United we stand, divided we fall. That’s the message underpinning the recent Super Bowl tease for Joe and Anthony Russo’s Captain America: Civil War, the story of former allies duking it out over the future of costumed heroes and whether their actions ought to be policed in modern society.
Thrusting Captain America and Iron Man as the leader of each faction, the anticipated threequel has all the makings of a war movie, though Anthony Mackie revealed recently that Civil War is more in line with a suspense thriller.
Speaking with Empire, Mackie – who reprises his role as Falcon in Steve Rogers’ corner – hinted at the build-up to the monumental airport fight between Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.
“I would say this one is more of a true suspense thriller. The build-up to the fight is what makes it so interesting,” explains Mackie, “because there are so many different factions of who’s right and who’s wrong and who supports who.” Fear not, though, this corner of the MCU won’t be turning all Kramer vs. Kramer on us. “Once we get all of that out the way, then it becomes more action-packed and more of us kicking each others’ ass.”
With such a huge cast to juggle, each with their respective motivations and back stories, one common apprehension has been that Captain America: Civil War will be encumbered by its massive scope, thereby impacting the story. How and ever, Mackie assures fans that the narrative will flesh out each character before those star-spangled gloves come off: “If it’s a civil war, you have to establish why there’s a war. You can’t just start fighting and expect people to appreciate it.”
Captain America: Civil War opens on May 6, 2016.