History Fridge / CaptainAmericaTheFirstAvenger

* In ''Thor'', we are told that magic is more or less sufficiently advanced technology. The arc reactor (60s tech) and Tony Stark's miniaturized version (2010s tech) are inspired by the Cosmic Cube but built from first principles, rather than containing elements of it. They are current humanity's early approaches to technology of a level enjoyed by Asgard.

* Take a close look at just ''where'' Schmidt picks up the Cosmic Cube: Tønsberg. Which ''Film/{{Thor}}'' established was the site of a major battle in the Asgardian/Jötun War. The surviving humans would have had the first-hand experience just how dangerous the powers Asgardians and their like are dealing in can be to humans, and a great reason to feel indebted to the Asgardians. In other words, the perfect start for an AncientTradition guarding a (seemingly, at least) Asgardian relic.

* Fridge Tearjerker: You just ''know'' that a week from the end of the movie, Peggy's going to visit the Stork Club, just on the off-chance that maybe, just maybe, Steve will be there waiting, since he promised her the dance. And, of course, he won't.

* Why is Dr. Erskine objecting to the photographer before the procedure? Well, he just finished an entire bottle of schnapps the evening before, it's obvious his hangover would not agree with bright flashes up close.

* Horrible as it is to say, Dr. Erskine's death may have actually been a good thing in the long run. If he hadn't been killed, the Army would've insisted on him making more super-soldiers, and sooner or later, people like Hodge probably would have been chosen over Erskine's objections, leading to a whole bunch of people like the Red Skull. Best-case scenario, Erskine would've most likely had to go on the run. And note that even with Erskine dead, a variant of the serum eventually found its way to [[Film/TheIncredibleHulk2008 the Abomination]] and [[Series/TheFalconAndTheWinterSoldier John Walker]].

* Bucky's body is never shown; he falls into icy terrain, and just like with Steve, he's found by Soviet soldiers still in the ice and is used to create The Winter Soldier.

** It also shows Howard's reasoning in deporting Anton Vanko: HYDRA proved that the technology was easily weaponized, but Stark refused to follow in their footsteps and was deeply disgusted by Vanko's attempt to plunge the world into Hydra-style Tesseract-powered warfare. Tony was less successful in protecting the technology from Senator Stern and Justin Hammer - the assholes only saw arc reactor tech as a weapon, never understanding how much havoc Hydra wreaked with it - until Vanko cut loose.

* Hovering on the edge of Fridge Horror (and tipping over due to what we see in ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheWinterSoldier''), when Steve finds him, Bucky is repeating his name, rank and serial number (to an empty room, because he's so out of it). According to [[UsefulNotes/TheLawsAndCustomsOfWar the Geneva Conventions]], this is exactly what a soldier's supposed to do when being interrogated. What edges it toward horrific is that in Hydra's case, interrogation can be assumed to mean torture and/or attempted brainwashing. Though it's probably TranslationConvention, this may also have implications of SwitchToEnglish for Hydra's higher-ups speaking in English instead of German if some of the mooks are actually brainwashed Allied soldiers.

* The "HEIL Hydra!" salute looks like a doubling up of the Nazi salute, which is sort of cheesy... but their motto is "Cut off one head and two more will take its place." Something doubled-up makes perfect sense.

* Schmidt mentioned early on that he'd been sent to the Swiss HYDRA base because he "no longer reflect [Hitler]'s image of Aryan perfection". Which could mean either his Red Skull deformity or him being ''dark-haired'' (even before procedure if the Erskine flashback is any indication). Take a look at the few Hydra goons we've seen unmasked, like Heinz Kruger or the "We fought to the last man" operative: ''All dark-haired''. This subtly hints that HYDRA is basically a ReassignedToAntarctica for the Nazis - adding to Schmidt's entire motive of putting down the Reich, so to speak.

* Cap and company fighting Hydra rather than straight-up Nazis. It might have come off as disrespectful to the real heroes of World War II to have Captain America winning fights against a very real enemy. Adding an element of a secret front to the war subverts the ReedRichardsIsUseless problem and establishes him as a folk hero, someone who was there, but mysterious because dealing with this secret underbelly of super science.

* Of the hundreds of soldiers held captive in Hydra's base, Zola's chosen --and ''only''-- guinea pig just so happens to be the best friend of SuperSoldier Steve Rogers. Quite a coincidence, right? Except that it wasn't. Peggy tells Steve that Hydra sent a force to Azzano and captured most soldiers of the 107th, including Bucky. And during Steve and Bucky's escape from the Hydra base, Schmidt taunts Steve about his stage name and war propaganda films, indicating his familiarity with his American counterpart. Schmidt has been keeping tabs on Steve just as he kept tabs on Dr. Erskine, so he knows about his lifelong friendship with one Sergeant James Buchanan Barnes. Hydra's attack on Azzano was a deliberate ploy to capture Steven "Captain America" Rogers's best friend and turn him into Hydra's fist --a goal they achieved in ''The Winter Soldier''.

* Did Peggy know for absolute sure that the properties of Steve's shield would stop the bullets when she shot it and not potentially ricochet and hit someone else.

** Obviously, things go wrong for both sides. Zola gets captured, and Bucky falls off the train. But when Colonel Phillips is interrogating Zola later, look at the [[PsychoticSmirk expression]] Zola makes when Philips says, “the last guy you cost us was Captain Roger’s closest friend." That's the expression of someone who ''knows'' that the work he did to Bucky will keep him alive. And even as a captive, Zola ''will'' gain the tools needed to finish what he started.

* Horrible as it is to say, Dr. Erskine's death may have actually been a good thing in the long run. If he hadn't been killed, the Army would've insisted on him making more super-soldiers, and sooner or later, people like Hodge probably would have been chosen over Erskine's objections, leading to a whole bunch of people like the Red Skull. Best-case scenario, Erskine would've most likely had to go on the run. And note that even with Erskine dead, a variant of the serum eventually found its way to [[Film/TheIncredibleHulk the Abomination]] and [[Series/TheFalconAndTheWinterSoldier John Walker]].

** And then you have Bruce Banner, a brilliant man with serious anger management issues. Give him the serum, and you get a massive rage monster with some remarkable improvisation and problem solving skills. And one who, unlike the rest, only expresses his augmented side when he loses control of his anger, because Banner himself had always feared and felt that his rage ''makes him become'' a monster, long before his own serum-exposure.

** And then you have Bruce Banner, a brilliant man with serious anger management issues. Give him the serum, and you get a massive rage monster with some remarkable improvisation and problem solving skills. And one who, unlike the rest, only expresses his augmented side when he loses control of his anger, because Banner himself had always feared and believed that his rage ''makes him a monster'', long before his own serum-exposure.

** And then you have Bruce Banner, a brilliant man with serious anger management issues. Give him the serum, and you get a massive rage monster with some remarkable improvisation and problem solving skills.

* Of the hundreds of soldiers held captive in Hydra's base, Zola's chosen --and ''only''-- guinea pig just so happens to be the best friend of SuperSoldier Steve Rogers. Quite a coincidence, right? Except that it wasn't. Peggy tells Steve that Hydra sent a force to Azzano and captured most members of the 107th --Bucky's unit. And during Steve and Bucky's escape from the Hydra base, Schmidt taunts Steve about his stage name and war propaganda films, indicating his familiarity with his American counterpart. Schmidt has been keeping tabs on Steve just as he kept tabs on Dr. Erskine, so he knows about his lifelong friendship with one Sergeant James Buchanan Barnes. Hydra's attack on Azzano was a deliberate ploy to capture Steven "Captain America" Rogers's best friend and turn him into Hydra's fist --a goal they achieved in ''The Winter Soldier''.

** It also shows Howard's reasoning in deporting Vanko: HYDRA proved that the technology was easily weaponized, but Stark refused to follow in their footsteps and was deeply disgusted by Vanko's attempt to plunge the world into Hydra-style Tesseract-powered warfare. Tony was less successful in protecting the technology from Senator Stern and Justin Hammer - the assholes only saw arc reactor tech as a weapon, never understanding how much havoc Hydra wreaked with it - until Vanko cut loose.
** It ''also'' goes a way towards explaining some of Tony's extreme 'my technology is my intellectual property' reactions to the arc reactor and the suit, if he had it drilled into his head from early on that anything falling into the realm of 'tesseract stuff' had to be strictly controlled and kept out of government hands.
** Further, it goes more into why Tony rankles Steve. Tony's genius may match his father's, but his egotism and reckless use of technology reminds Steve of the Red Skull.

* Why did Kruger wait until after the experiment? He had to make sure it ''worked''. If it failed, he just would have sent back a message to Red Skull saying the Allies are still no closer to a proper serum. But since it worked, he followed his directions carefully; notice that the only time he actually stands to confront Steve is when he has taken the child hostage, any other time the spy's either trying to lose him or taking potshots to keep him in cover while extending his lead.

* Perhaps a small, unintended bit of brilliance. When the Red Skull gets taken into the Bifröst, the effects almost make it look like he is getting burned. In addition, he gets taken away [[spoiler:to Vormir]], rather than dying like the rest of HYDRA. In Greek mythology, the only way to keep a Hydra's head from regrowing is to burn the stump after cutting the head off. Also, the last head of the Hydra is immortal, and most myths state that it is pinned under a boulder to deal with that. Maybe not the exact same thing as transporting it to a different realm, but kind of an interesting connection.

-->'''Steve:''' I thought you were dead.
-->'''Bucky:''' ...I thought you were smaller.

* How was Steve able to get from the landing gear of the Valkyrie into the main weapons bay so easily? The Valkyrie, like all of Zolov's weapons, is a ''prototype''. Obviously they haven't worked all the kinks out of it before her maiden (and only) flight.

* It's no wonder Steve was screaming in the transformation capsule; he went from being five-four to six-two, a difference of 10 inches (25.5cm). He was basically being ''racked'' in there. At ''best'' it was the worst growing pains ever, condensed into about a minute.
** Even worse, imagine how he would've looked if they ''had'' stopped the Vita-rays early!!

* Horrible as it is to say, Dr. Erskine's death may have actually been a good thing in the long run. If he hadn't been killed, the Army would've insisted on him making more super-soldiers, and sooner or later, people like Hodge probably would have been chosen over Erskine's objections, leading to a whole bunch of people like the Red Skull. Best-case scenario, Erskine would've most likely had to go on the run. Note that even with Erskine dead, the serum eventually found its way to [[Film/TheIncredibleHulk the Abomination]] and [[Series/TheFalconAndTheWinterSoldier John Walker]].

* When Arnim Zola, the scientist, visits Johann Schmidt, the ComicBook/RedSkull, Schmidt's face is in shadow. An artist is painting a portrait of him, and his palette consists mostly of chunky, deep red paint. The artist also looks visibly disturbed. Makes sense about halfway through the movie, when Johann takes off his mask. (In fact, if you freeze frame it at the exact moment, you can briefly see the Red Skull appearance before Schmidt goes into shadow)

* If you live in Fresno, the "I'm from Fresno, ace" line is [[{{SugarWiki/FunnyMoments}} funny]] at first, until you think about it. Fresno was the site of an internment camp where many Japanese-Americans were held after the attack on Pearl Harbor, and one could escape the camps by joining the military. It's a funny line, but the character is actually talking about something terrible, and few people realize it.

* Horrible as it is to say, Dr. Erskine's death may have actually been a good thing in the long run. If he hadn't been killed, the Army would've insisted on him making more super-soldiers, and sooner or later, people like Hodge probably would have been chosen over Erskine's objections, leading to a whole bunch of people like the Red Skull. Best-case scenario, Erskine would've most likely had to go on the run.

* The Red Skull tells Captain America he's a great fan of his movies. The Nazis were the inventors of modern propaganda after all, so far from hating the corny aspects like the frontline soldiers in Italy, it would make perfect sense to the Red Skull that a SuperSoldier is being used for propaganda as well as combat (not knowing that Steve was ''only'' being used for propaganda). The propaganda movies are about an invincible super soldier with strength beyond what any normal man could reach fighting the Nazis. It's exactly what Red Skull wants to do. It also serves as a parallel to the rumors of UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler loving the Creator/CharlieChaplin film ''Film/TheGreatDictator''.

** Schmidt and Zola were able to use the Tesseract to turn Hydra into an NGOSuperpower. Howard Stark salvaged the cube, but doesn't do the same because he's one of the good guys. The Tesseract ''could'' be used to build powerful weapons, and would make building an empire simple via PhlebotinumDependence - any attempts to turn the technology against them would be futile as the Tesseract is the only way to power it. But powering the world was something else entirely. The arc reactor technology he struggled with to his dying day was his attempt to make the technology widespread - turn nuclear warheads into nuclear reactors.
** It also shows Howard's reasoning in deporting Vanko - Hydra proved that the technology was easily weaponized, but Stark refused to follow in their footsteps and was deeply disgusted by Vanko's attempt to plunge the world into Hydra-style Tesseract-powered warfare. Tony was less successful in protecting the technology from Senator Stern and Justin Hammer - the assholes only saw arc reactor tech as a weapon, never understanding how much havoc Hydra wreaked with it - until Vanko cut loose.
** It ''also'' goes a way towards explaining some of Tony's extreme 'my technology, you no touch' reactions to the arc reactor and the suit, if he had it drilled into his head from early on that anything falling into the realm of 'tesseract stuff' had to be strictly controlled and kept out of government hands.

* ''Iron Man 2'' has the Stark Expo song "Make Way For Tomorrow Today" which is a Disneyland Tomorrowland-type song in the vein of "Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow". This isn't coincidence - MWFTT is written by one of the Sherman Brothers, who were legendary songwriters for Disney, including that Tomorrowland song. You might also think it isn't a coincidence that Howard Stark appears to be a mix of Howard Hughes and Walt Disney (Hughes for the tech, Disney for the family friendly showmanship and public persona).

* Why did Kruger wait until after the experiment? He had to make sure it ''worked''. If it failed, he just would have sent back a message saying the Allies are still no closer to a proper serum. But since it worked he followed his directions carefully; notice that the only time he actually stands to confront Steve is when he has taken the child hostage, any other time the spy's either trying to lose him or taking potshots to keep him in cover while extending his lead.

* Having Gabe Jones be the one to capture Arnim Zola wasn't just an attempt at giving him one scene of focus - it was twisting the knife in the wound. Nazi or Hydra, they're Aryans after all.
* As opposed to the period-accurate wardrobe of the '40s scenes, the costuming of the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent pretending to be a '40s nurse is all wrong -- the hair, the tie, and especially the visible bra lines showing through her shirt, which were noticeably absent from Peggy Carter ([[TheMoreYouKnow late 1930s bras had wider straps and looked]] more like [[http://www.fashion-era.com/images/AdornCorsetry/kesmarb.jpg this]]). Steve, [[ChasteHero being who he is,]] [[FailedASpotCheck really isn't likely to]] ''[[WomensMysteries get]]'' that but he does look at her chest for a few seconds when dropping his gaze, [[OhCrap gaining a suspicious expression]]. Later, he says he was tipped off to the simulation after recognizing the supposedly live baseball game on the radio, but he may well have just been too polite to call attention to a woman's underwear.
* The S.H.I.E.L.D. the agent wasn't lying when she said Steve was in a recovery room in New York City. She merely failed to disclose the date, for fear of traumatizing him further.
* Take a close look at just ''where'' Schmidt picks up the Cosmic Cube: Tønsberg. Which ''Film/{{Thor}}'' established was the site of a major battle in the Asgardian/Jötun War. The few surviving humans would have had the first-hand experience just how dangerous the powers Asgardians and their like are dealing in can be to humans, and a great reason to feel indebted to the Asgardians. In other words, the perfect start for an AncientTradition guarding a (seemingly, at least) Asgardian relic.

* Perhaps a small, unintended bit of brilliance. When the Red Skull gets taken into the Bifröst, the effects almost make it look like he is getting burned. In addition, he gets taken away, rather than dying like the rest of Hydra. In Greek mythology, the only way to keep a Hydra's head from regrowing is to burn the stump after cutting the head off. Also, the last head of the Hydra is immortal, and most myths state that it is pinned under a boulder to deal with that. Maybe not the exact same thing as transporting it to a different realm, but kind of an interesting connection.

* Schmidt mentioned early on that he'd been sent to the Swiss HYDRA base because he "no longer fits Hitler's Aryan vision". Which could mean either his Red Skull deformity or him being ''dark-haired'' (even before procedure if the Erskine flashback is any indication). Take a look at the few Hydra goons we've seen unmasked, like Heinz Kruger or the "We fought to the last man" operative: ''All dark-haired''. This subtly hints that HYDRA is basically a ReassignedToAntarctica for the Nazis - adding to Schmidt's entire motive of putting down the Reich, so to speak.

* Part of the reason why Steve is so immediately disoriented and afraid when he first wakes up in 2012: the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents are wearing heavy black armor, not too immediately dissimilar from HYDRA armor, and the technology he encounters as soon as he breaks out is highly advanced beyond what he's familiar with, beyond, again, Hydra technology. Even if he doesn't ''think'' they're Hydra, he's going to be drawing some automatic and very emotional connections to Hydra regardless. Good instincts, too; [[Film/CaptainAmericaTheWinterSoldier HYDRA had thoroughly infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D.]]

* The first we see of the Hydra soldiers, they're dressed and armed no differently like other Nazi soldiers (the only difference being the Hydra logo instead of the swastika). Once they have possession of the Tesseract, the HYDRA soldiers look less and less like regular Nazi personnel, with their uniforms getting more heavily protected and their tech obviously getting more advanced. Then when you consider that Red Skull probably had HYDRA completely split off from the Nazis upon making the discovery in Norway...
* First, Steve gets 4F as a grade from the local Draft Board. Then, he gets 1A. These are actual military terms, but think about it: a guy played by [[ActorAllusion Chris Evans]] went from [[Film/FantasticFour2005 4F]] to [[Film/CaptainAmericaTheFirstAvenger 1A]].

* What was Steve thinking when he woke up in the fake recovery room? Given that men in black appeared, he seemed to fear that Hydra had captured him and had locked him up in a lab. And in a way, [[HarsherInHindsight he was right]] because Hydra had infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D..

* The Red Skull tells Captain America he's a great fan of his movies. The Nazis invented modern propaganda after all, so far from hating the corny aspects like the frontline soldiers in Italy, it would make perfect sense to the Red Skull that a SuperSoldier is being used for propaganda as well as combat (not knowing that Steve was ''only'' being used for propaganda). The propaganda movies are about an invincible super soldier with strength beyond what any normal man could reach taking down the Nazis. It's exactly what Red Skull wants to do. It also serves as a parallel to the rumors of UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler loving the Creator/CharlieChaplin film ''Film/TheGreatDictator''.
* When Arnim Zola, the scientist, visits Johann Schmidt, the ComicBook/RedSkull, Schmidt's face is in shadow. An artist is painting a portrait of him, and his palette consists mostly of chunky, deep red paint. The artist also looks visibly disturbed. Makes sense about halfway through the movie, when Johann takes off his mask.

* Schmidt mentioned early on that he'd been sent to the Swiss Hydra base because he "no longer fits Hitler's Aryan vision". Which could mean either his Red Skull deformity or him being ''dark-haired'' (even before procedure if the Erskine flashback is any indication). Take a look at the few Hydra goons we've seen unmasked, like Heinz Kruger or the "We fought to the last man" guy: ''All dark-haired''. This subtly hints that Hydra is basically a ReassignedToAntarctica for the Nazis - adding to Schmidt's entire motive of putting down the Reich, so to speak.

* Part of the reason why Steve is so immediately disoriented and afraid when he first wakes up in 2012: the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents are wearing heavy black armor, not too immediately dissimilar from Hydra armor, and the technology he encounters as soon as he breaks out is highly advanced beyond what he's familiar with, beyond, again, Hydra technology. Even if he doesn't ''think'' they're Hydra, he's going to be drawing some automatic and very emotional connections to Hydra regardless. Good instincts, too; [[Film/CaptainAmericaTheWinterSoldier Hydra had thoroughly infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D.]]
* Likewise, Steve only starts to calm down when Nick Fury, a Black man, shows up to talk him down, as Steve would realize that he couldn't possibly be with Hydra ([[EqualOpportunityEvil which isn't actually true]], but Steve would have no way of knowing that).

* The first we see of the Hydra soldiers, they're dressed and armed no differently like other Nazi soldiers. Once they have possession of the Tesseract, we gradually see the Hydra soldiers look less and less like regular Nazi personnel, with their uniforms getting more heavily protected and their tech obviously getting more advanced. Then when you consider that Red Skull probably had Hydra completely split off from the Nazis upon making the discovery in Norway...

* A bit of both Brilliance and FridgeHorror: Jim Morita's bitterness is justified, as does his line "I'm from Fresno, ace," when you consider that it means his family was incarcerated in [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinedale,_California#Pinedale_Assembly_Center a Japanese-American internment camp in Fresno]] in the wake of Pearl Harbor and he enlisted as an alternative to prison.

* Look carefully during the shootout between Bucky and the Hyrdra mooks on the train. Those crates he moves to when he swaps to his pistol read "BIOLOGISCHE WAFFEN"; Biological Weapon. Even with the Tesseract, Hydra is still committing more earthly war crimes.