Captain America: The Winter SoldierTrapped the MCU in a Machine of Its Own Making

Back in theearly Marvel Cinematic Universe days , the 2nd picture of a sub - dealership were n’t much to write household about . BothIron Man 2 in 2010 and 2013 ’s Thor : The Dark World palpate like workaday continuation compared to their herald , hamstrung by being fast - tracked before they were quick or just not doing much beyond offering some scant spectacle .

That was n’t the case withCaptain America : The Winter Soldier . First released on April 4 , 2014 , the follow - up to 2011 ’s Captain America : The First Avenger felt up like a breathing time of fresh air to the enterprise ’s “ Number Two ” problem and is often looked back fondly as a gamy point for the Infinity Saga . Having latterly rewatched the film , it more than earns that note , thanks largely to how confidently it carry itself , both on its own virtue and compared to those aforementioned sequels . More than the original Avengers from two years prior , Winter Soldierreally feels like it ’s where the MCU properly grow into itself , and its shadow still brood over more late entries .

By far , its freehanded contribution is how it lead to the MCU ’s ostensible genre shift . It became pop to say movies that follow were “ x genre , but Marvel . ” TheAnt - Manmovies were the studio ’s take on kinsfolk - well-disposed heist films ; Black Panther was a spin on Afrofuturism;Shang - Chi’sa Marvel kung fu movie ; and so on . That all halt from the Cap Italian sandwich - franchise more loosely and Winter Soldier specifically : First Avenger was borrowing from mush films like Indiana Jones , while Winter Soldier was clearly regulate by political and spy thrillers like the Bourne movies or Three 24-hour interval of the Condor , as bear witness by the cast of Robert Redford as SHIELD foreman Alexander Pierce .

Image: Marvel Studios

Whether or not those descriptors truly fit is another conversation , but Winter Soldier ’s definitely take a leak an effort to be those movies . It results in some of the picture ’s unspoilt setpieces , like the opener with Cap , Black Widow , and a tap squad doing a stealth rescue op on a SHIELD vas and a mid - film gunplay turned 1v1 brawl on a DC causeway . Everyone being a gunshot or stab wound away from decease significantly ups the stress — and drollery , in the instances where someone ’s on the business remnant of Steve ’s shield ( or just hisentire body ) . The Winter Soldier himself feels pulled from spy thriller with menacing henchmen ( and unmarried - minded slasher scoundrel ) who bulge up by surprisal , backed by asolid musical themeto sell their threat .

So big was Winter Soldier that Marvel effectively went all - in on it . Winter Soldier directors Anthony Russo and Joe Russo were tap to directCaptain America : Civil Wartwo years later , followed by Avengers : Infinity War and Endgame to shut down out the Infinity Saga . ( The Russos have since try replicating that winner outside of Marvel with movies like The Grey Man and Cherry , with mixed outcome . ) Winter Soldier ’s supporting players also had solo dangerous undertaking in the spy clay sculpture : Black Widow , the Nick Fury - ledSecret Invasion , and Falcon & the Winter Soldier all test to get back some of that undercover agent thriller magic . While the original Widow and Fury are ( mostly ) out of the game now , Sam and Bucky are arrange to one by one headline Captain America : Brave New World and Thunderbolts in 2025 .

But all this imitation and succeeder only went so far . Both Winter Soldier and Civil War had thing to say about the U.S. surveillance state and superheroes ’ relationship with the government , but do n’t full afford the blank space for those conversation to take place . It ’s peculiarly damning with Civil War , which never really gives a square viewpoint on the matter of superhero adjustment to anyone who is n’t already ( or before long will be ) suiting up to punch monster or shoot spies in the font . Some of this is just the MCU ’s worldbuilding military issue bleeding over into Cap ’s trilogy , other time , it ’s problem borne from Winter Soldier . ( compositor’s case in degree : Falcon & the Winter Soldier ’s mussy manipulation ofraceand geopolitics . ) As much as it endeavor to be something deeper , it ’s still a Marvel summer smash hit at the remainder of the day .

Image: Marvel Studios

Image: Marvel Studios

latterly , current Captain America Anthony Mackie cite he feel the MCU only has “ so much creativity ” in the tank . It ’s easy to deride , but I think his statement gets at how the movies backed themselves into a niche . With the Cap movies in particular , they ’re lock up into being politically tinged action - thrillers . They ca n’t embrace stupidity like the military mission : Impossible or profligate films , and they ’re unable to be casually slick spy flicks like James Bond movies orTenet . Worse , they almost certainly ca n’t tend into some of the sillier parts of Captain America ’s history , like rick Sam into a werewolf or letting him telepathically commune with birds . Part of the sport of spy movies is that they veer between serious grounded transportation and lovably goofy textile , but the MCU ’s deprived itself of some of that giddiness — just ask folk holding out hope for the Serpent Society .

The Winter Soldieris still pretty great on its own merit , and feature what ’s probably the best work of its casting and gang in all the MCU . It was deserving return to and a good reminder of why these movies were easy to get invested in a decade ago . I just also care it did n’t seem to slowly pigeonhole its finicky niche of the MCU and conduct to the dealership ’s weak aspects .

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Image: Marvel Studios