Marvel Universe on film as he has been in the comics for decades. As Civil War stands

poised to deliver the most world-changing story in the MCU yet, that doesn't mean every

great detail, secret, or twist takes place in front of the cameras. There's no better

time to run down some of the coolest facts about Marvel's Captain America to let fans

appreciate the chaos and wars behind the scenes. Here are 20 Captain America Secrets From Behind

The Scenes. Ending The War

The Civil War comic series had to be changed for the movie, but in a weird twist of fate,

it's Avengers director Joss Whedon who actually deserves credit for the comic's climactic

ending. Originally, Iron Man and Cap stopped fighting when bystanders, like the readers,

begged them to, making the fight an unsatisfying draw. The writers knew a more satisfying finish

was needed, so when Whedon came by, taking a break from his own "X-Men" series, they

told him their problem, and he gave them their new ending exactly as it appears. Or, in the

words of writer Mark Millar: "the bugger was there ten minutes and he solved everything."

Redwing The Falcon has upped his game since The Winter

Soldier, having added a recon drone to his arsenal, which he refers to as 'Redwing.'

The name is a nod to his actual trained falcon sidekick from the comics, since the directors

figured a bird he can telepathically communicate with would be too hard to believe.

Community Alums The Russo Brothers may have taken the reins

of the Marvel Universe, but they haven't forgotten where they came from. The duo made sure to

give cameos to some friends and Community alums in The Winter soldier, with DC Pierson

a friend of Donald Glover and Danny Pudi nabbing tiny roles. In Civil War, it's actor Jim Rash

who gets the nod, playing yet another annoying intellectual vying for Tony Stark's attention.

Launching Ant-Man When the trailers highlighted the airport

showdown between the Avengers, it was Ant-Man and Hawkeye combining their powers, with the

archer firing Scott Lang into action on the end of his arrow. It's a great idea, and one

lifted straight from the cover of The Avengers #223, released in 1963.

Sharing The Spotlight Although it's a Captain America movie, Civil

War is pulling double duty, introducing both Black Panther and the New Spider-Man - but

that wasn't the original plan. Panther's role was added to the story, and made an even bigger

part when Marvel thought that Sony might not agree to let Spidey into the MCU. By the time

a deal was reached, Panther had a serious part, which meant Spider-Man's role had to

be a smaller one. But that's still hard to actually complain about.

Audition Tapes Spider-Man and Marvel's Punisher aren't likely

to cross paths on film, but the actors already have. While filming the independent movie

Pilgrimage, actors Tom Holland and Jon Bernthal actually recorded audition tapes for Marvel

together, hoping to land the roles of Spider-Man and The Punisher, respectively. When Holland

joined Chris Hemsworth's In The Heart of the Sea, he asked the Avenger to put in a good

word, sealing the deal, as Bernthal joined Daredevil.

Signing on RDJ The original plan for Civil War was to have

Robert Downey Jr make a small appearance, but knowing the story potential, he had his

sights set on a much bigger role - which meant a much bigger paycheck. Having already delivered

a massive paycheck for The Avengers, the CEO of Marvel Entertainment Ike Perlmutter refused

the idea. Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige eventually convinced the higher-ups that it

really was the way to go for Civil War, and the entire structure of Marvel's movie and

entertainment chains of command were shifted as a result.

Sneaky Double Cast It's an unspoken, but official rule that no

actor can play two different characters in the Marvel Universe. But when Robert Downey

Jr. suggested his former co-star Alfre Woodard for a smaller role in Civil War, nobody checked

with the TV side of the MCU. Having already been cast as a completely different character

in Netflix's Luke Cage series, Woodard introduces one of the MCU's biggest wrinkles so far.

A Real Ship  Cap showed he had adapted to modern military

when he singlehandedly took down a satellite launching ship in The Winter Soldier's opening

scenes. The action is staged, but the ship isn't - it really is a ship used to launch

satellites from the equator. When the production got access to the vessel, the entire subplot

involving satellites was added to make the most of it.

Aging Peggy Carter There's good chance that some fans never realized

that the elderly Peggy Carter really was Peggy, as in actress Hayley Atwell. It wasn't makeup,

either, or CG aging, but a combination of both. Atwell performed the scene in costume

and a grey wig, and an older actress performed the same lines and movement. Digital artists

then took the skin and muscle movements from the older woman, pasted them onto Atwell,

and massaged them into the finished effect. Chase Scene

The Nick Fury chase scene through city streets was a hit with fans because it actually seemed

realistic - but they didn't know just how realistic it was. The sequence was based on

a 2010 Brazilian police chase that looks exactly the same, and the directors even played the

police video as part of their original pitch to Marvel.

Widow’s Plot Hole Widow's showdown with the Winter Soldier ended

with her getting the upper hand, but it originally would have caused a massive plot hole. The

plan was for Widow to put her shoes beside a car to ambush the villain, but when Scarlett

Johansson pointed out that her character would be barefoot for the rest of the movie, the

directors realized the mistake, and used a phone instead. Close one.

Brubaker’s Cameo Steve and Bucky's reunion lifts a few images

right from the comic, but that's not the only tribute that Marvel paid to writer Ed Brubaker,

who penned Bucky's return as the Winter Soldier. Look closely, and you can catch Brubaker's

cameo as one of the technicians overseeing Bucky's brainwashing.

Smelly Locations Marvel tends to find unique locations for

their films, but none is stranger than Nick Fury's hideout. The cement bunker is actually

an old sewage treatment plant that was a perfect backdrop when location scouting was done in

the winter. But when the crew arrived to film in the summer, the warmer temperatures brought

the smells to life. Luckily, the audience can't tell - but the cast sure could.

Director Cameo Sometimes it takes a director, not an actor,

to know just what a tiny role needs to deliver. That, or they just want a cameo where it fits:

make sure you don't miss Nick Fury's doctor giving Widow some treatment, since it's director

Joe Russo playing the part. Scrawny Soldier

It's still incredible to see how digital artists turned Chris Evans into a scrawny soldier

in the First Avenger, but they had some help from his small-scale body double Leander Deeny.

Fans don't need to go digging, either: the nicknames "Skinny Steve" appears in the film,

as the bartender serving Cap and his Howling Commandos.

Evans and Johansson By the time The Winter Soldier came around,

actors Chris Evans and Scarlett Johansson had appeared together in four different films,

the earliest being 2004's The Perfect Score. The two were so familiar as friends, they

actually wrote large portions of their own dialogue drawing on their own personalities.

Fake Headstone It turns out the history of Nick Fury is a

secret even to the directors. When the former SHIELD director's birthdate couldn't be shown,

the directors needed to put SOMETHING on his fake headstone at the end of Winter Soldier.

Remembering a certain Bible verse made famous by Samuel L. Jackson in Pulp Fiction, their

problem was solved. The Winter Soldier

Everyone knows that Marvel loves to keep their secrets - but apparently, that includes the

actors, too. Sebastian Stan was probably a bit confused when he was told that he'd be

appearing in The Winter Soldier, but had signed on for nine film appearances after the First

Avenger. It wasn't until the sequel was announced as The Winter Soldier that he realized he

would be playing the villain of the movie, paving the way for an even bigger role in

the MCU. Cap’s Shield

Director Joe Johnston first brought Cap to the big screen, but he made sure to do some

spy work in a local comic book store during pre-production. When he asked the clerk what

was most important to get right about the hero, the man claimed it was the shield, certain

that a movie would upgrade it with guns or electrical attacks instead of keeping it simple.

As a joke, Johnston included those exact versions for Cap to choose from, hoping the fans would

be groaning and rolling their eyes before Cap spotted his classic weapon hiding underneath

the table. Those are some of the cooler secrets and stories

from behind the scenes of Marvel's Star-spangled Man, but what cool details have we missed?

Let us know what you think in the comments, and remember to subscribe for more videos

like this one.