Marvel’s first big push into its Phase 3 begins with the third solo venture for Steve Rogers in Captain America: Civil War. Except… it’s not technically a solo jaunt for Cap, who – it was revealed last year – will be joined by Iron Man himself, Tony Stark. It’s a match made in fan heaven, borne from the Civil War comic storyline in which the duo finally have an out-and-out face off. But, how exactly is this disharmony between two thoroughly upstanding do-gooders supposed to come about?
Robert Downey Jr., who extended his Marvel contract to appear in Cap 3, recently chatted with Empire to offer up his thoughts on the matter. For those of us not completely aware of Stark and Rogers’ altercation in the comics, it’s a good indicator of how things will align before the movie lands:
“The main thing to me is, and this is where I think the Russos are quite brilliant and where Kevin backed the play, is what sort of incident could occur and what sort of framework could we find Tony in? The clues are in “Ultron” about where we might find (Tony) next. But what would it take for Tony to completely turn around everything he’s stood for, quote-unquote, because he was the right-wing guy who could still do his own thing….There’s always the bigger overarching question, that Joss brings up all the time – it’s kind of weird that these guys would have all these throw downs all over planet Earth and it looked like a little collateral damage happened over there, and yet when the movie’s over, it’s like nobody minds. You have to figure, ‘Were you to ask the question, what would the American government do if this were real? Wouldn’t it be interesting to see Tony doing something you wouldn’t imagine?’”
“Something you wouldn’t imagine” certainly opens up a number of avenues for Stark’s future on-screen hijinks. The most immediate thought that springs to mind, however, is: will Tony become the movie’s baddie?
“I wouldn’t put it that way. Ultimately it’s Steve’s story; it doesn’t say ‘Iron Man 4: Civil War’. I think that’s great too. I think Chris [Evans] has been hungry to bring even more of an underside and some shadow to that. I remember the comics – on the surface you got the sense that Cap was baseball and apple pie, but underneath there was all this churning stuff of being a man out of time. Now we know he’s made his peace with that. What’s the bigger issue? It can have a little something to do with the past, but it can be about someone becoming more modernized in their own conflict.”
A smooth side step by Downey Jr., who wrangles his way out of giving a definite answer. Still, the prospect of Steve embracing previously-unseen aspects of his persona will no doubt bump up the intrigue for the forthcoming war between the two.
We’ll find out just exactly what Stark will be up to when Captain America: Civil War arrives on May 6, 2016.
