While it’s still a relatively new phenomenon in the history of film and television, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is now older than some casual viewers, especially younger ones, may realize or remember. The franchise kicked off with Iron Man almost 16 years ago, and even one of its later hits is now approaching its 10-year anniversary. Yes, Captain America: The Winter Soldier turns 10 this month, and, while that’s sure to make fans feel old, the film itself remains as fresh and exhilarating as it was in 2014. Many fans and critics consider it to be the strongest film in the franchise, and it’s not hard to see why. Directors Joe and Anthony Russo successfully built on the work done by earlier films to make Chris Evans’ Steve Rogers/Captain America and the rest of the cast more complex and compelling characters, while introducing new faces and storylines that would define the franchise for years to come, all while filtering the story through the lens of a gritty spy thriller that made important critiques of real world events and foreshadowed the greater generic and tonal experimentation of later Marvel projects.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

PG-13

As Steve Rogers struggles to embrace his role in the modern world, he teams up with a fellow Avenger and S.H.I.E.L.D agent, Black Widow, to battle a new threat from history: an assassin known as the Winter Soldier.

Release Date

April 4, 2014

Director

Anthony Russo , Joe Russo , Joss Whedon

Cast

Chris Evans , Samuel L. Jackson , Scarlett Johansson , Robert Redford , Sebastian Stan , Anthony Mackie

Runtime

136 minutes

Main Genre

Superhero

What Is 'Captain America: The Winter Soldier' About?

Ten years is not an insignificant chunk of time, so, just in case your memory is hazy, here's a refresher on what Winter Solider is about: Following the events of the first Avengers film, Steve Rogers continues to conduct special operations for S.H.I.E.L.D. in the present day, often working alongside fellow Avenger Natasha Romanoff aka the Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson). However, he's growing increasingly frustrated with her deceitful tactics, as well as those of Director Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson).

But when Fury is presumed dead after a sniper attack, Steve and Nat are forced to go on the run as they battle a sinister conspiracy. They eventually learn that the group they are facing is a reorganized version of Hydra, the covert Nazi unit Steve battled in World War II, which has corrupted S.H.I.E.L.D. since its creation and is preparing to use its resources in a murderous plot to instill a new, fascistic world order. Steve and Natasha team with an assortment of allies, including a secretly alive Fury and Steve’s new friend, a former U.S. Air Force pararescue solider named Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie), to neutralize the threat and expose Hydra, even though doing so means dismantling S.H.I.E.L.D.

'The Winter Soldier' Returns to, and Expands on, Early MCU Themes

Iron Man kicked off the MCU with a reflective depiction of the War on Terror, critiquing ethically dubious weapons manufacturers who profit from opposing sides of armed conflicts. The Iron Man sequels continued exploring similar themes to lesser extents, but it was The Winter Soldier that really expanded the franchise’s political commentary by taking on different aspects of the military industrial complex and intelligence communities, reminding viewers that comic-book movies could contain serious ideological weight in addition to spectacle. The Hydra storyline was a clear commentary on then recent events like the revelation of U.S. intelligence agencies conducting illegal surveillance, which was exposed by whistleblowers like Edward Snowden.

As compelling as they are, established Marvel S.H.I.E.L.D. agents like Natasha and especially Fury bear significant portions of responsibility for allowing Hydra to get so close to global conquest. The weapon the Nazi organization plans to use to take over the world is Project Insight, a fleet of S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarriers equipped with advanced surveillance and weapons systems. Hydra leader Alexander Pierce (Robert Redford) hopes to direct Insight with an algorithm that would allow it to target and eliminate anyone who is or could potentially be a threat to Hydra’s goals around the globe. One of the most disturbing aspects of the film is that, until the Hydra infiltration is revealed, Fury believes himself to be in charge of Insight and is in favor of using it to eliminate potential aggressors before they can launch terrorist attacks, as he boastfully tells Steve, leading the dismayed captain to remark that, “I thought the punishment usually came after the crime.” Fortunately, Steve’s purer morality manages to rub off on Fury, and he stands resolutely against Pierce, helping destroy Insight in the film’s final battle. Before he does so, Pierce attempts to appeal to him by saying, "I can bring order to the lives of seven billion people, by sacrificing 20 million. It’s the next step Nick, if you have the courage to take it." To which Fury simply replies, "No, I have the courage not to."

Fury’s change of heart is a prime example of screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeeley’s success at showing the importance of Steve’s belief in pure American ideals and how his character can remain relevant and continue to inspire in the modern, post-9/11 world, something many moviegoers doubted was possible before Evans’ introduction to the MCU. Natasha’s story follows a similar trajectory, with her ultimately choosing to trade in her espionage work for life as a genuine superhero and boldly telling the U.S. Senate that she and Steve do not regret dismantling S.H.I.E.L.D., regardless of whether the government decides to imprison them for doing so or not. Later Marvel projects followed the film’s lead by embracing the trappings of other genres, just as The Winter Soldier did with spy films and political thrillers. The Guardians of the Galaxy series and third and fourth Thor films embraced comedic tones even more than previous Marvel works to great success, Ant-Man is a heist film, and recent projects such as Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Werewolf by Night have served as the franchise’s first forays into horror.

'Captain America: The Winter Soldier' Set Up the Franchise's Future

In addition to opening it up to other genres, The Winter Soldier introduced characters and storylines that continue to be prominent in the MCU to this day. Sam, who would become the superhero known as the Falcon, became Steve’s most constant companion, even joining the Avengers himself. He eventually started appearing independently in some projects before finally replacing his friend as the new Captain America. And, of course, the film reintroduced Sebastian Stan’s Bucky Barnes as the titular Winter Soldier, Hydra’s superpowered, brainwashed assassin, setting up a long-term storyline in which Steve and others help him recover his memories and control of his mind. The mid-credits scene also introduced superpowered twins Wanda and Pietro Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen and Aaron Taylor-Johnson), with the former going on to become one of Marvel’s most popular characters. The Hydra uprising expanded into multiple projects, setting up both the beginning of the film Avengers: Age of Ultron and permanently changing the status quo of the first MCU TV series, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., in which Agent Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg) and his team continued to investigate superpowered and alien threats despite themselves becoming fugitives after S.H.I.E.L.D. was publicly discredited and officially dissolved.

The Russo brothers also expanded the stylistic possibilities of superhero filmmaking. The relatively grounded nature of the characters’ abilities and their military training led the filmmakers to deliver gritty sequences of hand-to-hand combat evocative of those in popular spy films like Matt Damon’s Bourne franchise. Like those films, The Winter Soldier’s exhilarating action showed the value of rapidly paced editing and close-up filming, which can be used to create feelings of claustrophobia and more overwhelming anxiety, such as in the film’s famous elevator fight scene. This contradicts the idea of action sequences with wider framing and longer shot lengths being inherently superior, which has been popularized following the success of films like the John Wick series. The film’s choreography creatively incorporates Steve’s iconic shield and delivers some of the most impactful depictions of super strength, with later entries in the MCU, such as Black Widow, emulating its style. Cumulatively, these qualities make The Winter Soldier one of the most thrilling and innovative modern action films, allowing it to stand comfortably alongside other artistically designed blockbusters of recent years like the Wick films and Mad Max: Fury Road.

Later Marvel movies, like Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther films and the Russos’ own Avengers: Endgame, are certainly of similar quality to The Winter Soldier. And some of the franchise’s TV projects, such as Daredevil and WandaVision, might have even told stronger stories. But The Winter Soldier made most of those projects possible and remains special for a host of reasons, standing as an example of the heights of quality possible for the superhero genre.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier is available to stream on Disney+

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