Captain America: The First Avenger was another one of the few Marvel Cinematic Universe movies that I actually saw in theatres when it was released, but haven’t seen it since it premiered in 2011. As someone who has always been drawn to vintage style with a modern twist, Captain America was an instant win for me. I also loved that he was a beacon of inspiration, and a symbol of unity and hope for the American public as we fought to defeat the Nazis in World War II. Captain America brought the country together to fight off a common enemy in a time where they needed it most - even if he is just a fictional character from a Marvel movie.

The thing about the Marvel movies that are continuing to strike a chord with me is how incredibly relevant they remain while we seek refuge from our present stresses that have been created by COVID-19. Although we lack a united front and strong leader at the national level during this unpredictable time in history, we thankfully can turn to our favorite heroes who continue to teach us the necessary lessons that will aide us and guide us as we trudge through to the other side of this devastating global pandemic.

Lesson 1: This Isn’t About Me

Steve Rogers, who we later come to know as Captain America, begins the movie as the scrawny and scrappy kid who just wants to fight for his country. In fact, Rogers travels around to different enlistment locations to fill out paperwork in order to join the US Army. Granted, he falsifies some of the information on his paperwork (which is illegal to do) in order to once again attempt to pass the initial enlistment test to join the war effort, but time and time again he fails. The thing is, Rogers is definitely the “little dude” amongst his cohorts. He finds himself not only unable to make it past filling our the enlistment forms, but is also the frequent target of the town bullies.

In a conversation with his best pal, “Bucky”, as he decides to break away from his date so that he can once again fill out the enlistment forms, Steve says, “Bucky, come on. There are men laying down their lives. I got no right to do any less than them. That’s what you don’t understand. This isn’t about me.” Even though Rogers doesn’t initially meet the requirements to become a soldier in the US Army, he is still interested in doing his part for the war effort by whatever means necessary. This was a time, at least in this fictional timeline based on a real war effort, where Americans were banding together to do whatever was necessary to defeat the enemy at hand - a time where doing something for the collective good not only made sense, but also was widely accepted. Flash forward to today where American exceptionalism and individualism seem to be at an all-time high - at least speaking in terms of my lifetime. Right now we have the chance to band together in efforts to collectively do what is most helpful, but instead of a united front against this enemy, we have people who are proclaiming that their preferred method for moving forward through this pandemic is to go rogue and stop listening to medical experts. Unfortunately for us, we don’t have a strong beacon of leadership in America now they way America did then with Captain America.

Lesson 2: Vulnerability Does Not Make You Weak

Near the end of the film, while Captain America is leading the epic battle with HYDRA leader Johann Schmidt, aka Red Skull, his best pal Bucky Barnes (*spoiler alert*) falls off the speeding train, presumably to his death. Immediately, Rogers is physically and emotionally affected, and reasonably so. He begins to tear up, as any of us would do had we also just witnessed the death of our best friend in a traumatic way.

We live in a world that, for a long time, has pushed the narrative that boys and men, especially, must never cry, show emotion, or have feelings in order to be viewed as masculine and powerful. Somehow, behaving like a human makes you out to be weak. However, if you are familiar with the work of shame and vulnerability researcher, Brené Brown, then you know that vulnerability is actually a superpower in and of itself that should be practiced indefinitely, not shunned. The great irony here is that by having more vulnerability, not less, you are viewed as a stronger and more competent leader. Vulnerability is the gateway to connection and empathy.

In this scene, in particular, I think it’s so important to show Steve Rogers, who we learn is an incredibly sensitive and compassionate person, crying as Captain America. As the “face” of the US Army, society likely labeled Captain America as ranking incredibly highly on the masculine and powerful scale. But in this moment of a dear friend’s likely demise, we see that softer and more compassionate side to Rogers that existed long before he became “the guy”. Captain America is already such a great role model, filled with integrity and dedication, but it is in this scene where I believe he becomes the greatest role model to men and boys in our society today. Just because the world falsely encourages that men “toughen up” and ignore the biological fact that we are all deeply feeling beings, doesn’t mean it is the most beneficial way to navigate through society. I can almost guarantee that not a single man watching this film uttered out “don’t be a p***y” - the obnoxious hallmark slogan of toxic masculinity. No, instead, men were shown a character who can be both sensitive and emotive, while remaining masculine and strong. Captain America’s vulnerability and compassion did not make him “weak” in the slightest.

Lesson 3: Be Resilient in the Face of Adversity

Resilience in the face of adversity is one of the core characteristics of Steve Rogers/Captain America. Growing up he was the scrawny kid who was bullied and beat up regularly, but even in those situations he never cowered or backed down, even though his chance of winning a fight was slim to none. When young men were encouraged to get involved with the war effort, Rogers persisted through countless attempts to be eligible to be a soldier. In fact, it was his resilient spirit, not his size, that ultimately got him recruited for the Strategic Scientific Reserve as a potential candidate for the “supersoldier” program. When he is welcomed into the program by Dr. Abraham Erskine, Dr. Erskine asks Rogers, “Do you want to kill Nazis?” To which Rogers responds, “I don’t want to kill anyone. I don’t like bullies. I don’t care where they are from.” Rogers is about justice, and standing up for the underdog, probably because he’s been the underdog his whole life so he is able to develop empathy and compassion for the other “little guys”.

Rogers’ resilience was a through line that was paramount to his success as he becomes “the guy” as Captain America. At his core, he is that person who is willing to keep trying, and keep getting up after he falls, even when the odds are stacked against him - and the odds were against Rogers throughout the course of the film. We see this characteristic play an important role in nearly every conflict he has because even when he gets knocked down, he’s ready to get back up and keep fighting. Steve Rogers not only carries with him an incredible amount of resilience, but he is also heavily guided by his commendable integrity. The two characteristics together are what made him the perfect candidate to become the “supersoldier” and face of the US Army, Captain America. Even toward the end of the movie as Captain America is fighting Red Skull and HYDRA for the final time, Red Skull says to Captain America, “You don’t give up, do you?” To which Captain America responds, “Nope”. No matter the challenge he faced, Steve Rogers remained resilient in the face of all adversity. And as we continue to be faced with even more adversity and challenges in our daily lives, it is important that we also remain resilient and keep pressing forward, just like Captain America.

Of the chapters in “The Untitled MCU Project” so far, Chapter 5 is the one where I hit a roadblock. Perhaps it’s because when this movie first debuted, I had so much hope for America back then and rewatching now, I am reminded that we are currently living in a dystopian nightmare, unable to unite against a common enemy, in our case, the novel coronavirus causing COVID-19, the way the country was able to do in “Captain America: The First Avenger”. But I know that these lessons are certainly applicable now in our own time of adversity, and perhaps re-watching this film did come at the perfect time because it reminds me of what it does look like when we can unite together. I know this time in history is unlike anything we’ve ever had to face, and there is a lot of fear surrounding the unknown (yes, even and especially for those touting “I will not live in fear”), so hopefully our favorite superheroes can continue to provide you with comfort and leadership lessons, the way they have for me.

Captain America

Photography By: Krystyn Slack