Captain America: The First Avenger
Movie, 2011, Phase 1, Set in 1943–1945
Captain America: The First Avenger is #5 of 69 in release order and #2 of 69 in chronological order in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The story
During World War II, Steve Rogers is a sickly man from Brooklyn who's transformed into super-soldier Captain America to aid in the war effort. Rogers must stop the Red Skull – Adolf Hitler's ruthless head of weaponry, and the leader of an organization that intends to use a mysterious device of untold powers for world domination.
Captain America: The First Avenger recap
In 1942, Steve Rogers, a sickly young man from Brooklyn, keeps trying to enlist. Dr. Abraham Erskine picks him for a super soldier program run by Colonel Chester Phillips and Agent Peggy Carter, and Erskine's serum and Howard Stark's machine turn him into a peak human, moments before a Hydra agent kills Erskine. Rogers is put on stage selling war bonds as Captain America until he learns that the unit of his best friend, Bucky Barnes, has been captured; he goes behind enemy lines alone and frees hundreds of men. Hydra's leader, Johann Schmidt, the Red Skull, has found the Tesseract and uses its power for advanced weapons. Rogers forms the Howling Commandos and raids Hydra bases across Europe. On a mission to capture Hydra scientist Arnim Zola from a train, Bucky falls into a ravine and is presumed dead.
Captain America: The First Avenger ending explained
Rogers boards the Red Skull's bomber, which is heading for American cities. The Skull grabs the Tesseract and vanishes in a beam of light, and the cube drops into the Arctic. Unable to land safely, Rogers crashes the plane into the ice while talking to Peggy on the radio. Howard Stark later recovers the Tesseract. Rogers wakes in a room made to look like the 1940s, realises it is a fake, runs out into modern Times Square and learns from Nick Fury that he has been asleep for almost 70 years.
Post-credits scenes
Yes. In the post-credits scene, Rogers is pounding a punching bag when Fury arrives with a mission to save the world. It is followed by a teaser trailer for The Avengers.
Where to watch Captain America: The First Avenger
Captain America: The First Avenger is streaming on Disney+ in the US. You can rent or buy it on Amazon, Apple TV, and Google Play.
Ratings
IMDb 6.9/10, Rotten Tomatoes 80%
Where it fits
- Release order: after Thor, before The Avengers.
- Chronological order: after Eyes of Wakanda, before Captain Marvel.
What to watch before Captain America: The First Avenger
In release order, the essentials before Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) are Iron Man (2008), Iron Man 2 (2010), and Thor (2011).
Cast
- Chris Evans as Captain America / Steve Rogers
- Hayley Atwell as Peggy Carter
- Sebastian Stan as James Buchanan 'Bucky' Barnes
- Tommy Lee Jones as Colonel Chester Phillips
- Hugo Weaving as Johann Schmidt / Red Skull
- Dominic Cooper as Howard Stark
- Richard Armitage as Heinz Kruger
- Stanley Tucci as Dr. Abraham Erskine
- Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury
- Toby Jones as Dr. Arnim Zola
- Neal McDonough as Timothy 'Dum Dum' Dugan
- Derek Luke as Gabe Jones
Directed by Joe Johnston.