Captain America: The First Avenger, the beginning of the story

Directors Joe Johnston and Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely transported audiences to World War II glory with their swashbuckling Captain America origin story.

Across period European battlefields awash in patriotic reds, whites and blues, Chris Evans imprinted himself upon the American mythos as the scrawny but pure-hearted Steve Rogers transformed by science and morality into a hero for the ages.

Johnston balanced brisk action spectacle and sweeping romance, valorizing American exceptionalism without jingoism.

This rooted the stygian superheroics in venerating humankind's highest ideals over extremes.

Hugo Weaving menaced as the pitch-perfect Red Skull, evil's gleeful face. His grand guignol theatrics amplified Rogers' capacity for self-sacrifice as he shouldered responsibility reluctantly but courageously.

Dynamic period craft gave the Marvel series a lighter touch amid the CGI-laden action movies diluting multiplexes. It proved even tentpoles can stimulate through character, vision and history lessons over mayhem alone.

In all, Captain America revealed the superhero saga's majestic potential when infused with old-fashioned imagination, warmth and spectacle celebrating what makes heroes heroic. Johnston delivered the MCU's most earnest and timeless origin film to date. A true classic.

Grossed $176 million domestic and $370 million worldwide, strong returns that affirmed fan enthusiasm to make Captain America a flagship character early in the MCU.