100 Greatest Superhero Stories Ever
By Steve Lam
Image Courtesy of Marvel Studios
#4. Captain America: Civil War
Medium
Live-Action Feature Film
Release Dates
April 12, 2016 (Dolby Theatre)
May 6, 2016 (United States)
Credits
Directors: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo
Writers: Christopher Markus, Stephen McFeely
Based On: Captain America by Joe Simon, Jack Kirby
Cast: Chris Evans as Steve Rogers / Captain America, Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark / Iron Man, Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow, Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes / Winter Soldier, Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson / Falcon, Don Cheadle as James “Rhodey” Rhodes / War Machine, Jeremy REnner as Clint Barton / Hawkeye, Chadwick Boseman as T’Challa / Black Panther, Paul Bettany as Vision, Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff / Scarlet Witch, Paul Rudd as Scott Lang / Ant-Man, Emily VanCamp as Sharon Carter, Tom Holland as Peter Parker / Spider-Man, Frank Grillo as Brock Rumlow / Crossbones, William Hurt as Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross, Daniel Brühl as Helmut Zemo, Martin Freeman as Everett K. Ross, Marisa Tomei as May Parker, John Kani as T’Chaka, John Slattery as Howard Stark, Hope Davis, as Maria Stark, Gene Farber as Vasily Karpov
The Reason It’s Great
Captain America: Civil War, at the time, was Marvel Studios’ most ambitious undertaking. The large cast and scope of the film (which was based on the Civil War story arc) was so daunting that fans thought it was a huge risk. At one point, fans even jokingly called it Avengers 2.5 due to the number of characters involved.
However, with the expert direction of the Russo brothers and the guidance of Marvel Cinematic Universe godfather Kevin Feige, the film was released to critical acclaim while breaking box-office records.
In the aftermath of the events in Avengers: Age of Ultron, the United Nations creates the Sokovia Accords—a mandate to register and regulate superpowered beings, barring them from acting independently. The Accords are meant to provide accountability, but Steve Rogers sees it as an infringement on liberty.
Tony, reeling from the guilt of past collateral damage, supports the Accords, which puts him at odds with Steve. When Bucky—the former Winter Soldier and Steve’s best friend—is framed for the murder of King T’Chaka during the signing of the Accords, Steve acts without preapproval to investigate the matter and protect his friend.
Steve’s actions put a further divide between him and Tony. Little do Steve, Tony, and the Avengers know, Helmut Zemo—who blames the Avengers for the deaths of his family in Sokovia—has architected a plan to destroy the Avengers from within. The resulting battle between former allies changes the Avengers forever—once a strong team, now disbanded and broken.
The film had every corner covered—fully fleshed out characters with a script that had drama, high-octane action, and mystery. The introduction of Spider-Man into the Marvel Cinematic Universe was also singled out as a highlight of the film, praising his faithful characterization. Captain America: Civil War isn’t just a hard movie to top in terms of superhero films, it’s a hard movie to top for any genre of film.