People sure are divided about a lot these days, aren’t they? You only need take a look at the news to see this, whether it be the violence at all of Donald Trump’s recent rallies, or the fact that none of the non-extremist groups in the various conflict zones around the Middle East can’t unite under a single banner for their respective fights, or… well, I’m sure you can probably come up with plenty of other divisive issues on your own. Sadly, this inability to agree/coexist isn’t unique to the 21st century, but could be argued that it goes as far back as recorded history does.
It’s no surprise, then, that violent division between us and the people we live with shows up so frequently in our media; as you can guess from this post’s title, superhero stories are no different in this regard. What I find most interesting about this particular story, though, is how this conflict occurs compared to other hero vs. hero stories.
Most superhero crossovers usually start off with the two heroes fighting each other as soon as they met up, usually as part of some villain’s plot, but eventually realize that neither of them are the real threat and proceed to foil said plot, becoming friends (or at the very least worthy day-saving partners). A prime example of this would be the recent film (and Warner Brothers’ last chance to get a DC movie universe off the ground) Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice. In case you haven’t seen it (although I recommend so, especially if you even mildly enjoyed Man of Steel), the plot is essentially: Lex Luthor wants Superman dead, so he decides to first try his luck with pitting Batman against him; Batman realizes that Superman isn’t as inhuman as he initially thought, so he decides to help Superman stop Luthor’s Plan B, Doomsday.
More or less this, but grey and more bony protuberances.
Civil War, however, is different because the two head-butting heroes, Captain America and Iron Man, have not only already met each other, but have put their lives on the line for each other numerous times. Another way it’s different is that the conflict can also be seen as being about more than just them, but also representative of American society debating the eternal question of where to draw the line in terms of liberty vs security (a debate just as contentious as when the Civil War mini-series debuted in the long-ago time of 2006).
Certainly not many better anniversary gifts than getting your own movie, I’d wager.
Some questions that I definitely looked forward to being answered included: What exactly is it that sets off this version of the story’s Superhuman Registration Act debate? How would the characters of Black Panther and Spider-Man be handled? Where would Stan Lee be making his customary cameo? And, most importantly, would this version of Captain America suffer the same fate his comic counterpart did at the end of the event?
I definitely think it was smart that the Russos decided to open the movie in Lagos, Nigeria, as I definitely think that city (and country) will become more significant in global affairs as time goes by. I also liked that decision because it shows that New York City isn’t the only place that superheroics can happen. It also showed the downside of this, namely the collateral damage that superheroics often bring, with this specific incident being the straw that broke the back of the camel that is the international community.
Somehow, I can’t really see International Community Camel taking off as a mascot for the UN…
Before I move on from the opening in Wakanda, I would definitely be interested to find out how Marvel and/or the Russo brothers decided on its location (with Uganda to the east and Kenya to the west). Then again, seeing as how that intellectual property was conceived in the 60s, when things in comics were faster and looser, I wouldn’t be surprised if Kirby just closed his eyes and put his finger on a random part of central Africa. I found it to be somewhat amusing after I found out that the language used for Wakandan is actually Xhosa, which is found almost exclusively in South Africa.
I also think the directors did an excellent job with the casting of both T’Challa and his father T’Chaka, if for no other reason than showing that good statesmen aren’t exclusive to the West. I definitely found it interesting how they decided to have T’Chaka die the way he did, as in the comics part of what motivates T’Challa to become the Black Panther was that T’Chaka was murdered by Ulysses Klaw (the dude who got his arm lopped off by Ultron) while he was stealing vibranium, thereby adding a personal reason to stop Klaw besides protecting Wakanda’s economy and image. That being said, in the event Klaw is still used as at least one of the villains in T’Challa’s own movie, I can’t see him as being as relevant to whatever plot the movie decides to have; however, the fact that Andy Serkis (if he’s kept for that role) would probably be acting without any CGI bodysuits (e.g. Gollum/Smeagol and King Kong) and might be worth watching in and of itself just to see how he does.
I’d wager she, however, will definitely have a much bigger part to play in that film.
I also liked how the Russos updated Redwing from a regular falcon that Sam Wilson could telepathically communicate with to an advanced drone, which I definitely think requires less suspension of disbelief, and upgraded Brock Lumlow, the elite HYDRA agent from Winter Soldier (known as Crossbones in the comics), to make him more of a challenge for Cap and the others to fight. It was a nice way of simultaneously tying up a lose thread from a previous film and, if you’ll forgive the pun, igniting the debate over registration.
They even managed to bring in his comics appearance, too!
The main reason I was curious to see what set off this debate was that in the comics, it was set off due to a teenage superhero team fighting some supervillains in Stamford, Connecticut, where one of the villains blew himself up right next to an elementary school during its recess; what made this especially heinous was that the teens were doing this as part of a mere reality-TV show, and that they were the ones who instigated the fight. I wanted to see if something as equally horrific would happen in the film to warrant the public’s demand for superheroes to acknowledge some type of governmental oversight – to be honest, I would say that the Scarlet Witch unintentionally killing those diplomats did its job.
Two other key differences between the film and the comic that I would like to briefly bring up were that, in the comic, the act (simply called the Superhuman Registration Act) was drafted and ratified solely by the U.S. Congress instead of the U.N. (meaning there would be less deliberation about how to go about enforcing it), and also required that all super-powered individuals would be required to enlist in SHIELD (even if they didn’t want to do super-heroics). It was this second stipulation that pushed Cap to go rogue, feeling it was a violation of those superhumans’ American right to not enlist in the military if they didn’t wish to.
Likely what my readers in countries with compulsory military service are thinking now after reading that last paragraph.
To be honest, all the major fights in these Marvel movies since the first Avengers film make the climactic ones from before the Avengers (except for Captain America because it was Europe in World War II) seem like minor miracles that only a few buildings and people got heavily damaged. I would hold this especially true with the Ed Norton Hulk movie (which is still canon, by the way), where only a few buildings in Harlem got heavily damaged instead of out and out annihilated – and that was with TWO Hulk-level combatants, mind you. Also, while I’m talking about that movie, I have to say I was definitely surprised to see that General Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross became Secretary of Defense (and apparent warden of The Raft) at some point before this film. It was an unexpected, but welcome, evolution of the character, as it shows that he could move his energy from focusing on reclaiming the Hulk towards more productive, big-picture issues.
And to think, all he needed was a heart attack while playing golf!
Even during the big fight scene at Liepzig Airport, with the Vision tearing up the place with his head-laser and Ant-Man throwing water gasoline trucks, I couldn’t help but think of what it would be like if I lived in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (as I am now, of course), learning/watching this and all of the other near-catastrophes that have occurred. I realized that, though I’m not proud to admit it, I’d probably not be happy living in such a universe, where any of those things could happen in the blink of an eye and be unable to do anything about it. And that’s before finding out one day while on the Internet that my country had been secretly run by an offshoot of the 3rd Reich since the 1950s, which had contracted its latest supersoldier program to a corporation that moonlighted as a terrorist organization full of lava people for who knows how many years.
I think I’d be even less happy in the comics’ universe (or multiverse, to be more accurate), as in there it’s those points from the movies plus the fact that some people (and only those people) seem to come back from the dead willy-nilly, to say nothing of dealing with that whole “infinite iterations of you” existential conundrum. Interestingly enough, there were some comics that actually dealt with some of these ideas, specifically Alex Ross’ Marvels (granted that was more until the 1970s) and an issue of the Avengers for the modern day. It was actually that one Avengers issue that turned me off from the event it was a part of, and one of the first times that I acutely felt the writer condescendingly tell the audience why his/her viewpoint was the only correct one (in this case, we shouldn’t treat it as a matter of course that superheroes will eventually come back from the dead, nor should we not think of it as anything other than traumatic). If it weren’t for Scarlett Johansson’s excellent job portraying the Black Widow in the movies, that single comic issue probably would’ve completely turned me off from that character as well, as I’m not of the opinion that a former-Soviet assassin in near-perfect physical fitness (with an anti-aging serum to boot) is the best character to deliver that kind of a rant to some frightened American tabloid journalists.
It’s because of factors like those, and that the idea that superhumans would have some type of accountability to be held to, that I think I would be more on the pro-registration side, if only because it showed that someone is still trying to keep the average human in mind (even if that itself was just lip-service). At least, I would be for the one in this film, as the comics one was much more severe, involving non-compliers being sent to the equivalent of Space Gitmo and the use of known super-villains as law enforcement; and that’s before the reveal that it’s part of an alien plot to weaken Earth’s defenses.
All of which resulted in this guy being put in charge of Earth’s security (he does NOT make things better).
I also think that might be the reason that I found the movie’s real villain, Helmut Zemo (known as Baron Zemo in the comics), to be vastly different than the other movies’ villains. For starters, he didn’t want to conquer the world and/or destroy humanity (like the Red Skull, Loki, or Ultron), and while he did bear an all-consuming hatred to at least one of the heroes (like Whiplash, Aldrich Killian, and Ross when he was a general), I thought that his had a slightly more understandable reason for existing (his family being squashed like bugs and the world going on like nothing happened). The fact that he, a normal man with barely any resources outside of his military/intelligence training, the information from Black Widow-leaks, and his grief-borne rage, knowing full well of the likelihoods that the Avengers would still exist in some form or another, suicide was the only way he could get one over them, and he’d be seen as just another scumbag terrorist, goes through with his plan was quite striking to me. It really drove home that quote of how there’s nothing more dangerous than someone that feels there’s nothing left to lose.
Even if they originally looked like the evil twin of a Fat Albert character…
Some other reasons I found this version of Zemo interesting was that, despite causing so much destruction, he still considered himself better than HYDRA, as evidenced in the torture/drowning scene in Cleveland. Another was the red herring of the Soviet/HYDRA super-soldiers (pun somewhat intended), with Zemo killing them in their suspended animation instead of siccing them on Steve, Bucky, and Tony; I was especially surprised considering that Little Red Book he had probably contained the activation phrases for them, and a whole bevy of other HYDRA resources, as well. Considering also he was planning to kill himself after showing Iron Man the truth, he may as well have gone for broke in terms of causing problems for the Avengers, and those super-soldiers would have been perfect for doing so. I could have easily seen Marvel using this as set-up to have him become an evil version of Nick Fury, much in the same way I could have seen that with Baron Strucker (before Ultron killed him offscreen).
Just for the sake of fairness, and to show that I’m not a Zemo fan or anything, this will to fight despite being a normal man can also be found on the heroes’ side – most especially with Hawkeye. In fact, I’d say that Hawkeye’s choosing to keep fighting the good fight is even more impressive when you remember that the only thing he has is a bow and arrow (as Iron Man’s genius intellect and fortune could be seen as being beyond the realm of “normal people”). He still fights despite having his mind subjugated by Loki, with the first thing he asks about when he breaks free is about all the bad stuff he did. He’s the one that motivated Scarlet Witch into joining the final fight against Ultron, and his wife explicitly says how he keeps the rest of the Avengers more grounded to their humanity with him there. That might be why I’ve enjoyed the times he scored hits when he fought people with superpowers, like with Loki and the exploding arrow, or getting the drop on Scarlet Witch, or in this film with immobilizing Vision (before Vision quickly took him out of commission).
You can also imagine how pleased I was that they replicated this classic image of these two in the climactic fight.
Speaking of the Vision, I did also want to briefly bring up how Marvel does seem to be going ahead with bringing his romance with Scarlet Witch into the movies, which I would say is where most of his characterization happened (e.g., still learning about how to politely enter/leave a room, unfamiliarity with eating, wanting to know more about how he came to be). I was also surprised by how close he got to acknowledging the 4th wall when he commented about how the spike in superpower-related incidents (i.e., the events of the movies, tie-in comics, and Agents of SHIELD show) appear to be a response to the existence of the heroes’ powers; I also felt a small twinge of pity for him, as he has no idea of how right he is nor how they’ve barely seen anything yet, considering how many more Marvel movies are still on the way.
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And this is even before we consider that this guy needs to get his hand on that Mind Gem of his…
I definitely liked how the Russos elaborated on Tony’s character as much as they did, such as him being a MIT. alum (bonus points to the Russos for bringing in the Dean from Community as the MIT host, like how they had Abed as a SHIELD techie in The Winter Soldier). I also liked how it continued showing that Tony’s painful memories and fervent desire to be remembered as a positive influence on the world still weigh heavily on his mind, which I think has been consistently portrayed in his other film appearances as well, which is quite impressive when you consider the different writers of each of those films. I also won’t rule out that part of that sense of fervent desire for redemption may come from Downey himself, being a former drug-addict.
The best part of his characterization, though, was showing us just how bad his relationship with his father was; the way he said to Steve how Bucky had to die because he killed his mom was an excellent example of how what wasn’t said can tell the audience all they need to know about something. It also showed how, even at the end, Howard Stark was an integral player in setting up the various plots of a good number of the films. On a side note, I always wondered if Robert Downey, Jr. and John Slattery were ever going to interact in the same scene, so I was pleased to see that finally happen. Between this and Roger Sterling, it almost makes you wonder if Slattery might get typecast as the unloved father. Finally, speaking of parents, I couldn’t help but feel that Tony’s exclamation was strangely appropriate, considering it was Mother’s Day weekend at the time.
Also somewhat reminiscent of Magneto in X-Men: First Class…
I’ll admit I was expecting Steve would’ve met a similar fate to his one in the comic miniseries, even the possibility that Tony would’ve done the deed himself; I also contemplated the possibility that the opposite might happen, as Steve was beating down Tony and smashed his shield into Tony’s chest. It was as I left the theater I realized that the only non-evil people to have died outside of backstory purposes (like Spider-Man’s Uncle Ben, or Star-Lord’s mother, or Iron Man’s parents) in any of the Marvel movies so far was Thor’s mother Frigga in the second Thor, Quicksilver in the second Avengers, and now Peggy Carter. I suppose an argument could be made for Rhodey, in that he can’t be War Machine anymore because of his injuries, but I could easily see him continue being War Machine thanks to the exoskeleton that Tony made for him. Heck, the guy invented a holodeck where you could live out your edited-to-be-more-pleasant memories, so I could see something like spinal cord injuries to be a cakewalk for him.
And while I’m the subject of medical technology, I couldn’t help but be impressed by Bucky’s cybernetic arm, especially when you consider that thing was made at the start of the Cold War by a nation that could barely keep its people fed and had been frozen and unfrozen who knows how many times until he broke free. Seriously, if this is what vibranium is capable of it’s no wonder that Wakanda didn’t want to share its supply with the rest of the world. Black Panther’s suit is another example of that, as it’s as flexible as Steve’s but as resilient as Tony’s – it’s pretty much the perfect armor for ground-based fighting, as evidenced in the Panther’s fight scenes. Likewise Falcon’s carbon-fiber wings, where they can repel bullets and shield him from high-speed crash landings, yet still be light enough for him to stay airborne.
I am definitely intrigued with the idea that there are now two Avengers teams and the questions that brings, like if Steve’s team would be considered the “Secret” Avengers, in addition to how T’Challa will hide his involvement with them from the rest of the world, and what the dynamics would be like for Hawkeye and Ant-Man with regards to their respective families (especially Ant-Man’s, considering how reuniting with his daughter and staying a part of her life was what pushed him to becoming a superhero in his film). I’m also interested to see what it will take for Steve and Tony to reconcile their differences in order to fight Thanos, and if Zemo will stay locked up in his cell or if, like most comic-book villains, he’ll eventually break free to cause more trouble.
Now to the part that was probably the biggest part of this movie after the Steve-Tony fight: Spider-Man. I definitely appreciate that the Russos respected the audience’s intelligence enough to know the basics about Peter Parker, and jumped straight into him signing up to fight Cap’s side (much like in the comics (for a while)). I also thought it was neat that they were able to make his mask expressive like it is in the comics and cartoons, which was definitely not the case with his previous film portrayals. One thing that definitely surprised me, and most other viewers if I had to wager, was how young Aunt May was; to say it was a departure from all the other portrayals of her would be akin to saying that it’s slightly more difficult to breathe in outer space. I definitely expected Peter to tell Tony to not only not reveal to Aunt May he’s Spider-Man, but also to stop flirting with her.
Which I find especially funny when you consider those two used to date.
That being said, I couldn’t help but feel that there was a missed opportunity to do something new by not having it be Miles Morales. At least then, Marvel wouldn’t be bound by the same decades of continuity as they are with Peter Parker and his supporting cast. Hell, they could even have the chance to write some new stuff and throw the audience a curve-ball or two. I also would have gone with his body making his webbing as opposed to it being made, as I felt that raised less questions as to why he didn’t try to make money off of it; however, I’ll admit that from a writer’s perspective, having Spider-Man’s webbing supply running out at the worst time does make for an easy way to raise tension in his stories. Thirdly, I just can’t help but feel a tiny bit disappointed that he didn’t give more detail when describing the Battle of Hoth during the airport fight, considering how he’s always been portrayed as a typical nerd with typical nerd interests and the fact that he could refer to specific Star Wars stuff as Disney owns both franchises; heck, I would’ve settled with him calling them “Imperial walkers” instead of “AT-ATs.” Oh, well; at the very least it will be interesting to get more details about the new Spider-Man movie teased after the credits as time goes by.
Like if the Spider-Signal will actually be of use this time.
Some final, unrelated thoughts about the film: I definitely found it amusing how Steve and Bucky found themselves once again fighting Germans in central Europe; I was very happy to see that Paul Rudd was able to integrate with the rest of the heroes but still be funny; I was impressed that they worked in the “no, you move” speech from the comics as Peggy Carter’s eulogy; I thought that the Russos made very good use of the customary Stan Lee cameo, helping the ending be less of a downer; and, speaking of the ending, I found it very appropriate how the movie ended with “Left Hand Free,” considering how that cybernetic arm Bucky lost was his left.
Looks like it’s not just a way to erase HYDRA’s brainwashing that he’s waiting for, but also for that SICK BURN.
As evidenced from everything I’ve written, I found Captain America: Civil War to be an enthralling film and, much like many other people you’ve probably talked to and/or read, consider to definitely be one of the top movies Marvel Studios has produced so far. However, it (and pretty much every Marvel film going forward) does require you to have seen a good number of the previous Marvel films in order to even remotely understand what’s going on; this is one of the reasons why I’m still a little hesitant of Marvel’s planning into 2020, as dense continuity can easily turn people away from comic-related media. I give the film four packets of super-soldier serum out of five.
Previews included: The Secret Life of Pets, which as far as I know marks Louis C.K.’s first foray into mainstream, family-friendly work; Now You See Me 2, as apparently there was a need for it (or more likely a need for Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, and Morgan Freeman to acquire more money); Money Monster, where George Clooney and Julia Roberts reveal that *audible gasp* a lot of shady things go on so that people can profit off of the global economy; X-Men: Apocalypse, where we find out we’ll probably see everyone’s favorite killer Canadian again; Suicide Squad, where the government shares similar concerns about a world of superhumans; Doctor Strange, wherein magic (the sorcery kind, as opposed to Thor’s “advanced extraterrestrial science” kind) becomes an element of the Marvel Cinematic Universe; and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, which appears to take place between Episodes III and IV, where the conflict between the Rebel Alliance and Galactic Empire seems to be the main focus of the story, with little (if any) presence of The Force.
Random Doesnt Even Begin To Describe It 
