While The Falcon and the Winter Soldier grappled with racism in the US and what it means for a Black man to be Captain America, it also dealt with the legacy Steve left behind, and Sam soon made the mantle his own. The First Avenger showed us what makes someone the right candidate for the serum, which played out in the series: the perfect soldier, John Walker, versus the good man, Sam Wilson. Not only was their relationship the very last thing depicted in the at one point highest-grossing movie of all time, it also set up The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, which would delve deep into the legacy of the shield. Peggy and Steve's relationship is also very significant: at the finale of Endgame, Steve passed his shield to Anthony Mackie's Sam Wilson so he could return to the past and be with his lost love. Similarly, Civil War saw Steve on the run, this time fighting his own teammates, because he refused to do something he thought was wrong – and the seismic impact that movie had on the MCU is obvious. It's also the slicker and more action-heavy The Winter Soldier that propelled Steve into the fan-favorite status the character still enjoys today, after he was viewed as maybe a bit boring post-The Avengers. The Winter Soldier plunges Steve into the moral gray zone, but he still finds a way to stick to what he believes, becoming a fugitive from the HYDRA-infested SHIELD and refusing to give up on the brainwashed Bucky. That black-and-white morality, and Steve's willingness to break the rules, is essential to what happens in The First Avengers' two sequels. That earnestness can also be seen in Stanley Tucci's character Erskine having the belief that Steve is the right candidate for the Serum because he's "not a perfect soldier, but a good man." Proper comic book stuff. Not only is it an entertaining action adventure, it's also genuinely full of heart, giving us one of the MCU’s most touching love stories between Steve and Hayley Atwell's Peggy: I challenge anyone watching Steve in 21st Century Times Square wistfully declare "I had a date" to not feel a lump in their throat. Yet, Cap's origin story more than holds up against the rest of the MCU today. Of course, it's understandable that The First Avenger has been overshadowed by what came afterwards, especially considering that, a year later, The Avengers arrived and transformed the cinematic landscape, blowing everything that came before out the water. Still today, you won't find the first Captain America movie high on many peoples' MCU rankings, though the movie is fiercely loved by those Marvel fans who now hold Captain America as their favorite Avenger. Reviews were positive, but not overwhelmingly so. Despite the years of tortuous development, the movie landed without much fanfare, falling short of Iron Man, Thor, and Iron Man 2 at the box office while outperforming The Incredible Hulk.
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