Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
It’s a joke moment, at 1:50:50 into Avengers: Infinity War. The heroes of Earth are fighting Thanos’ alien devil dogs, turning Wakanda into a battlefield. Just when all hope seems lost, the cavalry arrives: a bearded Asgardian and his friends, a gun-toting raccoon and a tree with teen angst. Captain America (Chris Evans) and Thor (Chris Hemsworth) steal a quiet moment in the melee to reconnect after years apart. Cap points out Thor’s haircut. The Thunder God compliment’s Cap’s beard, and then introduces the Super Soldier to the lil’ tree fighting alongside them.
“Oh, by the way, this is a friend of mine, Tree,” says Thor, politely.
“I am Groot!” shouts Groot (Vin Diesel) triumphantly, lifting the beasts he’s skewered like a trophy.
Cap looks directly at Groot and, while gesturing towards himself, says with all the sincerity in the world, “I am Steve Rogers.”
It’s hilarious. That’s what Infinity War does so well, find moments of character-based humor in the midst of absolute madness. And it’s funny because Cap doesn’t know that “I am Groot” is literally the only thing Groot says. Who knows what Groot is actually saying right there! It could be a battle cry, it could be another compliment for Cap’s beard. But Steve doesn’t know that. “I am Groot” is what he hears, so “I am Steve Rogers” is what he says back. It’s a great little moment. And it’s also the most definitive Captain America moment in any Marvel movie.
My favorite thing about the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Captain America and Evans’ subtle yet powerful portrayal of him is how masculine he is in one very inspirational way. He’s strong and stubborn, traditional and modest. But he’s also polite, and more than that, he is sympathetic, empathetic, and compassionate. And most importantly, the lesson every single man needs to take away from Captain America, he believes people.
This is a running theme with Captain America in the movies, one I don’t see talked about nearly enough, but when any other person tells or shows Cap who they are, he believes them, no questions asked. This starts in 2011’s Captain America: The First Avenger, with Peggy Carter. As a woman in a man’s world, the battlefront of World War II, she is constantly overlooked or even harassed. Steve Rogers, though, never sees her like that. He sees a soldier with more courage than him, as much moral strength as him–and he just believes her. He sees her actions, and treats her with the respect she commands, deserves, and also gives him.
Fast-forward to modern times, 2012’s Marvel’s The Avengers. There’s a small moment right after the Helicarrier brawl with the Hulk. The team knows Loki’s about to attack New York City and Cap’s mobilizing whoever he can find to fight. He checks in on Black Widow, who’s helping Hawkeye get over the effects of being brainwashed. Cap asks if Natasha can fly a Quinjet, and Hawkeye interjects “I can.” Cap shoots a glance at Nat, who gives a slight nod, and he turns back to Hawkeye. “Got a suit?” he asks. “Then suit up.”
All Cap knows of Hawkeye is that he’s a S.H.I.E.L.D. guy that’s real good with arrows who was just working with Loki a hot sec before. But that glance and nod, Cap trusts Natasha, who trusts Clint. And when Black Widow vouches for him, he trusts her and he now trusts Clint. There’s no arguing, no macho posturing.
A little more subtle is 2014’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier, which puts this time-displaced man of the ’40s side-by-side in the field with a woman (Black Widow) and a black man (Falcon). I’m glad this isn’t a plot point, that we’re beyond this kinda thing getting the neon flashing arrow pointing towards it. But when you step back a bit and look at this, it speaks to who Cap is. He’s a man out of time, and the Powers That Be at Marvel could have wrung a whole lotta drama out of this guy being as racist or sexist as was acceptable 80 years ago. It would have absolutely made sense for Cap to be just as ignorant as our grandparents, but that’s not Cap. That’s not the Steve we saw in First Avenger, the Steve who respected Peggy and fought alongside the multiracial Howling Commandos. And it’s not the 21st century Steve either, who instinctively trusts Sam Wilson the instant their morning jogs intersect. He takes Sam’s advice when he recommends music, and he later turns to Sam when he and Nat go on the run.
Even in 2016’s Captain America: Civil War, Cap spends that movie on opposite sides of the fray from Black Panther. But Cap doesn’t hold that against him, nor does he hold that against anyone on #TeamIronMan. He knows they’re all good people doing what they think is right, and when his best bud Bucky needs help, Cap turns to T’Challa without hesitation.
So all of that in your mind, rewatch that joke scene between Cap and Groot. It plays a lot deeper now, doesn’t it? Here he is fighting a million monsters, and an alien tree proclaims “I am Groot!” Cap has seen some weird stuff in his adventures, but he’s never seen a Groot and he’s never heard a Groot. It would be totally believable if he did a double take or expressed any level of “Huh?” But he doesn’t. Instead, he sees Groot, sees how brave Groot is, does not question his heroism, and immediately sees that this alien tree creature deserves every ounce of respect and gratitude he can muster.
That’s who Captain America is, a man who listens to and believes in people when they tell him who they are. That’s a lesson we all should take away from that moment.
