Maybe it's some sort of "Field of Dreams" thing, but apparently if you ask who should play Captain America, they will respond. And by "they" I mean every-freakin'-one.
Clocking in as the most popular poll we've ever run on Splash Page, our query regarding who should play Steve Rogers in "The First Avenger: Captain America" not only received a lot of votes, but it also generated quite a bit of discussion. We posted our thoughts on who's best suited to fill the role, so now it's time to reveal who you chose to play Captain America.
In the end, it was a close race between "Torchwood" star John Barrowman and "True Blood" actor Alexander Skarsgard—but Captain Jack Harkness prevailed, and Barrowman landed at the top of the tally with 36 percent of the total votes. Here's how the rest of the poll panned out, and a sampling of readers' explanations about why they voted the way they did. Read more...
Given the hotbed of conversation in our poll of the week, it only makes sense that Steve Rogers is the subject of today's Secret Identity casting call.
Captain America is undoubtedly one of Marvel's highest profile superheroes, and with his very own movie on the way, it's well worth wondering who could sling that mighty shield.
In terms of practicalities, Cap's biggest problem lies in his origin story: scrawny Steve Rogers volunteers to test the super soldier serum, thereby becoming the red, white and blue hero he's known for today. Outside of Christian Bale, I can't think of many actors that could leap from a rail thin frame to the muscular build required of Captain America -- so instead, I'll focus on the post-serum Cap. With that stipulation, here are five actors with what it takes to bring Marvel's most patriotic superhero to the big screen. Read more...
Last summer's "Iron Man" made waves when it snuck in an surprise visit from Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury after the ending credits, planting the seeds for the upcoming "Thor," "The First Avenger: Captain America," and "Avengers" films. So when MTV News caught up with "Iron Man 2" star Don Cheadle, the question of an after-credits surprise had to be asked.
Spoiler alert: Cheadle is hilarious.
“Thor and Hulk both make an appearance in this film. They work at a diner," Cheadle told MTV News, “You heard it hear first. Thor is actually in the movie. He eats Tony Stark. He consumes him into his godlike belly and spews him into the world. He turns into stars actually.” Read more...
The leader of television's "Torchwood" team appears to have his eye on leading an entirely different set of heroic operatives: The Avengers.
At last weekend's Comic-Con International, "Torchwood" star John Barrowman attended a special panel for "Torchwood: Children of Earth," the recent third miniseries in the BBC franchise. Comics Alliance reports that during a Q&A with the audience, the onscreen Captain Jack told the audience that he'd like to play another popular Captain -- namely, Steve Rogers.
"You know what I want to play? Captain America," Barrowman proclaimed to the wildly receptive crowd, before adding that it "so won't happen." Read more...
With all the buzz surrounding the upcoming "Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark," musical, comic fans might be wondering if Broadway will follow in Hollywood's footsteps and develop a healthy appetite for sequential source material. It's too early to tell whether the trend will catch on with musical buffs, but that doesn't mean the possibility hasn't crossed our minds. After all, there are scores of properties ripe for the picking. Read on to examine four franchises with the potential to make fans' hearts sing. Read more...
This shouldn't come as much of a surprise to longtime followers of Marvel's mutant community, but it seemed worth a post here -- if only to confirm what we've all thought about the love lives of the men and women of the X-Men universe.
Over at UncannyXMen.net, they've assembled a diagram of who's been "more than friends" with whom, and where those relationships fall on the scale of simple flirtation, one-night stand or long-term commitment. While Wolverine's promiscuity was pretty much a given, it's interesting to see where some of Marvel's other mutants have made their booty calls, and how much of a mess alternate realities can make out of a character's love life. Read more...
It’s the Fourth of July weekend in the U.S., and that means parties, barbeques and general celebrations of national pride. With that in mind, it seems fitting to think of those heroes who not only serve their country but also use patriotic outfits and monikers. So, here’s a list of some great U.S.-themed super-heroes.
UNCLE SAM: In the DC Comics Universe, a spiritual avatar of the United States was brought into being through an occult ritual. As the years passed, this spirit would alter its form and identity based on the era. During the Revolutionary War, he called himself the Minute-Man. During the Civil War, he split into twin entities known as Johnny Reb and Billy Yank. In 1870, he was reborn as Uncle Sam, his most powerful form.
Since his mystical abilities ebb and flow based on how much faith Americans have in their country and themselves, Uncle Sam learned the value of having allies and so, during WW II, he formed a team of superheroes called the Freedom Fighters and led them in battle against several Nazi menaces. In the modern-day, he was forced to fight a dark twin who was concerned with money rather than people and later became leader of a new version of the Freedom Fighters. Read more...
Hollywood is home to a lot of creative people, but when it comes to bringing Marvel Comics' superheroes to the big screen, last summer's "Iron Man" proved that employing a consulting brain trust from the publisher's internal talent is a key ingredient to nailing the details. With "The First Avenger: Captain America" ramping up for its 2011 release date, current "Captain America" scribe Ed Brubaker believes Marvel Studios is likely repeat that formula by tapping him for input on the project.
"I've seen the preliminary stuff for the movie, a year or so ago before [Marvel Studios] hired the new screenwriter and director," Brubaker told MTV News. "I know Kevin Feige was talking about bringing me in when they put together the 'Captain America' brain trust for the movie -- like they did for 'Iron Man' with Matt Fraction and [Brian] Bendis." Read more...
By now you already know about the return of the original Captain America, Steve Rogers, after his death at the hands of an agent of The Red Skull back in 2007. Announced just yesterday in a media blitz that had comics fans everywhere saying "I told you so," the end of Rogers' long hiatus (in comics time, at least) was the news everyone was waiting to hear about since, well... the news of his death.
"Captain America" writer Ed Brubaker, who scripted the character's death and will also be scripting the five-issue "Reborn" series featuring Rogers' return, has already gone on record saying the gone-and-back strategy was planned from the very start. So, while response to Rogers' return has been mixed (with many of the most vocal critics of his death now equally critical about his return), the most important question coming out of the media frenzy could be the simplest: why did he have to die in the first place? Read more...
This week was a little light for comics with movie and television connections, but there were still some titles worth calling out for anyone who likes their weekly serving of comics with a side of media crossover appeal.
TOP OF THE STACK: "X-MEN ORIGINS: GAMBIT" #1 (Marvel) -- While Remy LeBeau has a lot more fans these days thanks to his big-screen debut in "X-Men Origins: Wolverine," mainstream audiences (and comics fans whose interests don't fall along the X-Men axis) probably aren't as savvy to his sordid past. Marvel looks to clear all that confusion up with this one-shot that delves into Gambit's criminal past -- and how he became one of the most popular heroes in the mutant universe.
Written by Mike Carey with art by David Yardin, this could be a great series to pick up if you're looking to prep for the inevitable Gambit solo movie or just want to fill in the blanks in your mutant memory. Read more...
