The Marvel Cinematic Universe now has four movies bearing the Captain America title, stretching from Phase One in 2011 all the way to this year with Captain America: Brave New World. All have their strengths and weaknesses, appealing to certain fans while others may prefer the more fantastical side of the genre. However, like all movies, these were made by human beings prone to small errors, and fans have cataloged these issues over time. From brief glimpses of the camera crew to continuity errors both in and out of the MCU, there are plenty to pick from in Cap’s adventures on the big screen.
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The Captain America series has a touch niche to fill within the MCU, satisfying superhero fans with relatively limited superpowers and generally grounded stories. These have become the spy thrillers of the franchise, but even then they are shackled by the requirement that they represent the U.S. on a symbolic level, and maintain a wide appeal.
They have been generally successful in that regard, but they’ve had their stumbles along the way. Read on for 10 Captain America movie mistakes that you won’t be able to unsee, and point them out to your friends on your next movie night.
1) Military Errors
Captain America: The First Avenger was probably the most realistic depiction of the U.S. military in the MCU, as it did not concern itself with any secret, highly-advanced agencies like S.H.I.E.L.D. Still, it couldn’t quite get all the precise designations right. As a captain, Steve wears a medal with a yellow ribbon denoting the American Defense Service. This was an honor granted to qualifying servicemembers between 1939 and 1941, but as this movie was set in 1943, it would not have been available to him.
In fairness, the movie mixes up other countries’ military hierarchies as well. The British Union flag is hanging upside down outside the War Room, and the flags are displayed out of order.
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2) World’s Fair
Early in the movie, Steve and Bucky visit the World’s Fair in New York City, but the scene is severely anachronistic. Presumably, this is the 1939 World’s Fair, but it uses Unisphere globe logo from the 1964 World’s Fair, which was held on the same land. It even shows the Unisphere itself, even though it hadn’t been built at the time. The 1939 fair’s symbol was a Trilon and parisphere.
3) Genetics
Another anachronism comes about an hour into the first movie, when Agent Carter mentions detecting Steve’s “genetic code.” While genetics was a popular scientific field of study starting in the early 1800s, the actual “code” of living DNA was not sequenced until 1961. Of course, this is a sci-fi story with plenty of overly-advanced elements at play, but this one feels more like an oversight than a planned breakthrough.
4) Hitler
Marvel movies made mid-credit and post-credit scenes a staple, encouraging audiences to stay in their seats, which makes it all the more surprising that one of the biggest errors in this movie came during the credits. Actor James Payton is credited for playing “Adolph Hitler,” when the dictator’s name was actually spelled “Adolf Hitler.” Then again, the MCU has many other subtle changes from real-world politics, so maybe this was intentional, for some reason.
5) S.H.I.E.L.D. Code Violation
We make our first visit to S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters in Washington D.C. in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and for a top-secret spy organization, they don’t exactly keep a low profile. We’re told the agency’s home has 41 floors, which would be over 400 feet tall, while D.C.’s local codes cap building heights at 130 feet. It’s hard to imagine no one would notice a man staring out the window of the tallest building in town with an eyepatch and a leather trench coat on.
6) Howard Stark’s Death Day
Just over an hour into this movie, we see a newspaper clipping reporting Howard Stark’s death on Friday, December 17, 1991. In fact, December 17, 1991 was a Tuesday in real life. What’s really odd is that the first Iron Man movie made this exact same mistake, so at least the MCU is consistent. However, again we have to wonder if this might not be purposeful. There are other calendar changes in the MCU, such as the presidential election of Thaddeus Ross taking place in 2026. It may simply be a way to differentiate Earth-616 from real life.
7) H.Y.D.R.A. Medical Malpractice
Nurses trying to enjoy a night out at the movies had to avert their eyes in the middle of Captain America: Civil War. During the scene in a H.Y.D.R.A. lab, all the IV needles are inserted towards the patients’ hands, so that the tubes stick out towards their shoulders. In real life, it’s actually very important that IVs are inserted the opposite way, with tubes towards the hands and needles towards the shoulder. This way, the medicine is naturally drawn into the vein by the flow of blood, rather than fighting to enter the flow upstream.
8) Melt-proof Snow
This movie’s final confrontation between Steve, Bucky, and Tony Stark may be one of the most dramatic fights in the entire MCU, and the set design goes a long way to keep it that way. However, if you look too closely you’ll begin to notice just how artificial the setting is. The snow clinging to all three combatants does not melt, because it is fake. Additionally, their breath does not fog the air despite the arctic climate of Siberia.
9) ‘Off the Grid’
Finally, turning our attention to Captain America: Brave New World, Sam and Joaquin try to take a technological step backwards in order to make themselves harder to track when they feel they can’t trust anyone in the government. The movie even makes a point to focus on Joaquin reluctantly giving up his smartphone and resorting to an old school “clamshell.” However, Joaquin continues to wear an Apple Watch, which would still be easy to track. On top of that, the watch would be a lot less useful without Joaquin’s phone nearby, so he’s risking a lot to continue wearing it without reaping much benefit.
10) Naval Formations
Finally, many military strategy buffs got online after seeing this movie to dissect the strategy behind the naval assault on Celestial Island. Apparently, it would be very uncommon for so many ships to stick so close together, as they would want to expand their area of coverage and leave as much room as possible for maneuvering. The aircraft carriers would also keep several planes in the air around them at all times for defense, making the tense missile standoff very unrealistic.
The first three Captain America movies are streaming now on Disney+. Brave New World is now available on Blu-ray and DVD, and can also be digitally rented or purchased on PVOD stores as of last week.
