Of all the character-specific trilogies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Captain America's is perhaps the most thematically consistent and complete. His on-screen narrative often goes out of its way to pay tribute to the comic source material, but it is also not afraid to invent its own path for Steve Rogers.

This may seem like a dichotomy, but it is actually a major reason why his films are so successful. Oftentimes, what works for stories in one medium, such as comics, does not work equally well in others like film. Taika Waititi mentioned that, although Thor: Ragnarok pulled influence from Jack Kirby's zany art, it still "doesn't quite translate from the two-dimensional format." This is true not only for visual elements but for the story as well.

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Captain America: The First Avenger

Yet even if adjustments and changes need to be made, ignoring too much of what defines a hero for audiences should be avoided as well. The Deadpool featured in X-Men Origins: Wolverine was appalling to fans because he was absolutely nothing like his comic book counterpart. Problematic or dated aspects can of course be edited out, but the spirit of what makes the character successful must remain.

Captain America's persona had no issues carrying over to the silver screen. His blend of patriotism, heart, leadership and morality make him a sympathetic and relatable hero for audiences to follow. Ditto for some of his stronger storylines, such as Ed Brubaker and Steve Epting's Out of Time and Winter Soldier arcs and Mark Millar and Steve McNiven's Civil War. Even Rogers'  development in the MCU prior to Avengers: Infinity War, going from a loyal perfect soldier, being frozen and reawakened to join the Avengers, then abandoning the Captain America moniker due to disillusionment, closely mirror his original narrative prior to Steve Englehart and Sal Buscema's Captain America #180.

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Still, there are differences in the application and context of all these comic-accurate inclusions that make the story uniquely suited to film. Captain America: The Winter Soldier did not feature the Cosmic Cube or Red Skull, despite both being prominent parts of the source comics. The film also incorporates HYDRA's infiltration of S.H.I.E.L.D. from Brian Michael Bendis and Jonathan Hickman's Secret Warriors, which was previously unrelated to Cap but works for the movie's theme of the blurring of lines between good and evil.

Captain America: Civil War, like its predecessor, did not adapt the story it was based on wholesale. The film does not feature Nitro or his role in the Stamford tragedy, Spider-Man's unmasking and turn to Cap's side, nor the Thor clone. Instead, there is a subplot centered on the Winter Soldier program and a completely original interpretation of Helmut Zemo.

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Captain America and iron Man

On the other hand, the first film, Captain America: The First Avenger, while faithful to the mythos, is almost completely original. Almost all plot elements, save a few, were invented for the film. The first Captain America comic, for example, started with Rogers already receiving the super-soldier serum, not stubbornly applying for the military. This was most likely done due to the serial nature of the original Captain America comics, as no real multi-issue storylines existed back then.

These examples serve to prove that literal interpretations do not necessarily help, and sometimes actively hinder, the filmmaker's ability to tell a good and cohesive story. So long as the spirit of a character is maintained, creators should be free to pull from various sources, change details and invent new characters and events in the exploration of relevant themes, world-building and character development.

Certain comic book stories undoubtedly have a profound influence on readers, leading to the desire to see them brought to the big screen at an almost one-to-one similarity. However, a trilogy like Captain America's that blends the fans' expected accuracy and the film medium's required originality, can yield fantastic results.

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