Who would you pick for Captain America?

The craze for comic book to movie conversions continues unabated. One of the bigger concepts is for one of the most symbolic characters in comic books. Captain America.

Much like Uncle Sam, Captian America is a symbol of the American way of life. He is even more of the living embodiment of our laws and national view than even Superman was meant to represent. He is the Red White and Blue in action, with the highest levels of vitrue and honor intact.

Because such a character is so tied to what America is and can be, a movie version of this hero demands high attention. It's not just another comic-movie, its a statement. So the writing and the acting must be spot on. Even if the movie fails, it can't be because the lead sounds like a buffoon, and looks like an inbred redneck (as an example).

Thus the casting call is out right now for The Captain America. The key prerequisites? Well he has to be White, because Hollywood couldn't imagine anyone with more color than a tan being a symbol of America (plus the comic book character has always been White). He has to be American. He should be in his mid-20's to early 30 (depending on the exact timeline he could be as young as 18 - 20 but 25ish seems more of a likely middle ground). And while the comic book champion has never been considered astoundingly good looking, an actor with better than average looks will likely be picked. (for those that want to say Tom Cruise - he is too old, too short, and honestly not a good enough actor in my opinion)

So far the choices have been John Krasinski, Michael Cassidy, Patrick Flueger, Scott Porter, Wilson Bethel, Chace Crawford, Jensen Ackles, and Garret Hedlund. Not one of which I can recall by name nor am I aware of anything they have been in. But that can bode well since all of these actors are not weighed down with prior expectations of ability, nor are they typecast to any degree. Being relative unknowns allows them to capture part of the everyman aspect of Captain America that is critical for the character (as much as a White, blonde, mid-western, christian man can embody everyone in America anyway).

But here is the question I pose to you. If you could have any actor, living or dead, play the role of Captain America, who whould you pick? Why?

DC Comics to movie conversions - reality or waste of time?

If you are a fan of comic books, or the flood of movies based on comic book characters, you probably have wondered

"Are there any characters besides the Marvel line-up?"

Comic book fans all know that this is an overstatement of the facts. There are a host of characters in movies these days. And in the past as well. There is Superman and Batman, but also Hellboy, Constantine, Watchmen (excellent graphic novel series and movie), V for Vendetta (another must see/read), Sin City, along with a host of others.

But basically the big hitters that everyone can recall recently are the Marvel line-up (with the exception of the new Batman Dark Knight series and the Superman retread). DC Comics seems to just be lost in the live action trend. Which brings up an old debate:

Who is better, Marvel or DC?

I think the trend in conversions to movies answers the question in definitive terms. Marvel is king. There are plenty of independents that beat out DC. Take away the Dark Knight, and there is little for DC to hang their hat on. Remove Superman as well and everything else for them falls flat. Because that's the best they have.

To me, the characters of DC are far too over-the-top in general. To cartoonish and simplistic. To one dimensional to be realized in the movie format. That's why DC does so well with taking their line-up and transferring it to cartoons (like the Superfriends or Teen titans). They lend themselves to extremism and lack the depth needed to capture the big screen.

That's not to say the DC writers and artists are bad at what they do. To the contrary, I think they do a great job, given the limitations that they work with. But it does mean that the expectations for all the future DC movies are severely lower, and likely to underwhelm even that.

Put it like this. DC is so weak that the top characters are not getting movies anytime soon. Wonder Woman, one of the old favorites and the most obvious title to hit the big screen (since it was a television show at one time), is still sitting on the sidelines with neither a script nor direction on how to move forward. The same can be said of most of the big DC names. Green Lantern is one of the few to likely be showing up soon, though Aquaman will likely be first.

Yes, Aquaman. A character that is one of the more boring characters to me, especially if he is on land for any period of time. And he will likely be competing with Captain America or Iron Man 3 (possibly Spiderman 4 and/or the Avengers), maybe even Deadpool if the script can be worked out for Ryan Reynolds.

DC is so off the radar that Jonah Hex will be next out of the gate. A character so unknown that it's fanbase ended decades ago. My expectations of the movie can be summarized by the movie's description: a spiritual/supernatural Western. Oh yeah, that just drives people to the theater in droves.

Perhaps the best of the upcoming movies from DC may be the film RED - starring at this point Morgan Freeman and Bruce Willis. It's still being developed but it puts both actors in roles (presumably) they are comfortable with. Freeman is likely a retired CIA man and Willis is the assassin out to kill him. Even if the roles are reversed (which is unlikely for Freeman) it still works. But that has more to do with the actors than the storyline, fan base, or the source material it is based on.

Seriously, the proposed Voltron movie (an 80's cartoon that was very likely the entire source and motivation of the Power Rangers) sounds better than almost everything DC has planned so far. Almost combined. Definitely at least as big a fan base, and arguably bigger.

So to answer my earlier 2 questions, there are a lot of characters showing up in movies that are not Marvel based. Many are quite compelling and interesting. Some are even must sees. Especially compared to missteps by Marvel - ie the first Hulk movie and Ghost Rider as examples. It's just that almost all the good ones you will likely ever see or want to own on DVD will be independents or based on another medium (anime, books, video games, ect.)

As for the second question, does DC suck? Oh yeah. They have a few good ideas and titles, but basically they are the 'red-headed step-child' to Marvel. And everybody else. Which is a shame since the potential should be there.

But maybe I'm wrong. Maybe a supernatural Western will do the trick. Maybe everyone wants to watch a guy swimming for 2 hours. It could happen. I just wouldn't go to Vegas and bet on it.

Captain America returns!

When I was growing up, there were a few things that you could always count on. Death, taxes, the fact that every President was a descendant of a European, the only time you would hear about Black history was in February – and that was mostly just Dr. Martin Luther King, Superman was the ultimate boy scout and Capitan America loved and defended our nation. But as I have grown some of these things have changed. Some for the better, some worse, and a few we are still wondering about.

Death though never changes, and it even hits fictional characters. First to Superman, and more recently to Captain America. In both cases there was an outrage among comic book fans. In fact some people were upset that had never read a single comic issue of either character.

Superman was of course brought back. The whole death was a big gimmick to stir up cash at DC Comics, and thoroughly confused fans with not one version of the boy scout but a half-dozen or so. This has eventually been straightened out. But it must have inspired someone at Marvel.

In a move that I can only call idiocy, Captain America was killed. Not fighting for America, or defending our nation overseas. But by the cowardly bullet of a hidden lunatic. It was a chilling moment.

The fictional living embodiment of all the virtute and Freedoms that is America was struck down. In a post-9/11 world where sacrifices of Rights and lives are all too common, this one symbol of how the nation endures and overcomes every challenge was gone. It was a bleak message reflecting, as comic books often do, the strife and turmoil within our society. In my view too bleak.



But 2 years after the fact, Marvel Comics has re-thought its actions. Either that, or they are preparing for another movie converting Captain America from ink to flesh and bone. (In fact movies starring and featuring Capitan America are planned in the next 3 years) Thus the word is out that Captain America will be back. Yes, on July 1st of 2009, the living American ideal will enrich the pages of comic books again, and thus the minds and hearts of us all – if just subliminally.

If this turns out to just be a marketing gimmick, Marvel will lose. Just as DC crushed its fanbase and had to resort to revisioning Batman (who is no longer around either) and Superman in film, Marvel will lose its fanbase. In fact I think that the films will not recover some of the older fans, or those they influence.

Because you cannot sell freedom, nor equate the Rights of the American people to dollars and cents. For all the negatives of international thought, and the dislike of capitalism, the differences of religion or the seemingly eternal issues with race relations, America is unified in our belief that we are a great nation. Great because of the ideals we live and, many, die by.

If this whole fiasco has been designed with a thought of evaluating what is America today, of what are the true strengths of the nation, then this was a great plan. If the re-born Capitan America is redoubled in his belief in our nation and what it stands for, and thus imparts that message to our youth, then it was time well spent. If this iconic symbol of America, that men and women of all ages and backgrounds know of, is the rebirth of true heroes and the best of America – Marvel will have earned every dollar that this can bring them.

But if this is just about money, if it lowers the ideals of the nation, if it cheapens what it means to be American, I will be more angry and insulted than when they killed Captain America. Some things are worth more than money. Some things have a far greater impact than just the form and style they are thought to convey. To me, it would be the equivalent of burning the flag in Congress.

If this sounds too harsh, too serious a discussion because it’s just a comic book character remember one thing. His name is Captain America, not joe blow superhero. In ways that affect us like our other national symbols, he is more than just a comic book character. He is grander, like our nation. To sully that is to sully us all.

Good news for Ryan Reynolds, Scarlett Johansson, and Marvel

Well a bit of good news is always a nice way to start the week. And to that end is the news that Ryan Reynolds and Scarlett Johansson got married. The couple was engaged recently, and thankfully their wedding was not the usual circus of paparazzi and media and rumors that tend to occur these days.

I wish the 2 of them the best. I hope that they can have a marriage like that of Paul Newman and his wife Joan Woodard.

In more potentially good news Marvel Comics is moving forward with their movie empire. With the success of the Incredible Hulk, and Iron Man (to say nothing of the success found in Spiderman’s and the X-Men’s 3 films) Marvel closed a deal top have Paramount distribute 5 of its next films. Those films will include the sequel to Iron Man, a film on Captain America, The Avengers and Thor.

Now I am happy to see that Iron Man will not only get a sequel, which we knew would be coming, but that Marvel is looking to get one of it’s biggest titles out – Captain America - even though they recently murdered him. It is interesting that in a time of war, and national conflicted emotions over these wars, Marvel has decided to highlight a character that was created by war and symbolizes the absolute belief that America is the greatest good in a bad world. Captain America is hardly a liberal, and considering how liberal Hollywood is their choice stands out.

Thor though is a movie I expect will do poorly. He just isn’t an interesting character by himself. Norse god, ancient misogynistic beliefs, and macho pig might all be terms that would easily describe him. And those are all elements that would prevent his acceptance by a wide portion of the movie audience. But given the right script and actor anything is possible. Though I think this will rank right up with the first Hulk movie.

Also a potential letdown is the choice of The Avengers. This team of super heroes could be like the first X-Men movie, and be good. But more likely is the failure of the movie and its ultimate similarity to the Fantastic Four movies. There are too many characters, with too many abilities to describe to an audience that has no clue about any of that. There is no theme that drives the plot for movie-goers without necessitating a big back-story. It’s just too much all at once. And most of the members of the Avengers just aren’t interesting enough.

The big secret may be that the 5th choice of Marvel will likely be the SHIELD movie. There have been 2 prior versions of Nick Fury so far, both have been abysmal. But they say the 3rd time is the charm. This could be the film that breaks Marvel’s back, or guarantees that future scriptwriters will give up on new ideas altogether.

Actually what am I saying? There really haven’t been any new ideas in Hollywood for almost a decade. Virtually every movie made in that time has been a retread of a book, comic book, television show or prior movie. Looking forward we have more Batman, Watchmen, Sin City, video games, television shows and such on the horizon. It’s really a shame that Hollywood has lost the last few brain cells they had.

Still I am looking forward to the Watchmen, Iron Man 2, Captain America, and HALO.

The death of Captain America - 3.7.2007.1

I was going to speak on a couple of different topics today, but then I caught 2 different items that changed all that. The first I will address has to do with Marvel comic books, but is part of the common lexicon. As of today, Captian America is dead. Yes, he was assassinated.

Some may say so what, a lot of others will be shocked. The repercussions of this are deeper than either reaction I think. For those who have no idea what I am talking about, Captain America is a character in comic books that originates back in 1941. The character was a representation of what America needed to do about WWII and other national issues after that time. He is the representation of all the ideas and virtues of the nation, without the boy scout attitude of Superman [no offense intended to Boy Scouts – like my best friend – and if you have seen Kill Bill 2 you will see why I agree with the interpretation of Superman]. His reach has crossed not only this nation but 75 countries with over 210 million copies sold.

But Captain America is more that a drawing on a book. He is incorporated into the American psyche. Various real performers have adopted the name or have been referred to it because of their outstanding actions, from wrestling to football over decades. The character and its symbolism have been quoted in movies, books, and everyday life. In both a compliment or an insult, to be called ‘Captain America’ is to exude facets of American values and life.

The character has apparently died before, notably in the 1950’s for about a decade. But their has always been a return and in between other versions have taken his place. This is because, I feel, an image of the best in this nation is always required. Comic books are simply a soap opera in an alternate visual format. They touch upon the issues of the day and at the best moments provide social commentary. They can reach readers of all ages, with commentary that might not otherwise be discussed or accepted, promoting discussion and though. In the best moments.

Yet, at a time when America is becoming viciously divided over core issues, one of the enduring symbols of the nation has been written-off. I don’t understand. This was a great time to address the non-partisan commonalities of the nation. This symbol could help lead the way, or provide discussion point, for the youth that may be confused by the War in Iraq and vs. terrorism. Instead the character was abandoned.

Series writer Ed Brubaker said, "What I found is that all the really hard-core left-wing fans want Cap to be standing out on and giving speeches on the streetcorner against the Bush administration, and all the really right-wing [fans] all want him to be over in the streets of Baghdad, punching out Saddam.” That I feel is the perfect opportunity to allow the character to stand up and mention that neither view is absolutely right. That America is more than just one of those views and that both have degrees of merit. This was an opportunity for Marvel to shine, and America to reach millions around the world and evoke the fact that propaganda aside we are the greatest nation on earth because of the divergent views we hold and the overriding values we all believe in. But instead Mr. Brubaker and Marvel have shied away from what the character would have done, missing a moment to shine in the chaos that surrounds us.