Warning: contains spoilers for Captain America #8!
In the MCU, Captain America kept a “catch-up” list, but now he has flipped the script on the list, naming the one Brad Pitt movie he despises. In Captain America #8, Steve Rogers, while fighting, reflects on his relationship with death. This train of thought leads him to movies, and during the battle, reveals he hates one particular movie starring Brad Pitt.
Captain America #8 is written by J. Michael Straczynski and drawn by Carlos Magno. The issue opens with Captain America fighting a demonic horde, in order to protect the Front Door Cabaret. Captain America mentions people who talk about “death incarnate.”
Captain America points to film and literature as having examples of death incarnate, but points out one in particular: Meet Joe Black.Captain America proceeds to insult the film, saying he can never remember the title as it was so bad he blacked it out.
In the MCU, after being revived in the present day, Captain America joined the Avengers and undertook a quest to get “caught up” with cultural milestones he had missed while on the ice. Introduced in 2014’s Captain America: Civil War, the list featured musicians, movies, television shows and other aspects of pop culture. Among the entries included The Beatles, Star Wars and Star Trek, as well as I Love Lucy. Furthermore, the list changed based on what country the movie was being shown in. Captain America later gave the list to Bucky as a way to help him cope.
Fans never get to hear what Captain America thought of the Beatles or Dance Dance Revolution, but in this issue, they learn what he thinks of Meet Joe Black. The 1998 comedy-drama, a loose remake of Death Takes a Holiday (which Captain America also mentions), starred Brad Pitt as “Death,” who decides to live as a mortal for a day. Also starring Anthony Hopkins and Claire Forlani, the film was a dud both critically and commercially. Meet Joe Black was perhaps most notable for featuring the trailer for Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace.
And Captain America was not a fan of Meet Joe Black. While Straczynski and Magno do not say why Captain America hated the movie so much, he nevertheless has strong feelings about it. This contrasts with his attitude towards his MCU “catch-up” list. The movies, shows and music on that list were all game-changers or stand-outs in their fields. On the other hand, Meet Joe Black has largely been forgotten by audiences today, and is rarely mentioned in discussions of good Brad Pitt movies–and not even Captain America liked it.
Captain America #8 is on sale now from Marvel Comics!