Skip to main content
Games Radar Newsarama Total Film Edge Retro Gamer
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+ The smarter take on movies
UK EditionUK US EditionUS CA EditionCanada AU EditionAustralia
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
Gaming Magazines
Gaming Magazines
Why subscribe?
  • Subscribe from just £3
  • Takes you closer to the games, movies and TV you love
  • Try a single issue or save on a subscription
  • Issues delivered straight to your door or device
From$12
Subscribe now
Don't miss these
Thunderbolts
Superhero Movies Avengers: Doomsday production designer says 80% of interior set backdrops were practical as they didn't want to "presume you can always put it in visual effects"
Elle Fanning in Predator: Badlands
Sci-Fi Movies Predator: Badlands – Is there a post-credits scene?
Taron Egerton in Carry-On
Action Movies The 25 best Netflix action movies to watch right now
Steve Rogers and Nick Fury Jr. conferring
Marvel Comics Captain America #6 will send Steve Rogers and Nick Fury Jr's new SHIELD into the "powder keg" of a war-torn Latveria where they'll have to "reckon with the ghost of Doom" as well as the rampaging Red Hulk
The Beast in the post-credits scene of The Marvels
Marvel Movies X-Men actor Kelsey Grammer says too much and reveals the MCU heroes and villains he will be sharing scenes with in Avengers: Doomsday
Yelena Belova, Kamala Khan and Blade Knight in Marvel Zombies
Marvel TV Shows Marvel Zombies review: "A fun expansion of the What If episode with delightful MCU Easter eggs and truly gross R-rated kills"
Joe Keery and Georgina Campbell in Cold Storage
Horror Movies Stranger Things and Barbarian stars battle a deadly zombie virus with the help of Liam Neeson in bloody, gloopy new trailer for horror sci-fi Cold Storage
Reed Richards in Fantastic Four
Marvel Movies First look at Avengers: Doomsday is deliberately blurry, but we're sure it's hiding a Fantastic Four tease
Yahya Abdul Mateen II in Wonder Man (2025)
Marvel TV Shows Wonder Man star says the series is "tongue-in-cheek" and "self-aware" about its place in the MCU: "There’ll be commentary about superhero fatigue"
Robert Downey Jr. sitting in a chair at the end of a long line of chairs
Marvel Movies Avengers: Doomsday release date, cast, plot, and more news
Avengers: Secret Wars - three Spider-Men during the Marvel movie No Way Home
Marvel Movies Avengers: Secret Wars release date, cast, plot, and more news
Undead Thanos with the Infinity Gauntlet in Marvel Zombies
Marvel TV Shows Marvel Zombies ending explained: your biggest questions answered on Blade Knight, Scarlet Witch, and more
Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra screenshot of Captain America facing off against Black Panther
Action Games Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra – Everything we know so far about the upcoming superhero game
Robert Downey Jr. during the Doctor Doom announcement at Marvel's SDCC 2024 panel
Marvel Movies First look at Avengers: Doomsday comic-accurate costumes for the X-Men and more has hit the internet
John Cena as Peacemaker holds a gun to the head of a different John Cena as Peacemaker in Peacemaker season 2.
DC TV Shows Peacemaker season 2 Easter eggs – Every cameo and reference in episodes 1–7 of the returning DC series
Trending
  • Best Netflix Movies
  • Movie Release Dates
  • Best movies on Disney Plus
  • Best Netflix Shows
  1. Entertainment
  2. Movies
  3. Action Movies
  4. Marvel Movies
  5. captain america: the winter soldier

Captain America: The Winter Soldier: 10 Questions Raised

Features
By Sam Ashurst published 24 October 2013

Explosions, bad-asses, bad guys and more

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Who are the enemies?

Who are the enemies?

"Captain, to build a better world sometimes means tearing the old one down, and that makes enemies."

Redford's Alexander Pierce there, explaining the modern socio-political reality of the world Steve Rogers has woken up in.

Things aren't as black and white in modern warfare and, to quote another comic-book movie star, you can't make an omlette without breaking some eggs.

But - just to torture the metaphor for a bit - who's the omlette and who are the eggs in this scenario?

We know The Winter Soldier is Cap's main nemesis in this (we mean, duh), but who's pulling his strings? He doesn't strike us as the make-a-plan type, more of a let's-hurry-up-with-the-smashing-cars-with-my-awesome-metal-arm sort of fellow.

Could Redford be the villain? He's alluded to it in interviews, and he is giving off a majorly sinister vibe in this.

Plus, that tense handshake above? Could he be masterminding the exit of everyone's favourite eye-patch-lovin' super-spy?

Page 1 of 10
Page 1 of 10
Will Cap go rogue?

Will Cap go rogue?

Captain America started a journey in The Avengers , when he discovered that perhaps S.H.I.E.L.D. wasn't as trustworthy as an operation involving a giant floating war machine captained by a man in a pirate costume should be.

Here, he continues his questioning of the status quo. In fact, pretty much every line in this trailer that isn't a gag is dedicated to Captain's doubts.

"This isn't freedom, this is fear." Expect this to be the key theme of the movie. But how far will America go in his pursuit of the American Way?

In the Civil War series of comics, Captain turned against the government. Will he go that far here?

Page 2 of 10
Page 2 of 10
Will Falcon steal the show?

Will Falcon steal the show?

Falcon is criminally underappreciated amongst comic-fans (let's face it, he's no-one's favourite) but that looks all set to change following The Winter Soldier 's release.

We only get a couple of glances at Anthony Mackie's Falcon, but what glimpses - that moment when he falls backwards with two guns only to grow wings and fly into the sky; it's basically the best John Woo scene he never filmed.

We can't wait to see more.

Page 3 of 10
Page 3 of 10
What made the heli-carrier explode?

What made the heli-carrier explode?

The Heli-Carrier managed to survive an assault from Loki's minions, and now it's being blasted out of the sky by a brainwashed bloke with a bionic arm? What did he do, wave it to death?

It's a shocking moment in the trailer - we dread to think what's caused it.

Page 4 of 10
Page 4 of 10
Is The Winter Soldier going to be Marvel's most bad-ass movie villain yet?

Is The Winter Soldier going to be Marvel's most bad-ass movie villain yet?

We're joking of course, The Winter Soldier - aka Steve Rogers' best mate Bucky Barnes, brainwashed and given a Terminator makeover - is one of Marvel comics coolest villains, and it looks like the movie is making the most of his potential.

From that casual side-step as an oncoming car flips over, to the quick knife flip mid Cap fist-fight, and then ending with the trailer's last second shield snatch, it's clear he's a killing machine.

He might not be as witty as Loki, but if the devastation on display in this trailer is to be believed, he could be way, way nastier.

Page 5 of 10
Page 5 of 10
Will Cap ever get lucky?

Will Cap ever get lucky?

Poor old Cap - he missed his date in The First Avenger, couldn't pick up on a hot waitress' signals in Avengers , and now, he's too busy to go on a date in T he Winter Soldier .

That's around 50 years worth of frustration he's been building up. We're actually starting to feel sorry for the bad-guys in this.

Still, at least he's got new BFF Black Widow doing her best to get him laid.

Page 6 of 10
Page 6 of 10
Will Cap ever wear a parachute?

Will Cap ever wear a parachute?

We mean, COME ON. There are only so many times you can jump out of a plane face-first before you hit a seagull or something.

He did it in Avengers , he's doing it here again.

Note: each time he's stopped to say something quippy before launching himself into the sky. Maybe that's the secret to his power. Gag him, kick him out of a 747 and watch as he plummets to his death like an owl that's just insulted the Hulk.

Page 7 of 10
Page 7 of 10
Who's on the operating table?

Who's on the operating table?

Is it us or - with a hefty amount of squinting - that looks like it could be one Nick Fury on the operating table?

Throw in the brief shot of Fury driving a car, just before The Winter Soldier lobs a sticky grenade under an oncoming vehicle - flipping it upside down in a fiery ball of vehicular destruction - and we're betting that its Bucky himself who's responsible for putting Fury at death's door.

Page 8 of 10
Page 8 of 10
Is this the movie that makes Cap cool?

Is this the movie that makes Cap cool?

Some of us in the office (Okay, just Sam) think Captain America is already cool enough thank-you-very-much, but even he's prepared to admit that the movie version of the character is probably more cornball than hotdog.

But here Captain busts out the sort of fighting moves comic-fans have grown to love. And coolest of all? That shield kick flip after he's taken down an elevator full of foes.

Not that it's deviating from his established character too much; we love the fact that polite bully-hater Rogers gives his victims the option to get out of the elevator before he starts kicking off.

Page 9 of 10
Page 9 of 10
Who's Robert Redford talking to?

Who's Robert Redford talking to?

"Are you ready for the world to see you as you really are? Look out the window, you know how the game works."

When we first watched this trailer, we totes assumed that Redford was talking to the Captain. But then with Mr America, what you see is what you get. And, let's be fair, with the amount of questions he's asking in this trailer, he probably doesn't even know there is a game, let alone how it works.

No, we think Samuel L. Jackon's Nick Fury is the one on the receiving end of this line - and it makes us wonder if there's an implied threat in the comment.

Is something from Fury's past about to come back to haunt him? Did he have a key role in The Winter Soldier program?

Page 10 of 10
Page 10 of 10
CATEGORIES
Disney Plus Apple Tv Plus Streaming Services
Sam Ashurst
Social Links Navigation

Sam Ashurst is a London-based film maker, journalist, and podcast host. He's the director of Frankenstein's Creature, A Little More Flesh + A Little More Flesh 2, and co-hosts the Arrow Podcast. His words have appeared on HuffPost, MSN, The Independent, Yahoo, Cosmopolitan, and many more, as well as of course for us here at GamesRadar+.

Read more
Steve Rogers and Nick Fury Jr. conferring
Captain America #6 will send Steve Rogers and Nick Fury Jr's new SHIELD into the "powder keg" of a war-torn Latveria where they'll have to "reckon with the ghost of Doom" as well as the rampaging Red Hulk
 
 
David Harbour as Red Guardian in Thunderbolts
Avengers: Doomsday star hails the Russos' "special sauce" after admitting he was originally "not convinced" that the Marvel crossover could juggle its massive cast
 
 
Chris Evans as Captain America in Avengers: Endgame
From the Avengers assembling to "I am Iron Man," Marvel fans are discussing the MCU's biggest goosebump-raising moments
 
 
Peacemaker season 2
Superman actor reveals a neat location connection to Captain America: The Winter Soldier that bridges the gap between the MCU and the DCU
 
 
Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes/The Winter Soldier
Marvel Zombies director teases Bucky Barnes could return in a potential season 2
 
 
Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes/The Winter Soldier
Bucky Barnes actor Sebastian Stan talks about his Marvel experience in past tense, and fans are getting worried ahead of Avengers: Doomsday
 
 
Latest in Marvel Movies
Secret Wars art by Alex Ross
Avengers: Secret Wars will include the appearance of Black Panther hero
 
 
Pepper Potts in Avengers: Endgame
Robert Downey Jr. says Gwyneth Paltrow is "forever confused by the basic tenets of the Marvel Universe," and that she once forgot who Tom Holland is
 
 
Thunderbolts
Avengers: Doomsday production designer says 80% of interior set backdrops were practical as they didn't want to "presume you can always put it in visual effects"
 
 
Chloe Zhao
Chloé Zhao reveals the original Marvel movie she got offered before taking up Eternals
 
 
Robert Downey Jr. during the Doctor Doom announcement at Marvel's SDCC 2024 panel
Robert Downey Jr. shares cryptic new Marvel art of Doctor Doom and Iron Man for Thanksgiving, adding fuel to the theory they'll be connected in Avengers: Doomsday
 
 
Sadie Sink as Max Mayfield in Stranger Things 4
Stranger Things star Sadie Sink hints that she's not playing Mary Jane in Marvel's Spider-Man 4: "I'm excited for it to be put to rest"
 
 
Latest in Features
Big Preview Total War hub image featuring Warhammer 3 characters
Explore the future of Total War in the GamesRadar+ Big Preview
 
 
Crucial DDR5 Pro facing the camera on a stand, showing the small Crucial branding
Crucial could have been the brand to help consumers with RAM and storage costs, not make them worse
 
 
Dust Bunny
Bryan Fuller's Dust Bunny is a weird and wonderful tale with one important lesson: "Believe children"
 
 
Hand using the Nintendo Switch 2 Joy-Con controller in its mouse setting
Here's how to use mouse controls on Metroid Prime 4, and how to make them even better
 
 
Matt Mercer smiling and Brennan Lee Mulligan talking, with a white line dividing them
I've watched 1000+ hours of D&D podcasts, here's what Critical Role 4 should learn from Dimension 20 and new DM Brennan Lee Mulligan
 
 
Art from Octopath Traveler 0 showing Alexia walking down some steps and examining statues
Octopath Traveler 0 fulfils a wish I've had since the first JRPG in the series, but it also loses something that made its predecessors special
 
 
  1. Art from Octopath Traveler 0 showing the hero being haunted by the images of those who burned his hometown, with ghostly images of the three surrounding an image of a town on fire behind him as he walks forward
    1
    Octopath Traveler 0 review: "The strongest entry in this retro-styled JRPG series yet, I love the greater focus on tactical battles"
  2. 2
    Sleep Awake review: "An all-timer horror premise is let down by tired stealth that I feel like I'm sleepwalking through"
  3. 3
    Metroid Prime 4: Beyond review: "The series' atmosphere has never been better, while being dragged down by a boring overworld and clunky psychic powers"
  4. 4
    Routine review: "This imperfect but wonderfully atmospheric moon-based horror leaves a strong impression"
  5. 5
    Marvel Cosmic Invasion review: "Excellent '90s-tinged superhero brawling across a punchy campaign falls just short of arcade bliss"
  1. Freddy Fazbear in Five Nights at Freddy's 2
    1
    Five Nights at Freddy's 2 review: "We have waited two years for a Five Nights at Freddy's 1.5"
  2. 2
    Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery review: "Brings Knives Out back to its roots for a sequel that's almost on a par with the original"
  3. 3
    Wicked: For Good review: "Builds to an incredibly cathartic conclusion, but isn't quite as captivating as Part 1"
  4. 4
    The Running Man review: "Some fun action and Glen Powell's star power aren't enough to energize this disappointing Stephen King adaptation"
  5. 5
    Predator: Badlands review: "Die-hard fans may be disappointed, but as a blockbuster action-adventure, Badlands kills it"
  1. Noah Schnapp as Will Byers and Jamie Campbell Bower as Vecna in Stranger Things season 5
    1
    Stranger Things season 5 volume 1 review: “Can the Duffer brothers stick the landing? It’s sure looking like they will”
  2. 2
    Pluribus season 1 review: "Easily one of the year's best dramas"
  3. 3
    The Witcher season 4 review: "The Henry Cavill-less fourth season is the best yet"
  4. 4
    IT: Welcome to Derry review: "A supremely confident step back into the history of Stephen King's cursed town and killer clown"
  5. 5
    Splinter Cell: Deathwatch review: "A pale imitation of the long-dormant stealth franchise"

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Add as a preferred source on Google
  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...