All-American hero is still soldiering on
HAPPY BIRTHDAY CAPTAIN AMERICA. MARION McMULLEN LOOKS AT THE SUPERHERO WHO IS TURNING 80
Captain America finally triumphed in Toll Of Doom. The city commissioner ended up saying: “Thanks to Captain America, who we now know to be our fighting district attorney, the Scarab and his murderous gang will pay the supreme penalty in the electric chair at the stroke of midnight.”
A TV movie followed in 1979, with Reb Brown in the title role. He would go on to star in Captain America II: Death Too Soon the same year.
His version of Steve Rogers rode on a gadget-packed motorcycle and so he wore a helmet instead of the traditional mask, and sometimes he used his shield as a windshield while driving. Matt Salinger took on the mantle next, in 1990.
The movie saw Captain America freed from the ice after decades, to tackle arch villain the Red Skull and stop him kidnapping the US president. “I want to get back into the fight, sir, “he says.
Matt beat Dolph Lundgren and Arnold Schwarzenegger to the role and filming took place in Yugoslavia.
Chris Evans has appeared as Captain America in 11 films, but turned down the role three times because of worries about the impact it would have on his private life. Robert Downey Jr, who plays Iron Man, eventually convinced him to take the part and much of the filming took place in Britain.
Chris, who also played comic book character the Human Torch in the Fantastic Four movies, said: “Even if it wasn’t a comic book, I think the story of Steve Rogers is great. He’s a great guy. He’s a great character to play. He just happens to be a comic book character.”
The comic book that appears in the movie also harks back to the birth of Captain America and features a modified version of the original front cover from 1941. Stan Lee also made one of his famous cameo appearance in the 2011 film, as a general, and the officer sitting next to him was none other than actor Reb Brown from the 1979 films.
Screenwriter David Self who wrote a draft of Captain America: The First Avenger admitted the character had been his favourite superhero as a child. He said: “My Dad told me I could one day be Captain America.”
I found a way to help the war effort in the form of comic characters
Co-creator Jack Kirby