Captain America: The First Avenger is a 2011 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Paramount Pictures, it is the fifth installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). The film was directed by Joe Johnston, written by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, and stars Chris Evans as Steve Rogers / Captain America, alongside Samuel L. Jackson, Hugo Weaving, Hayley Atwell, Sebastian Stan, Dominic Cooper, Neal McDonough, Derek Luke, and Tommy Lee Jones. In the film, Rogers undergoes a transformation and becomes a superhero who fights Johann Schmidt / Red Skull (Weaving), a Nazi officer who aims to use the Tesseract, a powerful energy source, to conquer the world.
The film was released in the United States on July 22, 2011, in 2D and 3D. It grossed over $370 million worldwide against a production budget of $140 million. A sequel, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, was released in 2014.
In 1942, sickly but determined Steve Rogers is rejected yet again for military service. Everything changes when Dr. Erskine recruits him for the secret Project Rebirth. Proving his extraordinary courage, wits, and conscience, Rogers undergoes the experiment and his weak body is suddenly enhanced into the maximum human potential. When Dr. Erskine is then immediately shot and killed by an agent of Nazi Germany's secret HYDRA research department, Rogers is left as the sole man capable of wielding the power of the Super Soldier Serum.
Soon after, Rogers dons a colorful, patriotic costume and becomes Captain America, a symbol to rally support for the war effort. On his first assignment, he goes on a USO tour entertaining troops alongside Peggy Carter, with whom he has fallen in love. While on tour, Rogers learns that HYDRA, led by Johann Schmidt, a.k.a. the Red Skull, is using the Tesseract to develop weapons. Rogers and his friend Bucky Barnes are sent on a mission to stop Schmidt, but Barnes falls from a train and is captured. Rogers pursues Schmidt to his Arctic lair, where he witnesses Schmidt's men harnessing the Tesseract's power. Schmidt reveals that he was also a recipient of the Super Soldier Serum, which mutated his appearance and mind. Rogers battles Schmidt, who uses the Tesseract to open a portal to another dimension. Rogers sacrifices himself by crashing the plane carrying the Tesseract into the Arctic ice.
In 2011, Rogers is discovered in the ice and revived by S.H.I.E.L.D., led by Nick Fury. Fury tells Rogers that Peggy, now elderly, never married and often spoke of him. Rogers is taken to the Triskelion, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s headquarters, where he learns that the world has changed since his disappearance. Fury shows Rogers a map of potential HYDRA bases around the world, and Rogers sets out on a mission to stop them.
