All language subtitles for A Man Out of Time - Creating Captain America (1)

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.