After his appearance in Iron Man 2, there have been all sorts of rumours swirling (since confirmed) that Tony Stark’s father, Howard, would be making an appearance in Captain America. It would make a lot of sense, as while the movie will be set in the 1940s – meaning crossovers with other pre-Avangers Marvel movies will be difficult – we know Stark helped give the world the nuclear bomb, and so it would would make sense if he were also involved with the project that helped create Captain America. In fact his involvement would seem to have been confirmed by IM2’s revelation that Stark also helped form the S.H.I.E.L.D team around the time of World War II.
So who going to play Howard in Captain America? Well, John Slattery, who was Stark Sr. in Iron Man 2, is probably too old to play him as a young man, so what about Mamma Mia star Dominic Cooper? Rumours of his involvement stem from an interview with Salon, where he talks about his role in Stephen Frear’s Tamara Drewe. In a rather rambling intro to the filmed interview, Salon drop the news that ‘he’s also slated to play Howard Stark (aka, Iron Man’s father) in the upcoming Captain America.’
However, they don’t say where they got their news and Cooper himself doesn’t say anything about it in the interview. It could be that Salon got the info from Cooper himself or his agents and didn’t realise they’d just got a major casting scoop, or it’s possible it’s just a mix-up.
So while it’s a definite possibility and he would probably fit well into the role, at the moment it’s completely unconfirmed. Salon does report it as defnitely happening though, so don’t be surprised if you do see Cooper as Tony’s dad when Captain America is released in cinemas July, 2011.