How old is Captain America?
Well, the answer to this is rather complex: the character first appeared in Marvel Comics in 1941, making him 80 years old this year. In the MCU, Steve Rogers’ story started in the early ‘40s as well, when he was a young adult. He was then put on ice for nearly 70 years, waking up the same age in 2011 New York.
However, we’re not here to talk about Captain America’s complicated age. As we publish this article, it’s been 10 years since Marvel’s Captain America: The First Avenger premiered and Steve Roger first appeared in the Marvel Cinematic Universe!
Let’s take a look at the Captain America movie franchise and what the past decade has brought us for the iconic character!
Captain America: The First Avenger turns 10
Captain America: The First Avenger first premiered in Hollywood on July 19, 2011, and was subsequently released in theaters on July 22. While the film was the fifth movie released in the Marvel Cinematic Universe following Thor, it is the first movie in the MCU timeline.
Since it’s the 10th anniversary of Captain America: The First Avenger, let’s have a throwback of these two beautiful specimen dressed up at their very first big marvel movie premiere ??❤ pic.twitter.com/Yd3AIg5j7d
— RiRi ??✨ (@riricitaa) July 19, 2021
Captain America: The First Avenger introduces a scrawny Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) who is dedicated to joining the U.S. military during WWII. He catches the attention of a scientist who has created a Super Soldier serum. Steve Rogers proves himself worthy of taking the serum during a test among the new recruits. After being injected with the serum, Steve Rogers becomes taller and more muscular and is given the powers and title of Captain America.
Later in the film, Steve Rogers must face a Nazi division named Hydra. He works to stop Hydra’s leaders from using the powers of the Tesseract (which holds the Space Stone) to aid Hydra’s success in the war. After disrupting Hydra’s missions, Steve Rogers successfully takes down its leaders and the Tesseract is recovered. At the end of the film, Steve Rogers wakes up in a hospital room in 2011 after being frozen for nearly 70 years. He is then approached by Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) of S.H.I.E.L.D. with an opportunity to save the world. This leads to the iconic 2012 Marvel film The Avengers where Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, The Hulk, Black Widow, and Hawkeye team up for the first time.
@_marvel_povs110 years ? Comment your favourite character #marvel #marvelstudios #mcu #foryoupage #fypシ #fypp #foryou #captainamerica #buckybarnes #peggycarter ♥️♬ original sound – gina ♡
Captain America: The First Avenger not only showed the origins of Steve Rogers/ Captain America but also gave audiences a closer look at the Stark empire. In the film, Dominic Cooper plays Howard Stark, the father of Tony Stark (aka Iron Man). Howard Stark assisted in government operations and helped Steve Rogers with the equipment he needed to be Captain America. He even gave him his classic shield made of vibranium.
According to The Numbers, Captain America: The First Avenger brought in $65,058,524 during its opening weekend. The film, directed by Joe Johnston and produced by Kevin Feige, totaled $370,569,776 in ticket sales worldwide.
In a 2011 press junket, Hollywood.com learned about where the inspiration for the film’s aesthetic came from from Joe Johnston:
“…we had always talked about films of this period that we liked – contemporary films – and Raiders [of the Lost Ark] was the model that we used. We used it as a template for a lot of reasons, but it feels contemporary today, even though it was made 30 years ago now. It still feels absolutely fresh. I wanted Captain America to feel like that, to feel like it wasn’t a film made in the ‘40s, it was a film about the ‘40s made today.”
10 years of ‘Captain America: The First Avenger’ pic.twitter.com/CMuyB8ZT96
— comfort for steve stans (@stevecomforts) July 19, 2021
In his review of Captain America: The First Avenger A.O. Scott of The New York Times wrote that the film was “pretty good fun.” He went on to say that the movie “…is enjoyably preposterous, occasionally touching and generally likable.”
Captain America: The First Avenger introduced a beloved character to Marvel fans while establishing a franchise that produced outstanding future films like Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Captain America: Civil War.
How old is Captain America? It’s been a decade for Chris Evans as Captain America
Chris Evans won the hearts of Marvel fans in Captain America: The First Avenger. Prior to landing this huge role, Chris Evans played the Human Torch in Fantastic Four (2015) and Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007) but found his permanent Marvel home with Captain America.
Chris Evans at his first Marvel premiere for Captain America: The First Avenger and his last Marvel premiere for Avengers: Endgame pic.twitter.com/s3KUJSZT76
— nia ४ loki era (@lokiodinsonlove) July 19, 2021
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Chris Evans almost completely declined the opportunity to play Captain America, but he said he is so happy he didn’t. “It was the best decision I’ve ever made, and I really owe that to Kevin Feige for being persistent and helping me avoid making a giant mistake,” Chris said. He also stated that he quickly fell in love with playing Steve Rogers.
We have seen Captain America in several Marvel films including three Captain America movies and four Avengers films. In his early movies, Steve Rogers was trying to recover from his past and accustom himself to the new life he was thrown into. In Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Chris Evans embodied Steve’s grief and inner conflict as he was forced to face his skeletons from his life in the 1940s.
Throughout his character’s storyline in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Chris Evans’ Steve Rogers always tries to do the morally correct thing. We especially see this in Captain America: Civil War, when he is pinned against his fellow avengers because he stands by the fact that he is fighting for the right cause.
@erin.luckenbill10 years of this incredible character ❤️ #steverogers #chrisevans #captainamerica #10yearsofsteve #marvel #marvelstudios♬ See You Again (feat. Charlie Puth) – Wiz Khalifa
Chris Evans gave so much personality and likability to Steve Rogers, making him a fan favorite among MCU stans. His portrayal of the character is highly admired by many and makes it hard for fans to picture a Marvel Cinematic Universe without him. The charm that Chris Evans gives Steve helps to paint a clear picture of Captain America and his willingness to protect those he cares about.
Chris Evans is a real-life superhero
What exactly is it that makes fans love Chris Evans as Captain America? Aside from the fact that he is a great actor and extremely charismatic, he has taken on the role of Captain America in real life. Chris Evans has engaged in advocacy and philanthropy in many ways throughout his career.
Chris Evans has publicly supported Christopher’s Haven, an organization that provides low-cost housing for pediatric cancer patients and their families while seeking treatment at Boston hospitals. When Chris Evans’ favorite football team the New England Patriots played in the 2015 Super Bowl, Chris made an interesting bet with his Marvel co-star Chris Pratt, which raised nearly $12,000 for Christopher’s Haven.
In May 2020, Chris Evans teamed up with fellow Marvel stars Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Scarlett Johansson, and Jeremy Renner to raise money for charity with a chance for fans to win a virtual hangout with the actors. The OG Avengers raised money for Feeding America, Meals on Wheels, World Central Kitchen, and No Kid Hungry, according to Deadline.
Also in 2020, Chris Evans, along with Mark Kassen and Joe Kiani launched a “video-based civic engagement platform” called A Starting Point. The goal of the website is to create a discussion between elected officials and U.S. residents about issues affecting the country. These topics include education, immigration, and environmental issues.
In a video explaining what inspired A Starting Point and how the website works, Chris Evans said that he wanted to create a platform where people interested in learning about the issues could get concise answers directly from elected officials.
“The more people involved in politics, the better,” Chris Evans remarked. “And hopefully the people who have no experience in this arena will find this site to be an intuitive and friendly access point.”
Chris Evans is truly a HollyGOOD hero!
10 years of Sebastian Stan as Bucky
Ten years of Captain America: The First Avenger also means that we’ve been watching Sebastian Stan portray the character of James ‘Bucky’ Barnes on the big screen for a decade!
? Sebastian Stan na premiere de ‘Captain America: The First Avenger’ em Los Angeles, 2011. pic.twitter.com/9mrwi5z3QW
— Sebastian Stan Brasil | Fan Account (@sebstanbr) July 19, 2021
Bucky provides much of the heart of Captain America: The First Avenger. As Steve Rogers’ childhood friend from Brooklyn, Bucky is practically the only family that Steve has. Steve shows audiences just how much Bucky means to him when he is determined to find Bucky’s unit that was MIA. Steve successfully finds Bucky, but unfortunately loses him again when he falls from a train at the end of the film. Steve is clearly heartbroken, a feeling he carries with him in Captain America: The Winter Soldier.
In the subsequent Captain America films, Sebastian Stan returned in a new(ish) role, surprising both audiences and Steve Rogers. He took on the title of the Winter Soldier, then was given the name White Wolf by the people of Wakanda in Avengers: Infinity War (2018).
Sebastian Stan showed his versatility as an actor in the role of Bucky, playing a trained assassin in Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Captain America: Civil War, then trying to redeem himself in the Disney+ series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.
In a post he shared celebrating 10 years of playing Bucky in the MCU, Sebastian Stan said, “To say it’s been a journey of a lifetime would be an understatement.”
Awww…Sebastian’s new IG post for Captain America: The First Avenger 10 year anniversary. He will always be the only one and only Bucky Barnes. ? #SebastianStan #BuckyBarnes pic.twitter.com/wtyRV6XG5m
— Sebastian Stan Rocks (fan acc) (@SebRules1) July 19, 2021
This anniversary also brought 10 years of other characters like Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell) and Red Skull (Hugo Weaving/Ross Marquand).
The future of Captain America
⚠️**Warning: Spoilers Ahead**⚠️
After Steve Rogers goes back in time to be with Peggy Carter in Avengers: Endgame (2019), thus relinquishing his title of Captain America, many fans have been left wondering what is next for the character.
At the end of Endgame, Steve Rogers gives the Captain America shield to Sam Wilson (The Falcon, played by Anthony Mackie). The recent Disney+ series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier picks up this storyline, showing how Sam grapples with carrying the shield as a Black man in America.
Throughout the series, Sam Wilson must determine whether he wants to carry on the name of Captain America or if he can come to terms with the shield being in the hand of someone else. In the end, Sam decides to don the shield and the title of Captain America, overcoming the prejudice that Black Americans face.
When talking to Vogue about what it means to him to be the first Black man to portray Captain America, Anthony Mackie said:
“The relationship between America and African American men is a very tumultuous, abusive relationship. It’s something that needs to be rectified and healed. So the idea of [Sam] being Captain America recognizes all of the hardships and things that Black men and women have gone through in this country. Still, it’s also about the future and what we can look forward to for our kids to experience in this country.”
Anthony Mackie ended his conversation with Vogue by saying that “A Captain America for everyone instead of Captain America for a specific few.”
10 years ago, Steve Rogers picked up the shield. Now, Sam Wilson will carry on that legacy. Both had Bucky by their side. Here’s to Captain America and being my favorite Marvel trilogy! #CAPTAINAMERICA #ChrisEvans #AnthonyMackie #SebastianStan #Marvel pic.twitter.com/Mzh7bn1QPI
— Katie Galvin (@kgalvin19) July 19, 2021
In April, Deadline reported that a fourth Captain America film is in the works. This movie would be written by The Falcon and the Winter Soldier showrunner Malcolm Spellman and would star Anthony Mackie as Captain America. Deadline also previously reported that Chris Evans could possibly reprise his role as Captain America in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Fans celebrate Captain America: The First Avenger’s 10th anniversary
Fans across Twitter are celebrating this huge milestone for Captain America: The First Avenger.
One fan thanked Chris Evans for first bringing the character of Steve Rogers to life in 2011.
today marks 10 years since the premiere of Captain America: The First Avenger!! thank you to Chris Evans for bringing this beloved character to life ❤ pic.twitter.com/KL2SjT26KP
— nia ४ loki era (@lokiodinsonlove) July 19, 2021
KJ said that she’s celebrating Captain America: The First Avenger’s 10th anniversary by adding the film into her 12 days of CHRIS-mas watchlist!
It’s a big day as the @KindaNerdyGirls celebrate #CHRISmasinJuly. 10 years ago, ‘Captain America: The First Avenger’ had its World Premiere! I know we have the 12 days of CHRIS-mas watch list in place but maybe sneak in #TheFirstAvenger today too.
❤???❤ pic.twitter.com/hW3RfpsXn9— KJ (@KJonair) July 19, 2021
This fan shared set photos of Chris Evans filming Captain America: The First Avenger, wishing the film a happy 10th anniversary.
happy 10 year anniversary of chris evans giving us steve rogers for the first time in captain america: the first avenger. here’s some cute set pics! pic.twitter.com/KmrBqONlHX
— mads ♡’s chris evans (@flaminhotcevans) July 19, 2021
One Twitter user said that their rewatching Captain America: The First Avenger for its 10th birthday and noted how great the effects on “skinny Steve” are!
Re-watching CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER for its 10-year anniversary and ???? ???? the FX on skinny Steve are still convincing to this day. pic.twitter.com/d1ZGk1hfXX
— NostalgiaCast (@DWLundberg) July 20, 2021
This fan even said they think that Captain America: The First Avenger is the most underrated film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
So, today is the 10 year anniversary of the MCU’s most underrated film : #CaptainAmerica The First Avenger. It was an amazing film that wasn’t scared of being a CBM, but embraced it. It was sincere and authentic, and in my book, that is always a win. Happy birthday pic.twitter.com/Y7oh8vFSvS
— Mandotory | #SaveTheYostVerse (@_Mandotory_) July 20, 2021
Mads said she loves the movie more and more every time she watches and that she can’t believe how far the MCU has come since 2011. ??
Rewatched Captain America: The First Avengers in honor of it’s 10 year anniversary today and god I love that movie more and more every time I see it. Can’t believe that it’s been 10 years since I first saw the film, crazy to see how the MCU has developed since then.
— Mads (@_bookishMads_) July 20, 2021
Ten years ago, Captain America: The First Avenger told the beloved origin story of the fan-favorite character Captain America/ Steve Rogers and won over the hearts of audiences. We can’t wait to see where Marvel decides to take the amazing franchise that this first film established!
RELATED: See Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick in ‘Plaza Suite’ on Broadway
RELATED: 2022 Movies Guide
RELATED: Current Movies In Theaters Now