Heroes and the Creation of Myth: Captain America: The First Avenger
Superheroes occupy a nearly-unique position in the history of human character creation. They are creatures of myth, but at the same time people with the concerns of human beings, even when they are themselves alien. This puts them in a position to not only be the subjects of myth, but to interact with and in some cases control the creation of the mythology which surrounds them.
In this series I set out to analyze the different ways heroes participate in the creation of their own mythology. I've decided to begin with the largest single continuity ever attempted in film, the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In the time leading up to the release of The Avengers: Infinity War I'm going to watch or rewatch the eighteen existing MCU films in order to look at them specifically from this perspective. Today I'm looking at the fifth film in the continuity, Captain America: The First Avenger (2011).
One of the things that attracted me to the MCU as the focus of this series was the variation in the way its core heroes relate to their mythology. Tony Stark sees the myth of Iron Man as an opportunity for personal aggrandizement. Bruce Banner sees the myth of the Hulk as something to be feared and avoided at all costs. Thor sees his own myth as such a fundamental piece of the universe that he takes it completely for granted. And completing the first set of Avengers, Steve Rogers sees the myth of Captain America as nothing more or less than his patriotic duty.
In fact, Captain America starts his life as pure patriotic myth. Although Steve has already performed one heroic act, the government sees him as more useful dressed in a ridiculous costume promoting war bonds with showtunes and chorus girls. Steve reluctantly agrees to participate because he's anxious to do anything he can to help the war effort, and as he travels across the country punching fake Hitlers, he gradually gains some skill at it. By the time he leaves for an overseas tour, Captain America is a character honed to inspire naive audiences to invest in the US effort in World War II.
But Steve hasn't learned to adjust, and the troops are not a naive audience. These troops especially are not only combat-hardened but have recently taken substantial casualties, and the character of Captain America holds no resonance for them. They heckle, and Steve doesn't know how to handle it. With no stage experience, he can't recast Captain America as someone who will be meaningful to this audience on the fly, nor does he react afterward by seeking more depth in his stage character. Instead he breaks outside the stage walls and seeks more depth for Captain America in the world.
Prompted by the captivity of his childhood friend Bucky Barnes, and his knowledge of what he accomplished with his new abilities in New York, Steve sets out on a personal and unauthorized rescue mission. He's still wearing his ridiculous costume, though he replaces his felt cowl with a stolen helmet.
When he returns at the head of a column of rescued prisoners, bearing captured advanced weaponry, Captain America is suddenly much more than a tool for selling bonds. This is what Steve has wanted from the beginning, to be a Real American Hero, overseas, fighting Nazis. (Or at least Hydra.) Younger, smaller Steve Rogers' imagination probably didn't include the blue suit, and while he's everything he ever wanted in action, he's still not ready for the expanded myth of Captain America.
Back in New York, he dodges his own medal ceremony, and when he meets a woman who is infatuated with the idea of the mythic war hero, he's completely unprepared. Sentiment drives his decision to recruit for his next mission from the men he just rescued, but he also lacks an understanding of the power of the hero to draw people to his cause.
Rogers never gets the chance to grow into his heroism and his myth. By the end of the movie he has crashed in the Arctic, where he will lie frozen for seventy years. When he returns, he will no longer be Captain America, Nazi-fighting super-soldier. He'll be Captain America, the legendary hero returned. And he will have to start understanding what he means to the world again from the beginning. Every time Steve Rogers begins to get his balance managing his myth, it changes beneath him.
Previous entries in this series:
Part 1: Iron Man (2008)
Part 2: The Incredible Hulk (2008)
Part 3: Iron Man 2 (2010)
Part 4: Thor (2011)