Universal was having great success on TV with “The Incredible Hulk” as a TV series. With that mentality, it likely made a lot of sense at the time to try some other superheroes out as well to see if any would click like Hulk did. Thor made a few guest appearances in the Hulk TV movies. Spider-Man was making the rounds. So why not try Captain America? In 1979, they released not one but two Captain America movies. In this hiatus episode for our members, we look at the first TV movie, simply titled Captain America. And Pete and Andy are joined by Matthew Fox, back in the fold to talk about this movie. How does Captain America hold up through today’s eyes? Let’s just say that it pretty much doesn’t. Everything about it feels wrong for this character. Steve Rogers, a former Marine, just wants to bum around in his van (clearly a shag wagon) and make his sketches. It takes him far too long to be interested in donning the titular mantle. The villain is as moustache-twirling as he could be sans moustache. His whole motivation? To get a bunch of gold. And he reads a book on the way to it! It’s silly. We get two women in the film and they really don’t have much to do, let alone talk with each other. In fact, there’s a dated scene in the movie that feels like it’s from the 1950s – possibly the 1850s – in its treatment of a grieving woman. It’s bonkers. We talk about Cap’s superpowers. Surprisingly, a lot of them were introduced in the comics. We also talk about his motorcycle and his shield. Oh, and plenty to say about the van. It’s a ridiculous movie. It does elicit a lot of laughs though. Unintentional, but hey – it made it more fun. So check it out if you dare and enjoy the episode. And if you’re not yet a member but would like to hear this episode, learn about becoming one at our website.
