<P> Captain America: The First Avenger is a 2011 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character Captain America, produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Paramount Pictures . It is the fifth film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe . The film was directed by Joe Johnston, written by Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely, and stars Chris Evans, Tommy Lee Jones, Hugo Weaving, Hayley Atwell, Sebastian Stan, Dominic Cooper, Neal McDonough, Derek Luke, and Stanley Tucci . Set predominantly during World War II, Captain America: The First Avenger tells the story of Steve Rogers, a sickly man from Brooklyn who is transformed into super-soldier Captain America and must stop the Red Skull, who intends to use an artifact called the "Tesseract" as an energy - source for world domination . </P> <P> Captain America: The First Avenger began as a concept in 1997 and was scheduled for distribution by Artisan Entertainment . However, a lawsuit, not settled until September 2003, disrupted the project . In 2005, Marvel Studios received a loan from Merrill Lynch, and planned to finance and release it through Paramount Pictures . Directors Jon Favreau and Louis Leterrier were interested in directing the project before Johnston was approached in 2008 . The principal characters were cast between March and June 2010 . Production of Captain America: The First Avenger began in June 2010, and filming took place in London, Manchester, Caerwent, and Liverpool in the United Kingdom, and Los Angeles in the United States . The film was converted to 3D in post-production . </P> <P> Captain America: The First Avenger premiered in Hollywood on July 19, 2011, and was released in the United States on July 22, 2011 . The film received positive reviews and was commercially successful, grossing over $370 million worldwide . The Blu - ray and DVD were released on October 25, 2011 . A sequel titled Captain America: The Winter Soldier was released on April 4, 2014, and a third film titled Captain America: Civil War was released on May 6, 2016 . </P> <P> In the present day, scientists in the Arctic uncover an old, frozen aircraft . In March 1942, Nazi officer Johann Schmidt and his men steal a mysterious relic called the Tesseract, which possesses untold powers, from the town of Tønsberg in German - occupied Norway . </P>

When did the first captain america movie come out