10 Moments From The Civil War Comic That We Wish Had Been Included In Captain America: Civil War

Captain America: Civil War is an incredible movie, something you've no doubt figured out for yourselves now that Marvel's first Phase 3 film is finally playing in US theaters. However, while there's no denying that this is quite possibly the studio's finest effort yet, it's hard as a comic book fan not to compare it to the tale it takes its name from. Like The Winter Soldier before it and no doubt Ragnarok and Infinity War in a few years from now, it was made clear from the start that Captain America: Civil War wouldn't be a direct adaptation of the source material. However, while the Russo Brothers definitely pay homage to the comics in some very smart and satisfying ways, there are still many moments it hurts to see left out. So, with that in mind, what you'll find here is a breakdown of ten moments from Mark Millar and Steve McNiven's 2006 comic book series that we wish had made it to the big screen along with a look at both why they would or would not have worked in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Regardless of which category they fall into, these moments being left out of the movie may have been a big mistake... 10) Spidey Switches Sides Spider-Man's role in Captain America: Civil War is a great, but very minor one, and it's a shame that the Marvel Studios/Sony deal hadn't gone down a little sooner, especially as that would have no doubt helped ensure that the wall-crawler made more than just a cameo appearance. Had that been the case, then it would have been nice to see him realize that Tony Stark had manipulated him into joining Team Iron Man, leading to a battle between the two which would ultimately have Spidey siding with Cap's forces. Occurring roughly halfway through the Civil War comic book series, this was a moment which made fans really happy and would have no doubt been just as satisfying to see on the big screen. 9) "Pampered Punk" I love that the Russo Brothers paid homage to Captain America: The First Avenger by having Steve Rogers tell Iron Man during their climactic battle that "I could do this all day." However, I can't help but wish things between these two heroes had got as personal as they did when the two characters came to blows in the comic books (and when they argued aboard the Helicarrier in The Avengers). Steve saying the line above about Tony being a "pampered punk" is classic Mark Millar and does a really good job of showing that deep down, Steve views the wealthiest member of Earth's Mightiest Heroes as just another rich guy who doesn't understand what it's like out in the real world. When you think about it, he's actually not too far off with that assessment. 8) "Thor" Returns At the time the Civil War comic book took place, Thor was believed to be dead. That's what made his return so shocking, but after he lost control and brutally murdered a member of Team Cap, it was revealed that this wasn't the actual God of Thunder. Instead, it was a part clone, part cyborg hybrid which had been created by Tony Stark, Hank Pym and Reed Richards using a hair Iron Man had swiped the first time he met Thor. Tony turning one of his closest allies into a weapon was a pretty despicable act, and when the real deal returned, he wasted no time in kicking Iron Man's ass. Setting up something similar in Captain America: Civil War would have been a lot of fun to see and would have had a great payoff down the line. 7) The Thunderbolts Both Captain America and Iron Man go to some pretty unexpected places during Civil War in order to gain an advantage, but it's the latter's decision to create a new team of Thunderbolts which is most shocking. Made up of the likes of Venom, Bullseye, Jack O'Lantern and countless others, Iron Man doesn't hesitate in using these baddies in battle, and it's a shame that Marvel didn't take advantage of Captain America: Civil War to set up a spinoff revolving around this villainous group. Of course, it doesn't help that the studio has a habit of killing off their villains, but even just seeing the Abomination on screen for a bit would have been pretty cool. At least the team's founder, Zemo, is still breathing by the time the credits roll. 6) The Death Of Giant-Man Don't get me wrong, I would have been livid if Marvel had killed off Scott Lang in Captain America: Civil War, but the death of Goliath (a completely separate hero to Giant-Man with identical powers) in the comics at the hands of that Thor clone was a shocking moment and resulted in some very iconic imagery. The best example of this is the fact that he had to be buried while still at giant size, meaning Goliath's grave was massive and cranes were needed to lower him in. Perhaps Marvel could have put Hank Pym in the costume in order to achieve this moment, but that too would have been something of a waste. This was an understandable omission, but no doubt still a regrettable one. 5) The Punisher It's starting to become clear that Marvel has no intention of bringing any of Netflix's Defenders to the big screen, and with the clashing production schedules of Daredevil and Captain America: Civil War, this one would have always been hard to make happen. Regardless, it was in the Civil War comic book series that a mysterious masked figure is spotted keeping an eye on Team Cap on a number of occasions, and it's only when he steps in to save a fleeing Spider-Man from the Thunderbolts that we learn it's The Punisher. Steve reluctantly allows him to join his group of Avengers, but when Frank guns down a couple of crooks Cap has recruited, the patriotic hero kicks him out in a surprisingly brutal fashion. 4) Namor Joins The Fight It's not clear who holds the rights to undersea character Namor the Submariner, but most believe he now calls Marvel Studios home. It's a shame then that he wasn't included in Captain America: Civil War, especially as it would have been a pretty fantastic last act reveal to have him arrive with an army of Atlanteans to take on Iron Man's forces/ In fairness, this movie was a little too small in scale for that (that's not a criticism, it's just that the comic book featured literally dozens of heroes), but just like Black Panther was introduced here, it feels like room could have been made for Namor, too. With any luck, Marvel won't keep us waiting too much longer, as Namor was definitely missed in the movie. 3) Spider-Man Unmasks Captain America: Civil War isn't a movie about secret identities, but had this adaptation been saved for a little later in Phase 3 when Spider-Man was more established in this world, him unmasking just like in Civil War #2 would have been pretty spectacular to see. Iron Man cajoles Peter Parker into revealing his greatest secret to the world in order to show just how much faith even the most mysterious superheroes have in the Superhuman Registration Act - known as the Sokovia Accords on the big screen - and the ramifications of this decision on Spider-Man's life are huge. This is another moment that would have been fascinating to see play out on the big screen, but simply couldn't work as things stand. 2) Battle In New York Captain America: Civil War features a lot of amazing fight scenes, and while I can't fault that epic Team Cap vs. Team Iron Man airport sequence, it's not unfair to say that the sequence isn't quite as massive or epic in scale as what the Civil War comic book delivered. That once again comes down to the fact that there are fewer heroes in the MCU, and you have to hand it to the Russos for choosing a location as unique as an airport instead of another city. Even so, it still would have been fun to see The Avengers tearing up New York, with this version of the battle concluding when Steve realizes the sheer amount of fear and destruction they're causing. Perhaps Marvel can revisit this with a Civil War II in a few Phases from now? 1) The Death Of Captain America I think we're all relieved in our own way that Chris Evans' Steve Rogers is still alive and well at the end of Captain America: Civil War, but it's still a shame that Marvel didn't put an exclamation point on this movie by having the iconic star spangled Avenger meet his maker. After all, he could have no doubt been resurrected somehow by the time Thanos arrives (death is meaningless in the comics, so why should the MCU be any different?), and it would have been a really shocking moment to have one of Iron Man's energy blasts meant for Bucky strike down Steve instead. Captain America: Civil War was never intended to be a direct adaptation, but it's definitely a shame Marvel left out such an iconic scene.