As expected for a movie that largely takes place on the battlefields of WW II Europe, Captain America: The First Avenger does not offer much in the line of product placement.
The one brand that has taken full advantage of its role is Harley-Davidson, which cooperated with filmmakers and in exchange was a VIP guest at the premiere and featured the film's bike in the Harley Museum.
Yet, run a Google search for the terms "Captain America" and "Harley-Davidson" today and this weekend's $65-plus million grossing, Harry Potter-toppling film will not dominate those search results.
No, true Harley fans think of something entirely different when they hear "Captain America."
Blame the long tail of Google search for the fact that Captain America is most closely associated with Harley-Davidson via one of the most iconic motorcycle movies of all time: 1969's Easy Rider. The main character, played by Peter Fonda, tooled around on modified 1951 Panhead nicknamed the "Captain America" Harley.
Before Captain America: The First Avenger's chopper made it to the Harley-Davidson Museum, Captain America the counterculture antihero's bike was there. To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the film in 2009, the museum opened an exhibit on the film's iconic rides. The chopper featured though was a replica, because, of the two bikes used in filming, one was destroyed and the other mysteriously disappeared.
Easy Rider's Captain America Harley is so iconic that not just the Harley museum has one. Even a museum such as the Massachusetts Allen Motorsports Collection has its own exact replica.
Meanwhile, for motorcycle customizers, building one's own Captain America replica is almost a rite of passage.
But Harley-Davidson's onscreen iconography isn't limited to American captains, heroic and anti-, the bike has a rich pedigree in Hollywood. A few of Harley's most famous, and infamous, film roles.
Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991): Can you jump a 1992 Harley-Davidson Fat Boy? Arnold Schwarzenegger can jump a 1992 Harley-Davidson Fat Boy:
Girl on a Motorcycle (1968): Grindhouse-y exploitation film in which a Harley-Davidson Electra Glide is perfectly complimented by a sexpot biker chick who lets only a skintight leather jumpsuit come between her and her Harley:
Green Hornet (2011): Kato's Harley V-Rod was only on the screen for a few seconds but it made an impression:
Electra Glide in Blue (1973): Harley gets its model in the very title of a film that plays on growing anti-anti-establishment sentiments glorified by movies like the (Harley-Davidson heavy) East Rider!
Wild Hogs (2007): From Fat Boys to Electra Glides, it's difficult to tell if this Wild Hogs factored as an ad for buying a Harley or an argument against it. Maybe it was both, depending on how you feel about Tim Allen.
Sons of Anarchy (2008-2011): Harley has an official sponsorship role for this FX dramatic series based on a California biker gang. And it's paying off. The cast even appeared at motorcycle rallies like Harley's 105th birthday celebration.
Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man (1991): What list of Harleys in Hollywood would be complete without the one not only named after the brand but also in which iconic ad figure the Marlboro Man also rides a Harley. That's an endorsement!
It would be a spoiler to give away the small handful of other products spotted in Captain America: The First Avenger, so visit our Brandcameo product placement database for details on the film's product placements.
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