50 Fun Facts About Captain America: the First Avenger

Who directed Captain America: The First Avenger?

Feige cited Johnston's work on October Sky, The Rocketeer and his effects work on the original Star Wars trilogy.

Who plays Steve Rogers?

Evans said he declined the part three times before signing a six-picture deal.

Which number MCU film is The First Avenger?

It followed Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2 and Thor in Phase One.

Which studio distributed the film?

Marvel had planned to finance and release the film through Paramount after a 2005 Merrill Lynch loan.

Who plays Johann Schmidt, the Red Skull?

Weaving patterned the accent on Werner Herzog and Klaus Maria Brandauer.

What relic does Schmidt steal at the start of the film?

Markus and McFeely chose the Cosmic Cube as MacGuffin because it had already been set up in Thor.

Schmidt steals the relic from a town in which occupied country?

The town is Tønsberg, and David Bradley plays the church keeper guarding it.

Who plays Dr. Abraham Erskine?

Tucci said the chance to do a German accent drew him to the role.

What does Rogers do that convinces Colonel Phillips he is the right candidate?

The grenade is a test; Tommy Lee Jones called Phillips "the gruff, skeptical officer" seen in a thousand movies.

Who plays Howard Stark?

Cooper described him as "a very slick Howard Hughes type that's into aviation and women".

How does the assassin Heinz Kruger avoid interrogation?

Richard Armitage plays Kruger, and the last vial of serum is destroyed in the chase.

What does Senator Brandt have Rogers do after the serum is lost?

Jeff Goldblum had originally been approached to play the senator.

Rogers' shield is made of which rare metal?

Stark outfits him with the shield and an upgraded uniform after the rescue mission.

What is the squad Rogers forms from freed prisoners called in the script?

Markus said the name is in the script "but no one says that out loud"; "the Invaders" was only a discussed name.

Who plays Bucky Barnes?

Stan originally auditioned for the title role; Feige thought he would make a "great" Winter Soldier later.

Which war series did Stan call "very helpful" in preparing for the role?

He admitted he knew nothing about the comics and watched many WWII documentaries instead.

Who plays Peggy Carter?

Knightley, Eve and Blunt were all considered for the role.

Atwell likened Carter to a famous quote about which dancer?

She said Carter can do everything Captain America can, "but backwards and in high heels".

How does Bucky apparently die in 1945?

The team had just captured Arnim Zola aboard that train.

What tips Rogers off that his 1940s hospital room is fake?

He escapes into present-day Times Square, where Nick Fury tells him he has slept almost 70 years.

For roughly how long has Rogers been asleep when he wakes?

The Times Square scene was shot on April 23, 2011, during reshoots.

Who played the Human Torch in Fantastic Four before becoming Cap?

Johnston slipped the original 1940s android Human Torch into a display case at the Stark Expo as a nod.

How many refusals did Evans say he gave before accepting the role?

He said his decision-making had been fear-based and he was "almost too chicken" to play the part.

Which company handled the digital shrinking of Evans into skinny Steve?

Each skinny Steve scene was shot at least four times, including with body double Leander Deeny.

Which two writers were hired in late 2008 to rewrite the script?

Joss Whedon later did a polish as part of his deal to make The Avengers.

What was the working title during principal photography?

Shooting began June 28, 2010.

War scenes were shot at a former propellant factory in which Welsh village?

The former Royal Navy Propellant Factory was used in September 2010.

Manchester and Liverpool doubled for which part of 1940s New York?

Manchester's Northern Quarter and Liverpool's Stanley Dock were used.

The Red Skull's car was based on 1930s models from which carmaker?

Lead vehicle designer Daniel Simon, of Tron: Legacy, drew on the 1930s 540K and G4.

Who composed the film's score?

It was recorded at Air Studios in London and released July 19, 2011.

Who wrote the music for the USO song "Star Spangled Man"?

David Zippel wrote the lyrics.

Roughly how many visual effects shots does the film have?

They were split between thirteen companies.

The "hero shield" used for close-ups was made of what?

There were four shield types: metal, fiberglass, rubber and CG.

Who plays Stan Lee's cameo role?

Laura Haddock, later Meredith Quill, appears briefly as an autograph seeker.

Which future Doctor Who companion plays Bucky's date Connie?

Natalie Dormer appears as Private Lorraine, who tries to seduce Rogers.

A lawsuit with which Captain America co-creator delayed the film until 2003?

Marvel had teamed with Artisan Entertainment in 2000 before the copyright dispute.

How big was Marvel's 2005 Merrill Lynch investment that funded its own films?

It allowed Marvel to independently produce ten films, including Captain America.

What Rotten Tomatoes approval rating did The Winter Soldier hold in 2025?

Critics praised the action, the story and the political themes.

How much did Paramount pay to air the 30-second Super Bowl XLV ad?

The first full trailer followed in March 2011.

Which doughnut chain ran a search for real-life super-soldiers as a tie-in?

Baskin-Robbins and Harley-Davidson were also promotional partners.

What was Sega's tie-in video game called?

Sentinel of Liberty was a mobile game and First Vengeance an eight-issue digital comic.

Where was the world premiere held on July 19, 2011?

It screened at San Diego Comic-Con two days later and opened wide on July 22.

Which of these countries released the film under the shorter title "The First Avenger"?

South Korea and Ukraine were the other two; most distributors kept the franchise name.

Roughly how much did the film gross worldwide?

It earned $176.7 million in North America and $193.9 million internationally.

Which 2011 superhero film narrowly beat its opening weekend?

Thor opened to $65.7 million against Cap's $65.1 million.

Which short film was included on the home media release?

The Agent Carter One-Shot came later, on Iron Man 3's home release.

The film was screened in IMAX for the first time in which year?

It was part of Marvel Studios' 10-year anniversary IMAX festival.

Which actor plays Dum Dum Dugan?

He wore the character's signature bowler hat and grew the trademark mustache.

Which film, on which the director did effects, kept the look from feeling like a period piece?

Johnston had worked on the special effects of Raiders.

Which two WWII-set films outgrossed it at the time of release?

That made it the third-highest-grossing film set during the World War II era.