Trailer Analysis: Captain America The Winter Soldier
Captain America is one of the bigger characters in the Marvel Universe, yet to the public he is still overshadowed by the likes of Iron Man and Thor. The ticket sales for the singular moves even proves this point. However, there is plenty of buzz around the new film starring the Star Spangled Hero as it features a darker tone then it's predecessor and what looks like some very well choreographed fight scenes. It has also been revealed that this film will lead directly into The Avengers: Age of Ultron, leading me to believe that the final act will have huge repercussions on these characters that we love so much going forward. Now, with the Super Bowl have been just yesterday, just like every other year we were treated with new trailers for some of the biggest movies to release this year. One which just so happened to be Captain America: The Winter Soldier. It was a loaded trailer that showed off plenty of what is in store for the old boy scout.
This new trailer gave out a lot of new details but maintained the same theme of Captain America not knowing who to trust in this new world that he has been thrown into. He still has his believes and his morals but in a world where the enemy may not have a face, then where does he stand? It seems as if throughout the trailer that one theme that is rather prevalent is that SHIELD has been infiltrated making it tough for him to know friend from foe. The only person he seems to have a bond with would be that of his fellow Avenger, Natasha Romanoff. Speaking of her, she also seems to know plenty about the titular villain of this film, The Winter Soldier. She tells Captain America that shes heard stories of him but most believed he was only a legend. Now, in the comics, the two of them had a history as she did work for the Russians before working with SHIELD. While this is still a Captain America film, I am sure this will be the closest thing to a Black Widow film that we will ever get as she will be a prominent character throughout considering her history with the Winter Soldier and also now with Captain America. The biggest shock to me throughout the trailer was the fact that we find a grieving Natasha over what seems to be a dead body. I had a theory before this new trailer that Nick Fury would have died, but seeing how we see a beaten Nick Fury, I think that kills that theory. Is it possible that the person that she was grieving for was indeed the Winter Soldier? I'd say no, as I am sure they have future plans for the character.
SHIELD seems to be run by a bigger figure then Nick Fury now as well, as they introduce Alexander Pierce. His introduction is a bit interesting, as I understand SHIELD has a bigger presence in this film, but then why include another leader like him when we already have Fury? This leads me to believe, seeing how there is plenty of untrustworthy people working for SHIELD these days that Pierce is not exactly who he says he is. The biggest news coming out of Avengers: Age of Ultron is that there is going to be a second villain known as Baron Von Strucker. Von Strucker took over control of HYDRA once the Red Skull, so with that in mind I believe that SHIELD had Von Strucker under wraps within their very own prison which is shown throughout the trailer. Also, at the end of the new trailer we see that building come falling down. Now, if this happens at the end of the film, that would explain the resurgence of Von Strucker and HYDRA. Back to the mystery man, Alexander Pierce? Who exactly could he be if he is not who he says he is? There are some rumors that he is in fact the Red Skull, but that just doesn't make sense on a lot of different levels. Baron Zemo is another possibility but I think they will hold off on that character for future Captain America films to tie him into with the Masters of Evil. Instead, I think Pierce will be a combination of different Captain America villains making him into a more unique character.
Before the trailers I thought that this film would be the best of Marvel's second phase to their cinematic universe, and I still stick to that notion based off of these trailers. It isn't just what I have seen in the trailers but also the fact that it will have an affect on the future of the shared universe and will have a ripple affect onto future films. That has been my number one complaint with Iron Man 3 and Thor The Dark World. While they were solid entries and good singular character films they did nothing to build upon the universe. All of these films are connected now and I feel as if that those two films were passable if you were looking at the grand picture of the shared universe. They did absolutely nothing to advance the plot where they very well could have, especially in Thor. I understand it is a money making business and that is just what they have done with those two films. They took they most marketable characters to follow on the heels of the release of The Avengers and it worked out well for them. Now, they have Captain America: The Winter Solider coming out which we already know will advance the overall grand scheme of things by changing everything. Now, I will wait here impatiently until April. It's okay, I'll just sit here.