Captain America, a superhero created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby who appears in comic books produced by Marvel Comics, has appeared in multiple films since the character's inception in 1940. Republic Pictures released a fifteen-part Captain America serial film in 1944 that was the first film to feature a Marvel Comics character, though it deviated significantly from the comic book source material. Two made-for-TV films, Captain America and Captain America II: Death Too Soon, aired on the American broadcast television station CBS in 1979. A feature-length film directed by Albert Pyun was originally planned for a wide theatrical release in 1990, but received only a brief theatrical release in the United Kingdom before being released in the United States as a direct-to-video film.
Marvel began to produce films independently in 2005, launching a shared universe of superhero films referred to as the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). A trilogy of Captain America films written by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely and starring Chris Evans as the title character were produced as part of the MCU in the 2010s: Captain America: The First Avenger (2011), Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014), and Captain America: Civil War (2016). The character also appeared in the Avengers series of crossover films, beginning with The Avengers in 2012. A fourth MCU film starring Anthony Mackie as Captain America, Captain America: Brave New World, is slated for release in 2025.
While pre-MCU Captain America films often faced troubled productions or limited audiences, the MCU Captain America films have been critical and commercial successes. They have collectively grossed over $2.2 billion worldwide, with Civil War being the highest-grossing film of 2016. The Winter Soldier was nominated for Best Visual Effects at the Academy Awards in 2014.
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Main article: Captain America (serial) |
In 1944, Republic Pictures released a fifteen-part serial film starring Dick Purcell as Captain America.[1] Based on the comic books published by Timely Comics – the corporate predecessor to Marvel Comics – it is the first film to feature a Marvel Comics character.[2] The serial deviates significantly from the comic book source material: the civilian identity of Captain America is district attorney Grant Gardner rather than U.S. Army private Steve Rogers, the character's superhuman enhancement origin story and Nazi villains are omitted, and the character uses a gun rather than his iconic shield.[3] Timely had little creative involvement in the film, and objected to Republic's treatment of the character.[2] Captain America was produced at a negative cost of US$222,906 (equivalent to $3,705,549 in 2022), making it the most expensive serial ever produced by Republic;[4] it was additionally the final superhero serial the company ever produced.[2] It was re-released in 1953 under the title Return of Captain America.[5]
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Main articles: Captain America (1979 film) and Captain America II: Death Too Soon |
In 1979, two Captain America made-for-TV films starring Reb Brown as Steve Rogers aired on the American broadcast television station CBS.[6] The first, titled Captain America, was directed by Rod Holcomb.[7] Set in the late 1970s, the film focuses on Rogers as he receives superhuman enhancement and becomes the costumed superhero Captain America, a moniker formerly used by his father during the Second World War.[7] Its sequel, Captain America II: Death Too Soon, was directed by Iván Nagy and focuses on Rogers as he rescues a scientist who is forced by a terrorist (played by Christopher Lee) to create a formula that causes rapid aging.[8] Both films were produced as part of a partnership between Marvel and CBS to adapt Marvel properties for television, which also saw the creation of The Incredible Hulk (1977–1982), The Amazing Spider-Man (1977–1979), and Dr. Strange (1978).[9] Captain America and Death Too Soon were the final works produced by the partnership; plans to spin off the films into a Captain America ongoing television series were abandoned due to low ratings.[10]
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Main article: Captain America (1990 film) |
Producers Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus of The Cannon Group purchased the film rights to Captain America in 1984, and announced their plans to create a Captain America film with Michael Winner as director that same year.[11] Production stalled due to financial troubles at Cannon; Golan left the company in 1989 and carried the rights for the character over to 21st Century Film Corporation, where he produced Captain America in 1990 with Albert Pyun as director.[11] Starring Matt Salinger as Steve Rogers, the film follows Captain America as he faces the villainous Red Skull (Scott Paulin) during the Second World War, becomes frozen in ice, and is revived decades later to face Red Skull again.[12] While originally planned for a wide theatrical release, Captain America received only a brief theatrical release in the United Kingdom in 1990, and was later released in the United States as a direct-to-video film in 1992.[11]
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Main article: Captain America: The First Avenger |
Marvel began developing a Captain America film in 1997, with Mark Gordon and Gary Levinsohn as producers and Larry Wilson and Leslie Bohem as scriptwriters.[13] Artisan Entertainment were brought on as financers in 2000,[14] but production was stalled by a lawsuit between Marvel and Captain America co-creator Joe Simon over the ownership of Captain America copyrights that was settled in 2003.[15] Marvel began to produce films independently in 2005, planning a shared universe of superhero films referred to as the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU),[16] and hired screenwriter David Self in 2006 to write the screenplay for what would become Captain America: The First Avenger.[17] Joe Johnston was brought on to direct the film in 2008,[18] who hired Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely to rewrite the script.[19] Actor Chris Evans was cast as Steve Rogers in 2010, signing a six-picture deal with Marvel to appear in three Captain America films and three Avengers films.[20][21] The film focuses on Rogers as he confronts the Red Skull (Hugo Weaving) during the Second World War. The First Avenger with was filmed from 2010 to 2011,[22][23] and released in July 2011.[24]
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Main article: Captain America: The Winter Soldier |
Markus and McFeely were hired to write a sequel to The First Avenger in mid-2011,[25] which was publicly confirmed by Marvel to be in production in April 2012.[26] George Nolfi, F. Gary Gray, and brothers Anthony and Joseph Russo were among those considered by Marvel to direct the film,[27] with the Russo brothers ultimately signed to direct in June 2012.[28] The plot of the film is broadly inspired by the Winter Soldier story arc in the Captain America comics written by Ed Brubaker, which sees Steve Rogers uncover a conspiracy involving his former partner Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan, reprising his role from The First Avenger), now a brainwashed assassin known as the Winter Soldier.[29] Filming took place in 2013 and 2014,[30][31] and the film premiered in March 2014.[32] At the 2014 Academy Awards, The Winter Soldier was nominated for Best Visual Effects.[33]
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Main article: Captain America: Civil War |
Markus and McFeely began writing a sequel to The Winter Soldier in late 2013,[34] and the Russo brothers, Markus, McFeely, and Evans were publicly confirmed to be returning for the film in March 2014.[35] In October 2014 it was announced that Robert Downey Jr. had been cast in the film, reprising the role of Iron Man / Tony Stark that he played in the 2008 film Iron Man.[36] With the announcement of Downey's casting, Marvel confirmed that the film would adapt the comic book series Civil War by Mark Millar and Steve McNiven, which sees Captain America and Iron Man lead competing factions who respectively oppose and support efforts to regulate the actions of superheroes.[36] Filming for Civil War occurred in 2015,[37] and the film was released in April 2016.[38] Civil War was the highest-grossing film of 2016, grossing over $1.1 billion worldwide.[39]
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Main article: Captain America: Brave New World |
Civil War was Evans' final contracted standalone film as Captain America, and concluded the trilogy of Captain America films starring the actor.[40] In 2021, Marvel released the television miniseries The Falcon and the Winter Soldier on the streaming service Disney+, which depicts the mantle of Captain America being assumed by Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie, who first appeared as the Falcon in 2014's The Winter Soldier).[41] Falcon and the Winter Soldier head writer Malcolm Spellman and series writer Dalan Musson were confirmed to be writing a fourth Captain America film in April 2021,[42] which was formally announced in July 2022 with Mackie as star and Julius Onah as director. Announced under the title Captain America: New World Order,[43] the film was retitled Captain America: Brave New World in June 2023.[44] Filming occurred from March to June 2023,[45][46] and Brave New World is slated for release in February 2025.[43]
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Main article: The Avengers (2012 film) |
Marvel conceived of a film based on the superhero team the Avengers in 2003, conceptualized as a crossover film featuring an ensemble cast of characters who were to be established in their own individual films.[47][48] Casting for what would become the 2012 film The Avengers began in 2008,[49] with filming commencing in 2011.[50] The film focuses on a group of superheroes, including Evans as Steve Rogers, who are recruited by the espionage agency S.H.I.E.L.D. to thwart the Asgardian god Loki's (Tom Hiddleston) plans for global domination.
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Main article: Avengers: Age of Ultron |
Evans reprised the role of Captain America in the 2015 sequel to The Avengers, Avengers: Age of Ultron.[51] The film follows the Avengers as they face Ultron (James Spader), an artificial intelligence created by Avengers members Tony Stark and Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) who plans to bring about world peace by causing human extinction.
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Main articles: Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame |
Captain America is portrayed by Evans in the sequels to Age of Ultron, Avengers: Infinity War (2018), and Avengers: Endgame (2019).[52] Winter Soldier and Civil War directors Anthony and Joseph Russo and screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely respectively directed and wrote the films, taking over from Avengers and Age of Ultron writer-director Joss Whedon.[53][54] Infinity War and Endgame were originally planned as a two-part film,[55] but were later separated into two distinct films that were shot back-to-back in 2017;[56] as this arrangement exceeded Evans' original six-picture deal with Marvel, the actor renegotiated his contract with the company to appear in Endgame.[21] The films follow the Avengers as they attempt to thwart the plans of Thanos (Josh Brolin) to use the Infinity Stones to exterminate half of all life in the universe.
Captain America is portrayed by Evans in cameo appearances made in the MCU films Thor: The Dark World (2013),[57] Ant-Man (2015),[58] Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017),[59] and Captain Marvel (2019).[60]
Captain America has appeared in the following animated films:
| Character | Captain America[65] | CBS films[6] | Captain America[12] | Marvel Cinematic Universe | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Captain America | Captain America II: Death Too Soon |
Captain America: The First Avenger |
Captain America: The Winter Soldier |
Captain America: Civil War |
Captain America: Brave New World | |||
| 1944 | 1979 | 1979 | 1990 | 2011 | 2014 | 2016 | 2025 | |
| Captain America | Dick Purcell (as Grant Gardner) |
Reb Brown (as Steve Rogers) |
Matt Salinger (as Steve Rogers) |
Chris Evans (as Steve Rogers) |
Anthony Mackie (as Sam Wilson) | |||
| Red Skull | Scott Paulin | Hugo Weaving | ||||||
| Sharon Carter | Kim Gillingham | Emily VanCamp | ||||||
| Bucky Barnes | Sebastian Stan | |||||||
| Peggy Carter | Hayley Atwell | |||||||
| Arnim Zola | Toby Jones | |||||||
| Falcon | Anthony Mackie (as Sam Wilson) |
Danny Ramirez (as Joaquin Torres) | ||||||
| Black Widow | Scarlett Johansson | |||||||
| Thunderbolt Ross | William Hurt | Harrison Ford | ||||||
| Title | Format | Release date | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Captain America (1979) | VHS | April 13, 1994 | [68] |
| Captain America II: Death Too Soon | VHS | April 13, 1994 | [69] |
| Captain America / Captain America II: Death Too Soon Double Feature | DVD | October 18, 2011 | [70] |
| Captain America (1990) | LaserDisc | February 9, 1992 | [71] |
| VHS | June 23, 1994 | [72] | |
| Blu-ray | May 21, 2013 | [73] | |
| Captain America: The First Avenger | DVD, Blu-ray, Blu-ray 3D | October 25, 2011 | [74] |
| Captain America: The Winter Soldier | DVD, Blu-ray, Blu-ray 3D | September 9, 2014 | [75] |
| Captain America: Civil War | DVD, Blu-ray, Blu-ray 3D | September 2, 2016 | [76] |
| Film | U.S. release date | Box office gross | Production budget | Ref. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North America | Other territories | Worldwide | ||||
| Captain America: The First Avenger | July 22, 2011 | $176,654,505 | $193,915,269 | $370,569,774 | $140 million | [77] |
| Captain America: The Winter Soldier | March 26, 2014 | $259,766,572 | $454,654,931 | $714,421,503 | $170 million | [78] |
| Captain America: Civil War | April 27, 2016 | $408,084,349 | $745,253,147 | $1,153,337,496 | $250 million | [79] |
| Totals | $844,505,426 | $1,393,823,347 | $2,238,328,773 | $560 million | ||
| Film | Critical | Public | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rotten Tomatoes | Metacritic | CinemaScore | |
| Captain America (1990) | 27% (11 reviews)[80] | — | — |
| Captain America: The First Avenger | 79% (273 reviews)[81] | 66 (43 reviews)[82] | A−[83] |
| Captain America: The Winter Soldier | 90% (313 reviews)[84] | 70 (48 reviews)[85] | A[86] |
| Captain America: Civil War | 90% (429 reviews)[87] | 75 (53 reviews)[88] | A[89] |
