4. The Captain’s journey has actually evolved across the series
If The First Avenger was a stylish, retro blast that befitted the Captain’s more broadly heroic origin story, then The Winter Soldier made the bold step of taking him in dramatic new directions whilst also staying true to his patriotic essence.
Now in the 21st century, Rogers must confront an era where everything is coded in shades of grey, and where even the forces designed to protect the world have been infiltrated by evildoers. It’s an intriguing and intelligent development of the character by the Russo brothers, forcing the Captain to question his essential role in the Avengers line-up.
And it gets even more complex in Civil War as Cappy butts heads with Tony Stark/Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) over the autonomy and accountability of the Avengers in general. With Steve advocating a no-limits policy to world-defending, it doesn’t take long for him to clash with Stark’s more pragmatic assessment of the dangers that the Avengers pose.
As a character the Captain has been written off more than once, but he’s never remained in a dramatic stasis, instead constantly evolving over time. Ultimately, his emotional arc is more intriguing and surprising than any of his more celebrated cohorts.
