Civil War: An MCU Turning Point
Captain America: Civil War is a significant moment for the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
From a franchise standpoint, Civil War kicks off Phase Three of Marvel’s master movie plan. It pulls together threads from throughout Marvel’s first eight years of films and sets events towards the planned, massive Avengers one-two punch that will wrap up a decade’s worth of filmmaking in 2018 and 2019. It’s a major mile marker in pushing forward Marvel’s big umbrella story.
But Civil War isn’t just a franchise cog. It tells an involving, fast-moving story packed with characters that moviegoers have come to love over the course of several films. From a story logic standpoint, it’s refreshing that the movie addresses the devastation that previous MCU movies have left behind after their stirring climaxes. Recognition that the governments of the world might not be so keen for an elitist group of “enhanced beings” doing as they see fit whenever they deem it necessary is an intriguing nod to real world realities.
Ultimately, Captain America: Civil War succeeds because Marvel has put in a lot of effort into developing these characters and is willing to take some narrative chances with them inspired by some of the more notable plot turns of the source material.
The “Captain America” in the movie’s title isn’t incidental branding. While the film packs in familiar faces and introduces some new ones, Civil War is very much a Captain America story. Yes, Iron Man is essentially a co-lead and several other characters get well-defined arcs that play out in satisfying ways over the movies two-and-a-half hours. But Captain America is the clear star.
You don’t have to agree with the position that Captain America takes in Civil War to find him sympathetic. The movie streamlines the comic’s story into something more Avengers-focused. As the faces of the two sides, Cap and Iron Man are naturally prominent. Each gets substantial scenes.
Captain America drives the plot, though. From his opposition to placing the team under UN control to his belief in his friend Bucky and desire to protect him from circumstances that endanger his life, Cap is the catalyst for a lot of this action. His emotional journey is the engine. Beyond his relationship with Bucky, his ties to Iron Man, Black Widow, Falcon and other characters provide the crucial emotional stakes that make Civil War involving and impactful.
As time has gone on, Chris Evans has proven to be a fantastic casting choice as Captain America/Steve Rogers. There’s a lot going on under the character’s skin and Evans has mastered communicating those beats with a welcome economy and genuineness. Moreover, Evans and Robert Downey, Jr., the franchise’s scene-stealing MVP as Iron Man/Tony Stark, have developed a complex rapport over the course of several films. The characters’ arc from uneasy allies in the first Avengers to friends with a complicated dynamic in Age of Ultron has been a powerful cornerstone of the MCU. Civil War centers on that bond, and how the mutual respect and genuine disagreements between the two lead to a powerful turning point. The political allegory of the movie’s plot may give the script a certain relevance, but the reason it works is the emotional gut-punch of the set-up.
Captain America: Civil War isn’t all seriousness. There’s plenty of room for goofy fun and exciting action sequences. The big showdown between the two groups of heroes features as many quips as it does punches. While the climax has a pretty horrifying end, with dire consequences for a favorite hero, there’s plenty of lightness to balance out the dark. Steve even gets to play a couple of romantic beats with Sharon Carter.
The other notable facet of Civil War is the two high-profile MCU character debuts. Fans got to meet both the Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman) and the newest Spider-Man (Tom Holland). Each immediately made a strong impression. Boseman, in many ways, is the third lead in Civil War. His character’s emotional arc is closely tied to the main plot in ways that, at times, makes him ally and adversary to both Cap and Iron Man. Boseman invests a lot of dignity, intelligence and strength into the Panther, nailing that curious mix of regal bearing and primal power that’s key to the character. Holland, meanwhile, proves to be a delightful addition to the MCU. The Spider-Man origin is familiar enough that it can be alluded to in a couple lines of dialogue. Instead, fans get the eager, geektastic comedic motormouth they’ve been wanting. Spider-Man doesn’t have a huge character arc, but adds a lot to the big hero showdown. Both debuts give fans a lot of reasons to be optimistic about the Spider-Man and Black Panther movies coming out over the next couple years.
Civil War also has the confidence not to water down its story to be an easy entry point. This is a crucial franchise component and is unafraid of that fact. Both Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Avengers: Age of Ultron are necessary pre-viewing. Familiarity with most of the other MCU movies wouldn’t hurt, either, especially the Iron Man trilogy. Civil War is very rewarding for fans who have taken the time to embrace the MCU as a grand, extended story. It’s a mark of how well Marvel has executed these movies that the prospect is more thrilling than intimidating.
The MCU is significantly repositioned after Captain America: Civil War. That may not be as apparent in the next couple of Marvel movies (Doctor Strange, Guardians of the Galaxy 2) which explore different corners of the shared universe. But when movies set in the MCU mainstream return to the spotlight the impact should be tangible.
Balancing a compelling story and franchise heavy lifting can be tricky. Captain America: Civil War pulls it off in first rate fashion.
Originally published at thunderalleybcpcom.ipage.com on May 9, 2016.
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