For years after the end of the Second World War – and a bit during the Second World War – the truly treacherous Nazis were regularly portrayed as bumbling fools, or “comic book†villains. With a reawakening of Holocaust awareness in the early 1990s, pop culture has backed away from the Nazis as easy, recurring adversaries. They haven’t shown up in Call of Duty games for quite some time, and their presence in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull – and any other possible future installments of the series – is missed.

In Captain America: The First Avenger, the titular hero faces the Red Skull, a creature so evil the Nazis aren’t bad enough for him. Cap and his “Howling Commandos†– who we find out later only one of whom was killed – wage a secret war against HYDRA, narratively separating the star-spangled man with the plan from the conflict in which he was born in comics and “our†reality. Why did Marvel Studios (and whatever influence distributor Paramount Pictures had, at the time) feel the need to deviate? Were they worried they’d trivialize – or infantilize – the reality of the Nazi threat? Are there still factions too powerful in the world that represent similar ideals of the Nazis that the Captain America: The First Avenger filmmakers didn’t want to remind viewers of? Did the ragtag Howling Commandos downplay the real-life sacrifices and heroism of “citizen soldiers†who fought in World War II?

This week, Tobias and Ivey welcome their good friend and venerable Captain America expert Daniel Ritchie to discuss Captain America: The First Avenger and World War II! When you’re done listening Block Bluster!, be sure to check out his show, When Nerds Collide, on Facebook and Twitter @collidingnerds and everywhere great podcasts can be found.

Also this week, find out which lucky Blockhead won the free Blu-ray 3D/Blu-ray/Digital HD combo pack of Captain America: The Winter Soldier! We didn’t quite reach our goals, but that most certainly doesn’t make us grumpy! Remember to subscribe to Block Bluster! on iTunes and leave a review! Like us on Facebook and follow Block Bluster! on Twitter @blockblusterpod. Follow Tobias Ellis @callmetobias and Ivey West @dorv. Thanks for listening!