The 10 Best Performances In Captain America: Civil War

Captain America: Civil War is such a star-studded, big budget affair that it was always a real danger that the actors involved might get lost in the sheer size of it all. It's massive, a globetrotting superhero epic that shifts in setting and focus every few minutes, throwing major actors into the mix with each new scene. Thankfully, directors Joe and Anthony Russo have outdone themselves in every sense, though their greatest achievement may be that they not only marshal an enormous cast - the biggest, most starry of any MCU movie to date - but that they push many of the actors to give their best Marvel performances to date. Considering the talent involved, that's no mean feat. So, on that note, here are the ten best performances in Captain America: Civil War. 10) William Hurt It always seemed a shame that unloved MCU entry The Incredible Hulk was virtually discarded after release, especially when it had that cast. Along with Hulk went Ed Norton, Tim Roth and Tim Blake Nelson, never to be seen in the MCU again. With Civil War, the Russos don't exactly welcome The Incredible Hulk back into the family, but they at least bring back one member of that impressive Hulk cast: the great William Hurt, playing Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross in a memorable cameo. Hurt doesn't have a huge role in Civil War, but he's thrived as a supporting actor for so long that he knows exactly what to do with limited screen-time. As the former General, now Secretary of State of Ross, Hurt casually brings an authoritative presence and delivers what's essentially just expositional dialogue with rumblingly-voiced aplomb. Now that Hurt's back, here's hoping his sly antagonist makes more appearances in future Marvel movies. 9) Jeremy Renner Jeremy Renner has never really been given the platform he deserves in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Here's a twice Oscar-nominated actor, often relegated to supporting roles and near-cameos in a franchise that rarely seems to know what to do with his character. Even Renner railed against this following the release of The Avengers, a movie he felt pushed him to the sidelines to focus on other, more popular characters. In Civil War, Renner again isn't given a great deal to do, but there's a feeling that he's finally grown comfortable as a second-tier "utility guy." Hawkeye is a minor Avenger deployed as an impact player, and in much the same way Renner is kept around to deliver in tactical moments. Clint's admonishment of Tony Stark after he and Ross have half of the Avengers jailed is almost heart-wrenching, with Renner projecting a palpable anger that's all the more powerful for being so unexpected. 8) Paul Bettany It's just a fact, long acknowledged, that Paul Bettany can't physically bring himself to give a bad performance. Even when the material blows, Bettany still delivers (you don't need to check out either Legend or The Da Vinci Code, but trust that he's very good in both). And when the material's good, he's typically even better. And so it goes in Civil War, the first MCU movie to properly explore the character of Vision, and the first to truly give Bettany something to chew on. As Vision, Bettany can be both sweet and scary, naive and seemingly omnipotent, often in the same scene. He's a more complex figure in Civil War than Age of Ultron ever suggested, with a romance even developing between him and Scarlet Witch that somehow transcends the "How would that even work?" factor and ends up being surprisingly adorable. Trust Paul Bettany to bring such humanity to a character that's made chiefly out of computer code and spare parts. 7) Paul Rudd Like Jeremy Renner, Paul Rudd is deployed sparingly and tactically in Civil War, though he's used in a markedly different way. This is one of Hollywood's more underrated comic performers, often cast either as the straight man or the reliable background guy used for hilarious effect in key moments (see Anchorman, Wet Hot American Summer). Where Renner delivers with the drama in Civil War, Rudd is around to bring the laughs. As Scott Lang, Rudd remains one of the MCU's most relatable heroes, awestruck upon meeting Captain America and clumsy in battle where his compatriots are so surefooted. It's the average guy-ness that Rudd brings to the role that makes Ant-Man so endearing, his comic timing what makes him so laugh out loud funny. He also gets to be the star of the single best action beat of the film in the airport fight, and Rudd's joy in the moment is infectious. 6) Chadwick Boseman There wasn't much in Chadwick Boseman's most famous role previously to suggest he'd be a good fit for the MCU's King T'Challa/Black Panther. As James Brown in Get On Up, Boseman burned up the screen as a self-involved, egotistical livewire. This was very far from who the Black Panther character was supposed to be. However, after Marvel's latest, doubters need have fear no longer: in Civil War, Boseman proves a perfect fit. As Black Panther, Boseman's a picture of quiet nobility. Where his James Brown was fiery and unpredictable, his T'Challa is observant, composed, rational. He's an honorable man who, unlike the rest of the Avengers, keeps his superheroics a secret, and prefers to handle his own problems - in Civil War, there's his father's death - personally. Going forward, you can imagine Boseman will prove a nice counterbalance to the louder theatrics of Downey, Hemsworth and the like. 5) Elizabeth Olsen Civil War is very much a boys' affair. Emily VanCamp's Agent 13 is still a non-entity, while Black Widow, such an integral part of Winter Soldier, doesn't have a lot to work with, with Scarlett Johansson denied the chance to develop the character further in the third Captain America film beyond 'sassy supporting sidekick'. It's one of the regrettable downsides of Civil War being so gosh darn testosterone-y. There is still one actress in the line-up that gets to make an impression, however. Elizabeth Olsen, so wasted in Age of Ultron, is thankfully utilized much better in Civil War, with her Wanda Maximoff at last coming to life. For the first time we feel her vulnerability and, through Olsen's subtle performance, get the sense of a young woman who recognizes the loneliness of being an outcast. Olsen's surprising chemistry with Bettany also lends the film some real, unexpected warmth: there aren't many actresses who'd be able to sell the "woman falls in love with an android" storyline, but Olsen nails it. 4) Tom Holland There are a lot of new Avengers in Civil War, and each makes an impact in their own way: Vision brings much-needed perspective, Black Panther lends some heart, Ant-Man provides the comedy. None of the new additions are better, though, than our new Spider-Man, played by Tom Holland, who hits the ground running with one of the most assured superhero movie debuts in memory. Though Holland's screen-time in Civil War is minimal - he's really here to introduce fans to his new iteration of the webslinger, rather than greatly affect the plot - he steals every scene with a performance that's both impressively developed and entertaining. His scenes - including his introduction to Tony Stark, in which he bumbles his attempt to conceal his secret identity, and his motor-mouthed part in the airport battle - get the biggest laughs in the film, and from the off there's a sense that Holland has already figured out exactly who this character is. 3) Robert Downey Jr. There have been times in the MCU where Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark schtick, though rarely less than entertaining, has descended into self-parody. It can't be easy keeping the performance fresh; Downey has played the character a whopping seven times, appearing in more Marvel films than any other MCU actor. His last Marvel performance, in Age of Ultron, bordered on stale, a rehash of what had come before. So what a shock then that Downey is so invigorated in Civil War. From Tony Stark's first scene, reliving his last moments with his murdered parents, and onto his last, full of regret over recent events and the role he played in them, Downey is more raw than he has been in the MCU for some time. The breakdown in Tony and Cap's relationship is where Downey is most affecting, though: Stark's plea with Steve Rogers to sign the Sokovia Accords appears genuinely heartfelt, a prideful man just about holding himself back from outright begging a friend to do the right thing. 2) Chris Evans Chris Evans isn't the greatest actor on Earth, and neither is Captain America the most interesting character in the Marvel universe. And though Civil War is a Captain America movie in name, really it's an ensemble piece, an Avengers 2.5 that forces Cap to share the screen with almost every superhero in the MCU. You'd be forgiven for thinking that Evans and Steve Rogers wouldn't get too many opportunities to shine in this one. Surprisingly, Evans goes ahead and gives his greatest Marvel performance to date here. It's a turn that's quietly hugely affecting: there's always been an unwavering decency and an absolute belief in the human capacity for good to Steve Rogers that's compelling. But in Civil War, this long-held attitude is challenged by the innately corrupt system that Steve was woken up in some five years ago. By the end, Rogers becomes almost heartbreaking, and Evans completely sells the idea that this is now the most tragic character in the MCU. 1) Daniel Bruhl If anyone plays Civil War like it's Proper Drama, it's Daniel Bruhl. The acclaimed Spanish-German actor has long been in search of a role to break him into the mainstream - memorable turns in Inglourious Basterds and Rush threatened to bag him international star status, but it somehow remained out of reach. In Civil War, Bruhl finally does it, with what is arguably Marvel's best, most complex villain yet: the calculating, implacable Helmut Zemo. Bruhl doesn't play Zemo as sinister or despicable. Zemo's not a mustache-twirling supervillain. He's just a man who suffered great loss and who now feels completely justified in his actions. Bruhl is methodical, focused and occasionally brutally committed as Zemo, but crucial to the performance is how Bruhl always keeps him sympathetic. Marvel's villains have often been supernaturally inclined, but all it takes in making their best one yet is an actor who makes the bad guy so believably human.