Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Looking back on The Winter Soldier after having just seen Brave New World only makes this earlier entry look even stronger. Whereas the latest Captain America loves to sit on the fence and say we should find the good in America, The Winter Soldier is all about how deep the rot goes. The espionage thriller explores parts of Steve Rogers’ buried past and how the same monsters he fought in the 1940s have persisted decades later. It was bold of Marvel to completely upend the foundations it had built and force Captain America to make hard choices. What a shame that, when a Captain America who stands against corruption would really hit, Marvel’s put the gloves on and given us a version of the character who doesn’t live up to that part of the legacy.— Kenneth Shepard
