3 weeks. That is all that is left before Disney/Marvel's next superhero epic Captain America: The First Avenger, the last costumed hero movie of a jam-packed superhero summer, is released on July 22nd 2011 in the U.S. and a week later in the U.K. Out of all the superhero films released this summer, Captain America is the one that has consistently enjoyed the best advertising campaign with the best trailers.... ... and nothing gets me as pumped as a few awesome promo movie posters! Matthew Vaughn's X-Men: First Class and Kenneth Branagh's Thor had a mixed bag of posters but they didn't really give me the goosebumps I feel with the Cap campaign. Which leads me to the reasoning behind this post - a celebration of the well designed promo posters for the upcoming film that celebrates the patriotism of Captain America on what is Independence Day! The teaser poster: What more needs to be said? The word 'Avenge' laid across his chest does all of the work, linking directly to next year's ensemble hero event-to-end-all-events; Joss Whedon's The Avengers. And the costume looks authentically brilliant! I am still attempting to erase the horrible memories of Matt Salinger wrapped in blue and white PVC from the best forgotten 1990 Captain America movie but The flying dirt, the battle damaged iconic shield and the stoic stance gives me hope about everything this film is going to be about. I also like that they avoided using his face-mask/ helmet for this teaser poster as it it the one element that tends to look a little corny on screen. Of course they won't be able to get away with that for the whole movie! The retro poster: Drawn by comic artist Paulo Rivera, this retro piece is only being released as a gift to the film's cast and crew. Sigh. Sure, this poster works because it harkens back to both the movie posters of the 30's & 40's, as well as the wartime propaganda materials. Having the Howling Commandos on there brings in the broader Marvel Universe and what is being built cinematically here but let's be realistic, this poster is awesome because Captain America is punching out Hitler! And that makes me want to see this movie! The patriotic profile poster: Okay, this one doesn't really work for me as well as the others and I guess I would need a little more American patriotism running through my blood to get all fired up. Perhaps if it was green and gold, with a boxing kangaroo, then I'd have my thongs on with a VB in hand shouting "Aussie, Aussie, Aussie. Oi! Oi! Oi!" The Hollywood poster: Normally I loathe these paint-by-numbers studio posters so I can't work out what it is exactly that makes me really like this one; is it Tommy Lee's father-like gaze, or the young Nick Fury and Dum Dum Duggan? Anything would be cool with the scary-as eyes of the Red Skull looming over the top! The character posters: Okay, I admit that these are kinda sucky when it comes down to cool movie posters. And yep, Chris Evans looks a little bit like he is doing his best 'Blue Steel' impersonation. But you will never hear me complain about having the Red Skull in anything. The fan-made posters: There are times when you wonder why the studios don't look out to the fan-base for inspiration. These are only two of the many special fan-made spec movie posters and they are a leagues above a few of the previous 'official' promotions. If I saw these in the light boxes in any cinema I would be buying a ticket for the very next session. Discuss: What do you think of the posters for Captain America: The First Avenger? Are you as easily excited as I am? Or do movie posters have very little effect on your film choices?