Robert Redford Joins Captain America: The Winter Solider

For their times, paying Marlon Brando and Jack Nicholson fortunes added weight to Superman: the Movie and Batman. Films based on comics were cheap junk. Throwing in Oscar-winning, legendary thespians brought the kind of legitimacy to get your parents attention. Those have yet to be equaled 'till this afternoon.

Robert Redford is joining Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Founder of the Sundance Film Festival, director of great, little intimate films like Ordinary People and Quiz Show and movie-star of yesteryear with Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid, The Sting, The Candidate and All the President's Men.

Yes, that Robert Redford is showing up in a big-budget superhero tentpole. What has the world come to?!  He'll play a senior SH.I.E.L.D. agent, likely to appear to future Marvel movies outside of next April's Cap sequel.

In the afore-mentioned examples of Brando and Nicholson, they were the first players added to the first picture. You know, lore them initially by their credibility and hope the quality keeps the audience around. Redford is coming onboard a follow-up. His mug won't add to box-office totals but it's a coupe on Marvel's part.