Captain America 2: 20 Easter Eggs, References & In-Jokes You Need To See

6. Redford's Casting Is An Easter Egg

Given the film's commitment to recreating a '70s political thriller vibe, there could only ever have been one name on the casting director's list for Alexander Pierce, especially given the director team's admission of the inspirations for the film:

Our father was a big - he loved genre movies, and we used to watch the late show with him every night. Black Friday, French Connection, All the President's Men, 3 Days of the Condor - we grew up on those films. So when they said that they wanted to use that as an influence, we said, "Look, if that's-we were born to direct this movie."

They also went on to confirm that Redford was cast because of those influences:

...We've joked that you could call this movie 3 Days of Captain America, because it owes a huge debt, creatively, to 3 Days of the Condor, structurally. And to get Redford to us was just, for us - one, not just as a brilliant actor and brilliant screen presence, but two, philosophically, there was a continuity between the last time we had great political thrillers and our movie.

At one point in the movie there's a black and white image of Redford, which looks suspiciously (a lot) like this one...

Which - of course - is a publicity shot from All The President's Men. And not only that, one of Redford's most comical lines, which would have been smart enough on its own as the perfect response to his realisation that Fury is not in fact dead, calls back to another famous role loaded with political intrigue. As Fury makes his triumphant re-entry, Pierce mutters something about sending flowers, which calls back to the iconic Spy Game line his character utters:

"Don't ever risk your life for an asset. If it comes down to you or them... send flowers."

Where To Watch Out For It Every time he appears - but specifically when Fury reveals to Pierce that he is still alive.