Issue #9: Gian's Reflections on Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)

I love the opening to Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014). Dawn is breaking and the sky is a rich blue purple tinted with rose as the sun begins to rise. A lone figure jogs beside a small lake and in the background we see the dark pinnacle of the Washington Monument and then the round dome of the Thomas Jefferson Memorial. Quiet music plays, and there is a peace and calm to the scene that will stand in stark contrast to the battles and turmoil that lie ahead.

It’s a reminder that Washington, D.C. is a beautiful place, something that has become easy to forget as the political divisions in America have grown ever uglier. How did we end up at war with each other? We are supposed to be the United States of America, not red and blue states, not hating each other.

Winter Soldier resonates with post 9/11 themes. Who are our friends, who are our enemies? And the film is as timely as ever. Captain America (played ironically as ever by Chris Evans) leads a rescue mission to save crew members on ship that has been seized by pirates, but then the Black Widow (played in butt kicking form again by Scarlett Johansson) jeopardizes the whole operation when she takes time to download secret data off a hard drive. Natasha tells Steve that S.H.I.E.L.D. Director Nick Fury (played to perfection by Samuel L. Jackson) gave her a separate mission from Cap’s rescue mission. Steve yells at the Widow, then returns to S.H.I.E.L.D. to confront Fury:

Steve Rogers: “You just can’t stop yourself from lying, can you?”

Nick Fury: “I didn’t lie. Agent Romanoff had a different mission than yours.”

Steve Rogers: “Which you didn’t feel obliged to share.”

Nick Fury: “I’m not obliged to do anything.”

Steve Rogers: “Those hostages could’ve died, Nick.”

Nick Fury: “I sent the greatest soldier in history to make sure that didn’t happen.”

Steve Rogers: “Soldiers trust each other, that’s what makes it an army. Not a bunch of guys running around and shooting guns.”

Nick Fury: “The last time I trusted someone, I lost an eye. Look, I didn’t want you doing anything you weren’t comfortable with. Agent Romanoff is comfortable with everything.”

Steve Rogers: “I can’t lead a mission when the people I’m leading have missions of their owns.”

Nick Fury: “It’s called compartmentalization. Nobody spills the secrets because nobody knows them all.”

Steve Rogers: “Except you.”

Secrecy. Missions within missions. Competing agendas. This is Marvel doing a spy film that captures all the paranoia of the Cold War all over again. There is a shadow group, Hydra, manipulating the government. The people who are supposed to be protecting the citizens instead are planning to kill them. And as trust in the government fail, people begin to turn on each other. Eventually, no one trusts anyone and then we turn on each other.

We know the history of the MCU, Captain America: Civil War is coming. But look at America. Distrust of government. Fear of the police. Suspicion about the pandemic. Democrats against Republicans. We’re on a path to tearing each other apart.

And that’s why we need Captain America. When a brainwashed Bucky Barnes shows up as the murderous super villain Winter Soldier, Cap never loses faith in his friend. As they prepare for a final battle to stop Hydra’s plot, Steve and Sam Wilson (played with everyman flair by Anthony Mackie) discuss what to do about the Winter Soldier:

Sam Wilson: “He’s going to be there, you know?”

Steve Rogers: “I know.”

Sam Wilson: “Look, whoever he used to be, the guy he is now, I don’t think he’s the kind you save. He’s the kind you stop.”

Steve Rogers: “I don’t know if I could do that.”

Sam Wilson: “Well, he might not give you a choice. He doesn’t know you.”

Steve Rogers: “He will. Gear up, it’s time.”

[Steve turns and starts to walk off]

Sam Wilson: “You going to wear that?”

Steve Rogers: “No. If you’re going to fight a war, you got to wear a uniform.”

Steve had been wearing the dark blue version of his costume with the white star, but that had been confiscated by S.H.I.E.L.D. In preparation for the final battle, he borrows his World War II-era red, white, and blue costume from a museum exhibit. Donning his original costume reminds viewers of all the grand ideals America stands for: Honor, duty, compassion, helping those who can’t help themselves.

And friendship. United we stand, divided we fall. America is supposed to be united. Cap stays loyal to his friend Bucky, risking his own life in the process. And, in the end, Bucky saves Cap. Steve’s faith in him is rewarded. And it is Steve’s belief in Bucky that opens a path, albeit a very difficult one, for Bucky to find the way back to his own life.

Some people want us divided. They don’t have to be members of Hydra, although maybe they are? But we don’t have to give in to that. We can be better. And we don’t have to limit this to Americans, either. We only have one world, and we all need to live in it. We have to find a way forward to live in peace and, hopefully, in friendship.

Don’t believe me? Try this. Get up early tomorrow and watch the sun rise. It will be just as beautiful as in that opening scene. And when you see that beauty, I hope it will inspire you to do one more important thing. I hope you’ll decide to make the world even more beautiful that day by smiling, by saying something nice to someone, by lending a hand, even by doing a good deed. It’s really not that hard. We can all make the world more beautiful for those around us. That’s what acts of kindness are, beautiful acts worthy of a beautiful world.