During his time in the MCU, Chris Evans starred as Steve Rogers, aka Captain America, in eight movies in total. A beacon of goodness, the Marvel hero always carried himself with charisma, presence, and morality. Of course, Steve also had a degree of sass, sarcasm, and wit that gave him dimension — and, for that matter, won fans over.
Now that Evans is done with the MCU, we’re excited to see how Sam Wilson’s Captain America will evolve and compare further in the franchise. Both Steve and Sam are driven by the same principles, but Sam has shown us a more playful side to him, which could be an interesting mix as Captain America. Steve is known for his strong one-liners, but let’s look at whether his opening lines are just as strong.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
8 “Let’s get you on the jet.” — Avengers: Infinity War
Marvel Studios
The excitement for Avengers: Infinity War to hit theaters and the collective devastation everyone felt once leaving their screenings, will be hard to replicate. As the movie starts, it takes quite some time before Captain America actually appears, but, oh boy, it is quite an appearance — one that certainly brought everyone to the edge of their seats. Once Thanos and his Black Order invade Earth, the Avengers start coming back together despite their previous squabbles. Thanos’ goons are sent after Vision and Wanda to steal the Mind Stone. Captain America, Black Widow and Falcon come to the rescue. Steve is revealed in a grandiose manner, with a fresh new hairstyle and beard. He doesn’t say much, but basically kicks everyone’s ass. As he saves his friends’ lives, his first line says, “Let’s get you on the jet,” showing from the get-go that Steve is ready to fight and save everyone.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
7 “All right, what do you see?” — Captain America: Civil War
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Just like many other MCU spectacles, Captain America: Civil War throws us right into the plot with a big mission the Avengers are on. With Wanda as a new recruit in the team, we see her struggle with controlling her powers. Before the fighting sequence commences, we establish the roles each of the Avengers has in the team. When Captain America asks, “All right, what do you see?”, it’s clear that, as always, he’s leading the team. He’s the leader everyone looks up to and relies on. Of course, things don’t work out quite like he wanted them to. Although Steve claims to have practiced with Wanda, she ends up throwing a bomb into a building full of people. This act would eventually prompt the central conflict of the movie: do the Avengers need to be controlled by the government, or should they remain a private organization?
6 “Nope.” — Captain America: The First Avenger
Captain America: The First Avenger was the movie that offered us the first taste of a live-action Captain America in a film. As we all know, Steve Rogers wasn’t exactly the most fit guy when he first tried enlisting to fight in World War II. He was often made fun of and picked on, and was a victim of bullying. Despite his small build, the first-ever line we hear from tells us exactly the kind of person he was going to be. As the Army doctor calls over different men for physical evaluation, there’s a newspaper that writes about Nazis’ recent burning down of Czechoslovak villages. The doctor comments, “Kinda makes you think twice about enlisting, huh?” Steve steps forward and responds confidently, “Nope.” He is determined to enlist and fight for his country — no fear in his eyes.
5 “Hi. I’m Captain America.” — Spider-Man: Homecoming
Marvel Studios / Sony
As for Spider-Man: Homecoming, Captain America didn’t have an important role in it, and served more as a comic relief with his cameo. Homecoming was the first stand-alone movie that Tom Holland stars in at Spider-Man. The movie sets up the type of Peter Parker Holland would portray, one that is clumsy, unpopular in the crowds, but extremely smart. As it turns out, Captain America was asked to record a message for high school students that is required to be played before every PE class. It gives Peter a chance to proudly brag to his friend Ned about fighting Captain America in Germany.
4 “Neither could we.” — Avengers: Endgame
Avengers: Endgame starts out on a very depressing note. After Thanos wipes out half of the universe, we lose a lot of our favorite characters, including Tony losing Peter. Because they have no way of returning to Earth, Tony and Nebula are stuck floating in a spaceship. That is, until Captain Marvel steps in and brings them home. Malnourished and on the verge of collapsing, Tony gets off of the ship and is instantly met with a defeated Steve. Tony tells him that he wasn’t able to stop Thanos like they promised each other. “Neither could we,” is what Steve responds with. This sends Tony into a fit of rage because Steve was the one who was set on fighting against Thanos, even if it meant losing against him altogether. It shows that Steve is not ready to give up on trying to get everyone back.
3 “On your left.” — Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Captain America: The Winter Soldier is the movie we first get introduced to the next Captain America: Sam Wilson. Steve meet him when taking his usual morning jog, and they instantly hit it off. Because of Steve’s superhuman strength, he’s capable of running numerous rounds before Sam manages to finish one. “On your left" becomes kind of a running joke between the two; whenever Steve would pass by him, he’d say it to get on Sam’s nerves. We later find out that Sam is a veteran of United States Air Force Pararescueman, who flies using a jetpack with articulated wings and would later become one of Steve’s best friends.
2 “Language! J.A.R.V.I.S., what’s the view from upstairs?” — Avengers: Age of ultron
Avengers: Age of Ultron opens with a huge fighting scene to showcase the progress the Avengers have made with their teamwork. It’s very clear from the beginning that they’ve come a long way from their disputes since the previous movie. Captain America’s first line in the movie is pretty light and used for laughs this time. After Tony curses in his ear-piece, Steve reprimands his language and continues to give orders like nothing happened. It sets up the clear difference between Tony and Steve’s personalities; Steve is a righteous old-fashioned guy, while Tony doesn’t really care about rules, authorities, or others’ values.
1 “I slept for seventy years, sir. I think I’ve had my fill.” — The Avengers
The opening line that should rightfully take first place is one that everyone definitely recognizes. When Nick Fury starts recruiting superheroes in The Avengers, he pays a visit to Steve, who has just woken up from a 70-year-long sleep. We see him taking out his anger and frustration on a punching bag. When Fury asks him why he’s up at such an ungodly hour, Steve responds, “I slept for seventy years, sir. I think. I’ve had my fill.” It depicts how he’s ready to get back to what he does best: fighting and protecting people.
