We are T-minus two weeks away from the theatrical release of Captain America: Civil War and the positive word of mouth surrounding the film has not died down one iota since last weeks’ world premiere.
In fact, the movie is tracking to make $175 million dollars domestically during its opening weekend. That number could very well increase if Marvel Studios can sustain the amazing hype around the film until May 6.
Civil Compression
For the longest time, the dream for comic book fans was to see their favorite characters in their own films on the big screen. Now that we have that on the regular, the new fantasy match up is to see a collective of our favorite heroes battling it out, which is now a reality.
I hate comparing Batman v Superman to Civil War since we’re talking apples and oranges regarding the tone of each cinematic universe. A colleague of mine changed my mind about that when he posed an interesting question and asked how can fans expect Civil War to be a great superhero conflict movie when it was done so poorly with the two most iconic heroes of all-time. It’s a very good question considering the fact that a lot of people believe less is more, which begs us to ask the question: how is it possible to blunder a film with two heroes and not do the same with a montage of twelve?
DC Comics is still trying to establish their universe. Marvel, on the other hand, has been well established for almost ten years. We know that Chris Evans’ Captain America is going to fight the good fight with an old fashioned moxie that is inspiring to a fault. We know that Robert Downey’s Iron Man is a tech genius who wants to do the right thing and succeeds more times than not, despite his overwhelming ego.
Unlike DC, the MCU isn’t grounded in reality, which helps immensely in providing that superhero escapism that keeps us coming back for more. We know what the rest of the characters bring to the table and Civil War is the next stage of their development encased in the capable hands of directors Anthony and Joe Russo.
Civil Traitors
The upcoming third film starting the Sentinel of Liberty is very much a comic book film, but it’s also a war movie. Battle lines will be drawn and allegiances will be tested like never before.
In the comics, Captain America and Iron Man each had a traitor in their midst, which was revealed right before the event’s grand finale.
It’s possible that this plot point could find its way into the movie. If so, who are the Benedict Arnolds of the movie? I’m just speculating here, but I believe there will one be one traitor this time around. Mark Millar had every Marvel character at his disposal when he wrote the comic and the Russo Brothers don’t have that luxury. I also think that one singular person to shift things in their team’s favor would come across better in a movie and make them standout more.
If I was throwing down a bet in Las Vegas, the person who I wouldn’t bet on is Black Widow. While she is the obvious choice to be secretly working for Team Cap while serving Team Iron Man due to their friendship, it’s a little more complicated than that because Natasha Romanoff is a complex individual. She often has her own agenda and will do what needs to be done, even at the expense of friendship.
Jeremy Renner’s Hawkeye could be the culprit this time around. Sure, he’s fighting for Captain America’s side in the trailers, but he’s a family man with a secret house on a hidden farm. Iron Man knows its location due to the events in Age of Ultron. Will blackmail come into play forcing Clint Barton to stab his team in the back?
Sam Wilson, a.k.a., Falcon…..Yes, it sounds like a preposterous idea, but hear me out.
While Wilson is no longer a member of the military, he never voiced any ill will towards the U.S. government. He is a good friend to Steve Rogers, but he also believes in doing the right thing, depending on who’s ideology you support.
In the trailer, Wilson asked Cap if he was sure about what he was fighting for. Wilson could be conflicted but sides with Cap until something forces him to switch sides.
Next week, we examine the one character who could possibly dominate the entire chess board without anyone knowing about it: Baron Zemo.
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