Comic Con: The Marvel Panel! Captain America: The Winter Soldier! Epic clip and trailer description!

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

Without question, the one presentation I was most looking forward to was for CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER. As a huge fan of Bucky/Winter Soldier as created by writer Ed Brubaker, the prospect of seeing this storyline on the big screen is like a dream come true. Kevin Feige sat with directors Anthony and Joe Russo, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Samuel L. Jackson, Anthony Mackie, Cobie Smulders, Frank Grillo, Emily Van Camp, and of course, Sebastian Stan. The panel kicked off with the cast talking about their roles and the overall theme of the film.

“It turns out Marvel knows what they’re doing, so every time you put the suit back on, you get really excited and can’t wait to see what they’re going to do," said Evans, who is reprising the role for the third time. Evans also talked about how Cap is deaing with the adjustment to present-day life and how telling right from wrong is much more difficult as the issues are much more complicated than they were in the 1940's. Johansson stressed how her Black Widow character is much more integral to the story this time and acts as a partner to Cap in this outing. She also says that this is a much "grittier" film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe then we've seen before.

Samuel L. Jackson said that it was "bad ass" to be back playing Nick Fury again and that he and Cap "understand each other as soldiers" which helps make Cap's transition a little easier. However, Jackson also pointed out that "everything that comes out of his [Fury's] mouth is a lie anyway." Anthony Mackie, who plays The Falcon, was especially excited about his role, saying, "I got guns and wings and we're jamming out business!"

The question was also posed as to how faithfully the film adapts Ed Brubaker's Winter Soldier storyline that inspired the movie and Feige said that it will be "pretty close" with the main element being that of Cap's surprise, rather than the audiences as to who The Winter Soldier really is. When asked why he hired the Russo brothers for the film, Feige said that Marvel has "always been rewarded" when hiring diverse talent like theirs, but then trailed off, saying: "Do you want me to talk about why I hired them or do you want me to show you?"

Aaaand, like that we're onto the first footage and trailer for CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER:

It begins with a clip, as Cap walks onto an elevator in a massive building, his shield on his back and rocking the new S.H.I.E.L.D.-themed uniform. The elevator begins to move and then stops, with a number of SWAT-like guys entering, including Frank Grillo as Rumlow (Crossbones). Cap addresses him as Rumlow and they seem to have a working relationship and start talking about a mission they're about to go on. The elevator stops and more people get on. Cap starts to get suspicious and looks around at everyone, who all face forward as the elevator continues to move again. It then stops a third time, with more people getting onboard. Cap waits a beat and then says, "Before we do this. Does anyone want to get off?"

And with that, we're into a full on closed-space brawl, that goes down every bit as bad ass and awesome as a James Bond or Jason Bourne style throw down. What's clever is that these guys came prepared, utilizing a magnetic clasp that is meant to hold Cap down so that they can subdue/sedate him. But, the Super Soldier serum isn't easily defeated and Cap is able to pull free, using the clasps as hand holds to manuever around the tight space and unleash hell. That is, except for Rumlow, who looks vicious and intense when taking on Cap as they're the last two standing. It's a tough fight, and although Cap prevails, you are left feeling that Rumlow is a contender for him. Cap stands in the elevator, surrounded by knocked out bad guys, kicking his shield up to his hand like a boss and we jump right into the new trailer.

The trailer begins after this, kicking into high gear with a lot of quick cuts and action sequences spliced in that it would be impossible to recount it all in just one watch. There are snippets of dialogue peppered throughout, including the first images and dialogue from Robert Redford, who is mostly office-bound. Fury and Cap are standing in a heavily industrialized military area talking at one point with Fury saying something to the effect of, "We have to deal with the world as it is; not how we’d like it to be," to which Cap says, "That's fear, not freedom." From there it's a lot of running, from all characters, including SWAT teams, Black Widow, Cap, an exploding SUV (as we've seen in the set pics), and a familiar armored arm ripping off the hood of a moving vehicle while he's on top of it.

There's also a massive S.H.I.E.L.D. base that is very reminiscent of the Triskelion base from the ultimates comics, that really puts the scale of Cap in perspective. Remember how cool the Helicarrier was in THE AVENGERS when you saw it? Now imagine a massive, almost "Death Star" like docking base where you could easily fit twenty of them. There's also a sequence that shows the new and improved Hellicarrier crashing into the water and it crumpled and explodes in layers as it crashes, which really plays up the sheer volume of it. One thing's for sure. The rumblings that this film is every bit as big as THE AVENGERS in terms of action and scope seem deadly accurate.

The Falcon is introduced in style, showing him being chased by bad guys on a roof top, forcing him to jump off, while shooting two automatic handguns, then activating his wings and flying off, while still firing away. The trailer is super light on actual Winter Soldier footage aside from the hood sequence above and the title pops up as if that's all we're going to get. Only it's not. The sweet reveal comes after the title, where we see Cap's heavily scathed shield embedded in the ground, debris and flames riddled on the ground. A pair of black, military style boots walk toward it and then a silver, bionic arm reaches out and grabs it, the camera panning up to reveal the unmasked Winter Soldier. The coolest aspect? Although he doesn't have the eyemask, the area around the eyes is darkened, much like warpaint, and in the last second he looks up, showing his eyes, looking determined and angry.

And, at that point, my nerdgasm kicks in. My bias is already clear, but with such high expectations this could easily have let me down in a big way. Instead, it absolutely blew me away. The last five seconds alone are enough, but the fact that the entire film looks like a fast, smart, military action thriller that is mostly shot in broad daylight, which really adds some great atmospheric flavor, reminding me a lot of a Tony Scott action thriller from the good ol' days. It's slick, brutal, and epic in size. Although, THOR: THE DARK WORLD looks super impressive as well, my money is one hundred percent on this one to be the best of the Phase Two standalone films.

CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER unleashes the awesome on April 4, 2014.