After the devastating ending of Avengers: Infinity War, everyone pointed fingers at certain characters over who was to blame for Thanos' victory. However, Nia DaCosta, who has been filming Marvel Studios' upcoming The Marvels, believes Chris Evans' Captain America is to blame for letting Thanos get away with the snap.
After a busy day of filming in London, the director spoke with Inverse, discussing her previous projects like Candyman, the responsibilities that come with taking on a big Marvel blockbuster, and the connection between the hero and the anti-hero and how they can be unwilling martyrs. In doing so, DaCosta believes that Captain America's ultimate decision to save Vision rather than destroy him in Avengers: Infinity War could be seen in some way as a villainy move, making Evans' Captain America more of an anti-hero.
"Something I like to say a bit flippantly about Captain America is that the Snap is all his fault because he was trying to do his best, trying to do the right thing," DaCosta says. "There is a world in which he’s a villain because, at the end of the day, he should have just sacrificed Vision." For quite a while, fans were pointing their fingers at other heroes like Star-Lord (who let his anger get the best of him) and Thor (who, well, should've gone for the head), who could've prevented the Thanos snap that ultimately turned half of all living creatures in the universe to dust from occurring.
“He chose one robot’s life, albeit a sentient one, over literally the entire universe,” DaCosta adds. “There’s a sort of anti-hero in that if you want to look at it through that lens. People would say I’m crazy for thinking that way, but there’s something connected to the journey of the anti-hero and the hero.” While Vision's sacrifice would've prevented Thanos from obtaining all six infinity stones, it made sense for Captain America to make that decision considering his background as a soldier and his "leave no man behind" mentality. “The hero’s pain is something that spurs them to martyr themselves, and an anti-hero’s pain is a thing that kind of starts their journey as opposed to ending it," DaCosta concluded.
DaCosta further discussed her fascination with heroes like Superman and Batman balancing their power and pain, as she hopes to explore more of Carol Danvers'/Captain Marvel's fears and the ways she handles being one of the most powerful beings in the universe. DaCosta, who has been an avid Marvel fan most of her life, admitted that the rigorous preparation for handling these characters became overwhelming at times due to the amount of comic book origin stories that could intertwine with one character, especially for characters like Monica Rambeau. But reading as much of these heroes' history as possible and taking into consideration what has already been established in the MCU has helped guide her to choosing what is most compelling for her story.
Learning from her experience working on indie films, DaCosta really strives to approach these characters as human beings rather than just perfect, indestructible superheroes. Whether many fans side with DaCosta or not on her opinion involving Captain America, there's no doubt that her passion for comic books and superheroes will translate to something truly special on-screen.
The Marvels is now set for a February 17th, 2023 theatrical release date, and The Avengers films are now available on Disney Plus.
Source: Inverse