It took a few years, but Captain America has finally become the same iconic leader of the
Marvel Universe on film as he has been in the comics for decades.
As Civil War stands poised to deliver the most world-changing story in the MCU yet,
that doesn't mean every great detail, secret, or twist takes place in front of the cameras.
There's no better time to run down some of the coolest facts about Marvel's Captain America
to let fans appreciate the chaos and wars behind the scenes.
Here are 20 Captain America Secrets From Behind The Scenes.
Ending The War The Civil War comic series had to be changed
for the movie, but in a weird twist of fate, it's Avengers director Joss Whedon who actually
deserves credit for the comic's climactic ending.
Originally, Iron Man and Cap stopped fighting when bystanders, like the readers, begged
them to, making the fight an unsatisfying draw.
The writers knew a more satisfying finish was needed, so when Whedon came by, taking
a break from his own "X-Men" series, they told him their problem, and he gave them their
new ending exactly as it appears.
Or, in the words of writer Mark Millar: "the bugger was there ten minutes and he solved
everything."
Redwing The Falcon has upped his game since The Winter
Soldier, having added a recon drone to his arsenal, which he refers to as 'Redwing.'
The name is a nod to his actual trained falcon sidekick from the comics, since the directors
figured a bird he can telepathically communicate with would be too hard to believe.
Community Alums The Russo Brothers may have taken the reins
of the Marvel Universe, but they haven't forgotten where they came from.
The duo made sure to give cameos to some friends and Community alums in The Winter soldier,
with DC Pierson a friend of Donald Glover and Danny Pudi nabbing tiny roles.
In Civil War, it's actor Jim Rash who gets the nod, playing yet another annoying intellectual
vying for Tony Stark's attention.
Launching Ant-Man When the trailers highlighted the airport
showdown between the Avengers, it was Ant-Man and Hawkeye combining their powers, with the
archer firing Scott Lang into action on the end of his arrow.
It's a great idea, and one lifted straight from the cover of The Avengers #223, released
in 1963.
Sharing The Spotlight Although it's a Captain America movie, Civil
War is pulling double duty, introducing both Black Panther and the New Spider-Man - but
that wasn't the original plan.
Panther's role was added to the story, and made an even bigger part when Marvel thought
that Sony might not agree to let Spidey into the MCU.
By the time a deal was reached, Panther had a serious part, which meant Spider-Man's role
had to be a smaller one.
But that's still hard to actually complain about.
Audition Tapes Spider-Man and Marvel's Punisher aren't likely
to cross paths on film, but the actors already have.
While filming the independent movie Pilgrimage, actors Tom Holland and Jon Bernthal actually
recorded audition tapes for Marvel together, hoping to land the roles of Spider-Man and
The Punisher, respectively.
When Holland joined Chris Hemsworth's In The Heart of the Sea, he asked the Avenger to
put in a good word, sealing the deal, as Bernthal joined Daredevil.
Signing on RDJ The original plan for Civil War was to have
Robert Downey Jr make a small appearance, but knowing the story potential, he had his
sights set on a much bigger role - which meant a much bigger paycheck.
Having already delivered a massive paycheck for The Avengers, the CEO of Marvel Entertainment
Ike Perlmutter refused the idea.
Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige eventually convinced the higher-ups that it really was
the way to go for Civil War, and the entire structure of Marvel's movie and entertainment
chains of command were shifted as a result.
Sneaky Double Cast It's an unspoken, but official rule that no
actor can play two different characters in the Marvel Universe.
But when Robert Downey Jr. suggested his former co-star Alfre Woodard for a smaller role in
Civil War, nobody checked with the TV side of the MCU.
Having already been cast as a completely different character in Netflix's Luke Cage series, Woodard
introduces one of the MCU's biggest wrinkles so far.
A Real Ship Cap showed he had adapted to modern military
when he singlehandedly took down a satellite launching ship in The Winter Soldier's opening
scenes.
The action is staged, but the ship isn't - it really is a ship used to launch satellites
from the equator.
When the production got access to the vessel, the entire subplot involving satellites was
added to make the most of it.
Aging Peggy Carter There's good chance that some fans never realized
that the elderly Peggy Carter really was Peggy, as in actress Hayley Atwell.
It wasn't makeup, either, or CG aging, but a combination of both.
Atwell performed the scene in costume and a grey wig, and an older actress performed
the same lines and movement.
Digital artists then took the skin and muscle movements from the older woman, pasted them
onto Atwell, and massaged them into the finished effect.
Chase Scene The Nick Fury chase scene through city streets
was a hit with fans because it actually seemed realistic - but they didn't know just how
realistic it was.
The sequence was based on a 2010 Brazilian police chase that looks exactly the same,
and the directors even played the police video as part of their original pitch to Marvel.
Widow’s Plot Hole Widow's showdown with the Winter Soldier ended
with her getting the upper hand, but it originally would have caused a massive plot hole.
The plan was for Widow to put her shoes beside a car to ambush the villain, but when Scarlett
Johansson pointed out that her character would be barefoot for the rest of the movie, the
directors realized the mistake, and used a phone instead.
Close one.
Brubaker’s Cameo Steve and Bucky's reunion lifts a few images
right from the comic, but that's not the only tribute that Marvel paid to writer Ed Brubaker,
who penned Bucky's return as the Winter Soldier.
Look closely, and you can catch Brubaker's cameo as one of the technicians overseeing
Bucky's brainwashing.
Smelly Locations Marvel tends to find unique locations for
their films, but none is stranger than Nick Fury's hideout.
The cement bunker is actually an old sewage treatment plant that was a perfect backdrop
when location scouting was done in the winter.
But when the crew arrived to film in the summer, the warmer temperatures brought the smells
to life.
Luckily, the audience can't tell - but the cast sure could.
Director Cameo Sometimes it takes a director, not an actor,
to know just what a tiny role needs to deliver.
That, or they just want a cameo where it fits: make sure you don't miss Nick Fury's doctor
giving Widow some treatment, since it's director Joe Russo playing the part.
Scrawny Soldier It's still incredible to see how digital artists
turned Chris Evans into a scrawny soldier in the First Avenger, but they had some help
from his small-scale body double Leander Deeny.
Fans don't need to go digging, either: the nicknames "Skinny Steve" appears in the film,
as the bartender serving Cap and his Howling Commandos.
Evans and Johansson By the time The Winter Soldier came around,
actors Chris Evans and Scarlett Johansson had appeared together in four different films,
the earliest being 2004's The Perfect Score.
The two were so familiar as friends, they actually wrote large portions of their own
dialogue drawing on their own personalities.
Fake Headstone It turns out the history of Nick Fury is a
secret even to the directors.
When the former SHIELD director's birthdate couldn't be shown, the directors needed to
put SOMETHING on his fake headstone at the end of Winter Soldier.
Remembering a certain Bible verse made famous by Samuel L. Jackson in Pulp Fiction, their
problem was solved.
The Winter Soldier Everyone knows that Marvel loves to keep their
secrets - but apparently, that includes the actors, too.
Sebastian Stan was probably a bit confused when he was told that he'd be appearing in
The Winter Soldier, but had signed on for nine film appearances after the First Avenger.
It wasn't until the sequel was announced as The Winter Soldier that he realized he would
be playing the villain of the movie, paving the way for an even bigger role in the MCU.
Cap’s Shield Director Joe Johnston first brought Cap to
the big screen, but he made sure to do some spy work in a local comic book store during
pre-production.
When he asked the clerk what was most important to get right about the hero, the man claimed
it was the shield, certain that a movie would upgrade it with guns or electrical attacks
instead of keeping it simple.
As a joke, Johnston included those exact versions for Cap to choose from, hoping the fans would
be groaning and rolling their eyes before Cap spotted his classic weapon hiding underneath
the table.
Those are some of the cooler secrets and stories from behind the scenes of Marvel's Star-spangled
Man, but what cool details have we missed?
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