Robert Redford Might Have Spoiled Captain America: The Winter Soldier

*THERE ARE POTENTIAL SPOILERS HERE! DON’T SAY WE DIDN’T WARN YOU!*

Oooo. Robert Redford might just have really ticked off Marvel. We don’t know yet, of course, but in a recent interview, Redford discussed his role in Captain America: The Winter Soldier and may have said more than he perhaps should have.

The little tid-bit that could very well send geeks and studio execs into a tizzy? In talking about how doing a major superhero blockbuster can help him to stretch his acting muscles and keep him from falling into a rut of repetition (and, I suspect, add a hefty paycheck to his bank account), Redford then said this concerning his role in Captain America: The Winter Soldier:

“I like the idea of playing a villain…I did that just because it’s a different thing for me to do.”

Well, dang, Mr. Redford. Thanks for the info.

While this does not necessarily mean that Redford is the villain in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, it does indicate that he’s a villain, at least of sorts. We do know that the character he’s signed on to play is named Alexander Pierce – which could be a variation on Aleksander Lukin, the central villain of Ed Brubaker’s The Winter Soldier graphic novel. But we know nothing for certain as yet.

Deep breath, now. None of this is set in stone, and naturally Marvel will keep very quiet on the issue. Nor do I really think that any of what Redford says or does not say will make the slightest bit of difference to the box office take, or even the enjoyment of the film. After all, we’re going to see Captain America kick some butt. If that butt happens to belong to Robert Redford, you will not hear me complaining.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier comes to theatres on April 4, 2014.

We can expect even more speculation, leaks, and misinformation to hit long before then. But we all know that you’re going to see the movie. Because otherwise you must hate freedom. You don’t hate freedom, do you?