‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier’: 5 ways the sequel improves over ‘The First Avenger’

Will Captain America's third big screen adventure be a hit?

Captain America's first trip to theatres -- 2011's "Captain America: The First Avenger" -- was one of the lowest-grossing Marvel movies to date, bringing in "only" $370 million worldwide. A respectable number for other blockbusters, but not for a Marvel Cinematic Universe film where the global tallies usually range from $500 million to a billion dollars.

Super soldier Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) fared much better on his second trip to theatres, in 2012's superhero ensemble pic "The Avengers." The superpowered team-up was an unquestionable success, taking in an astounding $1.5 billion worldwide and winning plenty of critical praise.

But a movie featuring every familiar face in the Marvel Universe is one tough act to follow. In "Avengers," Cap had Tony Stark, Thor, Hawkeye, Black Widow, and the Hulk backing him up last time. Who's helping him in "Captain America: The Winter Soldier"?

Well, both Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) are there, but while the Captain certainly has far fewer allies (and even more enemies) in "The Winter Soldier," this movie might get critics and moviegoers on his side. Here are five ways "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" improves upon "The First Avenger":

A man out of time

One of the most important elements of any Captain America story is the fact that the patriotic superhero is essentially just a regular guy from the 1940s transplanted into the modern era. There wasn’t much of a chance to play up this angle in the Second World War set-up “Captain America: The First Avenger,” but “The Avengers” frequently tried to illustrate just how hilariously out of touch Cap was, poking fun at his old fashioned ways.

In “Winter Soldier,” this facet of Steve Rogers’ character is more fully explored. Like in “The Avengers,” Steve’s “greatest generation" status provides plenty of chances for humour -- but it also gives him far more depth than meets the eye. Cap may joke with Black Widow about how all the guys from his barbershop quartet are dead, but it’s the truth. Almost everyone that Cap ever knew and loved is gone, and those that are still alive are well into their 90s. The super soldier is a stranger in a strange land, and ultimately a very lonely character as a result.

It’s a '70s-style thriller

Where "The First Avenger" was a war movie poking fun at propaganda films and essentially just a two-hour setup for "The Avengers," "The Winter Soldier" is a different beast entirely. Throughout the development, production, and promotion of the film, Marvel producer Kevin Feige and filmmakers Joe and Anthony Russo have said the movie is, at its heart, an old school thriller set in a comic book movie world.

Feige has called the film “a Marvel superhero sequel masquerading as a seventies political thriller,” while the Russos have repeatedly referenced films like “Three Days of the Condor,” and “The Conversation” (the former being one of the many reasons “Three Days” star Robert Redford was cast) when asked to compare “Winter Soldier” to existing movies.

The events of “The Avengers,” “Iron Man 3,” and “Thor: The Dark World” have created a really big mess, and it’s Captain America and S.H.I.E.L.D. who are left to pick up the pieces -- and it turns out some of those pieces are best left unturned. It’s not the sort of Marvel film audiences have seen before, and it's and one that demonstrates that the superhero movie can work in many different genres. Don’t worry, though -- there’s just as much action as there is intrigue!

Robert Redford

One of the few really great things the "The First Avenger" had going for it was the always fantastic Hugo Weaving as German baddie the Red Skull. Marvel has always populated its cinematic universe with great actors, but snagging Hollywood legend Robert Redford for the role of S.H.I.E.L.D. overseer Alexander Pierce was a huge coup.

The 77-year-old actor/director brings a commanding presence to the proceedings, giving even Cap and Nick Fury a run for their authoritative, order-barking money. While it’s certainly a little strange to hear an esteemed Oscar-winner like Redford spouting off comic book movie dialogue with characters like Black Widow and Crossbones, his role elevates what is an already an incredibly entertaining flick to the next level.

It’s nearly a Black Widow movie

S.H.I.E.L.D. co-founder Agent Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell) was Cap's rock in "The First Avenger," but sadly their relationship was somewhat underdeveloped in the movie. Thankfull,y though, "The Winter Soldier" has a much more complex male-female relationship at its heart: the friendship between Rogers and Avengers teammate Agent Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson), a character who is every bit Cap's equal.

Romanoff (better known as Black Widow) has always been a scene stealer in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. She had big set piece moments in both “Iron Man 2” and “The Avengers,” but her part in both films was largely a supporting one.

Not so in “Winter Soldier.” With far fewer costumed superheroes hogging the limelight, Black Widow is actually given some time to develop as a character! Viewers finally get to learn more about Romanoff: who she is, what her role at S.H.I.E.L.D. is, what some of her motivations are, and a little bit more about that mysterious (and oft-referenced) past of hers. Black Widow also happens to kick some serious butt in the film, getting the better of friends and foes alike throughout. Give the woman her own movie already, Marvel!

Everyone gets a piece of the action

Captain America and the Howling Commandos took centre stage in "The First Avenger," but audiences didn't really get to know the group of elite soldiers. Besides Cap pal Bucky Barnes, most viewers would be hard pressed to name even one of them. (And no, saying "the one with the bowler hat" doesn't count!) Many of the group's Second World War exploits were condensed into one lengthy battle montage in the middle of the movie and they were basically never heard from again.

Things are different in "Winter Soldier." Cap may have his name in the title, but the movie really belongs to the team that goes into battle alongside Rogers -- and, of course, to the titular villain, the Winter Soldier. The previously mentioned Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), Agent Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders), and newcomers Falcon (Anthony Mackie) and Agent 13 (Emily VanCamp) all get an opportunity to shine, many in ways you might not expect.

But some of the film’s biggest action moments come courtesy of the mysterious, metal-armed assassin known simply as the Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan). The heavy hitting baddie, along with Crossbones (Frank Grillo) and Batroc (Canadian UFC champ Georges St-Pierre), are involved in some of the best hand-to-hand fight scenes seen in any Marvel film to date. Not to knock the CG-infused action of the studio’s other big superhero offerings (don’t worry, there’s plenty of that here, too), but sometimes it’s better to focus on the smaller, more personal battles.

The critics have weighed in and the consensus is that "The Winter Soldier" is one of the best Marvel movies ever (it’s currently tied with “The Avengers” with an 87 per cent rating on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, just behind the original “Iron Man”). The film is likely going to be the first big hit of the summer movie season.

The only question that remains is whether Cap's second solo outing has the box office power to compete with the rest of the Marvel universe.

"Captain America: The Winter Soldier" storms into theatres on April 4.