3) Captain America: The First Avenger – I Had A Date
The first Captain America’s success was perhaps the earliest sign that the Marvel Cinematic Universe was bound to be something special. While Iron Man had recognizable actors and Thor has enough CGI spectacle to be a popcorn flick, Captain America was a harder sell for a couple of reasons. One, he was inherently meant to be a patriotic character, which did not flow well against the politically-divided climate of time, and two, his debut was to be a period piece set during World War II.
In spite of these obstacles, Captain America: The First Avenger managed to win everyone over, establishing the older hero as a household name. The film’s plot dealt with the Nazis obtaining a galactic weapon known as the Tesseract, capable of providing an unlimited amount of energy for the fascists to utilize. In standard pulp fashion, supersoldier Steve Rogers is deployed to acquire this artifact from the Red Skull.
The final act of the movie sees the narrative paced a little fast, as Rogers crashes the plane with the Tesseract into the Arctic waters, becoming frozen himself until he’s thawed in the present day. An understandably frantic Rogers subsequently runs out onto the bustling metropolitan area of Times Square, where Nick Fury manages to arrive and ease him. To Fury’s explanations, Rogers only has one line to say: “I had a date,” referencing a promise he made in the past to Peggy Carter prior to embarking on his ill-fated mission.
The simple quote showcases that, on top of the confusion and turmoil Rogers must be experiencing, the one thing that remains at the top of his mind is his love for Peggy, something that’s partially resolved bittersweetly in The Winter Soldier.