How The Captain America Trilogy Became The Best Part Of The MCU

Not even the most venerated Marvel Cinematic Universe creators have been able to achieve the same thing. While many MCU personnel have input into the development of Marvel movies beyond those finally listed as the authors of the work, the buck does inevitably stop with the credited writers and directors.

Jon Favreau directed Iron Man, and kickstarted the MCU, but his Iron Man 2 – with a different writing team – divided audiences. Joss Whedon hit a resounding home-run, directing and co-writing the brilliant Avengers in 2012, but he spectacularly struck out with his Avengers: Age Of Ultron.

In the next phase of the MCU, we will see more creators attempting to meet the challenge. James Gunn will deliver Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol 2, while Peyton Reed will make his own sequel, with Ant-Man And The Wasp. McFeely and Markus have set the bar high, however, and it remains to be seen whether those burgeoning series can achieve the specificity and quality of what has become the MCU crown jewel.

Iron Man may have launched the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but it is Captain America that has provided the backbone of the franchise since 2011 and, essentially, the framework of the entire enterprise. This is not because every Marvel movie ties directly into the Captain America trilogy – that’s not possible at this point. It’s because the series spans half a century and, specifically, the entire history of S.H.I.E.L.D. Also, while it was Iron Man that introduced the characters of Black Widow and War Machine, it was Captain America that gave Black Widow the room to flourish. Captain America has also, effortlessly and organically, introduced a far greater number of other characters to the MCU – including Sharon Carter, Black Panther, Falcon and Spider-Man.

Make no mistake, it is Captain America that stands as the flagship Marvel franchise within the MCU – and the Christopher Markus-Stephen McFeely writing partnership remains Marvel’s most effective weapon. They even tried to salvage Thor 2: The Dark World. So, now that the third instalment of the franchise is locked in place, let’s excise the series from its wider cinematic universe, and examine what is one of the most well-crafted trilogies to hit cinemas in recent years.