When watching the Marvel movies in order, it becomes clear that this franchise has never had a problem with drawing in major talent. Iron Man kicked off the Marvel Cinematic Universe with the likes of Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Terrence Howard and Jeff Bridges, and a few years later, Captain America: The First Avenger saw Chris Evans teaming up with folks like Hugo Weaving and Tommy Lee Jones. Even Stanley Tucci participated in the 2011 movie as Dr. Abraham Erskine, and the actor explained why this was “one of the greatest roles” he’s ever had.
Fresh off his time as Cardinal Aldo Bellini in Conclave, which can be streamed with a Peacock subscription, Tucci sat down with Variety to discuss the Golden Globe-nominated movie and other entries on his filmography. He described The First Avenger as one of the “fun big movies” he’s done, saying:
I loved Captain America: The First Avenger, it was one of the greatest roles and jobs I’ve ever had. I was there for three weeks and had a wonderful time, and I also loved playing that character. I was cast as a 70-year-old man at the age of 50, so that was disturbing, but that’s all right; I was flattered and insulted at the same time … You have to mix it up, as they say.
Although Stanley Tucci’s screen time in Captain America: The First Avenger was significantly shorter compared to the other main actors, it says a lot that roughly a decade and a half after the MCU movie was shot, he still looks back on this experience fondly. To be honest, until now it didn’t even dawn on me how much younger Tucci is compared to Erskine, but I’ll just attribute my lack of observation as a testament to how well he did in the role. The age gap didn’t bother the actor, and he had a blast during his three weeks on the set of The First Avenger.
Just like in the original Marvel Comics continuity, the MCU’s Abraham Erskine created the Super Soldier Serum that transformed the frail Steve Rogers into a peak physical specimen. In this continuity, however, Erskine was also forced to give an earlier version of his serum in Nazi Germany to Johann Schmidt, who became The Red Skull. Fleeing to the United States, he joined the Strategic Scientific Reserve and eventually selected Steve Rogers to receive his serum because he was a good man. Sadly, just like his comic book counterpart, Tucci’s Erskine was assassinated mere moments after Steve’s transformation. Variations of the Super Soldier Serum would be created in the decades to follow, but because Erskine never wrote his perfected formula down, it was lost to time.
Feel free to revisit Stanley Tucci’s brief stint in the MCU by streaming Captain America: The First Avenger with a Disney+ subscription. Otherwise, the next of the upcoming Marvel movies is Captain America: Brave New World, which opens on February 14 on the 2025 release schedule and sees Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson serving as the titular hero.
