Vid: U.S.

Fandom: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Music: Us by Regina Spektor
Length: 04:53
Content notes: blood, medical equipment

Spoilers for: Captain America: The Winter Soldier; Agent Carter; Agents of SHIELD (Season one)

Summary: Steve Rogers has a complicated relationship with the legacy of Captain America
Alternative Summary: It is Supersoldiers all the way down.

Download is available at vimeo.

"U.S." (Watch on Vimeo)

AO3 | Tumblr

It all started when I was filling in the Agents of SHIELD hiatus by attempting an epic rewatch of the whole MCU. During The Incredible Hulk (which I now think is the most underrated movie of the whole canon) I started twitching about how EVERYTHING WAS SUPERSOLDIERS and poor Steve Rogers is in the middle of that, and... everything was downhill from there?

Everything is supersoldiers.

I deserve subtlety points for not including the scene where HYDRA is written across the screen in big letters.

There are apparently no women in HYDRA?

Thanks to

skygiants and

shati for betaing, and no thanks at all to

weaverandom whose idea of constructive criticism is to say "this is nice, give me more."

I tried to figure out a way to include Guardians of the Galaxy but failed. The next time I decide to make a video, make me stick to one source, okay?

Current Mood: accomplished

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

This was an amazing idea and some great video editing. = ]

Thank you! I haven't done vidding for YEARS so this was a real challenge!

This is amazing and I love it!

:-)

SUPERSOLDIERS ALL THE WAY DOWN

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaallll

the waaaaaaaaaaaaaay

doooooooooooooooooown.

This is wonderful. Your editing skills are amazing and the song is perfect.

Thank you! It was a bit of a learning experience in terms of editing, but I couldn't shake the song.

Well done. I especially liked the "contagious" sequence at the end.

That was the thing I had in my head from the beginning, but I'm so pleased it came out well.

Brilliant essay on how much impact that one choice made. (The symbol of blood in this is incredibly insightful.)

Thank you!

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAH THIS IS SO EXCELLENT

THANK YOU!

Sorry to be late to the party (I'm here on a recent rec), but this is AMAZING! I love all the little, quiet moments you've pulled in here (so many pieces that I haven't seen used in vids), all the connections you've drawn, all the fabulous faces and characters. Bravo!

Thank you for coming by and commenting! I'm really glad you like it :)

This is the post-Winter Soldier military-industrial complex vid I have always wanted! (Always = since May 2014 and more with every breath taken during attempts to watch Agents of SHIELD.)

I especially love the use of the "contagion" theme, the wider MCU footage (particularly Hulk, Agents of SHIELD, and Agent Carter) and how blood imagery is woven throughout.

(It also makes me aware of how often the MCU uses female double agents manipulating people, which, ugh.)

Ugh, yes. I mean, I know there's ways to justify all four of them, but stiiiiillll.

And none of them were HYDRA, either! I know Dotty's technically a 'bad guy' but I wanted some women in my HYDRA lineup to match the sexy-ladies-of-SHIELD-and-also-Leviathan lineup and... nope.

Thank you for coming by and commenting!

I love Natasha and Dottie--I actually love the double-agent lady spy trope--BUT.

I'm sorry if I sounded too disparaging of Agents of SHIELD, btw! I have political issues with it, but I did like all the awesome women, and the way you use Jemma's reaction to shooting Sitwell is masterful. And "SHIELD IS LISTENING" is chilling.

Naaaaah you don't sound too disparaging of AoS - and it wouldn't matter if you did, I don't mind a bit of negativity even if I actually love the show. But I especially love Season 1 Skye and her "SHIELD is at least a little bit evil" PoV.

Also, my Tumblr/AO3 notifs have exploded overnight, and I think this is from your rec, so thank you!

Wow. And I thought I was pissed at SHIELD before. Also, I honestly started crying at the "contagious" imagery, but I'm a cheap date where Bucky's concerned. I'm so, so glad you pulled in both Hulk footage and Pepper with Extremis and just. All the shit that MCU organizations in general and SHIELD in particular have pulled trying to replicate supersoldiers, and I also really like the strong undercurrent of the idea that, even if they'd succeeded? The result would have been a terrible, terrible thing. Look at what it's done to Steve. All the way down.

Thank you!

Yeah, I think it's all a testament to Erskine's assertion that you HAVE to be a good man to start: that the serum but possibly also power in general, amplifies what's there. So you HAVE to be Steve-Fucking-Rogers in order to not come out a Hot Mess (well, relatively)

(Of course, with the Inhumans and the Black Widows predating Steve on Earth, and with Rocket &c, there's a larger point to be made about the entire universe thinks it's a good idea to turn people into weapons.)

I'm babbling. Thank you for the comment!!

This was fabulous.

Thank you!

Ohhh, this is so good. I love it.

Thank you :)

Enjoyed this muchly!

I'm very glad you did!

Wow! This was such a brilliant and captivating vid. I will be rewatching this. A lot. <3

Thank you!

This is amazing and I am still mulling it over -- thank you for making it and I hope to have more thoughts on it after more rewatchings!

If goodness is contagious too, maybe the MCU will turn out all right in the end after all.

This was great!

This is excellent! I am too brain dead to put into words all the thoughts I have, but I have them! I want to put this and Hey Ho on a loop and watch them over and over again back to back.

Gorgeous!

Lovely!

ETA:

The Incredible Hulk (which I now think is the most underrated movie of the whole canon)

I completely agree. It got a bad rep early on, and somehow never shook it, but I think it's brilliantly done. I do prefer Ruffalo to Norton, but only just, and I adore Liv Tyler's Betty.

Edited Date: 2015-10-18 11:55 pm (UTC)