Captain America appears in a whopping nine MCU films. And in each one of them, Chris Evans reminds us all why Steve Rogers represents everything we wish we were, and aspire to be, as a country. With Steve quite possibly making his last stand in Avengers: Endgame, we countdown the five greatest Cap moments from the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
“You Don’t Win Wars With Niceness” – Captain America: The First Avenger
It’s the moment in the The First Avenger movie that tells the audience everything we need to know about Steve Rogers. When skinny little Steve jumps on Tommy Lee Jones’ dummy grenade, we learn right then and there he would sacrifice his life to save others without a second thought. All these soldiers had, in one way or another, picked on him since joining the army, by the way. Steve didn’t care. It’s the moment that the General knows, despite the fact that even he mocked Steve Rogers, Dr. Erskine made the right call in choosing him for the Super Soldier program.
“Why The Hell Should I Take Orders From You??” – The Avengers
During the Chitauri invasion of New York in The Avengers, Cap tells a pair of New York City police officers exactly what they need to do to minimize casualties and help repel Loki’s forces. One of the cops, in a stereotypical New York accent, says “why the hell should I take orders from you?” Cap is a dude in a brightly colored costume, so we’ll cut random cop dude a little slack. But then several Chitauri aliens attack Cap, and in a matter of seconds he hands them all their butts. From that point on, who wouldn’t take orders from Captain America?
“Before We Get Started…Does Anyone Want To Get Out?” –Captain America: The Winter Soldier
There are a ton of badass moments in The Winter Soldier, but the elevator scene in SHIELD headquarters might lead the pack. Yes, it’s a short action sequence, maybe three minutes long. But it showcases exactly why Steve Rogers is the Super Soldier. Just using his gut instincts and his natural abilities, he lets the Hydrated SHIELD agents know that he knows what they’re about to do. And then, because he’s polite, he asks his would-be attackers if any of them would like to get out before it gets ugly. No one does, and he opens the biggest can of whoop-ass on TEN trained agents in a tiny cramped elevator and mops the floor with them.
“When I See A Situation Headed South, I Wish I Could Ignore It” – Captain America: Civil War
Captain America: Civil War has arguably the greatest superhero fight scene ever put on film. But its greatest Cap moment doesn’t come from that scene, or any of his action scenes in fact. It’s the argument that Steve has with Tony Stark when he tries to get him to sign the Sokovia Accords. Despite Tony’s best efforts, Cap never wavers on his principals. “Sometimes when I see a situation headed south, I wish I could ignore it.” But even Tony known that’s not true; Steve Rogers would never ignore a situation he sees as unjust. Either as a soldier, or as a human being.
“I Could Do This All Day.” – Captain America: The First Avenger/Civil War
It’s a moment that happens not once, not twice, but three times in Cap’s life. When a loud mouth bully beats Steve Rogers in an alley back in 1942, he takes his licks but gets right back up. Even though he knows his opponent is bigger and stronger than he is. “I could do this all day,” he says, showing that, even when the odds are against him, Steve Rogers’ will is indomitable. He says it again while in the Red Skull’s lair at the end of the movie. Decades later, when fighting his friend Tony Stark, Steve utters the same phrase, as his armored former friend pounds the snot out of him. Whether it’s using a trash can lid or a vibranium shield, Steve Rogers uttering that phrase will never not make me want to stand up and salute.
Images: Marvel Studios
