Last week, Marvel announced that production was beginning on Captain America: Civil War and they announced the slew of actors involved, which makes the third installment in the Captain America franchise feel more like Avengers 3. This is going to be a big film, and according to the synopsis, there's a lot happening, lots of which was set-up in Avengers: Age of Ultron.
“Captain America: Civil War” picks up where “Avengers: Age of Ultron” left off, as Steve Rogers leads the new team of Avengers in their continued efforts to safeguard humanity. After another international incident involving the Avengers results in collateral damage, political pressure mounts to install a system of accountability and a governing body to determine when to enlist the services of the team. The new status quo fractures the Avengers while they try to protect the world from a new and nefarious villain.
So much like the Marvel comic event, Civil War, this film is going to split the Avengers right in two, but where will these heroes stand? Along with the synopsis came the cast list and we decided to break down where these characters may stand in the film. Are they going to be for this new system of accountability (registration for the the Civil War fans) or against it?
For the New System
Iron Man
In Avengers: Age of Ultron, there was quite a bit of tension between Tony and Steve throughout the films, especially since Tony and Bruce went behind the rest of the Avengers' backs to create artificial intelligence, which then became Ultron. Tony is going to want some redemption, but moreso in the eyes of the public and what better way to do that then to work with the government on this new project.
Redemption, tension, and a feeling like he owes America and the world so much more, thanks to his years of making weapons that caused thousands of deaths across the world, are the main reasons Tony will stand behind this new system to help make the world a safer place.
War Machine
James Rhodes is War Machine, Tony Stark's buddy and employee of the government. We got to see a bit of him in Avengers: Age of Ultron and his bond with Tony is still strong. They're still good friends and share war stories with each other, even if some people don't find James' stories as cool as Tony's. There's no way James will be against the new system for a few reasons.
First, he'd be going against someone who had his back and provided him with the weaponry that makes him a hero. Second, he already works for the government, so turning away means he's leaving everything behind and becoming a villain in the eyes of the country. We don't see that happening, so James will most likely be standing with Tony, one more time.
Bruce Banner
There's no news that Bruce Banner will be in the film, but we threw him into the mix for fun.
The Avengers has two geniuses, one is Tony Stark and the other is Bruce Banner. Bruce and Tony both created Ultron together, although it was a little bit more Tony than Bruce, and after the events of Age of Ultron, Bruce fled, feeling remorse for what he and the Hulk did during the film.
So why would Bruce return to support the new system with the man that helped create Ultron and the man who once tried to kill him (see below)? He wants to make the world a safer place, just like Tony. Bruce/Hulk may not actually be in this fight, but his presence, whether he chooses for or against the system, will make a splash, but we're guessing he'll be for the system.
General Thunderbolt Ross
The last time we saw General Thunderbolt Ross, played by William Hurt, was in 2008's The Incredible Hulk, during Phase 1 and featuring Edward Norton as Bruce Banner. Well, Ross is back and you better believe he's going to be on the side of the new system, being that he's in the military and all.
What's going to make his role interesting is whether or not he'll be on the same side as the man he once tried to kill, Bruce Banner. If Bruce is for the system, can they work together?
Against the New System
Captain America
It's pretty cut and dry here. Of course Captain America is going to be against this system. Why? Well, it's the story in the comic... There really aren't secret identities in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, unlike the comic book, so there has to be something more to this system, right?
From the sound of the synopsis, it seems like the government will be delegating heroes to places in need. Maybe Captain America sees the bigger picture and just wants to help people in need and not wait for Uncle Same to tell him where and when he's needed.
Black Widow
Figuring out which side Black Widow is going to be on is tough because she has ties to everyone, but her strongest tie, non-romantically, is with Steve Rogers. Although she's been trained to kill and deceive people, Natasha is a good person and stands by Steve through his toughest times, during Captain America: Winter Soldier. We have a good feeling that she'll stand next to Steve during this adventure as well.
Here's where it gets tricky... If Bruce is one of the people for the new system, that's going to cause some friction. Two characters, in a romantic relationship, standing at opposite ends of a hot-button issue can cause a ton of tension. So why wouldn't Natasha head to the side with Bruce in this scenario? Her bond is stronger with Cap and her morals are a bit more aligned with his.
Sam Wilson
Sam Wilson, better known as Falcon in the comic books, was first introduced in Captain America: Winter Soldier, and very quickly, he and Steve became close and great partners. The Captain America/Black Widow/Sam Wilson team dynamic was one of the stand outs of the film. We did get to see the character again in Age of Ultron as well.
Without a doubt, it's pretty easy to say that he's going to stand by Rogers' side during all of this since Rogers was the one that gave Sam a shot to be the hero that was inside of him. Plus, how can you split up Captain America and Falcon?
Hawkeye
Finally, there's the stand-out character in Avengers: Age of Ultron, Hawkeye. This is the first film we actually got to see who this character is, since the other couple of films he appeared in he was more background noise than anything else. What did we learn? Hawkeye is a family man and has a lot of secrets.
He may be out of the hero life, but something is telling us this new act is going to drag him right back in. Hawkeye values his family life and private life and while he's spent a lot of time taking orders from other people, that seems to all be in the past now, so of course, he'll stand by Cap, against the new system.
Winter Soldier
We almost put Winter Soldier in the "Wild Card" section below. Once upon a time, Bucky Barnes and Steve Rogers fought alongside each other in battle. However, Bucky, who was thought to be dead, ended up being experimented on by Hydra to become the Winter Soldier. Will he return as a villain or fight alongside Captain America? Frankly, there's no way a man who spent decades of his life, being controlled by Hydra, would be in favor of a system where the government tells heroes what they can or can't do.
When it comes to the comic book version of Civil War, Winter Soldier is a pretty important character during the CAPTAIN AMERICA tie-in issues. Although the story came out years ago, we're still not going to spoil it, but we will say we picked the picture above this section for a reason. There's no indication whether or not the end of the Civil War comic will be the same in the movie, but Bucky falls into this section because of his ties to Rogers.
Wild Cards
There are some characters we just don't know where they would stand or if they'd take a stand at all. Here are some folks that could do one way or the other... or they're just villains.
The Vision- He may be the son of Ultron, making him Tony Stark's grandson, by some weird, inventor law, but The Vision isn't one to really take orders. He's smarter than that. However, it's hard to say which side he'll take when this all goes down.
Scarlet Witch- She may be training to be an Avenger, but we really don't know where Scarlet Witch will stand in the upcoming film. While she's obviously not a fan of Stark, whose weapons destroyed her home, she could stand by the new system in order to make the world a better place, so other people wouldn't have to experience what she and her brother did.
Black Panther- He lives in Wakanda, so why would Black Panther care about things that happen in America? No clue, but he is going to be in the film. We know nothing about this character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and most likely, he's only here to set up his solo film for 2018.
Sharon Carter- This was a tricky one. The S.H.I.E.L.D. agent is pretty close to Steve Rogers in the comic and plays a big role in Civil War... a super-big role in the aftermath as well. While her teaming up with Steve makes the most sense, she is/was a government agent, so it's hard to tell which side she'll take, and being for the new system could create some interest drama between her and Steve.
Crossbones- It's pretty obvious Crossbones is the villain here. Will he be a villain that's somehow involved in the new system, like secretly working for it, is the real question. If you've read Civil War, then you know how important Crossbones is to the story.
That's where we think these characters will land in the upcoming Captain America: Civil War film. What do you think? Who will be fighting on each side? Let us know!
Captain America: Civil War opens up on May 6, 2016.