In the most absurd of superhero related movie news, Captain America: The First Avenger will be going with a less controversial title when it hits the foreign film markets of Russia, Ukraine and South Korea. For these areas, Marvel Studios has opted to play down the whole America aspect of the film by calling it simply: The First Avenger.
Seriously? While I get that our hubris as a nation over the past decade or so has been seen as irksome to insufferable to a number of foreign countries, this seems absurd. The dude is wrapped up in a modification of our flag and his name is Captain America! Who the hell will be fooled by this insipid title change? Why even take it to a market Marvel fears will be hostile to the idea of an obviously nationalistic superhero?
Marvel is trying to dampen the political considerations behind this decision while they attempt to downplay the ferocity of Cap’s patriotic fervor. Hero Complex spoke with director Joe Johnston, who insisted:
He wants to serve his country, but he’s not this sort of jingoistic American flag-waver…He’s just a good person. We make a point of that in the script: Don’t change who you are once you go from Steve Rogers to this super-soldier; you have to stay who you are inside, that’s really what’s important more than your strength and everything. It’ll be interesting and fun to put a different spin on the character and one that the fans are really going to appreciate … the idea that this is not about America so much as it is about the spirit of doing the right thing…It’s an international cast and an international story. It’s about what makes America great and what make the rest of the world great too.
I’ll let you parse through the implications of that one.
Heat Vision points out the trend in the de-America-fication of Hollywood movies over past few years, a tactic that aims to make Hollywood feature fare better in a global market that has gotten pretty tired of our nation’s self-proclaimed brand of heroism.
When Paramount made their 2009 G.I. Joe movie, the monicker “A Real American Hero” was discarded in favor of “The Rise of Cobra.”
And when Warner Bros. made Superman Returns, the line “Truth, Justice and the American Way” was changed to “truth, justice, all that stuff.”
In sensitive times, it seems like people may still love Hollywood, they may not want to be reminded that Hollywood is in America.
I’m sure the Marvel crew is stoked to have this marketing move compared to the middling success stories of Superman Returns and G.I. Joe.
The Captain America movie is currently in post, and set to hit theaters in his subdued patriotic glory on July 22, 2011. Personally, I’m curious to see what kind of Captain America will be brought to the silver screen as our country’s dramatic division contributed to the death (however temporary) of the Captain in a 2008 comics run. Which side of the aisle will this Captain America represent? It sounds to me like Marvel’s trying desperately to have him straddle that divide, which could mean an ambiguous narrative that could spell catastrophe.
To be honest, I’m hoping for a superhero adventure on par with Iron Man, which took a pretty clear political stance, and proved hugely successful with critics, fans, and at the box office. I want Cap to be more than a “just a good person;” I want him to be a hero for these dark and confusing times.
How about you? What do you want to see in Captain America: The First Avenger? Do you think changing the title will help in the foreign markets?