Comic-Con 2013: CAPTAIN AMERICA: WINTER SOLDIER

Marvel Studios president and producer Kevin Feige and many surprise guests provide an inside look at the ever-expanding Marvel cinematic universe at this year's Comic-Con.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Present at the press conference after an entertaining panel at Hall H were director s Anthony Russo and Joe Russo , and stars Chris Evans (Captain America/Steve Rogers,) Emily Van Camp (Kate), Anthony Mackie (The Falcon/Sam Wilson), Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow/Natasha Romanov), Samuel L. Jackson (Nick Fury), Sebastian Stan (Winter Soldier), Frank Grillo (Brock Rumlow), and Colbie Smulders (Maria Hill)

In terms of the difference in tone between the first and second film, Joe Russo commented: "The first film was a love letter to Cap and the time period, a political thriller. In order to be germane to that tone we wanted this movie to be as modern and edgy as it could be"

Speaking to that, especially to Captain America's iconic representation of all-American wholesomeness of the 1940's, Chris Evans remarked: "The question becomes what is right? In the 40's it was easy: the bad guys were bad. Today, it's who am I serving? With technology and access...where is the line? Where do we draw the lines for civil liberties? That's where it gets blurry for Cap. It's not just doing the right thing, it's what is the right thing?"

Joining the line up for this film is Avengers co-star Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow. "Natasha and Steve have been working together for two years as agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. They find themselves in a situation where their working relationship becomes more of an intimate friendship. They're both guarded, they both have trust issues."

Evans added: "Morality is not just black and white, it's grey. That's where the relationship with Black Widow is interesting: she's always been one who's been able to compromise her morals."

Many fans were overjoyed when it was announced that Sebastian Stan would return for the film, this time as the Winter Soldier which is in line with the continuity of the comic books. "He's similar to Steve Rogers, he's a man lost in this new world," said Stan. "For me, it was just sort of how does it tie back to what we've already seen and still recognize the same person."

An ongoing conversation in the geek community is the presence of strong women in comic books and super hero movies. When asked how it felt to represent that presence on screen, Johansson said: "Most super heroine films fall back to this hair flipping, cozy hands on hips thing. I've had great opportunity. Joss really set the bar in Avengers to celebrate these female characters that are usually broken or ornaments. It's been a pleasure for me to play these multiple layers, to be able to act and not just pose."

Another addition to the character roster that many fans have been excited to see was the addition of Captain America's sidekick The Falcon. As an African American actor, the opportunity to play this role was a dream come true for actor Anthony Mackie.

"Growing up, reading comic books, I had Black Panther and Falcon," Mackie recalled. "The reason [Falcon] works so well [in this film] is because the Russos are able to give dignity to a chracter without making it too hokey. What makes it work, is having an intelligent person who has the tactical knowledge to fly."

Details remain vague for possible new love interest Kate (played by Emily VanCamp) and character Brock Rumlow (played by Frank Grillo). Fans can look forward to the return of Captain America to the big screen in Captain America: The Winter Soldier on April 4, 2014.