5 Things I Learned from "The Winter Soldier"

Yesterday, finals ended and I finally had a chance to see Captain America: The Winter Soldier in theaters. While it may not have been my favorite of the Marvel movies thus far, it was still an entertaining ride and expanded the film Universe. There were a few surprises for me, so I thought that I would list the five things that I learned after watching the movie.

WARNING: THERE ARE SPOILERS AHEAD! STOP READING IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN THE MOVIE!

5. HYDRA Rocks at Hide-N-Seek

I knew from the trailers going in to the movie that HYDRA was going to be masterminding events. What I didn't realize is how well they were at playing the mastermind role. I suppose that's the reason they are a major force to be reckoned with in the comics. They were so integrated into SHIELD that even Director Fury had no idea they were hiding right under his nose until it was too late. Props to them for out-spying the master spy himself.

And what's more, HYDRA's influence runs deeper than infiltrating SHIELD. They have members everywhere manipulating world events to throw the planet into chaos. One of my favorite, funny moments is when we learn that Senator Stern (Gary Shandling) - whom you may remember from Iron Man 2 - is revealed to be a HYDRA member. That explains SO much.

4. B-Listers Get First Class Treatment

One of my favorite things about the Marvel films is the "Easter eggs" that get thrown into the film. When there are movies that I really want to see, I go into a media blackout so that nothing is spoiled when I go to see the actual film. Hardcore fans were probably well aware that Crossbones and Batroc, the Leaper were going to be making appearances, but they were pleasant surprises to me. To be honest, while I recognized the name, I couldn't place who Agent Rumlow was until I Googled him later. He'll be a welcome HYDRA addition for a future film, I hope.

3. There's a Strange Threat

I've heard mention that Marvel was planning a Dr. Strange movie, but Jasper Sitwell's mention of Steven Strange as a threat to HYDRA officially makes him a cannon member of the film's Universe. I loved the animated Dr. Strange movie, so I hope that Marvel can pull off an amazing CGI-packed live action version that can match it.

2. The Bromance is Still Strong

Despite the fact that we got our first glimpse of Sharron Carter (Agent 13), there's another relationship that interested me even more. In the first Captain America movie, I really liked the Steve/Bucky (Stucky?) bromance. It made it that much more heartbreaking when Bucky fell to his "death." Now, 50 years later, Cap learns that Bucky is still alive - albeit brainwashed by HYDRA - and fights to get his friend back. It's not until the final, climactic moments that we see an unconscious Cap saved from a watery grave by the Winter Soldier before he disappears in search of his past.

But at the start of the movie, before we learn anything about the Winter Soldier, we see the blossoming of a new friendship for Cap when he meets Sam Wilson (Falcon). There is instant bromantic chemistry between the two as both are soldiers trying to readjust to a different world. In his time of desperation, Steve even heads to Sam for a place to lay low and regroup. And at the end of the film, we see the formation of a bromance triangle when Sam decides to tag along with Steve on his search for Bucky. Stucky vs. Stam: who will win?

1. There's No Such Thing As Mutants

Hands down, my favorite scene in the movie wasn't actually in the movie, it was after it. Marvel loves to give us not-so-hidden teasers about upcoming films during/after the credits, and The Winter Soldier was no exception. This time around, we see Baron Von Stucker in a hidden HYDRA bunker with Loki's staff. Seems that they have been using the energy from the stone (which I still claim is the Infinity Gem of Mind) to create super-beings. The scene closes and we get a glimpse of "the twins:" a speedster and telekinetic - obviously the much-hyped Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch.

It has been long debated how Marvel would be able to use these two in both The Avenger:AoU and X-Men: DoFP when the films are being produced by two different companies. Well, looks like they have found the loophole: remove mutants from the Avengers Universe. While I'm going to miss the classic Wanda and Pietro, the new origin fits nicely into the existing film Universe. There's still going to be some confusion from new fans (and frustration from hardcore fans) when they see the "same" characters in two separate Marvel films. Personally, I'll judge which version I like after I see the films.