In the nearly five years since we started these Throwback Thursdays I’d never consider the easiest of options: The Marvel Cinematic Universe.

The MCU has spanned over three decades and has coined the idea of an ever expansive and growing universe (and some multiverses too) since Marvel first came out with “Iron Man” in 2008.

Ever since, and even through Disney’s purchase of Marvel Studios, we’ve seen the MCU evolve, change and adapt with a variety of characters, their origins and lots of epic battles.

Now, I will absolutely admit to you that I’m not about to dedicate every single one of my Throwbacks moving forward to these. However, don’t be shocked if they pop up from time to time.

Another thing: I’m not going to start with the first movie that was released — as the title tells you — I plan to review them in chronological order within the movies themselves. Disney+ has helpfully provided the correct timeline and I find it more interesting to base it off of that instead of the other way. (I like the idea of continuity like that.)

Without further ado… let’s get into it!

We’re starting out with “Captain America: The First Avenger” which was released in 2011 and stars Chris Evans as the renowned super soldier. This was actually the fifth movie to be introduced in the MCU, however it showcases (at least so far) an origin of the oldest avenger.

Steve Rogers (Evans) is a sickly young man from Brooklyn in the 1940s who wants to serve his country and kick Nazi butt (an admirable ambition I must admit).

After multiple failed attempts to enlist, he catches the eye of Dr. Abraham Erskine — a German scientist working with the United States government’s Strategic Scientific Reserve.

Despite skepticism from his colleagues, Erskine is able to convince them Steve is the perfect candidate for super serum experimentation. Especially once they witness the young man throw himself onto what he believed was an active grenade to save his fellow recruits.

Soon enough, Steve finds himself genetically enhanced into Captain America (though that moniker starts off as a publicity stunt by a United States senator).

Before long, and with his good heart leading the way, Steve finds himself up against the notorious Red Skull and Hydra, who have masked themselves as Hitler’s Nazi party. All while the Red Skull is plotting to utilize the famed — and all powerful — Tesseract to take over the world.

I won’t get into the nitty gritty of the entire film, many of you may have even heard of Steve Rogers journey to become Captain America.

Suffice to say I felt it served as a great origin story.

Evans, like many actors cast in the MCU, embodies the spirit of his character well. I generally can’t imagine any other actor to fill his shoes. He did such a great job he’d continue in that role for nearly a decade before passing the famous red, white and blue shield to another.

Throughout the entire movie, even when faced with impossible odds and danger the likes of which many hadn’t seen, Steve Rogers was ready to face it all to protect those in need.

The movie as a whole is well told. Though it features a lot of Marvel lore and tidbits, with much of it connecting to other films in the franchise, it’s something that could stand on its own. And, for those who might be interested in delving into the MCU, it could be a pretty decent start point. (Though some would recommend you begin with “Iron Man” and go from there.)

The action scenes hold up well and the special effects continue to hold up, even with technology constantly evolving at a fast pace.

In particular the CGI and technology used to create “skinny Steve” at the beginning of the movie — prior to being injected with the super serum — was really well done. A bit of research on my end showed a lot of work was put into that. Though there was a body double, they had Evans film the scenes more than once, both with other actors and without and also in a green screen room, so his body could be digitally altered and shrunk down.

Kudos to everyone involved in that particular part of the movie because their care and extreme attention to detail shows.

Overall, “Captain America: The First Avenger” is one of the better movies in the MCU and one I don’t mind revisiting from time to time. If you haven’t dived into the MCU it could serve as a good tester movie to see if the Marvel Cinematic Universe is of interest to you.

“Captain America: The First Avenger” can be found on Disney+.

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Laura Jameson is Managing Editor of The Express.