Captain America is definitely not your typical superhero. How often do you see the superhero being the smallest most scrawny kid on the block? Only in the Captain America series. Thanks to Marvel, we have a new perspective for the little guys of the world. So, how often are the heroes the little guys? Definitely not every day. How often do the little guys save the world? Definitely not every day. Steve Rogers, played by Chris Evans, eventually becomes the great Captain America. He is the smallest kid on the block who wants nothing more than to serve his country during the second World War. He happens upon a doctor who is conducting an experiment that will soon forever change the life of little Steve Rogers. Throughout this adventurous movie, we see several themes that everybody could learn from. We learn from Steve Rogers that friendship is, and should always be, a high priority. He also teaches us that bullying is not something that should be remotely tolerated. Service- oriented, loyal gentlemen will always win. Everybody can become a fan when they realize that Steve is loyal, a good friend, and a protector.
1. BFF= Best Friends Forever
From the beginning of the movie, we see that Steve has a very strong friendship with a man named Bucky (Sebastian Stan), which he carries out, acts upon, and strengthens throughout the whole movie. We know their friendship is so strong because they go on double dates together, they stand up for and protect each other, they talk about the war together, and they were planning to enlist together. The moment Steve was rejected by the military, he and Bucky knew they were not going to be able to live their new dream of serving their country together. This meant they would be separated in such a crucial time. They knew that the moment they went their separate ways, on behalf of the war, there was a large possibility that theyd never see each other again. We can only imagine how rough this time was for them. Their friendship plays a very large role in the turning point of the movie. The moment that Captain America actually goes out into a battle is because he learns that there was a possibility of his best friends death. Captain America leaves on a somewhat-unapproved mission to save Bucky and the other troops with him.
The theme of friendship stands out to me so much in this movie. It definitely changed the way I saw Captain America. He became such an iconic person, he was spending so much time with so many other new people. A new best friend could have been made so easily, but he chose to keep his friendship with Bucky such a high priority. In our world today, it seems like there are so many people who put such a huge emphasis on the fact that they need to feel as if theyve climbed the social ladder to the point where they are better than everyone else and can move on to bigger things which are not always better, but will just fulfill their need to feel above other people. Captain America had every opportunity to move on, but he saw that his old friendship was more important than his new life, so he risked his life to go save his friend and troops. While it is typical for the superhero to be saving lives, it is not typical for them to keep all their old friendships above everything else.
2. Bullies Suck
Captain America does not tolerate bullies. In the beginning of the movie, we see a scene in which Steve Rogers has gone to see a show. The previews to the show are ads for the war, talking about how everybody can do their part to help out. There is a man also waiting to see the show, who chose to make disrespectful comments regarding the war ads. Steve was not fond of this, so he tells the man to have some respect and quit making rude comments during such a trivial time where respect should be so high. Because he stands up and speaks out, he gets beat up in a back alley. When the doctor is killed, he dedicates everything he does to him. He is determined to find and get rid of the man who killed the doctor- the one person who believed in Steve. Steve sees the entire war as a situation filled with bullies. He sees Adolf Hitler as a bully who is looking to beat up the entire world. On the superhero side of the world in the war, Red Skull is the bully. He will not tolerate any of these bully-situations and he just wants to be a soldier so he can be a part of the effort that is ridding the world of these bad men.
I decided I was a fan when I realized the importance and relatability to the theme of anti-bullying. Everybody has been bullied at some point in their life; everybody knows how frustrating and confidence-ruining it is to feel inferior to someone, let alone an entire group of people. Because of his size, Steve is picked on a lot. People have always made comments about the fact that he is the little guy. I think thats why he is so anti-bully, is because he knows so well what its like to be the victim and he wants to protect everyone else from being bullied. There are so many potential bullies in this story, and you can definitely tell the Steve hates all of them.
3. The gentleman always prevails
Why Steve? Why would the doctor choose Steve of all people to conduct his experiment? He could have easily chosen somebody with an already-bulky body to just enlarge. He could have easily chosen somebody that was so fit, so strong, so muscular. But instead he chose little Steve to bulk up. Why? I believe its because Steve is an obvious gentleman. The doctors experiment could have worked on anybody, but it had to be on the right person that would not use and abuse the power to do the wrong things. Because Steve is such a gentleman, the doctor could be at ease knowing his experiment would be in good, honest hands. That the results would be used for only good, and the world would be safe because the super-being is so anti-bully, he could never turn into one himself.
While watching the film, the accumulation of all the gentlemanly attributes of Captain America is bound to turn you into a fan. What girl doesnt want a superhero, let alone one that is also a perfect gentleman? Im not going to lie, I developed a little bit of a crush on this guy after realizing what a gentleman he is, and how dedicated he is to always doing the right thing.
4. You can never have too many service hours on your record
During the movie, Captain America performs many random acts of service. If you look at it well enough, you could say that the whole way he conducts himself is through service. He did not want to be a tool for propaganda. He did not want to be the person out dancing with the girls to get people to pay more attention to the war. He did not want to be part of a show. However, he noticed that being a part of the show was helping the war effort. So, despite his dislike for his new role, he continued to put on shows. This could be considered an act of service because it was not something he wanted to be doing, but because he saw that it was making a difference and raising awareness, he did it. For his country and his fellow men out in the field.
Captain America is dedicated to service. Just about everything he does is service-oriented in one way or another. First of all, they call it serving our country for a reason. There is so much selflessness going on when a person enlists in the army. So much dedication, so much love, and so much hard work. Steve is not only serving by being in the army, but he serves everyone he comes into contact in some way.
5. Loyalty above all
Steve Rogers remains so loyal in everything he does. From the beginning, he sticks to his guns, wanting to serve in the military; he is loyal to himself, following his dreams. When he meets Peggy Carter and forms the possibility of a relationship with her, he doesnt do anything to mess it up; he keeps in touch with her, he is open with her, he includes her in his plans (even the questionable ones) to show his loyalty to her. He is beyond loyal to his friend Bucky. This shows with great magnitude when he risks everything to go save Bucky and the men in his area. Finally, Captain America is loyal to his country. Throughout the movie, he does not stop doing things that will help his country. He made up his mind and followed through with his plan to serve, and he did it with incredible faith and devotion.
When you look at his personality as a whole, and you realize that Captain America really is a good friend, a defender, a gentleman, and a man dedicated to service and loyalty, you see how amazing the guy really is. Loyalty ties it all together, though. Its as if his loyalty forms him into the superhero we see him as. Its pretty obvious that he is just an all-around great guy. He always stands up for what he knows is right, he always does the right thing in tough decisions, he treats everybody meets with with respect- no matter who they are. Captain America is so selfless, so loving, so dedicated, and so kind. He is a superhero in the sense that he can do super things, but also in the sense that he is an overall extraordinary being. Someday I hope to meet somebody that is as amazing as the great Captain America.