The 10 Best Performances In Captain America: Civil War

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.