MovieChat Forums > Captain America (1991) Discussion > Has Captain surpassed Iron Man?

Has Captain surpassed Iron Man?

posted 9 years ago by lukecage92
12 replies | jump to latest

Here is an interesting question. Iron Man no doubt kicked off the MCU in spectacular fashion and for pretty much two phases you can argue he was the central character of the MCU. The engine of the whole universe. However, after WS, Captain America's popularity went through the roof. I see just as many Cap shield shirts as I do Batman and Superman shirts. CW could surpass Avengers' OW when it opens and not to mention that if CW is as good as they say it would be, Captain would arguably have the best superhero trilogy ever. So is it fair to say that this is Captain's universe now ( until Spider-man gain popularity in five years but that could be another topic)?

You on point Phife?- RIP Phife Dog

[–] Times_Up 9 years ago

I dunno. Personally I prefer Downey's Iron Man, but Evans' Cap is right behind him. I think the 3rd film will tell.

If I didn’t talk the way I talk I wouldn’t know who the hell I am, Sean Connery on his accent

[–] KeyBrains 9 years ago

Don't sleep on Star-Lord, but yeah Cap is my favorite character in the MCU. After CW the Cap series will have been the BEST super hero trilogy of all time. TDK3 and the Iron Man series notwithstanding. If X-Men:Apocalypse is really, really good, that'll be another trilogy deserving consideration of top 5 all time.

I'd say the top trilogies ever:

Star Wars OT
LOTR
TDK3
Iron Man
Man With No Name
Toy Story
Indiana Jones OT
Alien OT
Die Hard OT
Back to the Future

There are some trilogies that have 2 amazing movies and then go down the sh!tter so, apologies to The Godfather, Raimi's Spider-Man, X-Men OT, Blade, etc.

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[–] Stevpies 9 years ago

I'd say Iron Man still is the face of the MCU. But a strong argument can also be made for Cap.

Urich: Guess I have more faith in humanity. Fisk: So did Christ, if I recall.

[–] prgrandmasta 9 years ago

I still believe Iron Man is more popular and more profitable than Captain America. Iron Man is still the "face" of Marvel at the moment and Iron Man 3 grossed more money than Winter Soldier.

I strongly believe that Civil War will gross an insane amount of money due to Iron Man and the Avengers. I honestly see Groot dethroning Captain America as a fan favorite very soon.

[–] lukecage92 9 years ago

Well, you will have a great point if CW becomes as big as they say it will and the argument could be said that it was because of Iron Man.

You on point Phife?- RIP Phife Dog

[–] Stevpies 9 years ago

Profitability? Yes. Iron Man makes the most money. But Captain America's good hearted nature and boy scout attitude is what everyone aspires to be like. I'd rather have that person as a face of a franchise. Even tho Superman doesn't sell as much as Batman, he still is THE face of DC because of his ideals and uplifting demeanor. But Again, its all debateble.

Urich: Guess I have more faith in humanity. Fisk: So did Christ, if I recall.

[–] lukecage92 9 years ago

Good comparison with DC's Superman and Batman.

You on point Phife?- RIP Phife Dog

[–] TheHiawatha 9 years ago

I think a good metaphor would be this: If the MCU was a rock band....

Iron Man=lead singer/second guitar (and the spokesman and key songwriter)
Captain America=lead guitar/backup singer (also writes a lot of the songs)
Thor=bass guitar/backup singer
The Hulk=drums

Spider-Man is the big solo singer/guitarist who got screwed over by his old label, so now he signed to the band's label, and frequently tours with them and collabs with them in their new songs.

Ant-Man, Black Widow, Falcon, The Vision, Nick Fury, etc=session and touring musicians

GOTG=the opening act who totally nailed it

Daredevil, Daisy, Peggy Carter, Agent May, Jessica Jones, etc=road crew

"Lives with no meaning go straight past you, like trains that don’t stop at your station."

[–] Kodzilla88 9 years ago

We had some pretty good discussions about this when i made that face of the MCU thread a couple months back. Most people leaned towards Iron Man with Cap in second and Spidey being the future face of the franchise.

I think it being a Cap film might present this as Evans working his way past RDJ but RDJ being in this movie is undoubtedly driving it to greater heights than it probably would have been without him. It's really hard to argue the #s that Iron Man movies have done vs Caps. Caps IMO are of better quality but i still think RDJ is the centerpiece of the MCU. There's already talks about him being in the next Spider-Man film(i know nothing about who wins or dies in Civil War). As far as the Cap t-shirts go, i do see way more Cap shields but i also think that symbol is easier to sell than an Iron Man helmet or arc reactor shirt. Winter Soldier really did skyrocket Caps popularity, when before that he was joked as "everyone's least favorite Avenger"

---Straight outta Strontia---

[–] lukecage92 9 years ago

That is true with t shirt marketing. It is an easier sell. I think there is no question that Spider-man will be the center piece in three to four years. I guess we can say that Iron Man is 1a and Cap is 1b. Like Crimson said, many people, including myself, thought Cap was pretty much a joke until his movies, especially Winter Soldier. I can say right now that he is my favorite Avenger in the MCU since that movie. An interesting dynamic that was mentioned though is Chris Pratt. You can start to argue that he is becoming a hotter than star than anyone else except RDJ ( and that could be debatable).

You on point Phife?- RIP Phife Dog

[–] CrimsonRage 9 years ago

In the general public's minds, probably not. Iron Man and RDJ still remain the poster boy for the MCU. But I think the strength of Cap's trilogy compared to Iron Man's will have boosted him in many fan's eyes. It certainly has for me.

"I reject your reality and substitute my own"

[–] prgrandmasta 9 years ago

Captain America has been in basically 5 films. His popularity is rising but I don't think he can dethrone Iron Man. And we have RDJ to thank for that. RDJ is by far the most recognized and loved by the general audience so much so he is set to appear in Spiderman Homecoming.

Now look at Star-Lord and Groot. Both have only been in one film and already the demand for Guardians of the Galaxy is stellar. I think Marvel hit the jackpot with who they cast because these actors truly love the roles with the exception of secondary characters whom the actors seem to always have drama behind the scenes with.