The State of Comics: Marvel

So I finally saw Captain America: The Winter Soldier over this past weekend (I know I can't believe it took me this long either,) and all I can say is that there is a reason it is the biggest April movie of all time and has been on the top of the movie charts for three weeks running now. Whether you're a comic book fan, a movie fan, or just a human with a pulse, I promise you there is something worth seeing in this movie, and in my opinion a good microcosm of everything that Marvel is doing right. On a personal note it is really great to see Cap get to spread his legs in a movie set in modern America where he is isn't distracted by invading aliens and Robert Downey Jr. Yet, more to the point it is great to see Cap acting like Cap, not as a mindless violent icon draped in red, white, and blue, but as a moral beacon who fights for the principals of freedom and liberty, even if that conflicts with those in power above him.

And for me, this is a lot of where Marvel's success is coming from. Though they do take their liberties, they still stay true to the comic, if not in letter, in spirit. Thus, we will not see Captain America wander the country a breaded hobo as he struggles to be grittier than he really is. In fact, in the times of uncertain morality, that is when our super soldier really shines, and this movie goes to great lengths to illustrate that. Cap is my favorite superhero, (a non-bearded, red-brief-wearing, Superman is a very very close second,) and not because he just happens to be a hero dressed like a one-man Fourth of July celebration, but because he represents something greater. He doesn't fight for the policies and laws of America, instead he fights for the spirit of America. Those two things are more or less aligned during the black and white days of World War II but in the modern post 9/11 era those lines become blurry, a point which Captain America: The Winter Soldier does an excellent job of showing.

Steve Rogers struggles with his new life and new role in this modern world, but he never forgets the morality that made him who he was. He never feels the need to sink to some sort of moral ambiguity because of overwhelming internal conflicts (blah blah blah.) Sure he has troubles and worries and fears, but he never stops being that good man that Dr. Erskine found for his super soldier serum. Captain America is strong and fast, but his power as a hero has always been inspiration. He makes people want to be better. He's not a leader because he is the most powerful of the Avengers, but because of his sense of fairness and his willingness to stand up for what's right. He has the uncanny ability to see how the world can be better and understand what needs to be done to make it so, not just for America but for everyone, (because not everyone has to be the Dark Knight, but I guess no one told DC that.)

[SPOILRES AHEAD] 

Of all the movies, this one has had one of the largest impacts on the Marvel Cinematic Universe. SHIELD is destroyed. Though it is not entirely the organization's fault that Hydra infiltrated it, Captain America makes it clear that when you have an organization (any organization) who rules through fear and secrets there is too much potential for abuse of trust (a very appropriate message for the world today.) The implications of this are huge, especially when seen in the light of Whedon's Agents of SHIELD TV show. Whedon has basically spent most of the season pushing the fact that (aside form all the superspy/covert stuff) SHIELD neutralizes abnormal and superhuman threats. Though I am certain that the organization under Fury will continue in one form or another, they will not be the all powerful omnipotent presence they once were. There is going to be a large opening now for a lot of new superhumans to arise, both good and bad. As Baron Von Strucker so succinctly puts it at the end of the movie, "We have entered an age of miracles." However, this also has good implications for the Avengers as a team.

In Avengers 2 I have no doubt that we will see the Avengers become more of a centralized team. In their first outing together the alliance seemed temporary, a construct put together by SHIELD to face a momentary threat and then just as quickly disbanded. However with SHIELD fractured this leaves an opening for the Avengers to become a team in their own right, no longer under the thumb of Nick Fury. (I also think they already know a guy who would be willing to finance it.) I would not be surprised if after Avengers 2 we see them as a team on a more permanent basis.

Needs a bit more red in the costume.

Other highlights of the movie for me included Sam Wilson. I love the Falcon as a hero and a character. Steve Rogers and Sam Wilson are a great duo and I am very happy to see that they didn't just make the cinematic version of Sam some SHIELD agent. He's a soldier, a veteran, and a community leader, much like in the comics. His wings get clipped at the end of the movie, but I think Steve may know a guy who is decent in robotics and could probably replace them. I do like that Crossbones was a SHIELD/Hydra agent, and there seems definite potential that this huge threat could (and will) be coming back. We finally get to meet Sharon Carter, and there is more than enough foreshadowing to confirm that Bucky will be the next Captain America. All the times he held the damn shield up were enough to illustrate that point, (but also Sebastian Stan signed a Marvel contract for nine movies and Chris Evans only signed for a six movie contract, you do the math.) Lastly, almost as a throwaway line Stephen Strange's name is dropped into the mix.

Iron Man 3 was a decent movie as was Thor: the Dark World, though if truth be told there was nothing really there to excite me. I had been harboring a secret fear that the Cinematic Universe peaked with Avengers and now Marvel and Disney were just going to sit back and milk the cow for all it was worth, but this movie has reinvigorated me, similar to Agents' of SHIELD. In the beginning the show seemed to be more gimmicky than anything else, spending more time on bland plot lines and dropping shameless comic book references (which I do personally love) than developing any real story momentum, but with their tie-in with Captain America I now see where the season had been heading all along. I am reinvigorated and I cannot wait for their next episode or even for Guardians of the Galaxy coming out at the end of summer. (It's going to be a weird movie, but I have a lot of faith, now.)

So for anyone who thought that the Marvel fad was over, stay tuned, because Captain America: The Winter Soldier just proved that we have only begun to scratch the surface of a much deeper world. People were immensely impressed that Marvel was able to build this Cinematic Universe in the first place, but I have a feeling we have yet to see the full extent and glory of their ambition. The state of Marvel is strong. I wish I could say the same for DC.