During World War Two, super-villainous Johann Schmidt (Hugo Weaving) steamrolls into a Norwegian town in search of the mythical Tesseract, while in Brooklyn, ‘Skinny’ Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) is refused enlistment in the war. Rogers’s grit nonetheless attracts the attention of Dr Abraham Erskine (Stanley Tucci) and he is enrolled in Project: Rebirth under Howard Stark (Dominic Cooper) and becomes the recipient of the super soldier serum. When his rogue rescue mission discovers Schmidt’s deep science felons Hydra channelling the Tesseract into experimental weaponry, Rogers is armed by Stark with a Vibranium shield, and Captain America fights his way through the war. Directed by Joe Johnston, The First Avenger is rooted in Captain America Comics #1, published in 1941 by Marvel’s predecessor Timely Comics.

During the exhibition ‘Marvel: Creating the Cinematic Universe’, the Gallery of Modern Art’s Australian Cinémathèque screens all the films from the Marvel Cinematic Universe including Captain America: The First Avenger 2011. This is a great opportunity to see the films which have inspired the exhibition and see never-before-seen set pieces.

‘So, what made you so special?’
‘Nothing. I’m just a kid from Brooklyn.’

Johann Schmidt and Steve Rogers

DELVE DEEPER INTO THE EXHIBITION AND THE MARVEL CINEMATIC UNIVERSE

Go behind the scenes to experience more than 500 unique objects from your favourite films, including Captain America’s shield, and iconic objects which offer a glimpse into the work of production designers, storyboarding and pre‑visualisation artists, costume and prop designers, and visual effects artists alongside the original comic books which introduced the characters and influenced the films.

TICKETS: CINEMA | EXHIBITION | UP LATE / BUY THE PUBLICATION

Film notes by Dan Cameron
Feature image: Installation view of ‘Marvel: Creating the Cinematic Universe’, GOMA 2017 / Photograph: Natasha Harth © QAGOMA