Captain America: Civil War – Who’s Battling Who And Why?

It’s all well and good cramming countless popular heroes into your movie, and then making your movie about those heroes being on two sides of an epic conflict, but it’s tricky to keep the individual plot arcs straight in the mind. With the exception of Black Panther and Spider-Man, each of the heroic characters in Captain America: Civil War is coming in to the movie with a history and plot that is already established in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. That’s at least 11 threads to tie together in a coherent fashion. If anyone can succeed in that task, however, it is filmmaking duo Joe and Anthony Russo – directors of Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Without entering spoiler territory, and based solely on information that is available from the trailers and cast listings, it seems that the Russo brothers, along with the film’s writers – Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely – are using the characters of General Thunderbolt Ross (William Hurt), Baron Zemo (Daniel Bruhl) and Crossbones (Frank Grillo) to propel the conflict and the action. These characters – bringing with them a demand for superheroes to submit to government oversight and control, and a threat to innocent lives, respectively – set the stage for our heroes to disagree, and engage in battle, with each other. But, if the issue between them is whether or not they should be accountable to a higher authority, then – provided this is a well-written movie - they will each make their decision based upon their own history, and where they are in their own story. These are the things that have brought them to the point where they must pick a side. So, with the release of Captain America: Civil War now just days away, let’s take a look at who will be battling and what their motivations are likely to be. Steve Rogers/Captain America Of course, Captain America (Chris Evans) is battling – it’s still his film, even though there are more superheroes appearing in this than the actual team up movie, Avengers: Age Of Ultron. The point here is that Captain America has had something of a change of heart since he first appeared in Captain America: The First Avenger. While he was initially depicted as a by-the-book, follow-your-orders kind of guy, this film is where that personality trait does a complete about-face. It is hardly surprising, considering that his previous franchise outing – Captain America: The Winter Soldier – saw him drawn into battle due to nefarious infiltration of S.H.I.E.L.D. Surely, anyone would be distrustful of authority after a bunch of bad guys, posing as good guys, force you to jump out of a moving elevator. Add to that the fact that the authority he is so wary of is apparently rallying against his best friend, Bucky Barnes, and you have all the makings of a giant conflict. Tony Stark/Iron Man Also the product of his experiences in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Tony Stark/Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) has become the guy that wants order, and oversight and a clearly defined chain of command – essentially swapping places with Captain America. The reason for this is, arguably, two-fold. Firstly, when first we met Iron Man’s alter ego and creator, Tony Stark, he was an arrogant, obstinate arms dealer – enamoured of his own technical genius and unwilling to entertain the needs of other people. Then, he was abducted by terrorists (in 2008’s Iron Man) and had to create a weaponized, armoured suit as a means of escape and survival. He was then torn, for a period of time, between fear of the huge responsibility that goes along with owning and operating a potentially world-saving piece of equipment, and the attention and adoration heaped upon those considered to be heroes. Secondly, his status a superhero brought the big picture into sharp focus for him, when those he holds dear began to be threatened (Pepper Potts and Happy, repeatedly, in the Iron Man franchise), and he caught a terrifying glimpse of how incredibly vulnerable Planet Earth is in terms of potential galactic threats from space (in 2012’s Avengers). These elements directly contributed to his compromised mental well-being in Iron Man 3 – essentially his most transformative experience – and his ill-advised creation of the artificial intelligence Ultron in Avengers: Age Of Ultron. This succession of circumstance has resulted in Tony Stark undergoing a fundamental alteration in attitude – which is arguably based in fear. Having been shown the big picture, the part of his personality that likes to be in charge – in the alpha male position – has never felt more threatened. He has never been more motivated to charge ahead, but has also never been more consumed with the desire to do so as part of a wider system – and this is what puts him in conflict with Captain America. Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) is inherently unpredictable. She is, by virtue of a lifetime of training and experience, a super-spy and assassin, drafted in by S.H.I.E.L.D. to assemble, assist and help manage the larger than life personalities that comprise the superheroes involved with the organization. She has no superpowers of her own, but is more than capable of fighting alongside those that do in the heat of battle. Ultimately, however, her loyalty does not reside solely with one person, or with one side of an argument. Though she was introduced to the MCU in Iron Man 2, she has been most closely associated with Captain America, thanks to her supporting role in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. That film – her third MCU appearance – gave us, perhaps, our first real insight into her history with S.H.I.E.L.D. and her attitude toward the organization as an authority in the arena of planetary security. Alongside Captain America, she is clearly devastated to learn that the organization has been compromised by Hydra, and is deeply wounded by the loss of her superior, Nick Fury. In many ways, it seems, her work with S.H.I.E.L.D. represents something of a turnaround for her. This depiction gives us the impression that Black Widow is, essentially, a ‘company woman’ – a foot soldier within a motivated unit, or a cog in a much a bigger machine. The third act of Captain America: The Winter Soldier peels back a deeper layer, however, and we find that senior S.H.I.E.L.D. operatives – albeit corrupted ones – are in possession of a wealth of information about Black Widow and her professional history. There is little doubt, then, that Black Widow is, in fact, simply a contractor for hire, who currently works with the Avengers, and whose actions are guided solely by what her conscience will tolerate. Working with the Avengers has caused her conscience to have an altered tolerance for morally questionable undertakings, and as such, she remains closely associated not only with Captain America, but with S.H.I.E.L.D., too. As greater oversight of the team’s actions is demanded – in the wake of events from previous movies – it is not entirely clear which side of the conflict Black Widow will fall to, or indeed, if she will stick to one side at all. Being inherently unpredictable, her conscience will be torn between loyalty to Cap, and her role as representing the will of S.H.I.E.L.D. – and, by extension, Iron Man - since they are the ones cutting her pay cheque. Bucky Barnes/The Winter Soldier The childhood friend of Steve Rogers/Captain America, Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) has been the catalyst for most of the action within the Captain America franchise. As such, it comes as no surprise that this influence continues to be felt throughout the Civil War conflict. In Captain America: The First Avenger, Cap was partly motivated by the apparent tragic death of Bucky during a wartime battle. In Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Bucky is revealed to be the titular bad guy, thanks to some Hydra jiggery-pokery. In Captain America: Civil War, then, Bucky Barnes is once again on board – but this time, Cap appears to have saved him from the clutches of Hydra, and is attempting to protect him from the full might of S.H.I.E.L.D., which undoubtedly has some follow-up questions after Barnes, as The Winter Soldier, went on a rampage through an American city. Cap remains fiercely loyal to his childhood buddy, and it can probably be assumed that this adds to his distrust of authority, and his absolute refusal to acquiesce to demands for greater oversight. For his part, Bucky Barnes will surely fight on the side of Captain America – because, in doing so, he is also fighting for himself and his own freedom. Whether this is the sum total of his motivations, and whether he is entirely clear of the influence of Hydra, is another question entirely. Sam Wilson/Falcon Sam Wilson/Falcon (Anthony Mackie) potentially holds an interesting position in Captain America: Civil War. He is, essentially and initially, a replacement best friend for Captain America. Having supposedly lost Bucky Barnes in Captain America: The First Avenger, the superhero crosses paths with Wilson - a military-trained man trying to adjust to life back at home – and inspires him with his heroism. Wilson uses flight technology available to him to assist in the fight against The Winter Soldier – who is ultimately revealed to be Bucky Barnes. Wilson becomes deeply embroiled with S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Avengers, assuming the guise of Falcon, and fighting alongside the superheroes – but his involvement here will be largely dependent upon his loyalty to Captain America and his attitude toward Cap’s relationship with Bucky Barnes. With his own distinguished military career behind him, Falcon can easily relate to the close bond that exists between Cap and Bucky – but that same career also requires him to prioritize the safety and protection of the population above all else. While it can easily be assumed that Falcon will remain loyal to Captain America, will he question the blind faith his friend has in Bucky Barnes, if it leads to greater stubbornness with regard to authority and, perhaps, a vulnerability that Hydra can exploit? James Rhodes/War Machine James Rhodes/War Machine (Don Cheadle) is, without doubt, in Iron Man’s corner. An early proponent of government oversight of the Iron Man suit, Rhodes has been consistently locked in his own simmering conflict with Stark, in an attempt to have him submit to authority. Prior to Iron Man’s involvement with the Avengers, Tony Stark spent a large percentage of screen time arguing that government oversight of his activities was not only unnecessary, but would be a hindrance to his heroism. This stance has gradually but assuredly changed to be more in line with that of James Rhodes – a military man, sworn to protect the populace. While the issue has historically caused a great deal of tension between the two men, they have remained steadfast friends, to the extent that Rhodes has taken on this alternate version of the Iron Man suit, as War Machine. His own attitude has remained largely unchanged, and he happily fights alongside Iron Man as a team – especially now that Iron Man willingly submits to authority. War Machine will predictably support the government line – that widespread damage and death, wrought by superheroes acting unchecked, must be actively prevented. Despite his loyalty to Iron Man, however, War Machine will be taking that stand because of loyalty to the citizenry. Clint Barton/Hawkeye Clint Barton/Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) is, we now know, a family man, who happens to be a trained, crack-shot assassin with a bow and arrow, and who works with the Avengers. Within the team, he has the longest history with Black Widow, with previous films having referenced many missions that they have undertaken together as secret agents. He is very much his own entity, however, demonstrating allegiance to the group as a whole, but no single member in particular – and certainly no single leadership character. While little of his nature has been revealed during past appearances in the MCU, he always comes into his own during giant action set-pieces – which has the result of placing emphasis for this character on his experiences during battle. In 2012’s Avengers, he was saved from Loki’s mind-control and fought alongside his superhero colleagues against alien invaders intent on destroying New York City. In Avengers: Age Of Ultron, he fought valiantly in the Battle of Sokovia – the event that gave its name to the government initiative seeking to exert authority over superheroics. In that battle, he was left traumatized by the death of Quicksilver – brother of Scarlet Witch – whom he had managed to effectively recruit into the team. It is surprising, then, to see that the trailer for Captain America: Civil War has Hawkeye apparently lining up with Cap against Iron Man – in other words, refusing government oversight. Perhaps Hawkeye will finally get the defining moment he has been lacking thus far in the MCU – and if he does, that will make for an excellent plot point. T'Challa/Black Panther T’Challa/Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman) is new to the MCU, and Captain America: Civil War is his introduction to audiences. This means that, in terms of the way in which the character will be established in the film franchise, we have no real idea of his motivations, nor where his allegiances will ultimately lie. We know, from the comic book source material, that the primary motivation for the character is the murder of his royal father, at the hands of Ulysses Klaue, in his home nation of Wakanda. In the trailer for Captain America: Civil War, however, he is glimpsed being caught up in the collateral damage caused by one of the previous superhero incidents. This fits well with trailer shots of Black Panther, in full costume, fighting alongside Iron Man, who is a supporter of government oversight. Judging by the preview footage, Black Panther will be a powerful ally to have. Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) lost her brother, Pietro Maximoff/Quicksilver, in Avengers: Age Of Ultron - and this was her primary motivation to work with the Avengers. Though she was hostile toward them at first, she finds herself fighting alongside them to defeat Ultron, and reluctantly joining their ranks, since she has no other family left and nowhere to go. For Scarlet Witch - who first appeared in the custody of Hydra, regarded as a potential weapon – joining the Avengers is, in itself, an act of submitting to authority. She had hitherto only herself and her brother to answer to, since Hydra kept them both incarcerated. When her brother dies, she must choose between isolation, or joining a team and accepting all the implications that go along with it. Opting for teamwork, Scarlet Witch is faced with a new level of accountability – although to her colleagues who have a different life experience, this may equate to very little accountability at all. For these reasons, it comes as little surprise that Scarlet Witch appears in the trailer of Captain America: Civil War alongside Captain America, as he prepares to battle Iron Man and fend off governmental interference in his activities. She can relate to the idea of operating upon one’s own initiative, and she can relate to both Captain America and Bucky Barnes – who are people that have found themselves outside of their original circumstance, struggling to fit in. Vision Vision (Paul Bettany) is another relatively new character – at least in his new form of a physical being with extreme superpowers. Having been created as such during the course of events in Avengers: Age Of Ultron, he saved the day and entertained, with his amusing attempts at out-styling Thor. He is incredibly powerful, though, and his allegiance during Captain America: Civil War will undoubtedly be crucial. We would probably anticipate Vision being loyal to Iron Man, because he essentially created him and because we would expect a being manifested from artificial intelligence to take a logical approach to conflict. Many thousands of innocent lives have been demonstrably lost due to superhero interventions, so the logical response is to implement authority and oversight. There are two factors in the Captain America: Civil War trailers, however, that suggest the position of Vision might not be so straight forward. There is a brief glimpse of Vision and Scarlet Witch in apparent conflict – in much the same way as we see Black Widow and Hawkeye fighting. Scarlet Witch is evidently using her powers on Vision in a hostile fashion, and we know that Scarlet Witch is – at one point, at least – fighting alongside Captain America, against Iron Man. This would support the idea that Vision is loyal to Iron Man, but Vision seems to be absent from the main preview footage that depicts the opposing factions of superheroes charging aggressively at one another. Will he switch sides, or abstain from the debate entirely? It remains to be seen. Scott Lang/Ant-Man Scott Lang/Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) is another character that has seen the big picture, albeit at the other end of the scale. While Iron Man saw the vulnerability of Planet Earth through a space portal, Ant-Man saw the scope of universal reality when he briefly visited the Quantum Realm in Ant-Man. Given that the Captain America: Civil War trailer places Ant-Man at the side of Captain America in battle, this big picture glimpse seems to have had the opposite effect for him, than it did for Iron Man, though. As a character that led his own movie, Ant-Man is seen to be a man that is unable to accept authority in his life. He is, when first we meet him, in jail for breaking the law. As a renowned thief, he has spent his days living outside the rules, and it takes almost the length of a whole movie for him to accept Dr Hank Pym as an authority figure – let alone S.H.I.E.L.D. and the government. In this way, it is no great logical leap to set Ant-Man on the side of Captain America and freedom from official interference. Peter Parker/Spider-Man Peter Parker/Spider-Man (Tom Holland) is, essentially, a child – at least, in relation to the other superheroes engaged in this conflict. For this reason, it is almost to be expected that the web-slinger would come down on the side of Iron Man on this issue. Spider-Man strives for justice, and fights for the people. His universally acknowledged origin story – though, technically, not yet told in the MCU - show us that he is as scarred by the death of his uncle as he is the spider that bit him, and he is determined to prevent others from feeling the pain of such a loss. These elements make it all the less surprising to see him going against Captain America as that character argues against having more rules imposed. For Spider-Man, it is about regaining order amid the chaos, because that’s where safety lies. Sharon Carter She may not be a superhero, but Sharon Carter (Emily VanCamp) will be engaging in plenty of fisticuffs in Captain America: Civil War, if promotional footage is anything to go by. So which side of the fight will she settle on? As the name, Carter, might suggest, this agent is strongly associated with Captain America. She was introduced in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, as an undercover agent posing as his neighbour while assigned to protect him. She was also seen in the S.H.I.E.L.D building in that movie, taking a stand against Hydra when their dastardly plan to attack was revealed. At that point, she defiantly showed her allegiance to Cap, who was trying to save S.H.I.E.L.D. In Captain America: Civil War, however, Cap is taking a stand against authority – including that which employs Sharon Carter. Torn between the two, the optimistic hope would be that she fights for Cap once again. Not everything is the MCU is optimistic, however, and Sharon Carter could well surprise us.