What do The Rocketeer and Captain America Have in Common? 🦸

Plus, listen to a free interview with Mark Millar on how to write superheroes!

This week’s recommended film is The Rocketeer (1991).

The short answer to the question posed in the title of this article is director Joe Johnson. He directed both The Rocketeer and Captain America: The First Avenger (2011), forever connecting those two characters in film history.

Though the two pictures sit twenty years apart in chronological years, on a narrative, stylistic and thematic level the two films are much closer than most might realise.

For a start, these films are set in the late 1930s/early 1940s. They are both steeped in a sort of golden age idealism and feature art deco buildings, vintage vehicles, war-time posters, and good old-fashioned heroism. They each, in their own way, present an almost romanticised version of WWII-era America. A place where, according to these stories, courage and decency matter more than brute strength.

This is, of course, most readily seen in the choice of respective heroes in these stories. Both Cliff Secord and Steve Rogers are good hearted underdogs. They are both nobodies turned heroes not because they are driven by ego but because they are deeply moral at their core.

They are also both selfless in their respective plights. Their quests are not about the acquisition of power but about protecting the people and the world they care for. The First Avenger simply takes the Rocketeer’s small-scale heroism, which centres around a stunt pilot protecting his girl and his country, onto the global stage.

Furthermore, the fate of both of these unexpected heroes is shaped by pushing new frontiers in science. Both the rocket pack and the super-soldier serum offer the chance to explore how technology can elevate human potential, with the caveat that the person benefiting from such advancements must have a strong moral compass.

Perhaps from all I’ve written here the similarities between these two cinematic beasts is already more than evident. But you know I can’t stop there when there are still so many more comparisons to make.

Not least about the tone of these movies.

While The Rocketeer is a direct homage to the cliffhanger serials and pulp adventures of the 1930s with its jetpack hero, art deco style, Nazi villains, and secret zeppelins, The First Avenger evolves those same tropes for a modern audience. Johnston carries over the tone and spirit, swapping in Hydra’s hidden fortresses, sci-fi gadgetry, and a theatrical supervillain in Red Skull. Though Cap doesn’t wear a rocket pack, the high-flying action, bold stylisation, and mythic heroism unmistakably echo the pulp traditions that inspired both films. In short, The Rocketeer is a pure pastiche of pulp serials, The First Avenger is more of a modern adaptation.

By the way, it’s no surprise AT ALL that Johnson took those 1930s serials as inspiration. And, if at any point you were left thinking that his work had a certain Indiana Jones flavour to it you weren’t far off the mark.

Earlier in his career, Joe Johnson worked as a concept artist and visual effects designer at LucasFilm/ILM. He worked on both Star Wars and Raiders of the Lost Ark. Given that the latter is essentially a love letter from George Lucas and Steven Spielberg to those 1930s serials, it’s no surprise that those motifs show up in both The Rocketeer and are present, with some adaptations, in The First Avenger.

As a geeky sidenote, I should perhaps add that the Lucasfilm influence doesn’t end there. Specifically, Joe Johnson worked on the design for Boba Fett. As every self-respecting Star Wars fan knows a key component of Boba Fett is his indisputably cool, and oh so convenient, jetpack. Which means, if you wanted to, and I really, really do, you could view The Rocketeer as a sort of spiritual cousin to Boba Fett.

Without wanting to give too much away for those who haven’t seen either The Rocketeer or The First Avenger, it’s a generic enough comment, I think, to flag that they both explore the threat of fascism and how to deal with that through super means. Both films feature theatrical and charismatic villains. Which of course was a hallmark of the real-life authoritarian figures these characters represent such as Hitler, Stalin and Mussolini.

As you’ve probably gathered by this point in the proceedings, the similarities between these two movies are considerable. I could go on, but I do want to leave something for you to discover if you actually decide to watch the film.

I’ll close simply by noting that the strong romantic elements to these movies are, I think, a big reason why they are more endearing than other average superhero outings. Both the warm, puppy love of Jenny and Cliff and the longing between Steve Rogers and Peggy Carter are emotionally sincere which brings a touching emotional weight to these movies.

I guess, to be fair, I’m recommending these movies as a kind of double bill. But if you’ve seen The First Avenger recently but you haven’t seen The Rocketeer… or if it’s been a while, I recommend diving into Johnson’s world of golden light and soft focus. If you do, the odds are you’ll have a jolly good time.

Have you ever wondered what goes into writing a superhero narrative? A few years back, when the pandemic was coming to its tail end, I interviewed New York Times best-selling comic book writer, Mark Millar about how to write superheroes. You can listen to that interview below as an added bonus to this week’s film recommendation.

Image by Gage Skidmore

To find out more about Mark Millar and his creative projects, click here.

Paid members can venture beyond the pay wall and read my carefully curated notes on The Rocketeer.