Looking Back at Civil War Hints

When reports surfaced earlier this month from Variety and Latino-Review that Robert Downey Jr will join Captain America: Civil War many were shocked by the news. It was even more surprising for people that Marvel would use this movie to kick off their version of the Civil War storyline. Then this week at a special Marvel Event, Marvel confirmed that Stark and Rodgers will go head-to-head, along with lots of other news. That begs the question, should we really be that surprised?

Ever since Avengers Tony Stark has been moving farther and farther away from wanting to be a superhero, but would suit up when necessary. Steve Rodgers on the other hand is in it now more than ever, even with the fall of SHIELD.

Marvel's two biggest characters and stars, Robert Downey Jr as Iron Man and Chris Evans as Captain America, will be going head to head throughout Captain America: Civil War. They have certainly clashed in the past before ultimately setting their differences aside for the greater good of the team and the world. It seems that after Avengers: Age of Ultron, their differences could be too much to overcome.

The differences in their beliefs were apparent throughout Avengers and their individual actions since. Let's start with what we learned about each of them in Avengers. One of the most memorable scenes in that movie is the confrontation scene between the entire group, but the focus was on Captain America vs Iron Man. Lines from Cap like "Big man in a suit of armor, take that off and what are you?" and "You better stop pretending to be a hero." started to show the rift that would eventually develop between the two. Even though they put their differences aside to stop Loki, their differences remain.

Then came Iron Man 3. Stark has started to gain the mindset that him being in the suit and being a superhero is not something he necessarily wants. He developed suits he could control by a headset. He then blew up his suits to please Pepper and really started the new approach he has taken.

Captain America saw action later on in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. As we all know, SHIELD fell in that movie. SHIELD developed a new kind of helicarrier that could take down potential threats instantly. Stark had a hand in helping design the helicarriers but Rodgers was instantly against the idea. This movie really showed just how dedicated he was in maintaining the freedom of America. He said, "This isn't freedom, this is fear." and "The price of freedom is high, and it's a price I'm willing to pay." That view point will certainly continue for Cap. One of the closing scenes in that movie was Black Widow talking to government officials. At the end of that conversation she basically tells them that they wouldn't dare touch the Avengers or try to control them because they need them. 

Next summer we will see the Avengers tested like never before in Avengers: Age of Ultron. Tony Stark will continue his quest to get out of the suit by creating an A.I. like nothing the world has ever seen. Unfortunately for the Avengers and the world, that A.I. will not work the way Stark hoped and turn into Ultron. A new clip from Avengers: Age of Ultron that was shown at the Marvel Event this week leaked that showed the growing feud between Stark and Rodgers. Check out the clip below. As you can see, how they see threats and their roles in stopping potential threats are evident.

Avengers: Age of Ultron will lead basically right into Captain America: Civil War, with only Ant-Man standing between the two movies. How Avengers: Age of Ultron ends will certainly play into what causes the Civil War storyline to kick off. My guess is after the team stops Ultron and sees what new super-powered people like Scarlet Witch, Quicksilver, and maybe even Captain Marvel, Stark will realize that without SHIELD, they have nothing to control them. Agents of SHIELD could certainly tie into this and have Coulson and the new SHIELD try and control all the super powered beings on earth. Stark will likely help push the notion that the government needs to oversee what the Avengers and other super-powered people. As you can see looking through what Captain America stands for, even though he likes structure and being a soldier, he also wants people to have freedom. How our new Black Panther, played by Chadwick Boseman, Winter Soldier, Falcon, Black Widow, and maybe even Hawkeye factor in to the story should also be fascinating to see.

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