Captain Anodite: The First Protector

In the present day, scientists in the Arctic uncover a trnasluesent, circular object with a red, white and blue motif.

In March 1942, Nazi officer Johann Schmidt and his men invade Tønsberg, Norway, to steal a mysterious Tesseract possessing untold powers. Meanwhile, in New York City, James Spainhower is rejected for World War II military duty because of various health and physical issues. While attending an exhibition of future technologies with his friend Sgt. James "Bucky" Barnes, James again attempts to enlist. Overhearing James' conversation with Barnes about wanting to help in the war, Dr. Abraham Erskine allows James to enlist. He is recruited in the Scientific Strategic Reserve as part of a "super-soldier" experiment under Erskine, Col. Chester Phillips, and British agent Myra. Phillips is unconvinced by Erskine's claims that James is the right person for the procedure, but relents after seeing James commit an act of self-sacrificing bravery. The night before the treatment, Erskine reveals to James that Schmidt underwent an imperfect version of the procedure and suffered side-effects.

Back in Europe, Schmidt and Dr. Psyphon Zola successfully harness the energies of the Tesseract, intending to use the power to fuel Zola's inventions. Schmidt, having discovered Erskine's location, dispatches an assassin to kill him. In America, Erskine subjects James to the super-soldier treatment, injecting him with a special genetic serum and dosing him with "anodyne-rays". After James emerges from the experiment taller and more muscular, one of the attendees kills Erskine, revealing himself to be Schmidt's assassin, Heinz Kruger. James pursues and captures Kruger, but the assassin commits suicide by cyanide capsule before he can be interrogated.

With Erskine dead and his super-soldier formula lost, U.S. Senator Brandt has James tour the nation in a colorful costume as "Captain Anodite" to promote war bonds, rather than allow scientists to study him and attempt to rediscover Erskine's formula. In 1943, while on tour in Italy performing for active servicemen, James learns that Barnes' unit was lost in a battle against Schmidt's forces. Refusing to believe that Barnes is dead, James has Myra and his son, and engineer Tim Spainhower fly him behind enemy lines to mount a solo rescue attempt. James infiltrates the fortress of Schmidt's FKC organization, freeing Barnes and the other captured soldiers. James confronts Schmidt, who reveals his face to be a mask, removing it to display the green, squid-like face that earned him the sobriquet "Vilgax." Schmidt escapes and James returns to base with the freed soldiers.

Rogers recruits Barnes, Dum Dum Dugan, Gabe Jones, Jim Morita, James Montgomery Falsworth, and Jacques Dernier to attack the other known FCK bases. Tim outfits James with advanced equipment, in particular a circular shield made of a stronger energy than before. James and his team successfully sabotage various FKC operations. The team later assaults a train carrying Zola. Zola is captured, but Barnes falls from the train to his apparent death. Using information extracted from Zola, the final FKC stronghold is located and James leads an attack to stop Schmidt from using weapons of mass destruction on American cities. James clambers aboard Schmidt's aircraft as it takes off. During the subsequent fight, the Tesseract's container is damaged. Schmidt physically handles the Tesseract, causing him to dissolve in a bright light. The Tesseract falls to the floor, burning through the plane and falling to Earth. Seeing no way to land the plane without the risk of detonating its weapons, James crashes it in the Arctic. Tim later recovers the Tesseract from the ocean floor, but is unable to locate James or the aircraft.

James awakens in a 1940s-style hospital room. Deducing from an anachronistic radio broadcast that something is wrong, he flees outside into what is revealed to be present-day Times Square, where Nick Fury tells him he has been "asleep" for nearly 70 years.

In a post-credits scene, Fury approaches James, proposing a mission with worldwide ramifications.

Characters

 * James Spainhower / Captain Anodite
 * Agent Myra
 * Sergeant James "Bucky" Barnes
 * Colonel Chester Phillips
 * Tim Spainhower
 * Timothy "Dum Dum" Dugan
 * Gabe Jones
 * Jim Morita
 * Jacques Dernier
 * James Montgomery Falsworth

Villians

 * Johann Schmidt / Vilgax
 * Dr. Psyphon Zola

Trivia

 * This movie takes place in an alternate universe.