With Supergirl's opening right around the corner, I went back to a post I made on a forum right after the disastrous release of The Marvels in 2023. I suspect Supergirl will suffer the same fate. But the funny thing about superhero movies? I don’t think it needs to be that way.
So what do the two have in common?
After watching the MCU chase its tail with lectures, multiverse homework, and diminishing returns, I returned to that forum post d and the idea that actually makes more sense now. Pure, unadulterated entertain-first superhero action. No modern baggage. No deconstruction. Just WWII-era heroes punching Nazis and super-villains like they mean it.
Clear-cut good versus evil. High-stakes spectacle. Legacy heroics done right. This is the period piece that feels like a return to Captain America: The First Avenger energy: but expanded into a full team book. Heroes being heroes. Audiences are starving for exactly this after years of gray morality, “messy heroines,” and "singing planets" nonsense. No flerkins need apply.
Why This Prints Money (If Done Right)
Nostalgia + Fresh Hook: Digitally de-aged Chris Evans as Steve Rogers leading the charge? Instant credibility for the core audience that built the MCU. Pair him with classic WWII aesthetics, practical effects where possible, and massive action set pieces: D-Day landings, Atlantic naval battles, occult Nazi threats. No one’s tired of watching good guys win against actual evil.
Avoids Every Post-2019 Trap: Straightforward plot. Axis super-soldiers. Vampire Nazis. Ancient threats. Earned heroism, real camaraderie, and decisive victories. No bait-and-switch marketing. No sidelining the lead to push new characters with identity arcs. Just pulp adventure done with modern budgets.
Franchise Potential: One solid event film that can spawn sequels (post-war All-Winners Squad), a Disney+ series, or smart Avengers ties without forcing the multiverse garbage. Low-risk, high-reward compared to another mid-tier "modern hero has relevance issues" story.’ Hell, the Howling Commandos were in Captain America: The First Avenger, why not spin them off too?
Casting Breakdown & Suggestions
Here’s my take on who should be which character (I’m open to better suggestions, hit the comments):
Captain America — Digitally de-aged Chris Evans. Non-negotiable. He is Steve Rogers. The de-aging tech worked for old Cap; it can absolutely deliver 1940s Steve kicking ass and taking names. Of course if Cap is in this, we need a de-aged Peggy Carter (Hailey Atwell) and Howard Stark (Dominic Carter) making appearances.
Union Jack — Timothy Chalamet nails the British aristocrat/adventurer vibe: lean, intense, period-appropriate. He could bring that needed charisma to the Union Jack reveal.
Spitfire — Freya Allen. Elegant, British. Perfect look and intensity for a super-speed heroine with that golden age flair.
Bucky — Hold off for now. Save de-aged Sebastian Stan for a sequel or post-credits stinger. Keep the first film focused on Cap commanding the team.
Namor — Toughest call, but worth including for the classic big-three dynamic. Tenoch Huerta (from Wakanda Forever) or a recast with someone imposing. Make him the anti-hero who still punches fascists hard. Also there is a some unusual restrictions on Namor in film owing to Universal owning the film rights.
Miss America — A young, actress with that all-American presence. Sydney Sweeney, or Sadie Sink, for fresh energy.
Whizzer — Speedster slot. Go athletic and charming: Glen Powell could work, or keep budget on effects with a strong unknown.
Human Torch / Toro — Xolo Maridueña seems well suited to this. Practical fire work plus CGI spectacle.
All that said? To avoid the sprawl of Eternals in terms of characters on the big screen, I’d drop Namor and potentially Whizzer to keep the team leaner. Five to maybe six works and avoids the audience going “who?”
Villains: Baron Blood for vampire Nazi horror. Master Man as the super-soldier rival to Cap. Maybe some Red Skull ties. Again, Pure pulp fun, no moral ambiguity required.
Production Notes to Make It Epic
The tone should be Captain America: The First Avenger meets Raiders of the Lost Ark with strong team dynamics. Heavy on practical stunts and real location/period sets for that authentic WWII grit, then cut loose with the superpowers when it counts for maximum spectacle.
But let’s be real about Disney’s likely 180: they’d probably gender-swap half the team, inject modern commentary, or turn it into another “found family with issues” vehicle. That’s why this stays a fantasy pitch for now. It highlights exactly what could work if they stopped fighting the audience.
Budget it as a 2.5-hour event film. Market it as “The Avengers of WWII” with the tagline: “Before the Avengers, there were the Invaders.”
This is the kind of movie that reminds people why they fell in love with superheroes in the first place: aspirational, fun, and entertaining. It dodges every lecture trap and delivers exactly what (nearly) everyone has been begging for.
Hollywood keeps wondering why the genre is struggling. Ideas like this are the answer. They just have to stop being Hollywood about it.
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