Secret comic book movies: Captain America (1979)

“Doesn’t look that much different.”

Now if the name Reb Brown sounds familiar, you may have come across his work before -especially if you ever watched any episodes of Mystery Science Theater 3000 or downloaded RiffTrax. Having starred in such meme-worthy favorites like Yor: The Hunter from the Future (1983), Strike Commando (1987), and especially Space Mutiny (1988), Brown is the Arnold Schwarzenegger of hilariously bad, low-budget cinema. Yet it was this 1979 TV role as his favorite superhero which became his “breakout role.” Moreover, director Rob Holcomb wanted Brown and no one else to play Cap simply because he looked the part.

Unfortunately for you comic book fans, Brown technically isn’t playing Captain America. Yes, he’s still Steve Rogers, but he might as well be Steve Rogers junior. Because as we come to find out, this Steve Rogers is the original Captain America’s son. What’s more, Steve’s dad also invented the super-soldier serum, which is code-named FLAG (Full Latent Ability Gain) in the film. So much for this Cap being a modern-day Rip Van Winkle.

Oh, but it gets better! While this Steve was also a solider and a skilled illustrator like his comic book counterpart, he’s also a former motocross racer. Moreover, after leaving the Marines, this Steve also decided to just live out of his van and spend his early retirement cruising up and down the West Coast. Yep, our hero’s greatest aspiration in life is to be a beach bum.

…there’s a big difference between “a hero refusing the call” and being a lump. And for most of this movie, Steve [Rogers] is definitely a lump.

But it gets even better than that! A government scientist and former colleague of Steve’s dad, Dr. Simon Mills (Len Birman) has attempted to remake FLAG, but with little success. Simon believes FLAG should work on Steve as he’s Captain America’s son. What’s more, he tells Steve that he should take up his father’s mantle as Captain America himself. Only one problem: This Steve Rogers doesn’t like being anyone’s guinea pig. In fact, this Steve doesn’t wish to be a superhero like his dad whatsoever. He even literally says to Simon at one point, “I just don’t want to get involved.”

Now I understand this movie came out few years after the Vietnam War and the Watergate Scandal, so folks were feeling disillusioned about the good ‘ol US of A. Also in the comics just three years prior, Steve renounced his Captain America identity and took up the mantle of Nomad to reflect this very disillusionment. Clearly, the movie takes its cues from this, operating on the notion that audiences will find a more reluctant Steve who’s had enough of taking orders from others more appealing.

Even so, there’s a big difference between “a hero refusing the call” and being a lump. And for most of this movie, Steve is definitely a lump. Even when the bad guys attempt to kill him and later murder his friend (Dan Barton), Steve’s attitude is to just let the authorities handle it. And when the bad guys do mortally injure Steve, and Dr. Mills uses FLAG to save his life, what happens next? You guessed it! Not only does Steve get mad, but he’s also still reluctant to help.

To put it simply, it takes a full hour of this hour-and-a-half-long movie for Steve to finally get off his butt and do something, and only after his friend’s daughter (Robin Mattson) and his would-be love interest – the unfortunately named Wendy Day (Heather Menzies-Urich) – are kidnapped. To say this Cap isn’t anything like Chris Evans’ character in the Marvel Studios movies is putting it mildly.