CAPTAINS AMERICA

Many moons ago, when Syfy was known unapologetically as the Sci-Fi Channel, they would run what they dubbed the Mighty Marvel Movie Marathon every Thanksgiving (and some other holidays here and there). So while you watch the Spider-Man balloon go down Broadway on NBC, you could watch Spidey taking down bad guys over on basic cable.

The usual line-up included all three Incredible Hulk movies (spawned from the TV series starring Bill Bixby and Lou Ferrigno), the Doctor Strange movie, the three "feature-length" Spider-Man episodes (from the TV series starring Nicholas Hammond), and, what they'll be playing this Thursday in a mini-marathon harkening back to those old days, the three Captain America movies.

Many of you may know that Captain America: The First Avenger isn't the first foray into live-action for ol' Cap, but it's possible you may only be familiar with the 1990s attempt starring Matt Salinger. Yes, there were two other Cap movies (not counting the 1944 serial, which I'll get to later). Let's take a little look at the past of Cap on film in preparation for the marathon and the movie.

CAPTAIN AMERICA (1979)

Big pimpin', red, whte and blue style!

Steve Rogers, played by Reb Brown, was a modern day former Marine-turned-cartoonist whose father was a government agent in the 40s, dubbed "Captain America" for his patriotic attitude. After his father was murdered, Rogers drew a super hero based on the stories of him before being caught in a near-fatal accident. Dr. Simon Mills saved his life by administering FLAG (Full Latent Ability Gain), a "super-steroid" that brings Rogers to peak physical prowess. Given the costume he designed, Roger becomes Captain America with a tricked-out van and a motorcycle with a detachable windshield that serves as his shield (with transparent parts replacing the classic white). He picks up where his father left off and tries to live up to the example he set.

CAPTAIN AMERICA II: DEATH TOO SOON (1979)

Always wear a helmet!

Brown returns as Cap, with a costume closer to that of the comics. This time, Cap goes up against a revolutionary named General Miguel (Christopher Lee) who uncovers the secret of rapid aging. He threatens to hold Portland, Oregon, hostage until Cap stops him by accidentally causing the serum to burst onto Miguel.

CAPTAIN AMERICA (1990)

No mask is complete without rubber ears.

Matt Salinger is Steve Rogers, a boy with polio who volunteers to submit to Dr. Vaselli's (Carla Cassola) Super Soldier process, which the Italians used to created the Red Skull (Scott Paulin) out of an abducted young prodigy. After the process, Vaselli is killed leaving Cap the only one of his kind. Cap faces off against the Red Skull, but loses and is strapped to a missile aimed for the White House. Cap diverts the missile and ends up frozen until a team of archaeologists find him in the present day. After coming to grips with losing all that time, Cap teams up with the daughter of his 1940s sweetheart, Sharon (both played by Kim Gillingham), to stop the Skull's plans for world domination and rescue the President of the United States.

Intended for a theatrical release, the film underwent reshoots to add more stunts after a poor test screening. It was set to be released in 1990 to coincide with Cap's 50th anniversary, but it ended up shelved until it was released on video and cable in 1992.

CAPTAIN AMERICA (1944)

Captain America wields his mighty...gun?

Captain America was a 15-chapter serial by Republic. The series is noted for it's drastic changes of the character, including Cap being District Attorney Grant Gardner (Dick Purcell, who died shortly after filming from the strain) who carried a gun instead of a shield and had numerous costume alterations, and the elimination of the army background, Bucky, Nazis and the Super Soldier serum. The serials show Cap and his sidekick, secretary Gail Richards (Lorna Gray) try to stop museum curator gone bad The Scarab (Lionel Atwill) from obtaining two devices that could be used as super-weapons. Unlike other Republic serials, the villain was revealed from the onset, whereas they usually preferred to leave their identity a mystery until the final act.