Before Chris Evans steamed up the movie screen as the Marvel superhero, Matt Salinger brought Captain America to audiences July 27, 1990. Directed by Albert Pyun, it had a stacked cast: Ronny Cox, Ned Beatty, Darren McGavin, Michael Nouri, Melinda Dillon, and Bill Mumy.
It was not well-received and did poorly at the box office.
The first issue of Captain America was published on December 20, 1940, although the cover had a date of March 1941. The issue focuses on the creating of Captain America by injecting a super-serum into the scrawny form of Steve Rogers, who, as a result, becomes the super-hero Captain America. The issue ends with the scientist who created the super-serum is killed by a Nazi sympathizer. The assassin is electrocuted in his attempts to escape an attack from Captain America.
The cover art shows Captain America hitting Adolph Hitler. After publication, members of an American Nazi organization sent threatening letters and phone calls to Timely, the publishers of Captain America. New York City police were assigned to ensure the employees of Timely.
Chadwick Boseman, born November 29, 1976 in Anderson, South Carolina, first made waves in his performance as Jackie Robinson in 42, but garnered millions of more fans when he appeared as T'Challa, or Black Panther, in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
He first appeared as T'Challa in Captain America: Civil War and went on to play the character in his own movie Black Panther. He performed as T'Challa in Avengers: Endgame, Avengers: Infinity War, and the TV series What If...?
He many awards for his performance as T'Challa and for his performance in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom.
Unfortunately, Boseman passed away in August 2020 after a long battle with colon cancer.
Captain America, the first Marvel superhero to appear outside of a comic book, premiered February 5, 1944. Dick Purcell played Captain America/Grant Gardner instead of Steve Rogers. The studio Republic rejected the backstory of Rogers being too puny and weak to join the army, so he took a serum that turned him into a super soldier. Grant Gardner is a lawyer who fights crime by night.
Captain America was a serial, Republic's last, and had fifteen episodes. Dick Purcell, an amateur boxer and a black belt in Judo, died of heart failure in 1944, shortly after filming concluded.
Captain America: The First Avenger was released into theaters July 22, 2011. The comic book hero was played by totally sexy Chris Evans, with Tommy Lee Jones, Hugo Weaving, Stanley Tucci and Samuel L. Jackson.
The movie showed the beginning of Captain America as Steve Rogers is desperate to fight for his country in WWII, but is too small. He is injected with a serum that turns him into a super-soldier. The scientist who concocted the serum (played by Stanley Tucci) is killed just after the experiment is shown to be a success.
Captain America goes on to fight Nazis in WWII.
It opened to mostly positive reviews and made $65.1 M, the second highest-grossing opening weekend for a superhero film in 2011, behind Thor.
Marvel Comics introduced the first African-American superheroes to appear in mainstream comics during the Bronze Age of comics.
The Falcon (Sam Wilson) first appeared in Captain America #117 in September 1969. He has mechanical wings to help him fly and possesses limited telepathic and empathic control over birds. He was born in Harlem in New York City to Paul and Darlene Wilson. He discovers he has a natural affinity for birds and creates the largest pigeon coop in Harlem. His father is killed when Sam is 9 trying to break up a neighborhood fight. His mother is killed two years later when she is mugged. He moves to LA and becomes a career criminal and gang member. On his way to Brazil, his plane crashes on Exile Island, which has been taken over by neo-Nazis bent on taking over the world.
The Red Skull uses the Cosmic Cube to fuse Wilson with a falcon Redwing in a super-human mental link, but he is befriended by Captain America. They train together until they are ready to overthrow the Exiles. He becomes The Falcon and fights along side with Captain America. The Black Panther gives him the harness with wings that allows him to fly.
Storm (Ororo Munroe) first appeared in Giant Sized X-Men #1 in May 1975. She has the ability to control the weather which makes her one of the most powerful superheroes. She was born in Harlem to an American photojournalist and a tribal princess from Kenya. Her parents are killed in a bomb attack in Cairo during the Arab-Israeli conflict. She grows up as a thief and pickpocket on the streets of Cairo.
When her mutant powers manifested themselves, she was worshiped in Kenya as a weather goddess. Professor X (Charles Xavier) convinces her to join the X-Men. She was briefly married to T'Challa, the Black Panther.
