Original subtitles

KEVIN FEIGE: I'm not sure we could have done

this notion of an interlinked Marvel Cinematic Universe

without Captain America.

Whether it's bit by a spider or exposed to gamma rays,

the notion of a super-powered human started with Steve Rogers.

He is the backbone of the universe.

As we were developing Captain America: The First Avenger,

we brought in these two writers

named Chris Markus and Steve McFeely.

They were the sole writers on the first Captain America film.

They went on to become the sole writers

onCaptain America: The Winter Soldier,

sole writers onCivil War,

and nowInfinity War andAvengers: Endgame.

They deserve as much credit for Captain America as anybody else.

When we were talking to them, they had two movies out.

And so the idea that, "No, this is going to build

"into a giant, ongoing interconnected universe"

was like, "Uh-huh. Yeah, sure, of course it will.

I have no doubt."

Chris and I sort of coincidentally had been sort of blue-skying about,

"You know what someone should do. A period superhero movie."

Right? When they were invented, when they were created,

what would it be like to use them in the proper time?

And then when we heard that Marvel was going to do that, we were,

"Oh, my. We need to go chase that down."

MARKUS: As for the writing,

we never worried about the larger universe.

McFEELY: The mission is

always make the best movie in front of you,

because this whole thing

is dependent on making good movies one at a time.

We had the same goal in the firstCaptain America.

We subtitled the Captain Americafilm "The First Avenger"

for a reason,

because putting a star in red, white and blue

on that scrawny kid

who yearns to be a part of the battle,

that is where it all started.

We knew that the movie wouldn't work

if you didn't buy Steve Rogers at the top.

ROGERS: I don't like bullies.

I don't care where they're from.

Well, there are already so many big men fighting this war.

Maybe what we need now is the little guy, huh?

JOE JOHNSTON: The spectacle and the action sequences only work

if you're engaged in the characters.

You know, all the visual effects

and it doesn't matter how big your budget is,

if you're not engaged in Steve Rogers/Captain America,

I think you're wasting your time, really.

McFEELY: We needed to fall in love with skinny Steve Rogers

before he ever became Captain America.

And never forget that he's in there.Yeah.

The serum amplifies everything that is inside,

so good becomes great,

bad becomes worse.

This is why you were chosen.

Because a strong man who has known power all his life

may lose respect for that power.

But a weak man

knows the value of strength.

MARKUS: Steve Rogers, more than any of the other superheroes,

really kind of loses who he was

in the process of becoming Captain America.

The old him ceases to exist.

There's no life of Steve Rogers that he goes back to.

InThe Avengers, he's the leader

because he's completely dedicated to everything,

partially because he doesn't have anything else to turn to.

JOSS WHEDON: His desire to keep it ordered and to keep some meaning,

all that stuff is still an issue for him.

He's always been this very austere kind of guy,

but had this real loyalty to institutions and to people.

We have orders. We should follow them.

Following's not really my style.

I think they slowly strip that away from him.

You know, he loses his faith in government in Winter Soldier.

He loses his faith in his friends and his family inCivil War.

You know, I think when we see him in Infinity War,

he's just turned his back on a lot of things.

CAPTAIN AMERICA: Earth just lost her best defender,

so we're here to fight.

And if you want to stand in our way,

we'll fight you, too.

EVANS: With this movie, they let him kind of return back to that

hopeful soldier, leader.

This is the fight of our lives...

and we're gonna win.

Whatever it takes.

When we first met the folks at Marvel,

we chased the Captain Americajob

and certainly had no idea

that it would lead to the next 10 years of our career.

And we've had Cap most of the way.

It's been a lot of fun having someone with that gravity.

It's a rare character.

You don't get to write that character much anymore.

McFEELY: He's an aspirational figure.

It's a combination of where we put him in the universe

and Cap rising to the challenge.

You just don't know when to give up, do you?

I can do this all day.

FEIGE: When our characters are beginning to come to life,

it all starts with artwork.

Our visual development group,

led by Ryan Meinerding for the better part of a decade,

has been that very important step

between the comics and the final product

that has brought Captain America to life.

RYAN MEINERDING: One of the great things about the comics

is that Captain America was always designed

to read really quickly.

And also, because they had limited colors in the printing,

there's a simplification that happened with a lot of them,

that they were just, you know, this guy's red, white and blue.

There's a really fast, iconic thing that happens

with the characters as the source material.

Trying to bring that into a real setting, like for a film,

whatever they simplified for the design for the comics,

we're trying to fill out in a way that makes it feel real.

If they only had line work and four colors

and they're able to make something that resonates with people

for 60, 70 years, how can we find a way of putting it into our work?

In the case with Captain America,

we're trying to find reference materials

that bring him into sort of the world of a soldier.

The first time he puts on the costume

inCaptain America: First Avenger,

it's about him being that sort of patriotic icon that's on the...

In the USO show.

So that was where we were trying

to sort of take those really classic

and iconic lines that were designed back in the '40s

and turn it into something

that was always kind of meant to be a little bit goofy,

sort of put him on stage and say, "You're a symbol for America.

"Show us how much of a symbol you are."

"Not all of us can storm a beach or drive a tank,

"but there's still a way all of us can fight."

One of the amazing things about being able to work on a character

through multiple movies is that you actually get

to tell the story of the character through the costume.

Seeing Cap's change fromCaptain America: The First Avenger

throughAvengers and intoWinter Soldier, for example,

is a pretty big visual change.

Being a person in the 1940s

and coming forward into 2012

and sort of living in that period of time

and being a fish-out-of-water

and then sort of acclimating very quickly and becoming

this very stealth-oriented, extreme tactical ops person

is a crazy change.

And it worked so well because...

Partially because the costume actually reflects what he's going through.

ANTHONY RUSSO: What made Cap unique in the Marvel Universe

and sort of in the nature of his powers, he's sort of

basically a man, only more so.

His fighting technique's a very visceral,

surprising experience of action.

JOE RUSSO: From a visual standpoint,

you take the script and you identify, like,

10 great moments in the movie

and then you take a brilliant artist, like Ryan,

and you say, "Here's what we're looking for from this moment."

And then Ryan draws up

and colors and inks a beautiful,

you know, frame from the movie.

Before we get started, does anyone want to get out?

JOE: They do incorporate lighting.

They incorporate a strong visual element, where will the camera be,

in a very, you know, sort of dynamic and specific moment.

And that does inspire the movie.

FEIGE: ForCaptain America,

almost every iconic sequence came right out of Ryan's original drawings,

where he was just by himself with his drawing pad at his computer.

MEINERDING: I've been at Marvel for about 12 years,

which is almost the entire time

that Marvel Studios has existed.

There's a sort of a craziness to the notion

that I've been able to stay with the character

over the course of nine years.

Being that sort of medium between the comics

and what is actually on the screen

has been a joy that I couldn't have imagined.

When we really distilled

the core qualities that we wanted

out of Captain America,

I think there's a moral fiber to him

that really isn't something that you act,

that it's something you need to possess.

And Chris Evans was someone

who seemed to inhabit all of those qualities the most.

So everyone was in love with the idea of Chris,

except Chris.

EVANS: The only reason there was hesitation to begin with

was because of the commitment.

It's a big movie and, you know,

those are the movies that if they succeed,

there's a change, a lifestyle change.

And if it fails, it's a whole other can of worms.

Even Chris's reluctance to be a star...

spoke to how right he was for the role

because Captain America was not looking for the limelight.

He was humble. He was modest.

He needed to feel that in his bones.

EVANS: I love the character.

He's everything that I wish I could be as a man, you know.

And the creative forces behind the film are fantastic,

between Joe and Kevin Feige.

I mean, you know, Marvel in general,

they know what they're doing, so in the end, I was so excited.

ROBERT DOWNEY JR.: Once he committed, he committed 1,000%.

You know, he stands there, tells the truth and then kicks ass.

NATE MOORE: I think there's a confidence

that he really brings to the character

and an integrity that people really respond to.

FINN: There's something so endearing, so charismatic, so charming.

He has so much heart. There was something very heroic.

MOORE: There is something that he brings to the character

beyond what we could write on the page,

beyond what we could illustrate in, you know, special effects

that is uniquely Chris.

DOWNEY JR.: It's no secret, I love Chris Evans.

And I love Captain America.

Captain America was the single hardest character to launch in this universe.

This kind of guy out of time,

and is it too retro? Are people going to get it?

SCARLETT JOHANSSON: I cannot imagine anybody but Chris

playing this role.

It's really... It's a very difficult role to play because on one hand,

you have this character that has this very strong moral compass

and you try to think, "Where's the conflict in that?"

CHADWICK BOSEMAN: He allows himself to be vulnerable,

but he allows himself to not take it so seriously.

Don't worry about it. It's just a...What's that do?

He makes you love that character,

and it makes people want to follow him.

SEBASTIAN STAN: It's been really great watching him sort of pull this off.

What he does in these movies may look effortless,

but it's effortless because, you know,

it's a testament to what he's done with the character.

EVANS: It's tough to try and present challenges

to someone who is so selfless.

The biggest worry is not only trying to make the guy entertaining,

but also keep him interesting enough

to have audiences want him coming back.

DOWNEY JR.: Every time I see Evans,

he's like more and more like Cap.

It's like we've invested him with that.

And Chris is up for that

because that's what makes it exciting and different.

There's this huge amount of love for the character.

There's 20 Captain America shirts wherever I go.

It's ceased to become just about him

and how well he inhabited the role and all that stuff.

It's become part of our culture just as a symbol.

It's that thing that gives you kind of, you know, teenage goosebumps.

JOE: I think we have a lot emotionally invested in Cap as a character.

We have a lot emotionally invested in Chris

as a friend and a collaborator.

It's a proud moment to be able to sit back

and look at with perspective,

the journey that that character's gone on.

EVANS: You're looking at yourself in this old makeup

and you're trying to tap into Steve's journey,

but you can't help but think about your own

and think about what this entire experience has meant to you.

It's just been littered with so many good memories.

They never want to work, these kids, but I'll get them there.

EVANS: It is because of this journey,

of just such an embarrassment of riches

and such good fortune and just good luck.

And again, it's just so unblemished

because there's so many wonderful people around me.

This has been such an incredible chapter in my life.