How will Captain America tie into The Avengers?

We’ve seen in Marvel’s past films just how their films will tie together in Joss Whedon’s The Avengers. However, one film that could prove difficult is Joe Johnston’s Captain America: The First Avenger. The director now teases how the film will tie into Marvel’s universe.

Johnston spoke with Comic Book Movies that there will be references to Thor, but only the fans may be able to notice. “There are links between all the MARVEL films, mostly ones that only the fans will pick up on,” Johnston said. The reference in the film will be subtle, but with Captain America set in the 1940s allowed for only a few. “We have several subtle references to certain elements in THOR, but since CAPTAIN AMERICA is a period picture taking place in the 40′s, there are fewer opportunities for contemporary links to the rest of the MARVEL universe,” he added.

There were already a couple references to Captain America in Jon Favreau’s Iron Man, and Louis Leterrier’s The Incredible Hulk. Joss Whedon recently enplaned his contributions to the film’s script (here), which may have included these references. Captain America will star Chris Evans as the title character, with Hugo Weaving playing the villainous Red Skull.

Captain America: The First Avenger will be released on July 22, 2011.