What Happened to Every Member of Team Iron Man?
It’s nearly six years since the release of Captain America: Civil War (2016), marking a significant turning point in the MCU timeline. The fact people still discuss the central conflict is a testament to not only how good the film is, but how divisive the conflict itself is. Fans online still erupt into arguments on a weekly basis, with factions drawn to distinguish who is on Team Cap and Team Iron Man. Personally, I’m split 55% to 45%, and I like that there are points which help either argument make sense. However, upon reflection there is an interesting trend with the heroes who side on Team Iron Man. Aside from the odd outlier, most members of Team Iron Man inevitably defect by the end of the film or in subsequent films. Allow me to explain.
Before we go any further, we’ll start with a basic refresher. An incident in Lagos involving Scarlet Witch, along with previous destructive incidents from Avengers Assemble (2012), Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) and Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), prompts the government to draft plans for legislation which puts superheroes under tighter restrictions AKA The Sokovia Accords. Heroes would only be allowed to go where they are told and do what they are told, as per government instruction. This increases accountability and theoretically reduces the risk of collateral damage and loss of innocent lives when superheroes are saving the world. The situation is further escalated with the return of Bucky Barnes, whose is still a victim of Hydra’s brainwashing, which is being exploited by Zemo to enact his evil scheme. Tony Stark is guilted into signing the Accords, whereas Captain America makes a stand. Both sides form teams and everyone punches each other at an airport in Germany. It may sound like it turns into a film about football hooliganism by the end, but it’s actually a lot of fun and sees some much needed character development.
Now that we’re all up to speed, we can dive into the details.
Having rewatched not only Civil War but the films which follow, I’ve noticed the support for Team Iron Man decreases both immediately and in the long run. I’ve mapped out what happens with each member of Team Iron Man, focusing on further mentions of the events in Civil War, both direct and indirect. Obviously as events lead up to the saga of Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers: Endgame (2019), the characters have bigger things to focus on, but there’s still a lasting impact/ legacy (depending on how you view the situation).
Another brief tangent before we go through each team member, because there are three things to remember when this topic is discussed.
- It’s pointless to argue which team is the “winner” - there are points in favour of either side, both arguments make sense to a degree, and in the grand scheme most of us forgot about the Sokovia Accords by the time Thanos shows up. Neither side is perfect, they both make stupid decisions, they are both simultaneously winners and losers.
- The main argument makes no sense to begin with - this isn’t necessarily an issue exclusive to the film, because the original ‘Civil War' comic book also makes no damn sense. Writer Mark Millar clearly doesn’t understand either of the two central characters very well. Captain America, an old fashioned conservative do-gooder, decides to suddenly go rogue and disobey government instruction, and Tony Stark, a liberal billionaire who lives by his own rules and answers to no one, suddenly decides to conform and lets the government tell him what to do. Granted, the film makes a clearer argument by throwing the Bucky debate into the mix, but either way both the comic book and film have a hard time justifying how and why the central conflict exists. Hence the conflict is microwaved to a serious extent.
- Team T’Challa is actually the winning team - the new king of Wakanda had all bases covered and emerges from the conflict as the most rational and mature of the characters. He makes the most compelling argument, he has a strong motivation behind his actions but doesn’t let revenge consume him, he acts like a true leader throughout, and by the end of the film he’s found the best possible solution for both Zemo and the Bucky crisis. So the next time someone asks if you’re Team Cap or Team Iron Man, proudly fly the flag for Team Black Panther.
As long as we’re all aware I have prepared this information out of sheer curiosity and I’m by no means weighing in on the debate, then we’ll take this one character at a time. Play nicely children, remember this is just a film.
-
Black Panther
After the death of his father as part of Zemo’s plan, T’Challa initially is one of the key players on Tony’s side. This is particularly important considering his skills, his technology, and his seat on the world stage as a new leader of a nation. However, he also has one of the biggest turns. Emerging from the airport fight, T’Challa learns that Zemo is the architect of the conflict so he adapts his plan. He not only ignores direct orders by travelling to Siberia, but also directly intervenes in the conflict to help Captain America. The post credits scene reveals that T’Challa works with Cap by taking Bucky to Wakanda instead of turning him over to the authorities. This gives them the time and space to help rehabilitate Bucky and help him reclaim his body and mind. Considering Tony wanted to kill Bucky like a blind, selfish fool, and Captain America wanted Bucky to live freely whilst not receiving the support he needs, T’Challa finds the best solution. He acknowledges the fact Bucky is dangerous in his current state, but also understands he is a victim and so gives him the second chance he deserves. T’Challa’s actions not only prove he had a change of heart in the debate, but he actively ignores the Accords and makes his own path. He wouldn’t have been able to make the choices he did, not only as a superhero but as a world leader, if he were following the Accords. It’s an important moment for T’Challa as an emerging hero and world leader, and is also a massive dent to the support in Team Iron Man.
Black Widow
Natasha’s arc goes into some really interesting territory post Civil War. While she is quietly on Team Iron Man for most of the film, she eventually turns on Black Panther (who is yet to have his change of heart), shooting him with her taser gizmo and allowing Cap to escape with Bucky to Siberia. This goes against the goals of Team Iron Man, and allows their primary target(s) to escape. Plus, this is a direct dismissal of the accords and General Ross. She knew the risk and knew that this would make her a rebel, but she did it anyway. This is also backed up by the fact she is on the run from the government during the events of Black Widow (2021), which take place directly after Civil War. She doesn’t turn herself in to General Ross, which suggests she knows she is doing the right thing; she makes the decision to swap sides and sticks to it. In fact if we continue to track the character, the events of Infinity War reveal that Black Widow joins the rebel team of Captain America and Falcon and has been on the run with them. If we patch the timeline together in chronological order, it’s clear Black Widow fully defects to Team Captain America.
Iron Man
Obviously this was always going to be more of a complex case. It’s his argument, he’s one of the leaders in this fight, and he walks away from the conflict with serious emotional and spiritual damage. In fact he annoyingly clings to this debate long after anyone else. At the start of Infinity War he’s told what Thanos is capable of and still hesitates to call Captain America, leaving Bruce Banner to make this move. There are potential signs of regret, but generally he remains firm on his stance. He is icy towards Captain America, even into the start of Endgame when Cap tries to build a bridge between them. Eventually Tony concedes for the greater good, but it took him years to get there.
Interestingly as the film reaches its conclusion Tony’s actions do become confusing. He ignores direct orders from General Ross by travelling to Siberia, but then also lets his lust for revenge take over as he tries to kill Bucky. Again, this wouldn’t have been under government instruction, so he is simultaneously undermining his own argument and proving that not even he would be able to stick to the new rules. Similar to certain politicians who preach about the importance of lockdown but then attend parties at Number 10. This is another reason why T’Challa is the real hero of this story. Tony doesn’t listen to new information and doesn’t see that Bucky is a victim who needs help, whereas T’Challa takes on board new information and lets compassion and logic lead his actions. No one ever said Tony was perfect, but it’s hard to argue he walks away from this conflict in a positive light.
Spider-Man
This is the point where I admit I will weigh in more, because I’m still confused and annoyed. Not about the fact Spider-Man entered the MCU, that was obviously an incredible move, but the way it happened is problematic.
Spider-Man serves a very specific function in the conflict. He enters the fight because Tony Stark’s side is falling short and he needs to make up the numbers. Spider-Man joins for the airport fight but exits the conflict before any defecting takes place. His relationship with Tony is still strong after this film, and it becomes one of the aspects fans love most about the MCU, so it’s safe to assume Peter remains on Team Iron Man. However, it’s important to acknowledge the fact Spider-Man is manipulated into joining the fight and becoming part of this team.
We all know Tony Stark is a divisive figure who makes worrying decisions, but in this film he puts a teenager in danger. He enlists Spider-Man onto the team, even though he has no stake in the fight and no prior engagement with the Avengers. For those who didn’t pick up on it, Spider-Man has no idea why he’s there. When Captain America asks mid fight, the dialogue is as follows:
Captain America: “Look kid, there’s a lot going on here that you wouldn’t understand.”
Spider-Man: “Mr Stark said that you’d say that.”
(Brief fight - punchy punchy thwip thwip)
Captain America: “Did Stark tell you anything else?”
Spider-man: “That you’re wrong. You think you’re right. That makes you dangerous.”
So unless we’re missing something, that sounds like a child who has low-key been brainwashed. They’ve been brought into a fight without a full explanation, and has been deliberately misled through omission of the facts. Match this with Peter’s opening dialogue from Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), and it gets even worse. Check it out:
(In Germany, on his way to the airport fight in Civil War): “No one has actually told me why I’m in Berlin. Or what I’m doing. Something about Captain America going crazy?”
It’s clear he doesn’t know what fight he’s in or why, and it’s totally reckless of Tony Stark to pull a teenager into this fight. Isn’t there such a thing as child endangerment? Tony Stark would willingly go out of his way to bring a teenager into the fight because his team’s numbers are dropping, and he banks on his status and fame to blind the poor teenager so they join a fight without asking too many questions. Spider-Man may be on Team Iron Man and holds firm when the film ends, but he is on the team because of a master manipulator who wants to exploit his skillset. The debate isn’t properly explained to him, the two stances aren’t explained to him, he is just being led blindly to punch people without knowing why. In fact that’s one of the reasons why their relationship breaks down in the original comic book, where Peter actually ends up fighting Iron Man mid-way and then defects to Team Cap. The context was different, but it’s easy to see how that also could have happened here. When Peter is used as Iron Man’s puppet, only knowing what Tony has told him and not being given a full 360 degree view of the situation, it’s no surprise when it doesn’t end well.
Vision
As much as I may not totally agree with them, Vision is an example of a character who actually explains the logic behind the side they’ve taken. Which fixes an issue I found in the original comic book, where the debate was undercooked and characters took sides quickly so the fighting could start. It made the conflict feel hollow, so characters in the film like Vision actually help make the teams seem more purpose driven. They’re not all simply pawns in someone else’s fight, they have their own reasons for joining.
Whether you agree with them or not, Vision initially sides with Tony Stark. However, the events of the airport fight and his growing feelings for Wanda cause Vision to have a change of heart. After nearly killing his fellow teammate Rhodey by accident, he exits the conflict by escorting Wanda to safety and then proceeds to go on the run with her. This directly goes against the goals of Team Iron Man, and he actively works with one of their key targets. This is further proven by the fact he is still on the run and laying low with Wanda at the start of Infinity War. He swapped sides and quite literally (I think) jumped into bed with the enemy.
War Machine
It was obvious when sides started to form that Rhodey would stand by one of his best friends. And while their stance initially remains firm, their actions in Infinity War indicate they are no longer fighting for the cause. Consider the two main points:
- Rhodey is in talks with General Ross, and he admits he was on the wrong side of the argument with the following dialogue:
General Ross: “I remember your signature on those papers, colonel.”
Rhodey: “That’s right. I’m pretty sure I paid for that.”
This is indicative of a change of heart and regret for previous actions. - Rhodey reached out to Captain America, Falcon and Black Widow and works with them for the battle of Wakanda. At this point in the timeline these characters are still considered fugitives or rebels, and there is still bad blood between Steve and Tony (predominately from Tony’s side). Clearly Rhodey has no issues teaming up with former members of the opposite side, and he is happy to give the middle finger to General Ross. He lets the rebels into the Avengers compound, presumably for the first time in years, which is a huge step towards brokering peace. Rhodey knows there are bigger things to worry about, and he doesn’t want mistakes of the past to threaten their future.
So while Rhodey may not overtly defect to the opposite side, it is clear he has a change of heart. He seems to not only regret being involved in the argument, but also makes active steps to break down barriers. Welcoming back the heroes and hugging Captain America is a huge moment as it allows former allies to come back together.
-
As I mentioned previously, my intention is not to weigh in on the debate, but to simply detail events as they happened. Granted, it does appear Team Iron takes a massive hit, however there’s two things to remember:
- Not all of the characters who change their mind/ defect do so in the same way.
- Not all of the characters who change their mind/ defect do so for the same reasons. It’s clear not all of them change because they no longer believe in the cause. For example, Vision leaves the fight largely because of the accident with Rhodey and his feelings for Wanda.
Interestingly, the film itself doesn’t necessarily state who “wins.” The Avengers team is left broken and Captain America breaks his allies out of prison to go on the run, but later films indirectly show that Team Iron Man crumbles apart. In this sense, it is similar to the comic books. The 2016 follow up, ‘Civil War II’, throws serious shade at the original Team Iron Man from the first conflict. There’s various references to how Captain America is the horse everyone needs to back, including praise from T’Challa who admits he is on Team Iron Man this time because he knows that’s the team Captain America is on. Even Iron Man himself admits he was on the wrong side of the conflict last time and wouldn’t side against Captain America again. So maybe Iron Man is better at admitting he was wrong, or is even just more prone to being wrong, who knows?
This isn’t to say Team Captain America is the winner or that they come away unscathed, because that’s not true. If you look at someone like Ant-Man for instance, he was happy to lend a hand in the fight but clearly had a rough time afterwards on house arrest. And again, it’s not like winning this fight meant anything in the long run because Infinity War brought everyone back together for a bigger cause. The larger point to remember is that this was one particular era for the biggest film franchise of all time. So regardless of where you land on the debate, fans will always remember this particular story arc. A divisive, thought provoking moment for one of the greatest feats of storytelling we’ve seen in cinema. The story stays alive as long as fans continue to talk about it.
So be sure to tell your grandchildren about the time the tin foil man and the Frisbee guy had a fight, and the kitty cat king made them both look like fools.
