Here come the Russo brothers! CATWS (2014) is full of entertaining action sequences and a plot full of espionage. Steve Rogers has a dramatic shift in character during the events of CATWS. Steve is no longer lost in this new world. He has started to get some grounding about what the world has become. He begins his move from trusting large government bodies to a complete lack of trust. What Steve has learned is that secret organizations have secret agendas and it is capable for something great to be destroyed via the infiltration of just a few people.
CATWS gave birth to the hilarious internet meme of “Hail Hydra” being whispered into someone’s ear. HYDRA never went away. Even Nick Fury is duped by them. As far as the scope of the effect a solo story has on the rest of the MCU, CATWS is probably the biggest. SHIELD, SHIELD, SHIELD. That’s all we heard for the first few years of watching these films. Then, they blew it up as a Nazi-infested organization. It really was a game-changer.
CATWS also began the obsession with Bucky Barnes aka The Winter Soldier with a single line: “Who the hell is Bucky?” He’s got crazy eye-liner, a metal arm, and is the only link to Steve Roger’s old life. “Till the end of the line.” This film features a brilliant example of male friendship. The two main characters are brothers. Just imagine that you woke up and everyone you knew was dead and that one day, while enduring this truly lonely existence, your best friend, who you thought was dead, came back into your life as a destructive assassin with amnesia and the only way to save them was letting them beat the hell out of you. Would you do it? Apparently, Steve Rogers would.
Quick Hits
Stan Lee’s cameo is as a security guard at the Smithsonian. Steve steals his old Cap outfit while he is on duty.
The fight scenes are incredible.
Steve landing on the boat showing off the new things he’s learned.
Nick Fury’s car chase scene.
By the way, his car can fly.
Nat’s espionage with face faking technology.
Falcon’s first appearance. His "abilities" are really unique. He isn't protected by a suit of armor, but he can fly. It seems much more daring.
And, of course, Steve and Bucky’s various fights with excessive knife flipping.
The faking your death routine is in full swing. Or death fake outs. Whatever. People that are dead aren’t really dead till you see a body…and in some cases that isn’t true either.
CATWS is the MCU’s finest solo adventure to this point. It may still be the best one, but something keeps pulling me towards Ragnarök. The ensemble is really well balanced, the plot is different (spy-thriller), and the characters all have unique and significant arcs. Let’s face it, Joss Whedon’s take on Steve Rogers was weak. Whedon nails Tony and Bruce, but the Russo’s made Steve Rogers the character we love. In fact, the same could be said for Natasha. Her character is given some real depth here. She was obsessed with removing the red from her ledger before and by the end of CATWS, she is releasing all of the documents that incriminate her. Those two characters work wonderfully together because they are so different and they are able to learn something from each other.
After watching the terrorist with a childhood bully vendetta and the sun-haters as villains in the last two outings, CATWS provides a villain that we care about. Bucky and Steve are already connected and this puts something at stake for the hero. He isn’t just saving the world; he’s saving his friend. There’s not as much conflict in fighting terrorists or sun-hating elves. Just punch them in the face. Hydra has taken Steve’s life away. They’ve taken his opportunity for a normal life away. They will not take his friend away.