Maximiliano Hernandez Exclusive ‘Captain America’ Interview: ‘Marvel is 15 Years Ahead’

You have seen him in “Thor” and “The Avengers.” If you are a Marvel fan you will remember him in the shorts “Marvel One-Shot: The Consultant,” “Item 47” and the TV show “Agents of SHIELD.” Maximiliano Hernandez is an American actor with Honduran roots that reprises his role as agent Jasper Sitwell in the upcoming “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” (read my review here).

I had the chance to speak recently with Hernandez about his past, present and future in the land of super heroes.

As a Latino, how do you feel about being part of this comic book franchise?

It so funny. I grew up reading comics so I knew the character I play: White guys, blond hair, glasses …I don’t look like that. Everyone likes the fact that they decided to change him and add a little color to the Marvel world. My family gets a kick out of it, they think it’s hilarious. My parents think it is funny. It’s a lot of fun!

What has surprised the most about the evolution of the Marvel Cinematic Universe?

What surprises me the most is how far ahead they think about these characters. I don’t want to give any spoilers about “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” but the fact that Senator Stern (played by Garry Shandling) comes back shows how they connect everything together. They think so far ahead that you actually see the evolution of all the characters. From the first Iron Man to the last one, you see Tony Stark change. You see that with everyone.

They are 15 years ahead of all of us. They are talking about movies 5 and 6 years from now. Other studios are trying to get to the next one. The evolution is completely planned out, it isn’t an accident. As a viewer, it is exciting when you see so much work put into it.

You have had the rare chance to develop you character with the shorts. How was that experience?

It was great. It started out as an opportunity to chronologically connect the films. The early movies in Phase One are kind of out of order. So the idea was for you to say “Oh, so this happened before that,” etc. But then they took a life of their own.
Louis D’Esposito, who directed “Item 47,” the last one I did, really wanted to do a mini-movie after the events of “The Avengers.” By the way, a lot of the people that worked on the big movies worked on the shorts, like our effects supervisor and stuff like that. They had the same attention to detail. I have been in movies that weren’t planned out as well as those shorts. They did a great job blending the features and the shorts together. I was lucky to have my character carrying to two shorts and also the SHIELD show.

Where you happy from the beginning about what we see of your character in this movie?

It was a little weird. At the beginning, when I first read the script, I didn’t know what to think. It’s such a huge change for him. This whole time we have seen him one way and then you find out that it is something else. It took me a moment, I have to admit, to pass the initial shock. But I thought that it was a great way to expand the universe and what has happened with SHIELD. You never know with Marvel, they always have backup plans, like Nick Fury.

Actors in franchises are always worried about dying, but here nobody “really” dies. Are you worried?

I am always worried about dying! I died in the last TV show I was. Now I am in another one and the first question I asked was “Do I die?” But nobody really dies in the Marvel Universe. Clark Gregg died and he ended up with a TV show. I think that everyone should worry about dying, but there is always the possibility of coming back.

What do you think about “Captain America 3” and the Man of Steel sequel being released the same date?

I like to see this level of excitement for two movies that haven’t been made yet. There are a lot of fans of DC and a lot of Marvel, so I think that they will definitely go right down the line. I am excited to see how that showdown goes down, but I believe that Cap will pull it off.

“Captain America: The Winter Soldier” is in theaters, 3D and IMAX on April 4.