Chris Evans has made no secret of his unfamiliarity with "Captain America" lore — a fictional historythat dates back to World War II and continues to this day. And some of the more huffy Marvel aficionados on the Web have made no secret of their displeasure with this gap in Evans' pop-culture knowledge.
Leaving aside the rather curious notion that an actor needs to be an expert on a given subject before he takes on a role, fans will be pleased to know that Evans has plunged into the Captain's past since he signed on for the big-screen adaptation in April.
"Absolutely, the comic books have been fantastic," he told MTV News at San Diego Comic-Con last week. "Personally, when I was going through the comic books, the ones that were most intriguing were the origin stories. I just wanted to get as many different takes on how this guy started out."
Evans has concentrated on the origin stories — which follow Steve Rogers' transformation, via the army's Super-Solider serum, from average Joe to American superhero — because that is the tale Marvel is set to establish with "Captain America: The First Avenger."
"That's the story we're telling," Evans explained. "I want to know who he was prior to this happening to him, and I think if that character is someone the audience can relate to, we win."
Evans also confirmed that Peggy Carter, the Captain's love interest to be played by Hayley Atwell (AMC's "The Prisoner"), will have a meaty part in the new flick, which hits theaters on July 22, 2011.
"Oh yeah, she's got a lot to do in this one, absolutely," he said.
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