It's Just Movies

— by ADAM POYNTER —

“Captain America: The First Avenger” has been teasing fan boys with little bits of information for the past year. With the announcement of Chris Evans as Steve Rogers, there were fans and many critics of this decision. Some said that he couldn’t pull of the role, or that he has already portrayed a superhero on the big screen. I, for one, was glad with the choice.

I think Evans has the potential to pull off the diversity of Rogers as he changes into Captain America. Plus, others have landed multiple superhero deals (for example, Ryan Reynolds has been Deadpool and will be Hal Jordan/Green Lantern this summer), so that was never a real concern for me.

When we got the first glimpse of Chris Evans in full costume, there were many complaints once again about the departure of the look from the classic comics. However, I was impressed with how they had taken the costume and brought it into reality. And with Hugo Weaving, who plays the story’s main antagonist Johann Schmidt/The Red Skull, comic enthusiasts were up in arms about the design of this character before even seeing the final product.

In the teaser ad released during this year’s Superbowl, we got a split-second shot of the unveiling of the Red Skull. As eccentric fans everywhere hit pause for a look at his face and make-up, I heard a huge sigh of relief as most believed that Marvel Studios had gotten it right.

Well, just yesterday Entertainment Weekly posted this full-body shot, giving us an official first look at Red Skull in his entirety — and he’s dressed in full leather regalia, with large rivet like studs and an awesome belt buckle with the HYDRA logo largely prominent on it. Seeing him in his full glory for the first time is really something, and one thing I noticed was that the coloration of his skin was much brighter than in the trailer, but that could be just because of the lighting. I’m still impressed with how close they have hit the mark when it comes to this vitally-important character for this movie. When all of the pieces are combined, I believe he is truly as close to the design in the comics as is humanly possible.

So what do you think? Were you aware of the Red Skull before you saw this picture or the trailer? Do you find him menacing enough to be one of Captain America’s most vigilant enemies? Sound off in the comment section and let me know!

“Captain America: The First Avenger” hits theaters July 22, 2011, and stars Chris Evans, Hugo Weaving, Stanley Tucci, Hayley Atwell, Sebastian Stan and Tommy Lee Jones.

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