Whiner

The “whiner” comment about Captain America comes from a time I asked my (Civic) niece what she thought of that (fundamentally Civic) movie. She thought it was fine, although that attribute of his was tiresome. And it’s not unwarranted: He complains when he’s not able to get in the Army, complains when he is a super-soldier who’s only doing bond drives, and doesn’t really stop until he’s complaining about being tossed into the 21st century. His reason for doing what he does is mostly not high-minded or morally exceptional, beyond “I don’t like bullies.” When Erskine is killed it sets him on the path to take down Hydra, even though his justification at each step along the way feels a lot like a personal vendetta of retribution.  Not a soul-stripping sort of vengeance, though, and he seems to internalize it in terms of justice and appropriate response. Still, he can’t seem to move on, can’t seem to let go of his anger and disappointment with the hand that Life has dealt him. 

At least, compared to the other Avengers. Barton and Romanoff appear to be well-satisfied with what they do and how they do it. Thor’s anger seems more of a personality trait that he encourages for tradition’s sake.  Bruce Banner and Tony Stark have some right to be similarly disappointed: The Hulk is too dangerous to everything around him, and being on the verge of your last heartbeat every second has to be life-changing. With them, though, there is  least have the alternate explanation that They Deserve It, whether as an assassin with a guilt complex or a weapons dealer injured in a war zone. It’s a far cry from the way Steve Rogers has had his dreams repeatedly answered and dashed. Which is, lets face it, just what is likely to happen in Hero stories, if not to heroes. I’ll be interested to see if they continue with that theme in The Winter Soldier.