Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Movie, 2014, Phase 2, Set in 2014
Captain America: The Winter Soldier is #9 of 69 in release order and #11 of 69 in chronological order in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The story
After the cataclysmic events in New York with The Avengers, Steve Rogers, aka Captain America is living quietly in Washington, D.C. and trying to adjust to the modern world. But when a S.H.I.E.L.D. colleague comes under attack, Steve becomes embroiled in a web of intrigue that threatens to put the world at risk. Joining forces with the Black Widow, Captain America struggles to expose the ever-widening conspiracy while fighting off professional assassins sent to silence him at every turn. When the full scope of the villainous plot is revealed, Captain America and the Black Widow enlist the help of a new ally, the Falcon. However, they soon find themselves up against an unexpected and formidable enemy—the Winter Soldier.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier recap
Two years after New York, Steve Rogers works missions for S.H.I.E.L.D. in Washington. Nick Fury shows him Project Insight, three new helicarriers built to strike threats before they act, and is then gunned down by a masked assassin, the Winter Soldier. Before he seems to die, Fury gives Rogers a flash drive, and senior official Alexander Pierce brands Rogers a fugitive. With Natasha Romanoff and Sam Wilson, a veteran who flies with a wing pack, Rogers finds Arnim Zola preserved as a computer and learns that Hydra has been growing inside S.H.I.E.L.D. since the war. Insight's helicarriers will use an algorithm to kill millions of people Hydra sees as threats. The Winter Soldier turns out to be Bucky Barnes, captured and brainwashed by Hydra decades ago.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier ending explained
Rogers, Sam and Maria Hill swap the targeting chips so the helicarriers destroy each other, while Natasha dumps S.H.I.E.L.D.'s and Hydra's secrets online and Fury, alive after faking his death, kills Pierce. Rogers refuses to fight Bucky and falls into the Potomac; Bucky pulls him out and walks away. S.H.I.E.L.D. is dismantled, and Rogers and Sam set out to find Bucky.
Post-credits scenes
Yes. In the mid-credits scene, Hydra's Baron von Strucker holds Loki's scepter and keeps two powered twins, Pietro and Wanda Maximoff, under study. In the post-credits scene, Bucky visits the Captain America exhibit at the Smithsonian and sees a memorial to himself.
Where to watch Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Captain America: The Winter Soldier is streaming on Disney+ in the US. You can rent or buy it on Amazon, Apple TV, and Google Play.
Ratings
IMDb 7.7/10, Rotten Tomatoes 90%
Where it fits
- Release order: after Thor: The Dark World, before Guardians of the Galaxy.
- Chronological order: after Thor: The Dark World, before Guardians of the Galaxy.
What to watch before Captain America: The Winter Soldier
In release order, 7 Marvel Cinematic Universe essentials come before Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014), from Iron Man (2008) to Thor: The Dark World (2013).
Cast
- Chris Evans as Steve Rogers / Captain America
- Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury
- Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow
- Robert Redford as Alexander Pierce
- Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes / Winter Soldier
- Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson / Falcon
- Cobie Smulders as Maria Hill
- Frank Grillo as Brock Rumlow
- Maximiliano Hernández as Jasper Sitwell
- Emily VanCamp as Kate / Agent 13
- Hayley Atwell as Peggy Carter
- Toby Jones as Dr. Arnim Zola
Directed by Joe Russo, Anthony Russo.