Captain America: Civil War review: How does it impact Infinity War?

Credit: Marvel Studios/Walt Disney Pictures; from Captain America: Civil War (2016)

How will the events of this movie play into Infinity War?

In terms of wider canon of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the events as depicted in Civil War couldn’t have happened at a worse time. S.H.I.E.L.D. is disbanded. Thor and Hulk are missing. Cap, Hawkeye (Sebastian Stan), Black Widow (Scarlet Johansson), Falcon, Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olson), and Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) are fugitives. Iron Man, an injured War Machine, and the Vision (Paul Bettany) are the only active Avengers left. That leaves Earth extremely vulnerable heading into Infinity War.

Then there’s Tony learning about his parent’s murder at the hands of a brainwashed Bucky. Even worse, Cap knew about it all along, at least since Winter Soldier. All throughout Civil War, Tony gives Steve many chances, until that very moment. Based on the Infinity War’s trailers, it still appears Steve and Tony haven’t reconciled. Steve still doesn’t even have his shield back, having left it behind after Tony told him, “That shield doesn’t belong to you. You don’t deserve it.”

Still, it’s not all bad news. Bucky, as seen in the mid-credits scene, undergoes cryogenic freeze in Wakanda until they remove his Hydra programming. This also, undoubtedly, means Black Panther and all of Wakanda are behind our heroes, and will likely help bridge the divide between them. Not to mention Spider-Man is now an Avenger-in-training.

The real ramification from Civil War however, one which the film gently slides in, is the relationship between Wanda/Scarlet Witch and The Vision. Comic book readers know this is a classic romantic pairing, so it’s not surprising the MCU would move in this rather unusual direction. In a way, it makes more sense here given both characters are a product of the Mind Stone. On top of this, it’s also clear Vision’s feelings for Wanda are a sign how he’s evolving into something more human. by the time Avengers: Infinity War, it’s very likely we’ll see them as star-crossed lovers.

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