6 Quotes from Captain America About Freedom

Happy Fourth of July! This year has been crazy, but we're surviving. It's left me thinking about agency and freedom and the role we play in it. So in honor of Independence Day, here are some quotes about liberty and agency from Captain America.

“I don't want to kill anyone. I don't like bullies; I don't care where they're from.” 
This quote from the The First Avenger is one that reminds me that we have to fight for freedom. Nowadays those fights are often a war of words and opinions, but regardless of where those fights happen it's up to us to stand up for what's right.

“When I went under, the world was at war. I wake up, they say we won. They didn’t say what we lost.”
There have been no shortage of wars in the past couple centuries. In Avengers we're reminded that it comes at a cost. Our troops pay that cost every day. I am grateful for those that have given their lives in the fight to keep us free.

"The price of freedom is high, it always has been. And it's a price I'm willing to pay. And if I'm the only one, then so be it."
Again Cap tells us about the price of freedom. In Winter Soldier he's fighting Hydra and asking people to stand up to them. Even when the world is telling you something wrong is right, we need to stand up to it.

“If we sign this, we surrender our right to choose. ... We may not be perfect but the safest hands are still our own.” 
In Civil War, it's Iron Man vs. Captain America about the Sakovia Accords. Unlike in the movie, most of us are not fighting against legislation. But we need to take accountability for our actions, good or bad. If we give up that right to addiction or to someone else, we lose that freedom.

“I know you’re doing what you believe in, and that’s all any of us can do. That’s all any of us should. So no matter what, I promise you, if you need us, if you need me, I’ll be there.” 
Most people are doing the best they know how. Cap knew he was at odds with Iron Man during Civil War, but he knew Tony was doing what he thought was right. Social media is full of arguments every day, but it helps if we give people the benefit of the doubt and remember they're doing the best they know how.

“You think I'm fighting for me? To save my own life? That's why you'll never win. I'm not fighting for me. I'm fighting for them… It's the very thing that makes us human.” 
In Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, Cap is fighting against Vision, who thinks he's doing it for himself, Cap reminds us that it's not about us; it's about making the world a better place for our loved ones, especially our children and the upcoming generation.

“[The Statue of Liberty will] still be there. But what she represents, the spirit of Lady Liberty, is found in its people.”

This bonus quote is not by Cap, but actually from Peggy Carter. It still fit the bill for this post as my wife and I were watching Agent Carter recently. Ironically, this quote was said to a Russian spy working for Leviathan. But like Peggy said, America and the liberties we hold dear, you can see it in the people. I will forever be grateful for the freedoms we have here and for the blessings it brings me and my family.

Marvel Cinematic Universe: Part 10

So back when I started my Marvel Cinematic Universe posts, ABC was part-way into Season 2 of “Agent Carter”. At that point, I had no way of watching Season 1 to catch up for Season 2. Recently I learned that Hulu had both seasons available. So as I’ve been binging the whole Marvel Cinematic Universe (everything: movies, Netflix shows, network shows, etc.) I worked “Agent Carter” into it all. So now that I’ve watched both seasons, it’s time to backtrack and cover Agent Peggy Carter’s adventures.

Agent Carter: Season 1 (Ep. 1-8)

Season 1 follows Peggy and Edwin Jarvis trying to clear Howard Stark’s name. Meanwhile, Peggy needs to maintain her job at the SSR where she’s constantly undermined. So here we go.

In 1946, Peggy maintains her cover while working at the SSR. The SSR investigates Howard after his inventions get stolen. Howard asks Peggy to help clear his name. Jarvis helps Peggy recover Nitramene and she narrowly escapes the implosion of Roxxon. As Peggy confronts, Brannis dies in a conflict with a man in a green suit.

At her new apartment, Peggy meets Dottie Underwood. SSR finds Green Suitt's transmitter. Peggy and Jarvis track Howard’s inventions and tip Agents Sousa and Krzeminski off. They get ambused and Krzeminski gets killed. Peggy and Jarvis rescue Howard. Peggy retrieves the Blitzkrief Button, discovering Cap’s blood inside. After Peggy confronts Howard, an assassin comes for her.

Flashback to 1937, the Red Room trains assassins. Peggy intercepts a message and recruits the 107th regiment to help the SSR. The SSR and the Howling Commandos infiltrate the Red Room. They bring Ivchenko back with them. Peggy and Jarvis try to track down a Red Room spy. Sousa investigates Peggy. The SSR goes after Peggy and Dottie stops her from escaping.

The SSR interrogates Peggy. Jarvis brings a fake confession for Howard. Ivchenko steals Item 17 and leaves Dooley in an explosive vest. Dottie and Ivchenko deploy Item 17 at the movie theater, causing a massacre. Dooley dies in an explosion. Howard gets captured by Ivchenko/Fennhoff, who hypnotizes Howard to drop the Midnight Oil (Item 17) on New York. Peggy breaks Howard out of his trance. Dottie escapes and Fennhoff is taken into custody.

Random Trivia/Connections:

• The opening scenes of “Now is Not the End” recap Captain America’s “death” in “The First Avenger”.
• Soviet scientist Anton Vanko appears in “Now is Not the End”. His son becomes the main villain in “Iron Man 2”.
• The Red Room appears in “The Iron Celing”, which is where Black Widow says in “Age of Ultron” that she was trained.
• Armin Zola, who appeared in “The First Avenger” and “The Winter Soldier” appears in prison with Fennhoff in “Valediction”.

Thoughts:

The first season of Agent Carter was unsettling for me, but in a productive way. In a smaller way, it was like “Black Panther” and the discussion of racism. Taking place in the 40s, Peggy wasn’t exactly treated well by her male colleagues. It was unsettling (and probably understated compared to the real 1940s). It was a perfect opportunity for me to evaluate how I treat the women in my life. I also liked the mini-series format. About the time I’d start getting bored, the climax of the season happened.

Agent Carter: Season 2 (Ep. 1-10)

Peggy captures Dottie. Peggy goes to LA to help Sousa with a case. They investigate Isodyne Energy, question Calvin Chadwick, and rescue Jason Wilkes. Wilkes tells Peggy about Zero Matter. Wilkes and Peggy steal Zero Matter. In a confrontation, the Zero Matter absorbs Wilkes and infects Whitney Frost, who frames him. Sousa discovers Forst is scientist Agnes Cully. Peggy and Howard discover Wilkes stuck in the Zero Matter. Frost sends an assassin to kill Peggy after a confrontation.

Growing up, Frost/Agnes Cully’s scientific ability is shunned before becoming actress Whitney Frost. Young Peggy buries her adventurous side until her brother dies. In the present, Frost experiments with her Zero Matter power. Wilkes shows Peggy his Zero Matter powers. SSR infiltrate Roxxon. Peggy fights Frost. The SSR try to stop Wilkes from disappearing. With Dottie's help, they go after Frost, who meets with the Council of Nine. Frost kills half the Council, including Chadwick. Thompson captures Dottie.

Frost interrogates Dottie. Frost's Zero Matter makes Wilkes tangible again. After Frost shoots Ana Jarvis, Dottie escapes and Masters takes control of the SSR. Frost creates an atomic explosion, which absorbs Wilkes. Frost captures Peggy and Jarvis. Peggy and Jarvis escape. Frost absorbs the Zero Matter. Peggy's team uses Gamma Cannon to separate Frost from the Zero Matter. 

Random Trivia/Connections:

• The Zero Matter is related to the Darkforce, involved in the powers of Daniels in “The Only Light in the Darkness” and Krupin in “Parting Shots”.
• The Darkforce Dimension (where Zero Matter originates) is part of the Multiverse introduced in “Doctor Strange”.
• Sousa’s fiancée Violet was portrayed by “Sarah Bolger”, who also played Princess Aurora on “Once Upon a Time”. Aurora was similarly caught in a love triangle.
• Though the series ended with Sousa and Peggy in a relationship, it is unlikely that Peggy married Sousa. As stated in “The Winter Soldier”, Peggy’s unnamed husband was saved by Captain America in “The First Avenger”.

Thoughts:

I enjoyed Season 2 less than the first. Maybe it was because of the extra two episodes? Maybe it was less action? I’m not sure. There was also less of Peggy forcing herself to be assertive as a woman. Other than an episode with her backstory, there was less development with Peggy’s character.

Thoughts on Agent Carter? Probably would have been good to have the series wrapped up a little nicer, but at least each season was a self-contained story. As a result, other than Peggy’s husband, I don’t see any loose ends to be concerned about. Overall, good mini-series.

Marvel Cinematic Universe: Part 1

I've been a bit MIA because of school and work and just general craziness, but I'm back and I'm here to talk a little about the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I'm not claiming to be any sort of Marvel expert (I leave that to my older brother) but I do have some thoughts, so I'm gonna share those in a series of posts as I watch the movies/shows through again chronologically... So spoiler alert, since I'm giving short summaries of each movie.

Captain America: The First Avenger

Not counting flashbacks and such, this is where the series starts chronologically (it could be argued that the whole movie is just one long flashback, but I'm gonna put it here anyway). World War II and some scrawny kid named Steve Rogers wants to kill some Nazis. However, he's kinda not qualified, because of his long list of medical problems. Meanwhile, a German scientist, Schmidt, is trying to use a weird blue cube (called the Tesseract) that has some origin in Norse mythology to create weapons for the war. Back to America, Steve gets picked as a subject for the Super Soldier Serum experiment. Bibbity bobbity boo. Suddenly, Steve is strong, tall, muscular and basically had the body I wish I had. He even has suddenly gained the interest of the beautiful Agent Peggy Carter with his new pecs.

Fast forward through some embarrassing stage performances, Steve has been named Captain America (for publicity sake) and with the help of Agent Carter, Howard Stark, Bucky, and a select group of soldiers help take down Hydra bases, fighting the evil Red Skull along the way. After a SWEET fight scene, Red Skull accidentally kills himself (or so it appears) by touching the Tesseract. In a last ditch effort to save everyone from the explosives in the plane, Cap crashes the plane in the Arctic Ocean while having a super sad goodbye with Agent Carter. Fast forward 70ish years, and Cap has been found in the Arctic and he's been revived by SHIELD. Yikes. What now? Well, the Avengers.

Random Trivia/Connections:

·         Howard Stark is obviously Tony Stark’s father, having previously been featured (though by different actor) in Iron Man 2.

·         Jenna Coleman, better known for playing Clara Oswald in Doctor Who, briefly appears in this movie as Bucky’s date at the expo. Gotta say that Bucky has good taste in women. Personally, I have a little head canon connecting Doctor Who and Captain America here, but to avoid minor Doctor Who spoilers, I won’t post it here (message me and I’ll be happy to share it though).

·         Captain America had been hinted at for a bit. A prototype of his shield had been seen in Iron Man (when Tony is taking off his suit) and in Iron Man 2 (when Agent Coulson was talking to Tony).

·         Tony held the Stark Expo in Iron Man 2, obviously based off what his father did here.

·         Howard Stark shows a flying car here that closely resembles Lola, Phil Coulson’s flying car from Agents of SHIELD.

Thoughts:

            I’ve heard some criticisms of this movie, especially in comparison to The Winter Soldier (odd that a sequel is better liked than the original), but I’ve gotta give some credit to this movie. As far as I’m concerned, it did a great job of setting up Cap’s character and bringing him into our time period. His heartfelt goodbye to Peggy is beautiful and it fits his character well, that he puts humanity ahead of his own “happily ever after” with Peggy. (Spoiler alert) I am very glad that he got to reunite with her in Winter Soldier.

Agent Carter

Last year ABC started a series about Agent Peggy Carter, originally introduced in Captain America: The First Avenger. I don’t have a lot to say on this, but that’s mostly because I haven’t had a chance to watch it. If anyone knows a place online that I can watch it (preferably legally and preferably for free) please let me know.

Iron Man

Billionaire playboy. Not one of my favorite superheroes, but he’s had some character development over the years and I can’t exactly be too upset that he’s the one who got this whole Marvel Cinematic Universe started. This was the first movie in production order for the Cinematic Universe, telling the origin story of Tony Stark, who became Iron Man.

Tony Stark inherited the empire of his father, Howard Stark. While demonstrating some of their weapons in the Middle East, he’s captured. Made out of necessity, Tony Stark made the original Iron Man suit to escape capture of terrorists. Clunky and likely awkward, it’s a far cry from the Iron Man suit we see in later movies, but he didn’t exactly have a lot to work with. After returning home from the Middle East, Tony is preoccupied with perfecting his Arc Reactor to provide clean energy and making a new Iron Man suit.

Throughout all of this, Tony’s assistant, Pepper Potts, stumbles upon some evidence on the computer of Tony’s right-hand man, Obadiah Stane, showing her that he has been selling weapons to terrorists and he set Tony up to get captured. With his own suit, Obadiah and Tony end up fighting, but with Pepper’s help, Tony is able to stop him. In the aftermath, despite Agent Coulson’s recommendation, Tony outs himself in front of a room of reporters as this “Iron Man”.

Random Trivia/Connections:

·         As mentioned before, Captain America was foreshadowed here, when we get a glimpse of Cap’s shield (or at least a prototype of it) when Tony took off his suit. It would be a few more years until we got Captain America: The First Avenger.

·         Also, as mentioned above, Howard Stark, Tony’s father, is seen in Captain America: The First Avenger, working with the US army.

·         The actor for Rhodey changed between Iron Man and Iron Man 2. Maybe someone more versed with Iron Man can tell me why, but I thought it was worth noting. Ever since Iron Man 2, we’ve had the same Rhodey.

Thoughts:

            I’m not the biggest fan of Iron Man, but watching this the other month made him grow on me. I definitely disapprove of his morals, but I find his character development interesting. He changes his values in a way, but keeps the same snarky, obnoxious personality… but with a more humanitarian outlook. I enjoyed his relationship with Pepper, which was one of my favorite things about Iron Man 2 (but more on that later).

Alright, that’s all for the Marvel Cinematic Universe for now. Next time I write about the MCU, it’ll be Iron Man 2, The Incredible Hulk, andThor (which all chronologically take place within a week of each other).