We're on the lucky 13th movie of the MCU Rewatch, and it just so happens to be the beginning of Phase 3. This week, I'm reliving the hype that was Captain America: Civil War. BACKGROUND:
After the triumph that was Winter Soldier, I found myself in a position I never thought I'd find myself in: I was actually hyped for a sequel. Like many other fans, I thought that an adaptation of Civil War would be an amazing storyline for a Captain America film to tackle. When the third Captain America movie was revealed to be Civil War, I naturally flipped my shit. A Civil War adaptation is exciting enough on its own, but what pushed the hype over the edge was the thought of a certain friendly neighborhood hero potentially showing up. If I recall correctly, it was in early 2015 when it was announced that Sony will share the rights to Spider-Man with Marvel Studios. This was met with unprecedented uproar (the good kind), especially considering the combination of fan desire to see the webslinger in the MCU and the fatigue caused by the last few Sony-made Spidey movies. Of course, the speculation that Spidey would make his anticipated debut in Civil War (he plays a big role in that comic) followed shortly after the momentous announcement. He was not in the first trailer (although that did feature the debut of Black Panther, which I was equally excited for), but in the second trailer, he swings in right at the end. I vividly remember the night that second trailer dropped. I couldn't sleep, because I found myself internally screaming that my boy, our boy, Spider-Man is where he belongs. COMICS TO READ:
MY FAVORITE MOMENTS:
THE AIRPORT BATTLE: I'm separating this, because I don't want the above segment to be inundated with moments from this scene. I'm gonna treat this like a pro wrestling match and call out my favorite spots below.
THE EASTER EGGS:
TEAM CAP: Cap once again demonstrates his moral resolve and loyalty to Bucky. He also shows us that his judgment isn't always at 100%, when he withheld the truth behind the deaths of Tony's parents. People feared that having a ton of characters may be to the detriment of Cap, but it's a relief to see that he's still very much the star of the show. As for the others: Bucky expresses regret for his actions as the Winter Soldier, Scarlet Witch comes to grips with the dangerous nature of her powers, and Hawkeye's bond with Wanda is reinforced when he comes to her rescue. Everyone gets a little bit to work with, except maybe Falcon (who's starting to feel like Cap's yes man) and Ant-Man (who was clearly a one-off appearance). TEAM IRON MAN: Tony expresses his tremendous guilt for the events in Sokovia, and his indefatigable need to make things right is well-meaning, but seems to impair his judgment. You also can't help but feel for him when he's overcome with emotion at the revelation that Bucky killed his parents. From the outside looking in, it feels like he's framed as the villain, but that's very much not the case. Rhodey gets to be his "straight military man" persona (we also see him coming to terms with his later injury), Black Panther's vengeance arc was a neat parallel to Tony and Zemo, Vision brings his calculating approach to the Accords (and shows his deep concern for Wanda), Widow gets to be a good friend (and be a little duplicitous, though in a less sinister fashion), and we get a taste of the Spider-Man we know and love. Again, everyone gets a little bit to grow as characters. TEAM ZEMO: Zemo's motivation was sensible: he's pissed that the Avengers never answered for the death of his family, and is now consumed by revenge. He shows his brilliance by going the "tear them apart from the inside" route instead of just starting a fight. After a steady stream of average villains, Zemo was a breath of fresh air. I'm so glad he wasn't killed off; I'd love to see more of him, maybe to form his own Masters of Evil. I'm also glad he actually somewhat succeeds in his mission, which is a nice change of pace. People love to point out that Zemo's plan to tear apart the Avengers was convoluted, perhaps impossible. From a knowledge standpoint, that's not true. Zemo himself says he patiently read through the SHIELD/HYDRA data dump that came about courtesy of Black Widow in the previous movie. It's not farfetched to me that he'd eventually stumble upon the Winter Soldier program, and that he'd be smart enough to suss out details like where Bucky's being held prisoner. The rest of the plan felt sound, too, in my opinion. Staging an attack, framing Bucky to draw him out of hiding, finding a way to physically get to him, then using his brainwashing to acquire a videotape, and then count on a red herring to lure Tony Stark to see that tape... well, all right, that's a lot of effort and logistics for a tape, but it worked, didn't it? I will also concede that, while I don't doubt that Zemo can construct and transport an EMP, he'd have to be on an absurdly tight schedule to make that shit work. OTHER THINGS:
THE AFTER-CREDITS: There are two stingers, both with the shared purpose of setting up future movies. The first one shows Bucky going back into stasis. T'Challa and Cap buddy up, too. Then (complete with epic music) they reveal that they're in Wakanda with a shot of a panther statue. Goddamn, I couldn't understate my excitement when I first saw this. Black Panther and Wakanda is MCU canon, and I couldn't be happier. The second has Peter Parker back at home, resting up after the airport battle. He plays around with his Stark-issued suit, and activates a signal light with the iconic Spidey face. Again, can't understate my excitement over this. Spider-Man's finally home, and we're gonna see more of him. Fuck yes. VERDICT: With an interesting, thought-provoking central debate, amazing debuts in Black Panther and Spider-Man, exhilarating action, and a fair share of emotional character moments, Civil War is essentially the Avengers sequel everyone wanted. It says a lot about the brilliance of Marvel Studios when people were more excited to see why the heroes are fighting as opposed to simply excited to see the fighting. In addition, this movie helped confirm that the upcoming Infinity War (which we knew was being directed by the Russos at this point) was in good, no, great hands. See you again next Friday for some Doctor Strange. - end -
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June 2024
Derryck
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