Captain America's Appeal

I recently visited a debate thread where the participates were discussing which 2011 supehero movie would "take the prize".

Here's my pick: Captain America: The First Avenger. And here's why.

1. Captain America represents the Ameican Tradition, and more specifically, "American Exceptionalism". Right now, in the USA, there's a growing crisis reality and mentality that we are deficient in solving our problems. But the idea, the very concept of good ole' Cap is that American Exceptionalism is still alive, that we can become better, and we should never give up in the face of adversity.

2. Captain America is a legend that spans many generations. Having started in 1941, the Captain represents the older, still living, "greatest" generation of World War II. Heck, this movie will actually start in that era. Therefore, not only will the Captain America draw the younger comic book crowd, but he'll be bringing in the typical Comic Book Collectors from the ages, as well as Grandma and Grandpa, who remembered him fondly way back.

3. Captain America is represents the traditional "Boy Scout" hero. Remember how DC labels Superman as "The Big Blue Boy Scout"? Well, Marvel basically has the same profile with our red, white, and blue shield-slinger. The Captain is one of those heroes who follows the heart of justice; he's a do-gooder through and through. And the public, always seems to resonate with hereos of this kind.

4. Captain America is an Avenger. Although this is a smaller reason, many people will go see the movie twice or three times, just to find "clues" that will lead them to the upcoming Avengers movie in 2012. In other words, they already know it's a pre-quel, and will stay after the credit roll, just to see if there are any extra clips.

Summary: All in all, I'm sure we are all looking forward to the superheroes movies coming out in 2011; with Cap, Thor, Green Lantern, and so forth, this ensures an exciting summer. But of them all, Captain America is highly likely to be the diamond in the rough; he just means too much, symbolically, to the people of the US.

Interested in more info about Cap, Iron Man, Hulk, and Thor? Check out: The Avengers Movie Fan Page.