This is the forth mini-episode compilation, this one is Captain America.
For an index of all episodes go here
Original Air Date: 24/10/2010 Production Code:004
14 Meet Captain America
15 The Red Skull Strikes!
16 If This Be Doomsday!
18 Lo, There Shall Come a Conqueror
Titles Assembled: Hulk, Giant-Man, Iron Man, Wasp and Thor
A good episode in all, liked the portrayal of Cap and his voice was good, what I really didn't like what the whole it wasn't the Nazi Party it was Hydra. I have no problem with current day Germany, and I'm well able to discern an evil Nazi type from a normal person, and under no impression they are the same. I think its good that kids growing up today know what happened in the past. Especially now that World War II is passing out of living memory, it makes it even more important to remember it, so we don't make the same mistakes again.
I'll keep this short lest I start ranting, but you get the idea.
See you next time for our last compilation episode 07 The Man in the Ant Hill.
Titles Assembled: Hulk, Giant-Man, Iron Man, Wasp and Thor
14 Meet Captain America
We see a blue skinned scanning time for Steve Rodgers (That's Cap if you didn't know) The first thing that comes up is an Allies propaganda film from World War II, where we learn that is wasn't Nazi Germany but Hydra that were the aggressors, which makes nobody a Super Nazi . . . I don't really approve of this, sure you need to set Hydra up as villains, but they could be working with/for Germany, or was it God forbid that children learn of the existence of World War II and it destroy their fragile minds? or maybe just so they can sell the show in a German market, either way I think its a mistake WWII happened, no point trying to hide, or deny all or just certain aspects of it, you know who I'm taking about. I better stop before this turns into a whole different rant.
"Oh, so that's what happened . . ."
The film recounts the tale of how scrawny Steve Rodgers became the Sentinel of Liberty, Captain America! by taking drugs (The Super Soldier formula). It tells us now that Cap it leading the valiant struggle against the evil Red Skull and his evil forces of evil! They are Evil! and back to reality we see a group of soldiers on a landing craft heading towards shore, It that Dum Dum Dugan back there ?! and we see a unit insignia "The Howlers" this is a reference to Nick Fury's Howling Commandos. It was Nick's unit of bad assery back in the day before he ran Shield.
The Howlers get ashore but we see them being shadowed by a group of ne'er-do-wells. A flare goes up, giving away there position, they command is given to scatter. I count eight members of the Howlers, just like the core members of the Howling Commandos (minus Nick Fury of course) Hydra troops are laying down fire, we see who has to be Pinky Pinkerton, take cover with someone else I cant make out. Then Dino Manelli and Izzy Cohen, The commander referred to as Sgt. Jack, (Who is somewhere between Nick Fury and Gabe Jones I guess, from the looks of it they wanted Fury but didn't want to have to go down the Infinity Formula/how is he still alive today path) calls a command to Howlett ( James Howlett aka Wolverine!). They are pinned down until someone slices the machine gun in twain with his might shield! Just a few inspirational words from Cap and the Howlers are ready to march into Hell for him. (Hey its Cap he could read a shopping list and people would line up and be ready to march for him)
"When Captain America throws his mighty Shield . . . "
Then a young Von Strucker ( No longer Super Nazi ) is delivering a report to the Red Skull ( Also Ex-Super Nazi) I must say Skulls voice is perfect! it sounds like a tombstone with a German accent. The Howlers advances you can see Jonathan "Junior" Juniper in his stupid hat run by if you wish. We see Dugan, Wolverine (Howlett) and Pinkerton with his combat umbrella taking down Hyrda troops, and advance on castle Red Skull. Cap and Fury-lite make it to the door. Cap tells us his Shield is one of a kinda as a grenade soars over head taking out Sergeant Jack Fury-lite. A lone Hyrda goon thinks he has the drop on Cap, then the drawbridge lands on him . . . and Bucky appears and cracks some wise, after just brutally killing some dude, (be probably has a Hyrda wife and some Hydra kids somewhere). Also for fun Bucky is voiced by the same guy who was Ma-Ti in Captain Planet, he likes Sidekicking to Captains I guess.
Cap and Bucky enter the castle only to be confronted by a giant ogre looking thing . . .
15 The Red Skull Strikes!
Cap thinks it might be one of Zola's experiments (Arnim Zola former Super Nazi) As they are fighting, they monster seems to have some sort of obedience collar. Cap tricks the beast into falling to its doom. They find the secret lab, and we see lots of beasties in containment tubes. Hydra troops get the drop on our brave duo. When I saw the first monster I had an its kinda Norse feeling, this tripled when i saw the other creatures, little did I know how right I would be . . .
"All those who choose to oppose his shield must yield!"
It turns out Skull has managed to access Bifrost, the rainbow bridge and has been using it to capture creatures from the nine worlds, mostly Nifilheim and Jotunheim by the looks of it. He plans to use them as weapons and demonstrates the obedience collars to control them. He readies the portal to be opened again. They catch something, something big! it looks like the leader of the Frost Giants from episode 04. Cap and Bucky take this opportunity to kick some butt! Cap orders Bucky to shut down the portal while he handles the Skull.
16 If This Be Doomsday!
First I should point out that the title is another reference to a classic Fantastic Four story, this time issue #49 If This Be Doomsday, its actually about Galactus and not Doctor Doom.
"If he’s led to a fight and a duel is due"
So anyway the creatures are free and wreaking havoc, while the Frost Giant is trying to come through the portal. The Fenrir type sets its sights on some goons, while its big brother tangles with Cap. The Hydras are dropping like flies. Bucky fights an ogre that kinda looks like World Breaker Hulk. Bucky makes his way to close the portal and in intercepted by the young Von Strucker, with no monocle. Bucky hurls many insults at him, making his stab wildly and electrocute himself.
Cap creates an impromptu flame thrower to herd the remaining creatures back through the portal. The Frost Giant almost all the way out now, Bucky cuts the power with Stucker's sword closing the portal. Skull starts to run, after swearing revenge. The castle starts to collapse as Cap and Bucky give chase.
Skull boards his escape rocket, Cap leaps aboard and orders Buck to stay behind, who doesn't listen. The rocket is now over a glacier sea (its a fast rocket). Cap busts open the cockpit, Skull ejects revealing the count down to the rockets detonation, Cap tells Bucky to jump for it. but his foot is stuck. Confident Cap will survive a fall from this height Bucky kicks his friend in the head, and waits for his fate.
"Then the red and the white and the blue will come through"
Cap his the icy water and sinks, his Shield ices over, is this the end? The propaganda film seems to think so. We see the blue skinned fellow being somewhat displeased.
18 Lo, There Shall Come a Conqueror
This title seems to be a reference to something, but a quick Google search didn't reveal anything. But at the very least its referring to the blue skinned gentleman who is in fact Kang the Conqueror, time Travelling Despot. I'm not sure if he is referred to by name in this episode at all.
So now Kang actually travelling back to witness the even first hand follows Cap and Bucky as they fight through the castle. No one can see him of course. He keeps skipping ahead like he is looking for something specific. Once again Cap falls to his icy tomb, and Kang watches and fast forwards like he is expecting him to surface, but he does not. He waits until he gets a warning that a time disturbance is in progress, and he jumps back to his Damocles base.
"When Captain America throws his mighty shield!"
So back in Kang's time, we learn that temporal disturbances are threatening to collapse the space-time continuum. We see whole cities start to disappear, like they never existed. Kang believes Steve Rodgers is somehow responsible. Kang cant understand how, since he saw him die. Kang has some inspiration and scans records from the 21st century. He finds something and prepares his fleet for time jump. Ravanna his princess is caught up in the temporal distortion and gravely injured as Kang jumps into the past. He appears in orbit above Earth, swears he will save his love, even if he has to conquer all the Earth again to do it.
A good episode in all, liked the portrayal of Cap and his voice was good, what I really didn't like what the whole it wasn't the Nazi Party it was Hydra. I have no problem with current day Germany, and I'm well able to discern an evil Nazi type from a normal person, and under no impression they are the same. I think its good that kids growing up today know what happened in the past. Especially now that World War II is passing out of living memory, it makes it even more important to remember it, so we don't make the same mistakes again.
I'll keep this short lest I start ranting, but you get the idea.
See you next time for our last compilation episode 07 The Man in the Ant Hill.
What you neglected to mention was how bad the animation was specifically in Cap's fighting sequences as well as the choreography. The edits are horrendous and they use cheesy still shots any chance they get whenever Steve Rogers has an extended action scene.
ReplyDeleteAlso watching this you'd think BUCKY was the one with the super soldier serum as all the "ultimate-human-machine" Cap does is boringly throw his shield while Bucky does all this complex Jackie Chan-fu.
Keep your eye out in future eps how much they avoid giving Cap any extended action spotlight.
Well this episode was originally a bunch of three to five minutes shorts as an introduction to the show and characters, and was rushed through production because of it. Episodes 3-7 are made of these 20 shorts or so. That will account for the disjointed action scenes and possibly different animation style.
ReplyDeleteAlso something I've learned over the years, that cartoon shows aimed at kids, can have very strict if not down right bizarre restrictions on certain characters. For example the 90's Spider-Man show has all sorts of crazy rules in place. No one could be killed, or implied to be killed of even say killed leading to lines like "if i didn't get that kitty out of the tree he would be destroyed", Spidey wasn't allows punch anyone and the list goes on to some even crazier rules involving pigeons.
I'm similar rules like this are in place for the show especially on icon characters like Cap. But also there is a precedent for this in the comic, In Ed Brubaker's run on Captain America introduced the idea that Bucky was used to do things that Cap's squeaky clean heroic propaganda image couldn't allow, Like sneaking in places and sticking mines to Nazis, or just Solid Snaking it and killing everyone quietly with a bit knife. If you check out my Episode 17 Guide you will see that I talk about the scene where Cap and Tony are training but we never see any direct hits.
So I wouldn't necessary condemn all those things out of hand ( but you are more than entitled to you opinions ARM :) ) but I can see reasons for them that are not totally world breaking for me anyway.