Captain America II: Death Too Soon

Last updated
Captain America II: Death Too Soon
Captain America Death Too Soon.jpg
DVD cover
Genre
Based on
Written by Wilton Schiller
Directed by Ivan Nagy
Starring Reb Brown
Connie Sellecca
Len Birman
Christopher Lee
Katherine Justice
Christopher Cary
Bill Lucking
Stanley Kamel
Ken Swofford
Lana Wood
Theme music composer
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
Executive producerAllan Balter
ProducerMartin M. Goldstein
CinematographyVincent A. Martinelli
EditorMichael S. Murphy
Running time88 minutes
Production company Universal Television
Original release
Network CBS
ReleaseNovember 23, 1979 (1979-11-23)

Captain America II: Death Too Soon is a 1979 American made-for-television superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character Captain America, directed by Ivan Nagy and starring Reb Brown. The film was preceded by Captain America earlier the same year. [1] It was aired on CBS in two one-hour slots. The first part aired on November 23, 1979, and the second aired the next night, leading into the conclusion of Salem's Lot . [2]

Contents

Plot

Steve Rogers (Reb Brown) is first shown sketching a portrait of a Mrs. Shaw (Susan French), who complains to him about a gang of muggers who have been stealing the proceeds from cashed Social Security checks; she denies having cashed hers. He bids her to do this in order to set a trap for the muggers and springs the trap as Captain America.

In the meantime, a free-lance revolutionary terrorist calling himself General Miguel (Christopher Lee), planning to fight an unspecified war, kidnaps a Professor Ian Ilson (Christopher Cary) and forces him to resume his research in manipulative gerontology. Ilson has managed to formulate both a chemical that accelerates aging and the antidote to the same chemical, and Miguel, posing as the warden of a prison in Oregon near Portland, plans to use the chemicals in question to hold Portland hostage for a multimillion-dollar ransom.

Ultimately Rogers and Miguel directly clash face-to-face, and when Miguel throws a glass bottle of the aging accelerant into the air, hoping it will shatter against Captain America's body, the Captain throws his shield to stop the attack, where it shatters the bottle in such a manner that the aging accelerant splashes them both. However, the Captain only receives a minor amount and thus only ages a month. Miguel, on the other hand, ages to death in less than a minute.

Cast

Release

The film was released theatrically in France in 1980 and had a special film festival screening in Finland in 2014. [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Captain America</span> Marvel Comics superhero

Captain America is a superhero created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby who appears in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Captain America Comics #1, published on December 20, 1940, by Timely Comics, a corporate predecessor to Marvel. Captain America's civilian identity is Steve Rogers, a frail man enhanced to the peak of human physical perfection by an experimental "super-soldier serum" after joining the United States Army to aid the country's efforts in World War II. Equipped with an American flag–inspired costume and a virtually indestructible shield, Captain America and his sidekick Bucky Barnes clashed frequently with the villainous Red Skull and other members of the Axis powers. In the final days of the war, an accident left Captain America frozen in a state of suspended animation until he was revived in modern times. He resumes his exploits as a costumed hero and becomes leader of the superhero team the Avengers, but frequently struggles as a "man out of time" to adjust to the new era.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Falcon (comics)</span> Comic book superhero

The Falcon is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was introduced by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Gene Colan in Captain America #117, and was the first Black American superhero in mainstream comic books.

Bucky is the name used by several different fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, usually as a sidekick to Captain America. The original version was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby and first appeared in Captain America Comics #1, which was published by Marvel's predecessor, Timely Comics. Following the apparent death of the hero James "Bucky" Barnes, the Bucky nickname and costume have been used by various heroes including: Fred Davis, Jack Monroe, Rick Jones, Lemar Hoskins, and Rikki Barnes. For a time, a child looked after by Jack Monroe was named "Bucky," but she was later adopted and given the name Julia Winters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Captain America's shield</span> Fictional weapon in the Marvel Comics

Captain America's shield is a fictional item appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. It is the primary defensive and offensive piece of equipment used by Captain America, and is intended to be an emblem of American culture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Betsy Ross (character)</span> Marvel Comics character

Betsy Ross is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in Captain America Comics #1. Betsy Ross is Captain America's early love interest and supporting character in American comic books published by Marvel Comics during the 1930-1940s period known to historians and collectors as the Golden Age of Comic Books. She then debuted as the superheroine Golden Girl in Captain America Comics #66.

Cary Bates is an American comic book, animation, television and film writer. He is best known for his work on The Flash, Superman, Superboy, the Legion of Superheroes and Captain Atom. Bates is the longest-serving Superman writer, at twenty years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Father Time (Marvel Comics)</span> Marvel Comics superhero

Father Time is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Al Avison and first appeared in Captain America Comics #6, published by Marvel predecessor Timely Comics during the period fans and historians call the Golden Age of comic books. He was one of the many costumed operatives who were recruited into the United States military.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steel Spider</span> Marvel Comics superhero character

Steel Spider is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.

<i>Captain America</i> (1979 film) 1979 American TV series or program

Captain America is a 1979 American made-for-television superhero film loosely based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name, directed by Rod Holcomb and starring Reb Brown. The film was followed by the sequel Captain America II: Death Too Soon, also released in the same year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Captain America in other media</span> Marvel Comics character Captain Americas appearances in other media

Since the 1940s, the comic book character Captain America has been presented in a wide variety of other media, including serial films, feature films, animations, and video games.

Captain America is a superhero created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby who appears in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peggy Carter</span> Fictional character

Margaret Elizabeth "Peggy" Carter is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. She is usually depicted as a supporting character in books featuring Captain America. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, she debuted, unnamed, in Tales of Suspense #75 as a World War II love interest of Steve Rogers in flashback sequences. She would later be better known as the aunt of Sharon Carter.

<i>Captain America: The First Avenger</i> 2011 Marvel Studios film

Captain America: The First Avenger is a 2011 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character Captain America. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Paramount Pictures, it is the fifth film 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 Tommy Lee Jones, Hugo Weaving, Hayley Atwell, Sebastian Stan, Dominic Cooper, Toby Jones, Neal McDonough, Derek Luke, and Stanley Tucci. During World War II, Steve Rogers, a frail man, is transformed into the super-soldier Captain America and must stop the Red Skull (Weaving) from using the Tesseract as an energy source for world domination.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Destroyer (Marvel Comics)</span> Marvel Comics superhero

The Destroyer is the name of three fictional superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The original incarnation was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Binder and first appeared in Mystic Comics #6, being one of Lee's earliest creations during the Golden Age of Comic Books.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Captain America in film</span> Film adaptations of the Marvel superhero

Captain America, a superhero created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby who appears in comic books produced by Marvel Comics, has appeared in multiple films since the character's inception in 1940. Republic Pictures released a fifteen-part Captain America serial film in 1944 that was the first film to feature a Marvel Comics character, though it deviated significantly from the comic book source material. Two made-for-TV films, Captain America and Captain America II: Death Too Soon, aired on the American broadcast television station CBS in 1979. A feature-length film directed by Albert Pyun was originally planned for a wide theatrical release in 1990, but received only a brief theatrical release in the United Kingdom before being released in the United States as a direct-to-video film.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Everett K. Ross</span> Fictional character

Everett Kenneth Ross is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Primarily an ally of superhero Black Panther, the character exists within Marvel's main shared universe, known as the Marvel Universe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bucky Barnes</span> Marvel Comics fictional character

James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Originally introduced as a sidekick to Captain America, the character was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby and first appeared in Captain America Comics #1. Barnes' original costume and the Bucky nickname has been used by other heroes in the Marvel Universe over the years.

<i>Captain America: White</i> Comic book series

Captain America: White is a six-issue Marvel Comics limited series written by Jeph Loeb and illustrated by Tim Sale. An homage to Captain America comics from the Golden Age of Comic Books, the series focuses on the relationship between Steve Rogers / Captain America and his sidekick Bucky. It is the fourth and final comic in Loeb's and Sale's "Color" series, following Daredevil: Yellow, Spider-Man: Blue, and Hulk: Gray. The series is noted for its extensive production delays, with seven years elapsing between the release of the first and second issues.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stucky (fandom)</span> Depictions of a relationship between Captain America and the Winter Soldier

In fandom, Stucky is the pairing of Steve Rogers and James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes, fictional characters who appear in comic books and related media produced by Marvel Comics. The pairing is a manifestation of shipping, a phenomenon in fandom wherein individuals create fan works that depict a romantic or sexual relationship between two characters whose relationship in the source material is typically neither romantic nor sexual; Stucky is an example of slash, a genre of fan works that focus on same-sex characters. In accordance with shipping naming conventions, Stucky is a portmanteau of "Steve" and "Bucky".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Secret Empire (1974 comic)</span> Marvel Comics storyline

"Secret Empire" is a story arc that ran from January to August 1974 in Captain America and the Falcon, an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics. It was written by Steve Englehart with additional scriptwork by Mike Friedrich, and drawn by Sal Buscema. The comic follows the superhero Captain America as he uncovers a conspiracy to discredit him perpetrated by the Secret Empire, which extends to the heights of the American presidency.

References

  1. Cord Scott, Robert G. Weiner (2009), Captain America and the struggle of the superhero, p. 221, ISBN   978-0-7864-3703-0
  2. "Vintage TV Guide Ads: Captain America, Salem's Lot & More! Part 1". Cool Ass Cinema.
  3. McEniry, Matthew J.; Peaslee, Robert Moses; Weiner, Robert G. (30 March 2016). Marvel Comics into Film: Essays on Adaptations Since the 1940s. McFarland. ISBN   9780786443048 via Google Books.