When Captain America: The First Avenger first hit theaters in 2011, the very concept of an Avenger was still a fairly new idea. We hadn’t seen a single Avengers movie yet, and the Marvel universe was still establishing what would become its house style. This meant that those early movies had some high highs and low lows, and at the time, The First Avenger was considered an almost unquestioned high, and maybe the best Marvel movie since Iron Man.
It’s possible that looking back at it today, The First Avenger could seem quaint. The movie isn’t super action-forward and was made for a much smaller budget than many of today’s Marvel juggernauts. When you watch it now, you’ll find that The First Avenger is one of the few Marvel movies with a distinct tone, pace, and rhythm, and one that uses its broad ensemble cast beautifully. Here are five reasons the movie is still one of Marvel’s very best:
Its stars have genuine chemistry
Hayley Atwell was such a great casting coup for The First Avenger that they eventually realized the only happy ending for Steve Rogers involved reuniting with her. This is the only time we get a full movie showcasing Atwell’s considerable talent, even though her role is fairly standard love interest stuff. Atwell knows exactly how to make a meal of every moment she’s given.
Atwell’s presence in the MCU from this point on was minimal, but she remains one of the best casting decisions this universe ever made. Her chemistry with Chris Evans is natural from the start, and it’s so crucial that she seems infatuated with Steve long before he’s muscle-bound.
The movie has a unique structure
Although The First Avenger is undoubtedly an origin story. It’s not structured in quite the same way as Iron Man a few years earlier. Instead, Captain America spends much of the movie being decidedly non-heroic. Because of Cap’s superhuman strength, the U.S. military decides that the best use of their new soldier is to help the troops during World War II.
It’s not until the movie’s final third that he really gets to kick into high gear, and even then, the action is not really the point. This is equal parts a war movie and a conventional superhero picture, and that’s part of what makes it so great.
The supporting cast is top-notch
Tommy Lee Jones is in a Marvel movie, and perhaps even more shockingly, he’s pretty good in it. Jones’s steadfast presence and his ability to be great in basically any part elevate what could be a pretty standard military officer role.
Stanley Tucci is equally good as the scientist behind the super serum, a man tortured by his own past and what’s become of his country. Sebastian Stan turned out to be an inspired choice for Bucky, even if this movie doesn’t give him much to do. Plus, we’ve already sung the praises of Atwell at length. Altogether, these actors make up one of the best supporting casts in any Marvel movie.
Director Joe Johnston understands this character
Like his closest analog in DC, Captain America is fundamentally a good, decent person. That’s why Steve is chosen for the job. Yet it’s difficult to make that kind of character seem interesting. Joe Johnston was the perfect choice for this movie precisely because he understands how to make a movie about a good person trying to do the right thing.
There’s something beautiful about watching this movie and understanding that Steve Rogers isn’t interesting because he has demons. He’s interesting because he believes in absolute good and is willing to fight for it at any cost.
It has an all-time great ending
Another reason The First Avenger stands out from the rest of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is that, even though it ends by reminding us that Steve has awoken in the modern day, its final note is melancholic instead of triumphant. After Steve sacrifices himself and buries the Tesseract along with him, he wakes up 70 years later in an alien world.
His final line of “I had a date” is a reminder that even though Steve can now team up with the rest of the Avengers, he’s lost a tremendous amount in jumping forward several decades, including, most importantly, the woman who could have been the love of his life. It’s a bittersweet, sad ending that Marvel wouldn’t attempt again until Infinity War.
Stream Captain America: The First Avenger on Disney+.
