Star-Spangled Soldier, Rogers goes to war against Nazi Germany's military forces -- including Johann Schmidt (The [[Red Skull]], portrayed by [[Hugo Weaving]]), who has his own plans for world domination.
Line 10 ⟶ 11:
Like ''[[Thor (film)|Thor]]'', ''First Avenger'' serves as a proper introduction to Captain America in preparation for ''[[The Avengers (film)|The Avengers]]''; a short ''Avengers'' trailer runs [[The Stinger|after the credits]], so be sure to stick around.
{{tropelist}}
== This film contains examples of the following tropes: ==
Line 16 ⟶ 17:
* [[Ace Pilot]]: Howard Stark is specifically described as being one of the best civilian pilots in the world, and is certainly not afraid to fly a small, unarmed passenger plane into German airspace and through heavy anti-aircraft fire just to get Captain America where he needs to be.
** Steve is no slouch either.
* [[Action Film, Quiet Drama Scene]]: Steve and Peggy in the bombed out cafe {{spoiler|where Peggy consoles Steve after Bucky dies}}.
* [[Action Girl]]/[[Lady of War]]: British Special Agent Peggy Carter. In her first action scene, we get a glimpse of her [[Improbable Aiming Skills]] and perfect poise. We only get to see her on the front lines once, but she ''mows down'' a flamethrower mook with a machine gun.
* [[Actor Allusion]]:
Line 25 ⟶ 26:
** Red Skull (Hugo Weaving) while fighting Captain America in a suspended gravity environment (the plummeting plane) reminds somewhat of a similar scene in ''[[The Matrix]]''.
** "Schmidt" is the German equivalent of "Smith."
** At a meta level, things like Red Skull's fighting style and even how he levels his gun ("Unfortunately I am on a tight schedule...") have apparently stayed with Hugo Weaving after the [[Training
* [[Adaptation Distillation]]: Like ''[[Thor (film)|Thor]]'', the story takes several elements from both the mainstream [[Marvel Universe]] (Earth-616) and the [[Ultimate Marvel]] universe (Earth-1610). For example, like his Ultimate counterpart, he and Bucky were best friends before the war and Bucky defended him from bullies. Also, some elements of his movie costume are lifted from the Ultimate version (in particular, a helmet with his [[Brought to You by The Letter "S"|signature "A" on it]]). However, the similarities are slim beyond that. Supporting characters like Colonel Philips, the Howling Commandos, Red Skull, Peggy Carter, Gilmore Hodge, Steve being an orphan and his [[Wide-Eyed Idealist|Wide-Eyed Idealism]] ring true to his mainstream incarnation. (He's also a genuinely nice person as opposed to the Ultimates version, who is a [[Jerkass]].)
** In the original universe, the [[Red Skull]] had been a brilliant spymaster, brought up via [[The Spartan Way|training]] [[Charles Atlas Superpower|from an uneducated street punk]]. In the film, Dr. Erskine describes him as a brilliant scientist and chief of HYDRA - which is an advanced military research unit. It takes literally ''a lifetime of learning'', since elementary school begins, to become a scientific researcher, it can't be done in a few months or years. This means the entire biography of the Skull has to be rewritten from scratch to fit this new personality.
* [[Adaptation Dye Job]]: Sharon Carter is usually depicted as blonde in the comics. This may be deliberate to give her a resemblance to Peggy, though.
* [[Adaptational Badass]]: Bucky Barnes starts out as much more of a [[Badass]] than he was in the comics (pre-Winter Soldier, at least). Instead of starting out as a [[Kid Sidekick]] like in Earth-616, he's the same age as Steve, he starts out as a [[Badass Normal]] soldier (who's a hit with the ladies, to boot) and gets himself enlisted in the Army before Steve ever does. And instead of being Steve's spokesman/medic like in the [[Ultimate Universe]], he's the leader of the Howling Commandos, and a respected leader in his own right.
* [[Aesoptinum]]:
** The [[Super Serum]]. It emphasizes all qualities in the recipient, good and bad, but cannot fundamentally change human nature. Therefore, it is best administered to humble individuals who [[With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility|know what abuse of power is]].
** Averted with Tesseract technology; it's just technology, it doesn't [[The Corruption|corrupt its wielder]], [[Deadly Upgrade|cause undue harm,]] [[Power At a Price|come at a price]], [[Phlebotinum Breakdown|go haywire with catastrophic implications]], or cause any negative effects typically present when artifacts of such magnitude are abused by villains for personal gain. As such, many soldiers who have been in combat with HYDRA troops tend to employ trophy weaponry. Of course, all that wondertech ''is'' [[Black Box|dependent on the Tesseract to power it, even by proxy.]] Even Howard Stark has to pass his notes on to his son to complete research into the Tesseract.
Line 49 ⟶ 50:
* [[America Wins the War]]: Averted. Not only are other fronts and allies mentioned in passing, but the Strategic Scientific Reserve and Howling Commandos are both multinational, and eventually, things evolve into a feud between the SSR and HYDRA. HYDRA's defeat saves the world, but that is unrelated to ''[[World War II]]'' proper.
* [[Anachronism Stew]]: Falsworth reminds them to "Mind the Gap" when they are about to jump on the HYDRA train. A reference to the unofficial motto of the London Underground, which first appeared in ''1968''.
* [[Applied Phlebotinum]]:
** The Cosmic Cube is essentially the only thing that allows HYDRA to power their advanced technology.
** Vibranium makes its first named appearance in Marvel movie continuity; the iconic round shield is made from their only sample. (The novelization of ''[[Iron Man (film)|Iron Man]] 2'' also names it as the element Howard Stark leaves to Tony to recreate.)
Line 60 ⟶ 61:
** Despite being awarded the Medal of Honor, Steve never wears the appropriate ribbon. He also wears an American Defense Medal ribbon which he would not have been eligible for.
** The Red Skull (Dr. Erskine flashback scene, 0h 25min in the film) in his guise as Johann Schmidt wears an Allgemeine SS uniform with SS-Obergruppenführer (3-star General rank) collar tabs, but a SS NCO peaked cap (black chinstrap, not the silver-braid chinstrap of officers) and no visible shoulder boards. This would be an unacceptable breach of uniform regulations and etiquette for a German officer.
* [[Ascended Extra]]:
** Howard Stark is a very minor character in the comics, hardly making any appearance, if at all. While Peggy did show up in the comics, she was the subject of a [[Retcon|retconned]] love interest for Steve and a minor character. Here, she is more prominent and has become an [[Adaptational Badass]].
** Jim Morita and Jacques Dernier were only recurring characters in the Howling Commandos series, but in the movie they're promoted to full-fledged team-members.
* [[Audible Gleam]]: The Tesseract.
* [[Awesome but Impractical]]:
** The Valkyrie bomber is eyebrow-raising to a fairly massive extent; it has twin turbojet engines... and eight propellers.
** The eight propellers are justified, since they are actually the bomb aircraft's propeller. If anything, it's more of a redundant feature on the plane.
** [[Truth in Television]]: The post-war Convair B-36 bomber, designed during the war to bomb Europe from the States if England fell, had six rear facing propellers and four turbojets to help it reach takeoff speed.
** The bomb aircraft also apply; they have the maneurability of a fighter and an ejection seat, presumably to give the pilot a fair chance of survival once it's on a collision course with the target... but there are no parachutes anywhere aboard or in the hangar, preventing the Captain from leaving the bomber once it's about to crash.
* [[Badass Adorable]]: Steve, [[Nice Guy|before]] and [[Gentle Giant|after]] super-soldier serum is such a polite and kind sweetheart that whether you're a man or woman, you'd wanna hug him.
Line 78 ⟶ 79:
* [[Badass Crew]]: And not just any Squad, but the [[Howling Commandos]].
* [[Badass in a Nice Suit]]: Peggy Carter wears a tie to battle!
** Wearing a tie in battle would actually be [[Truth in Television]] to some degree for World War II. Pilots and other aircrew in many of the services fighting in [[World War II]] (the [[Brits With Battleships|RAF]], [[Nazis With Gnarly Weapons|Luftwaffe]] and [[Yanks With Tanks|US Army Air Force]] in particular) often flew in combat wearing service dress uniforms that included neckties.
* [[Badass Longcoat]]: Red Skull really works that Nazi coat, especially after his "normal appearance" mask comes off.
* [[Badass Normal]]: Bucky, and the [[Howling Commandos]].
** Peggy Carter is certainly no slouch herself in this department either.
* [[Badass Mustache]]: Dugan. By the grace of God, Dugan.
* [[Bad Boss]]: Both used straight and subverted with the Red Skull. [[You Have Failed Me...|He coldly shoots down]] an officer who protests that 'we fought to the last man!' with 'Evidently not!', but later the audience is made to think he's going to abandon Zola because his escape rocket only seats one, only for Red Skull to give him the keys to his car instead.
{{quote|"Not a scratch, Doctor, not a scratch."}}
* [[Bald of Evil]]: Red Skull. Sort of.
* [[Bash Brothers]]: After Steve's transformation, his [[Odd Friendship]] with [[Bucky]] becomes this, now that he's [[Took a Level
* [[Batman Gambit]]: Arnim Zola's failure to take his [[Cyanide Pill]] leads Colonel Phillips to realize that he is pliable. So Phillips simply sends a communique saying that Zola's made a [[Heel Face Turn]] using an encryption method he knows HYDRA has broken, but that HYDRA does not [[I Know You Know I Know|know that he knows they've broken.]] Upon hearing this, Zola does all the work himself: He knows as a demonstrated fact that the [[Red Skull]] does ''not'' broker [[You Have Failed Me...|failure]], so his only chance is to throw himself on Phillps' mercy. Zola thus ''sings like a bird.''
* [[Battle Cry]]: Once, by Dugan.
{{quote|"WAAAH-HOOO!"}}
* [[Beauty Equals Goodness]]: It's implied the Super Soldier Serum horribly disfigures anyone not pure of heart, and amplifies attractiveness in good men - hence Red Skull's deformation and Steve's rocking new body.
** Well, you could make a case for this trope thematically. Erskine explicitly says the serum formula that Schmidt used was "not ready." The version Steve got was apparently more refined and supplemented by a heavy dose of Vita-Rays. Also, Steve was already a good-looking guy, just scrawny.
* [[Becoming the Mask]]:
** Inverted. The characteristic red head that Red Skull has is in fact his true face, and the human face is in fact a mask resembling his original self. It is also stated in an interview with [[Hugo Weaving]] and implied in the movie itself that the red head was the result of his undergoing the first supersoldier serum project due to a combination of the serum being imperfect at the time, and his dark inner nature.
** Played straight with Captain America himself, however. He starts out as a USO propaganda figurehead playing the heroic Captain America in stage productions and films, and then becomes the real deal.
* [[Berserk Button]]: The term "Red Skull" only comes up once in the movie, and it's subtle but clear enough that Schmidt doesn't like it. (It's said by a Nazi chewing him out on Hitler's behalf; shortly afterward Skull [[Deadly Euphemism|shows the Nazis his new weaponry.]]) Although, in this case it may be referring to HYDRA itself, which has a red skull as part of its logo.
* [[Betty and Veronica]]: Subverted. It looks like Steve and Howard are going to be competing for Peggy, but Peggy and Howard have no interest in one another.
Line 108 ⟶ 109:
** HYDRA's technology only works because of the Cosmic Cube, and ''nobody'' really understands how ''it'' works.
** The implication exists that Howard Stark's Arc Reactor designs (which Tony then miniaturized) actually came from the study of the Cube as well. He ''did'', after all, boast about "making the nuclear reactor look like a Triple-A battery".
* [[Black Vikings]]: Invoked in-universe when Dum-Dum Dugan notices that another POW is Asian, future Howling Commando Jim Morita. He asks "Are we taking ''everybody'' now?", only for the man to flash his dogtags and respond [[Justified Trope|"I'm from Fresno, Ace"]]. [[Truth in Television]] the Nisei (American Born Japanese) battalions were active in the European theater and serious Real Life Badasses.
* [[Black Dude Dies First]]: Averted, Gabe Jones, the African American member of the Howling Commandos is in fact one of the surviving members of the unit. In fact, he's also the one who successfully manages to capture Zola.
* [[Blessed with Suck]]: A distraught Steve [[I Need a Freaking Drink|tries to drown his sorrows in alcohol]], only to discover he can't; his metabolism is four times faster than the average man. He literally can't drink fast enough.
Line 130 ⟶ 131:
* [[Brooklyn Rage]]: Averted. Steve may be from Brooklyn but he doesn't have much of a temper.
* [[Brought to You by The Letter "S"|Brought To You By The Letter A]]: Steve's costume, both before ''and'' after [[Becoming the Mask]].
* [[Butt Monkey]]:
** Steve, before he gets the Super Serum and becomes Captain America. Even after he gets the Super Serum, he's still put-upon until he finally proves himself in battle.
** He expresses his chagrin at being stuck as a USO dandy by sketching a circus monkey wearing his costume.
*** This doubles as a subtle [[Continuity Nod]] to the comics, where Steve Rogers was a comic book artist.
* [[Call Back]]: An easy-to-miss one - Steve is having "trouble sleeping" the night before the procedure, and at the beginning of [[The Stinger]].
* [[Call Forward]]:
** In Arnim Zola's first appearance, we can only see his face through a small magnifying glass. This hints at his eventual appearance in the comics, where he survives into the present day in a cyborg body that's mostly just a giant TV screen with his face on it.
** The iconic shield is foreshadowed twice. First, when Steve picks up a trashcan lid to defend himself from a bully. Later, when he rips off the door of a taxicab to defend himself from a Nazi assassin (the door reads "Lucky Star Cabs", and it has a big star on it).
*** The shield's classic design is called forward at the end of the USO stage tour montage, as we see the background behind Steve and the performers with a familiar red-white-red-blue pattern.
** The first one was then [[Call Back|called back]] to when a kid uses a decorated trashcan lid as his shield in a game.
* [[The Cameo]]: Stan Lee's cameo is of a general, highly decorated, and waiting for Captain America to show up. When the politician aide appears.
{{quote|'''Stan Lee''' (To a friend): "I thought, he'd be taller."}}
* [[Canon Foreigner]]: Senator Brandt and Pvt. Lorraine.
* [[The Cape (trope)]]: One of the very few earnest and well-executed examples in recent superhero movies.
* [[Car Fu]]: Used twice. First, the HYDRA assassin attempts to use his stolen cab to run over Peggy Carter, but Steve saves her with a heroic dive. Later, Steve himself rides a motorcycle up to HYDRA's main base and "knocks on the front door" with it, leaping off to blow up the main entrance.
* [[Captain Patriotic]]: [[Subverted Trope|Subverted]], as the whole gimmick of Captain America was created by the government as a wartime propaganda device, and Steve has a more complex motivation than patriotism alone.
* [[Casual Danger Dialogue]]:
** The final conversation over the radio between Steve and Peggy was them making plans to go dancing, even when they both know that Steve won't make it.
** An earlier scene has Dugan talking to Jones about when he learned German ''while they're in the middle of escaping the HYDRA base (AND participating in a prisoner revolt in the same base, at that).''
** Steve and a delirious Bucky's chat also qualifies.
* [[Catastrophic Countdown]]: The Italian HYDRA base briefly explodes before stopping and then resuming the self-destruct explosions. Justified in this case, as the reason for the delayed explosions was because Zola interrupted Red Skull's arming the self-destruction devices when expressing shock that he's blowing up the base before pointing to a video monitor and telling Zola that their forces are outmatched before resuming the arming of the self-destruction devices.
Line 152 ⟶ 155:
* [[Chaste Hero]]: Steve Rogers, even after becoming Captain America (see [[A Man Is Not a Virgin]] below).
* [[Cheap Costume]]: Rogers is initially put into USO shows to boost morale and war bonds, wearing a costume that is more reminiscent of the spandex/tights of earlier live action versions of the character. He generally looks ridiculous, but both the look of the costume and the shield he was given serves as the inspiration for his official "hero" costume.
* [[Chekhov's Skill]]: Prior to his transformation, Steve mentions that he grew up in the area of Brooklyn in which the experiment will take place, and knows the streets well. Shortly afterwards, when he has become Captain America, he uses this knowledge to take shortcuts that let him catch up to and intercept Kruger's getaway taxi.
* [[Chick Magnet]]: Howard Stark is the more straightforward "ladies man" example, as shown in his first appearance. Post-procedure Steve is a more subtle version; the combination of his stage celebrity, beefcake physique, courageous spirit, and all around [[Nice Guy]] attitude attract Peggy, a foxy secretary, and a doe-eyed starstruck blond.
** Bucky was also one back in New York.
Line 188 ⟶ 191:
** Note that both were ''real designs'' from the period -- the Triebflugel and the Horten X.XVIII. Its also hinted that the tesseract/Cosmic Cube was the only reason why they even made it out of development instead of scrapped in real life.
** Also, The Red Skull's Flying Wing aircraft seems to have been inspired by the never-built, but still impressive, [[wikipedia:Amerikabomber|Amerikabomber]]
** The mini-aircrafts (or rather piloted bombs) on board of Red Skull's bomber in pusher configuration bear striking resemblance to American Northrop XP-56 Black Bullett with some elements of Germans Henschel Hs P.75 design.
** Howard's Stark plane was pretty impressive for a private civilian aircraft flying through enemy territory.
* [[Creative Closing Credits]]: The end credits incorporate 3D-ified versions of famous WW 2 posters like Uncle Sam and Rosie The Riveter.
Line 194 ⟶ 197:
** This marks Lee's first cameo in a Marvel film about a character he did not himself create.
* [[Cue Card]]: Cap uses them during his first USO show. At first they are taped to the back of the shield. As time goes on, he becomes a better speaker and he dispenses with them.
* [[Curb Stomp Battle]]: Pre-serum Steve gets curbstomped by bullies on a regular basis, and the Allied army's first major engagement with HYDRA ends up this way as well. Suffice to stay, once Steve becomes Captain America, he starts curbstomping HYDRA.
* [[Custom Uniform]]: No two Howling Commandos wear the same uniform.
* [[Cutting the Knot]]: The drill sergeant entices the Super Soldier prospectives with a ride for the rest of the jog next to Ms. Carter in a nearby jeep if they can take a flag down from the top of a flagpole (which ''no one'' has ''ever'' accomplished). All the knuckleheads clamber up and slip down the pole. As the sarge tells them to get back to jogging, Steve simply pulls the pins out of the flagpole's base mount, and topples the flagpole.
Line 216 ⟶ 219:
** [[Call Back]] here too. The first time is a man who is beating up Steve because he was told to be quiet in a movie theater (the guy speaks and Steve replies). The second time is just as the [[Final Battle]] between Red Skull and Captain America begins (Skull speaks and Cap replies).
** Also, when Erskine and Peggy hear Steve screaming in agony while being bathed in Vita-rays, they demand Stark abort the experiment. Steve tells them not to, that he can take it.
* [[Digital Head Swap]]: This was going to be done for the scenes of Steve Rogers before he becomes Cap, sticking [[Chris Evans]]' face on a shorter, scrawnier stand-in. The director decided against it, in order to preserve Evans' unique body language. Instead, Evans was digitally shrunk down.
* [[
** The Red Skull's car is a 1938 design blown [[Up to Eleven|to gargantuan proportions]], [[Ninja Pirate Zombie Robot|incorporating the front half from a 1938 Mercedes-Benz 540K, the rear two-axle section of a Mercedes-Benz G4, the utilitarian toolboxes of a WWII Kubelwagen (light German jeep) and a frontal supercharger from a Bentley Blower]] (while most top-of-the-range Mercedes-Benz models ran similar superchargers, those were side-mounted and inside the engine bay). In-universe, it's supposed to run a V-16 aircraft engine [[Acceptable Breaks From Reality|for which the blower is too small]].
* [[Diner Brawl]]: A pre-serum Steve points out a diner in which he was beaten up.
Line 230 ⟶ 233:
** [[Subverted Trope]]: "It's just bread and cheese". Howard is actually a consummate professional.
** [[Shown Their Work]]: This being the 1940s, it's quite possible Steve had no idea what fondue was.
* [[Dragon-in-Chief]]: Johann Schmidt was originally a loyal member of Hitler's inner circle, until his face melted off and he no longer fit The Fuhrer's "Aryan Ideal". At which point he was apparently banished to the Alps to lead the HYDRA science division. Eventually Schmidt decided to turn HYDRA against the Nazis and take over the world himself.
* [[Drill Sergeant Nasty]]: Peggy Carter dabbles in it. There is also an actual drill sergeant in the training scenes.
* [[Drowning My Sorrows]]: {{spoiler|Steve after Bucky dies on duty, except he can't get drunk.}}
Line 243 ⟶ 246:
* [[Early-Bird Cameo]]: {{spoiler|Sharon Carter}}
* [[Eating the Eye Candy]]: Peggy had the sudden urge to touch Steve's abs after his transformation. For bonus points, [[Throw It In|that wasn't scripted]].
* [[Elaborate Underground Base]]: Technically an "elaborate ground level base hidden behind a bunch of old stores".
** HYDRA also has a couple of "elaborate bases right out in the open."
** And the main HYDRA base: It is dug into the Alps mountains and said to be 500 feet underground.
Line 278 ⟶ 281:
{{quote|"I thought you were dead."
"I thought you were smaller." }}
* [[Expy]]: If it's possible to be one for your own son. A lot of Howard Stark and Steve's interactions foreshadow the relationship Steve will most likely have with Tony later on, although Howard is [[Sliding Scale of Idealism vs. Cynicism|further from the cynicism end of the scale than Tony]], justified in part by the timeframe.
** {{spoiler|Sharon Carter, confirmed to be the woman that greets Cap in the end, is an obvious and invoked expy of Peggy.}}
** Howard Stark is also an expy for Howard Hughes.
Line 301 ⟶ 304:
* [[Four-Star Badass]]: Even prior to becoming a super-soldier, Schmidt was a General in the SS.
* [[Foregone Conclusion]]: If you didn't know that [[It Was His Sled|Cap gets frozen for decades before waking up in the present day]], you probably will after the first five minutes. Of course, the story isn't necessarily ''how'', but rather ''why''.
* [[Foreshadowing]]: {{spoiler|When the Red Skull acquires the cube, the old monk warns him that if he tries to use the Cube's power "It will burn him". In the climax, when the Skull tries to use the cube himself, he is seemingly disintegrated by it}}.
** In the same scene, a group of Nazis are scrambling to get the lid off a tomb to no avail. Moments later, Schmidt walks over and effortlessly shoves the lid off all by himself. This clues in the audience that he's taken the Super Soldier Serum himself. {{spoiler|You can even see the seam of his [[Latex Perfection|mask]] if you're looking for it.}}
** HYDRA's motto: Every head that's cut off, two more will take its place.
Line 316 ⟶ 319:
* [[Friendly Sniper]]: James "Bucky" Barnes.
* [[From Nobody to Nightmare]]: Steve Rogers became this to the Nazis. See [[Humble Hero]] example.
* [[Futureshadowing]]: ''[[The Incredible Hulk (film)|The Incredible Hulk]]'' featured the ramifications of the super soldier project. The Hulk is the result of Bruce Banner's attempt to improve on it, while Emil Blonsky is injected with another attempt credited to Dr. Reinstein.
** ''[[Iron Man (film)|Iron Man]] 2'' reveals that Howard Stark was a founder of SHIELD during WWII, and Cap's shield's prototype/replica is seen in Tony's workshop (and is even used in one of his experiments to {{spoiler|[[Crowning Moment of Funny|prop up a component]]}}).
* [[Generation Xerox]]: Howard Stark is a [[Large Ham]], a [[Casanova]], and an ahead of his time genius. [[Iron Man (film)|Apparently, these were all genetic traits]].
Line 328 ⟶ 331:
* [[A God Am I]]: The Red Skull's attitude after taking Erskine's serum and having perfected technology using the Cosmic Cube.
* [[The Good Captain]]: Unlike the traditional comic book version, Steve Rogers is a commissioned US Army Captain.
* [[Good
** [http://media.comicvine.com/uploads/6/60545/1885205-trhrth_super.png Bucky]{{Dead link}}'s a [[Good
* [[Government Agency of Fiction|Army Division Of Fiction]]: The Strategic Scientific Reserve. Implied to be the OSS to SHIELD's CIA.
* [[Green-Eyed Monster]]: Peggy reacts [[Woman Scorned|negatively]] when she walks in on a blonde secretary seducing Steve. Steve also gets the wrong idea when he thinks Peggy and Howard Stark are [[Unusual Euphemism|"fonduing."]]
Line 336 ⟶ 339:
* [[Ham-to-Ham Combat]]: The first scene between Dr. Zola and Schmidt.
* [[Hard Work Hardly Works]]: Due to his multiple health issues, Steve would never have been able to sprint several miles, run down a car on foot, fight a guy, then out-swim a submarine and capture him. This is the first thing he does after getting the [[Super Serum]].
** He still had to pass through [[Training
* [[He Knows Too Much]]: Col Phillips warns a captured Zola that Schmidt will see him this way.
* [[Heart Is an Awesome Power]]: Not about any of the ''super'' powers in the film, but about the way Steve's lack of strength gave him the character to make him the right man for the project:
{{quote|'''Dr. Erskine''': A strong man, who has known power all his life, will lose respect for that power. But a ''weak'' man knows the value of strength, and knows compassion.}}
* [[Heel Face Turn]]: Dr. Zola, [[A Lighter Shade of Grey|sort of.]]
* [[Hell-Bent for Leather]]: Johann Schmidt in spades. Even his shirt appears to be made of fine leather.
** All HYDRA troopers wear uniforms and masks that look as if they were made of leather.
Line 385 ⟶ 388:
'''Steve Rogers:''' It's handier than you might think. }}
* [[Improbable Aiming Skills]]: Peggy makes some improbable shots with a handgun. Also, Steve and his shield, true to comic form.
** Dugan, Jones and Falsworth gun down several HYDRA troopers without hitting Cap who is standing right in the middle of them. Particularly [[Egregious]] as Jones is using a machine gun freehand and Dugan is using a shotgun, weapons that even at short range, aren't made for pin-point accuracy.
* [[Improvised Weapon]]: While chasing down a HYDRA spy, Steve uses a car door as a shield. This serves as the inspiration for giving him a shield in the first place, though they didn't expect him to actually use it as a weapon.
** And before that, the skinny pre-serum Steve picks up a trash can lid and tries to use it as a shield during a back alley brawl.
* [[Improvised Zipline]]: How Steve, Bucky and Jones board Zola's train.
* [[Incoming Ham]]:
{{quote|'''Schmidt:''' ''"CAPTAIN AMERICA! How EXCITING!!!"''}}
* [[Incorruptible Pure Pureness]]: Like the comics character, one of the reasons Steve was chosen was because he had this, and the serum would emphasize it. With a character like Schmidt, however, it emphasizes the ''negative'' traits.
* [[Informed Ability]]: The vibranium shield "completely absorbs all vibrations." See the note for [[Coconut Effect]] above. [http://rigil-kent.livejournal.com/90943.html A review] points out that this should also make it unable to ricochet off solid objects. On the other hand, if they meant to say that it ''perfectly reflects all vibrations,'' these attributes might actually make sense.
** Given what happened when Thor slammed the shield in ''[[The Avengers (film)|The Avengers]]'', there's a definite 'reflects vibrations' going on there.
** Then again, Peggy launches a few bullets at him right after he picks up the shield for the first time, and the bullets just hit the shield and drop at his feet rather than riccochet with equivalent force. So that would seem to argue on the side of vibration ''absorption.'' Clearly, the shield is a Vibranium/[[Applied Phlebotinum|Phlebotinum]] alloy of sorts.
*** Unless it sheds the vibrations from the edge, which is why he so often tags people and objects with the rim of the shield to massive effect.
* [[Insert Grenade Here]]: Turned [[Up to Eleven]] in every way possible. Cap drops a bandoleer of explosives into a three story-high tank.
* [[In Medias Res]]: The opening scene takes place in the modern day, hinting towards what is going to happen in the movie and where they are going to end up.
* [[I Thought It Meant]]: [[Adorkable|Steve thought "fondue" was a euphemism for sex.]]
** [[Is It Something You Eat?]]: Yes, Steve. Yes it is.
* [[Jack Bauer Interrogation Technique]]: Surprisingly averted. Philips cracks Dr. Zola like a quail egg with a few soft words and a [[Batman Gambit]].
* [[Jerk with a Heart of Gold]]: Col. Philips makes it clear in no uncertain terms that he feels Rogers would be nothing but a hindrance to the cause, and even feels that way to an extent once he undergoes the transformation.
** Once Rogers succeeds in rescuing 400 allied soldiers from a POW camp against his orders, he gains his respect.
* [[Jumped At the Call]]: Steve even before learning of Erskine's experiment. He is thrilled at the idea of finally being able to serve his country. His friends too certainly weren't hesitant about putting themselves in danger just after escaping it, even relishing the idea.
Line 444 ⟶ 447:
** "I could do this all day."
** "Is this a test?"
** "It was his choice/This is my choice."
** "Waiting for the right partner."
* [[Megaton Punch]]: Captain America and Red Skull's first meeting, Captain America punches Red Skull hard enough on the face to damage his human face mask (revealing a bit of his true face under his right eye), and Red Skull retaliates by punching Captain America's steel shield, denting it in the process.
Line 458 ⟶ 461:
** "The Star Spangled Man" song plays with a montage of Captain America's propaganda.
* [[Motivational Kiss]]: Steve receives a kiss from Peggy just before he boards the Red Skull's plane.
* [[Mr. Fanservice]]: Where to start..
** All American Good Guy [[Knight in Shining Armour|Steve Rogers]]
** His Badass BFF [[Nerves of Steel|Bucky Barnes]]
** For the mature lady, [[Cool Old Guy|Colonel Chester Phillips]]
** Not only do we see where [[Like Father, Like Son|Tony]] gets it from, but [[Sharp-Dressed Man|Howard Stark]] wears the ''hell'' out of those suits.
* [[Ms. Fanservice]]: Three words: Peggy in red.
** On an unrelated tangent, the USO singers during the tour montage are quite the lookers themselves and are examples in-universe. [[Riff Trax]] creatively rewrites the lyrics of their song as, "[[She's Got Legs|Legs, all the leggy leggy legs! Legs, lots of legs, win the war with the leeeegs.]]"
** We even see the soldiers in Italy demanding that the USO "bring back the girls" to the stage, after Steve's performance goes south.
Line 490 ⟶ 493:
** The Skull also had the facial disfigurement, although in the comics it was because of an [[Hoist by His Own Petard|accident involving his "Death Dust"]] during his fight with Steve Rogers and John Walker; he was also in a body that had been cloned from Rogers, and thus also benefited from the serum.
** Steve is shown sketching in his downtime, and able to reproduce base locations on a map after a brief glance. In the comics, part of his civilian life was drawing for Captain America comics.
** Steve uses makeshift shields several times before getting his real one.
** The prop shield for the Captain America USO shows looks a lot like the one the character used in his earliest appearances.
** The famed "Psyche Hitler" from an earlier film seems to be referenced.
Line 505 ⟶ 508:
* [[Never Gets Drunk]]: Quite literal in Cap's case, due to his accelerated healing factor and increased metabolism. Unfortunately, this means he's unable to [[Drowning My Sorrows|drown his sorrows.]]
* [[Nice Guy]]: Steve Rogers is made of this trope. It is, in fact, the entire point of the movie, that he makes a great hero because he was always a great person to begin with.
* [[Nice Hat]]: Being in a military setting, there are peaked hats, maroon berets, and even a blue M1 helmet, but they all pale in comparison to [http://media.comicbookmovie.com/images/users/uploads/10300/Capcard2.png Dum Dum Dugan's bowler]{{Dead link}}. It gets even better! Later on when he gets promoted he puts chevrons on his bowler.
* [[Nice to the Waiter]]: Steve gets up to buy his newly minted squad a round of drinks.
* [[No Body Left Behind]]: Anyone caught in any [[Magitek|Tesseract/Cosmic Cube-powered weapon]]'s blast is instantly vaporized to the point that no body ''is'' left behind, all in a blue mist. Yet, {{spoiler|this happens ''differently'' for Schmitt. See [[Never Found the Body]].}}
* [[No,
* [[No Name Given]]: None of the Howling Commandos get named, except for Cap and Bucky. Even the unit doesn't.
** That's apparently supposed to be Sharon Carter at the end, but the only way you'd know it is if you knew that the actress signed on for the next film.
Line 522 ⟶ 525:
* [[Not What It Looks Like]]: A female secretary aggressively puts the moves on Steve, and Peggy walks in, assuming that he's become less selective. Steve protests in vain.
* [[The Obi-Wan]]: Erskine.
* [[Officer and a Gentleman]]: 2nd Lt. Montgomery Falsworth.
* [[Offscreen Moment of Awesome]]: The screen cuts out just before Cap's epic leap to safety during his first mission.
** Remember that that scene is in Austria. Steve leads the POWs all the way to Italy through very hostile territory.
* [[Oh Crap]]: That ''beautiful'' look on {{spoiler|Sharon Carter}}'s face when Steve says, "The game. It's from May 1941. I know because ''I was there.''"
Line 532 ⟶ 535:
** Subverted, however, in that in the two times he's explicitly working alone, he's first on a stealth mission (that ultimately goes loud when he starts a prisoner revolt), and the second time, he's {{spoiler|a distraction}}. In other words, he's ''really'' good on his own, but he still has limits, and works with the Howling Commandos as a result.
* [[One Steve Limit]]: Averted and subverted. James "Bucky" Barnes, Jim Morita and James Falsworth are members of the same unit. In addition, Jacques is the French form of James, and a fourth member is Jacques Dernier. ''None'' of them go by James. Also played straight, as there is in fact only [[Incredibly Lame Pun|one Steve]].
* [[Origins Episode|Origins Movie]]: The movie served as this to introduce Cap's origins.
* [[Overranked Soldier]]: Steve makes the jump from a buck Private to a Captain for propaganda purposes.
** Somehow, Falsworth starts out as 2nd Lieutenant in November, 1943 and is a Brigadier by VE-Day.
Line 542 ⟶ 546:
* [[Pineapple Surprise]]. Captain America pulls the pin on a grenade being carried on the back of a HYDRA bike during a bike chase.
* [[Pinned Down]]: Whilst boarding the HYDRA train, Steve and Bucky get trapped on separate cars. Two squads of HYDRA troopers are sent in to take care of them, and while Steve easily takes care of his assailants, one straggler manages to corner Bucky behind cover. Steve has to backtrack to Bucky's car and flank the straggler so Bucky can get the [[Pretty Little Headshots|headshot]], leading to the [[Meaningful Echo]].
* [[Plain Name]]: Steve Rogers. Also, Johann Schmidt (basically, German counterpart to John Smith).
* [[Planning for The Future Before The End]]: After the Cap makes his choice {{spoiler|to sacrifice himself, he and Peggy make plans for a date. A tearful Peggy tells him, "Don't you dare be late." He agrees, and reminds her that he can't dance, and worries about stepping on her feet. He gets cut off mid-sentence as he crashes into the ice.}}
* [[Politically-Correct History]]: The [http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/339/capadvpromo5.jpg/ Howling Commandos] have not only an African-American member but a Japanese-American member as well despite the fact that the military segregated those minorities at the time (it wasn't desegregated until under [[Harry Truman]] right after the war). Justified by it being a special unit personally selected by Cap himself (and deliberately composed of people he knew personally), and most the members were clearly not in the same unit before. It's also implied the African-American was a cook, as they were in real life, and that an actual Japanese-American unit served in the European theater.
Line 552 ⟶ 556:
* [[Power Is Sexy]]: Seems to be the reason the blond secretary puts the moves on Steve. During the debriefing scene between Steve, Peggy and Col. Philips, she can't keep her eyes off of him. When he asks if he can speak with Howard Stark later, she wasn't even about to give him the time of day until she recognized him. After that, she's all over him.
* [[Power Walk]]: An entire liberated POW camp does so, which also serves as a [[Call Back]] to the propaganda film Steve participated in earlier in the movie.
* [[Pragmatic Adaptation]]:
** First to note is Captain America's costume. The first time he actually suits up, he's basically wearing the exact outfit from the comics, and it looks hilariously campy. When he gets his actual suit proper, it's radically different, with a helmet rather than a cowl, the head wings are mere decals, body armor rather than scale mail, red utility straps rather than gaudy red stripes, and no "buccaneer" gloves/boots. It actually looks like a plausible outfit for a propaganda soldier.
*** ''[http://www.freemovieposters.net/posters/the_avengers_2012_5460_poster.jpg The Avengers]'' version drives a bit closer to the comic vision, though it's still different. It's more of a modernization of his WW2 gear, replacing and stripping away outdated and unneeded equipment with 21st century equivalents in order to be lighter and more flexible in battle.
Line 569 ⟶ 573:
** The salute is basically from the comics as well.
*** The double-fisted air salute represents the two heads of the Hydra that pop up when one is cut off.
=== Q-T ===
Line 580 ⟶ 583:
* [[Reality Subtext]]: Cap's early career mirrors the character's origins as a propaganda piece, and early issues of the comic are made in-universe to help this. In fact, [[Golden Age]] comics were used to promote and sell war bonds. Hence the Superman cover asking readers to buy one to "[[Values Dissonance|slap a Jap]]".
** His poor reception with the troops is the same as several 1940s actors who got out of the draft because they were making morale-raising war movies.
* [[Reconstruction]]: Of [[The Golden Age of Comic Books|Golden Age]] Captain America comics, and [[The Cape (trope)|do-gooder superheroes]] in general. It specifically addresses common quibbles with the character ([[Patriotic Fervor]], [[Boring Invincible Hero]], [[Unfortunate Implications]], etc.) and tries to breathe new life into the concept. It's particularly prominent with the [[Captain Patriotic]] trope: the whole image of an invincible American superman bitch-slapping Hitler that the character is usually [[Flanderization|flanderized]] into is explained as a propaganda stunt, hated by the "real" Captain America, who has much more depth.
* [[Red Right Hand|Red Right, um, Head?]]
* [[Redshirt Army]]: U.S. Army members that aren't comic book characters [[Curb Stomp Battle|don't do too well]] initially, [[Justified Trope|considering they're up against]] Tesseract-powered HYDRA technology. But they [[Took a Level
* [[
* [[Renegade Russian|Renegade German]]: HYDRA is a very rare Nazi twist on the "Renegade X" trope. They start as a Nazi [[Stupid Jetpack Hitler|superscience division]], and then break away from the Reich while keeping up the fight against Allies ''and'' the Axis.
* [[La Résistance]]: Before getting captured by HYDRA, Dernier was one of these.
Line 598 ⟶ 601:
** Peggy also undergoes the trope when {{spoiler|the plane crashes into the Arctic and ends Steve Roger's final transmission abruptly.}}
* [[The Scrappy]]: How the troops view Cap at the USO show.
** [[Take That, Scrappy!]]: When they start pelting him with things and yelling "Bring back the girls!"
** [[Rescued
* [[Scarf of Asskicking]]: Lt. Falsworth wears one.
* [[Scenery Porn]]: Magnificent snow-covered Alpine landscapes.
Line 609 ⟶ 612:
* [[Sealed Good in a Can]]: The movie opens with the discovery of the craft that {{spoiler|Captain America ditched with himself inside, in order to save New York}}.
* [[Secret Test of Character]]: Several, all of which Steve passed and others failed. "Do you want to kill Nazis?", [[Jumping on a Grenade]], Etc.
** [[Lampshade Hanging|Lampshaded]] each time by Steve!
{{quote|'''Steve''': Is this a test?}}
* [[Sequel Hook]]: Of course.
Line 615 ⟶ 618:
** There are some other things that remain self-contained, though. Bucky being strapped to the table then subsequently {{spoiler|falling to his "death"}} and Schmidt {{spoiler|having an uncertain endgame when he touches the Cosmic Cube.}} All good jumping-off points to work with in future Marvel Cinematic Universe entries.
* [[Sexy Secretary]]: Pvt. Lorraine.
* [[Shield-Bash]], [[Luckily, My Shield Will Protect Me]], and [[Throwing Your Shield Always Works]]: Captain America, who is the page image for at least two of these.
** [[Luckily, My Shield Will Protect Me]] goes into overdrive as the movie goes on, protecting large areas of people and/or equipment behind it as HYDRA agents seemingly can't help but shoot right at it. During the motorcycle chase at the end, the only section of Cap's bike that gets any gunfire is right on the shield.
** A symbolic weapon for him, since he's more about defending the weak than defeating the strong.
* [[Shirtless Scene]]: Steve gets quite a many... but they aren't really noteworthy until ''after'' [[Mr. Fanservice|he gets the serum.]]
* [[Shotguns Are Just Better]]: Dum-Dum's weapon of choice.
* [[Shout-Out]]:
** The [https://web.archive.org/web/20130706174651/http://www.comicbookmovie.com/images/users/gallerypictures/23986L.jpg teaser poster] to [http://images.wikia.com/marveldatabase/images/2/2b/Captain_America_Vol_5_4_Textless.jpg Captain America v5 #4].
** Like [[Iron Man (film)|another Marvel superhero's movie]], Cap sticks a bomb into a tank and then has a slow motion cut of him moving away as it explodes behind him. Unlike Iron Man, however, Cap was ''on top of the tank'' while he was blowing it up.
** [http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5v-F88SCmFQ/TgiEeaOUaWI/AAAAAAAAAOA/uLQYhOEOlOQ/s400/captain_america_poster_510.jpg This poster]. You know what it's a shout out to. This also counts as a [[Shout-Out]] to one of [[Joe Johnston]]'s earlier works,''[[The Rocketeer (film)|The Rocketeer]].''
Line 629 ⟶ 632:
** At one point during the final battle, a [[Mook]] ends up [[Turbine Blender|getting shredded by an airplane propeller]], just like in ''[[Raiders of the Lost Ark]]''. [[Gory Discretion Shot|Unlike the original though]], we actually [[Family-Unfriendly Violence|see what happens]].
** The motorcycle chase through the forest acts as a double [[Shout-Out]] to the bike chase from ''[[Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade]]'' and the speeder chase from ''[[Return of the Jedi]]''.
*** One presumes that's why the bike chase scene features a prominently-placed [[Stock Scream|Wilhelm]].
** This isn't the first time a key part in a person's plot to overthrow Adolf Hitler was named Valkyrie (although the person in question this time had [[The Starscream|an evil motive]], unlike the real life and movie version.). This doubles as a reference to the fact that Skull is using power from an Asgardian artifact. And for a bonus reference, the Valkyries' job in Norse mythology was to choose who lived and who died in battle, rather fitting for a plane designed to bomb the entire planet.
** The repeated references to "bullies" and how "it doesn't matter where they come from" are clear references to [[Jack Kirby]]'s reason for creating Cap in the first place: [http://twomorrows.com/kirby/articles/07violaint.html I know a gangster when I see one!] Changing the jargon from "gangster" to "bully" could actually be considered an ''improvement'' on an already awesome point - bullies, gangsters, Nazis... they're all just thugs who hurt people [[For the Evulz]].
Line 671 ⟶ 674:
** [[Old Soldier]]: Jacques Dernier.
** [[Communications Officer|The Radioman]]: Jim Morita.
* [[Stab the Scorpion]]: We get a brief look at Cap in the crosshairs of sniper rifle... only for it actually be Bucky shooting an unseen HYDRA soldier.
* [[Standard Sci-Fi Army]]: HYDRA, with its mythical artifact-powered weapons.
* [[The Starscream]]: The Red Skull was this to Hitler in this movie, though he doesn't want to depose Hitler so much as outright surpass the Nazis.
* [[State Sec]]: HYDRA, expanding from a research division to a high-tech army before {{spoiler|The Red Skull goes rogue}}.
Line 702 ⟶ 705:
'''Stark:''' "Write that down." }}
* [[Think Nothing of It]]: When the flirty secretary commends Steve on rescuing the POWs, he replies that he was "just doing what needed to be done". This only entices her ''more.''
* [[This Is Gonna Suck]]: See [[Meaningful Background Event]] above.
** Also, at the end of the rescue at the first HYDRA base, as Cap's about to leap a fiery chasm, he steels himself for an unpleasant experience.
* [[Those Wacky Nazis]]: Oddly downplayed, emphasizing the threat as HYDRA more so than plain ol' Nazis. In fact, HYDRA is even a threat TO the Nazis, making the Red Skull demonstrably [[Up to Eleven|worse than Hitler.]] Deleted scenes showed them attacking both sides.
* [[Throw the Dog a Bone]]: After five different tries in five different states to get into the army, Steve is approved by Dr. Erskine, who also specifically recommends Steve for the super soldier project, to Col. Philips' disbelief (who also almost says this trope word-for-word).
* {{spoiler|[[Time Skip]]}}: At the very end.
* [[Took a Level
* [[Token Enemy Minority]]: Jim Morita and Dr. Abraham Erskine.
* [[Training Accident]]: ''Grenade!''
Line 723 ⟶ 726:
* [[Underestimating Badassery]]: Even after the medical procedure, Steve still has difficulty being taken seriously. It wasn't until after he went out of his way to prove himself in combat that people recognized that he means business.
* [[Unusual Euphemism]]: [[I Thought It Meant|Invoked]] [[Socially Awkward Hero|by Steve]] with the word "fondue." This kinda gets him in trouble with Peggy.
* [[Up to Eleven]]: In addition to giving [[Took a Level
* [[Verb This]]: A soldier in Italy says "Hey Captain! Sign THIS!" before proceeding to moon Captain America during a USO tour gone sour.
* [[Villain by Default]]: Nazis, natch. HYDRA by extension of being Nazis dialed [[Up to Eleven]].
* [[Villain Exit Stage Left]]: When his POWs start running amuck, Schmidt/Red Skull looks at a monitor to see what's going on. After taking ''one glance'' at [[One-Man Army|Captain America routing his forces]], he calmly begins to arm the self-destruct.
{{quote|'''Arnim Zola:''' No! What are you doing?
'''Schmidt:''' ''(calmly)'' [[Know When to Fold'Em|Our forces are outmatched.]] }}
* [[Villainous Breakdown]]:
** '''"YOU ARE FAILING!!!!"'''
** A more subtle instance: Red Skull delivers a [[Hannibal Lecture]], then is incensed by Cap's flip response and resorts to simply punching him.
Line 736 ⟶ 739:
** Hodge the bully soldier actually appears again after Steve returns to the camp with the rescued prisoners. He appears resentful, but comes around to applauding Cap soon after, and is never seen again.
** A HYDRA mook and his fighter plane loaded with bombs fall out of the Valkyrie. They could have caused a load of damage, but are never heard about again.
*** According to an Avengers tie-in comic, he managed to board the plane in mid-air, gave a 'Heil HYDRA' and promptly crashed.
* [[We Have Reserves]]: Red Skull's rationale for deciding to work the POWs to death building their weapons, and later when causing their base to self-destruct.
* [["Well Done, Son" Guy]]: Red Skull has shades of this concerning Dr. Erskine. In the end, Schmidt took Erskine's serum for himself, but he always seemed bitter that he never really earned it. This is what sparks his intense rivalry with Captain America.
Line 755 ⟶ 758:
** Or ''[[Raiders of the Lost Ark|Raiders]]'' meets ''[[Hellboy (comics)|Hellboy]]'' and ''[[The Dirty Dozen]]''.
* [[You're Insane!]]: Invoked twice, both towards Red Skull. The first time was by various Nazi officials (before one of them alerts the others that one of the "enemy targets" that Red Skull planned to vanquish with his weapons was Berlin), when thanking him for proving to them how mad he truly is. The second time is Captain America's response to his [[Hannibal Lecture]], noting that Erskine told him that Red Skull was insane.
* [[You Have Failed Me...]]: Red Skull executes an officer after one of HYDRA's bases was destroyed by the Howling Commandos (including one of their tanks).
{{quote|'''Officer''': We fought to the last man.
'''Red Skull''': Evidently not. (''shoots the officer'') }}
Line 818 ⟶ 821:
{{reflist}}
{{MCU}}
[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]
[[Category:Marvel Cinematic Universe]]
[[Category:Films of the 2010s]]
[[Category:Hugo Award]]
[[Category:Matte World Digital]]
[[Category:Film]]
[[Category:Riff Trax]]
[[Category:3D Movie]]
| |||