ALRIGHT PEOPLE

SO

I rewatched Winter Soldier last night (because literally what else am I supposed to do the night before I see Civil War)

And it was still great. Obviously. But you know what the best scene is?

None of the awesome action scenes. None of the Stucky fanfic fuel. None of the scenes with Falcon (somehow? Falcon’s so freaking awesome, I can’t believe I just said that he’s not the best part of a thing he’s in).

No.

The best scene is this one:

Remember this? Basically, Cap just told everyone over the intercom about Hydra infiltrating Shield, and how, if you’re not Hydra, trust no one, and fight back if you can.

In the speech, Cap acknowledges that “If I stand alone” (that is, if no one wants to step up, because, fun fact, guns are really scary), then so be it.

And then Hydra’s resident Mr. McMuscle Man Brock Rumlow up there walks up to this lowly Launch Technician (Cameron Klein is his name, played by Aaron Himelstein) and orders him to launch Project Insight (aka Hydra’s evil plans).

Five minutes ago, Cameron had one job, and it was to press a few keys and launch this thing. Sure, he’d heard about Cap becoming a fugitive, and that was weird (and sounded kinda sketchy), but hey, he works for the good guys, right?

But now the game has changed. Launching this thing is a bad idea.

Cameron pauses as Rumlow demands him to start it up. And Cameron refuses.

Rumlow pulls out a gun and points it straight at Cameron’s head. And Cameron panics; heck, he’s practically holding back tears already. But he still says no. “Captain’s orders,” he explains.

You know why this is the best scene in the movie? Because Cameron reminds me of someone. Someone that people watching the movie are already pretty familiar with.

Cameron is the guy who may not have the muscle or the skills to be a soldier or a spy, but he wanted to help make the world a better place, so he did what he could. He got a job at Shield, he followed the orders of people he thought he could trust, and when he realized the truth, he stood his ground and did the right thing. He hasn’t gone through any training, he has no powers or skills or suits of armor. He didn’t even know Sharon Carter was armed and would be able to get him out of harm’s way. He thought he was about to die. But he wasn’t going to stand by and let evil triumph.

And that’s despite the fact that Cap had EXPLICITLY given him permission to do so. That’s what he meant by “If I stand alone.” Cap was saying that if there’s a gun pointed to your head, it’s not cowardly to give up. That’s okay. It doesn’t make you a bad person. If a grenade gets tossed your way, you’re allowed to run away.

But Cameron chose to jump on top of the grenade instead.

I’ve heard people say “Steve Rogers is a hero with or without the serum,” and other people say that’s kind of a cheesy thing to say, but if you want proof of that statement, Cameron is it. In a 90-second or so scene, this movie perfectly emulated what it means to be a hero even if you have a desk job. Even if you don’t look like you take steroids. Even if nothing eventful has ever happened to you until one moment when everything in your life changes, YOU CAN STILL BE A HERO.

I don’t care if that sounds cheesy or hokey. This scene is incredible. Cameron Klein is incredible - so incredible, in fact, that he got a cameo in Age of Ultron on Fury’s Helicarrier.

Yeah, someone (I’m guessing Sharon) was so freaking impressed at his bravery that they recommended him to serve on Fury’s staff (and, after Winter Soldier, the amount of people Fury trusted could probably be counted on one hand). And he’s in charge of the evacuation - which was LITERALLY THE REASON Fury shows up at all. Not military backup, not surveillance. Evacuation of civilians. And Fury gave Cameron that responsibility.

Because that guy up there may be the face of a nerd, or a gofer, or a desk clerk.

But it’s also the face of a person who won’t back down. Even when his world is being turned upside down, even when his life is on the line, this is the face of a man who will always do the right thing.

This is the face of a hero.

Now, Marvel’s Damage Control is an upcoming TV show about the normal folks. The ones without powers who always seem to be in the background but may have a lot more depth than they let on.

And I’m gonna try not to be too upset if I don’t see this guy’s name in the cast list, but man I’m hoping I do, because Cameron Klein is a hero.