The MCU, or Marvel Cinematic Universe, was launched with the adventures of its core heroes, including the high-tech Iron Man and the brave Captain America. In 2011, Steve Rogers donned the mantle of Captain America in Captain America: The First Avenger, pitting him against the villainous Red Skull during World War II.
Captain America returned for 2012's The Avengers, but he wasn't done with his solo movies just yet. He also starred in Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Captain America: Civil War. Fortunately for Cap fans, the Captain America movie trilogy rapidly improved in many ways over the years. How did Steve Rogers, the Brooklyn man with a shield, improve his story during these MCU installments?
10 Captain America's Costume Was Improved
A variety of MCU hero costumes were altered over time, usually for the better. For example, Iron Man kept building new suits and Spider-Man got his hands on newer and more advanced suits over time, thanks to Tony Stark. Captain America also enhanced his superhero wardrobe during his movies.
At first, Captain America's outfit looked rather cheap, especially since it started off as an actual costume for theater and not a combat suit. During 2014's Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Steve's outfit was much more appropriate for combat, and it simply looked cooler too.
9 Captain America's Humor Was Honed Somewhat
The MCU is known for its endless one-liners and jokes, especially from Tony Stark and the roguish Star-Lord – though most characters have a sense of humor. Steve Rogers made a few quips during his first movie, but he was no comedian. In fact, he was downright awkward.
Steve was a straight-laced and serious fellow at the time, and his best joke involved misunderstanding what fondue is, which isn't exactly hysterical. Later in his trilogy, he became more confident with his sense of humor, or its non existence. He didn't try to be funny just for the sake of it, and that was an improvement.
8 Bucky Barnes Became Much Cooler
In the first Captain America movie, James Buchanan Barnes was Steve's Army pal, a charming guy who supported his friend however he could. There wasn't much to say about him in the first movie aside from his apparent death after falling from a train.
Bucky returned in The Winter Soldier as the namesake villain, a terrifying assassin with a metal arm and serious skills. He was now a superagent for the USSR, and he had become Steve's #1 enemy. This was a tragic, but exciting, turn of events that definitely improved Cap's movie trilogy.
7 Captain America's Relationship With Bucky Became More Compelling
Not only did Bucky Barnes become a more compelling character, but his relationship with Steve Rogers became more meaningful and impactful in the movies, especially since Bucky was blurring the line between friend and foe. However, Steve refused to give up on his dear friend.
Soon, the Steve Bucky ship became a fan-favorite, and it added some much-needed emotional depth to the trilogy. This friendship is what created the rift between Captain America and Iron Man in 2016's Captain America: Civil War. It's all about Bucky now.
6 Captain America's Combat Techniques Were Improved
Captain America was always a competent fighter during his time in the MCU, from his tenure with the Howling Commandos in 1940s Europe, to his battles against HYDRA in the 2010s, and even against his fellow Avengers in Civil War – he kept getting better and better.
At first, Cap's fighting style was really just an excuse to show off his shield, but the movie trilogy soon fixed that. Captain America had some truly spectacular fistfights and shootouts with his many enemies in the next two movies, which changed him from a star-spangled gimmick to a captivating action hero.
5 The Movies' Tone Improved As Well
The MCU is known for their balance of humor and drama, from Star-Lord challenging Ronan the Accuser to a dance-off, to scenes of tragedy and heartbreak, and everything in between. Captain America's three movies got a little better with tone over time, and stabilized themselves.
The first movie felt a little self-conscious about what it was doing, leading to a vaguely awkward tone throughout. Then, The Winter Soldier had a tougher and more confident tone as a slick action movie, and that made it far more likable than The First Avenger. The same is true for Civil War.
4 The Movies' Politics Got Better
The first Captain America movie largely avoided politics, opting for the classic but simple premise of defeating Nazi Germany and heroically vanquishing evil. Even for the MCU, that's a bit too comic book like, but the next two movies had much more relevant and thoughtful plots and commentary on modern events.
The Winter Soldier explored meaningful and intriguing political themes of security vs liberty, and Captain America knew which side he was on, even if it meant being at odds with Nick Fury. Then, Civil War pondered the theme of how much power is too much power, almost making the Avengers an analogy for nuclear weapons.
3 The Movies Included More & More MCU Characters
Gradually, the MCU added more heroes and villains to its roster, and the Captain America movie trilogy greatly benefitted from that trend, even more than Iron Man's trilogy did. The First Avenger was like a standalone movie with a limited cast to match, and that soon changed for the better.
The Winter Soldier added Nick Fury, Maria Hill, Crossbones and the superagent Natasha Romanoff to the Captain America trilogy, which helped Cap feel more relevant. And of course, Civil War was like The Avengers 2.5, positively packed with cool characters. Only Thor and the Hulk were absent.
2 Nick Fury Played A Greater Role
Captain America's trilogy was greatly enhanced when more characters were added, and the single greatest addition was Nick Fury, the director of S.H.I.E.L.D. Nick Fury has surprisingly solid chemistry with Steve Rogers, since they are both serious men with somewhat differing attitudes on state security.
Nick will use any and every means to keep the U.S.A., and the world, safe from external threats, while Captain America is far more cautious and skeptical of great power, even if that power is meant to protect people. This put them at odds in The Winter Soldier in thought-provoking ways.
1 Steve's Relationship With Peggy Carter Was Deepened
Many comic superheroes have a lover, from Lois Lane to Pepper Potts and Steve Trevor. In The First Avenger, sparks flew between Steve Rogers and the beautiful and talented Agent Peggy Carter. They didn't do much more than share a kiss in that movie, though.
Later, in The Winter Soldier, Steve and Peggy shared a heartfelt scene when an elderly Peggy was finally reunited with her World War II lover, who seemingly never aged a day since then. Then in Civil War, Peggy died in her sleep. Steve was heartbroken. All that is some excellent personal drama to help further develop Steve's character.
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