I couldn't sleep at all last night, and no it's not my usual restlessness. Just before hitting the sack word came down that Robert Downey Jr. was joining Marvel's Captain America 3, which is a big deal but not half as big as the rest of the story. The storyline would apparently be the kick off to Civil War, based on the controversial 2006-2007 miniseries by Mark Millar and Steve McNiven. So why was it so polarizing? Well, pretty much everything Millar does turns out that way, but in this case it was justified.
Civil War begins with a team that has not been seen in the cinematic universe yet: the New Warriors. One of my favorite teams from the '90s, they're basically made up of B-list characters like Speedball, Night Thrasher, Justice, and Nova...yes, the Nova everyone wanted in Guardians of the Galaxy. An incident during one of their missions ends with the villain Nitro blowing up an entire city, killing millions. The government decided to institute the Superhero Registration Act, which demands superheroes to register with the government, reveal their civilian identities to the public, and become deputized agents if they want to stay in action. Captain America gathered up a group of like-minded heroes to fight against the Act, while Tony Stark fights to enforce it. They came to blows, a war erupts, and basically Stark becomes the most hated man amongst the superhero community. Yes, Stark is portrayed as the "bad" guy, although there are points to be made on both sides of the argument.
It's a huge story, one that would require Marvel make some severe changes bringing it to the big screen simply because there aren't enough characters available. The X-men played a key role, so did Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four. So assuming Captain America 3 will indeed begin the Civil War, here are a few things I'm hoping to see play out. And keep in mind, this would have to unfold over the course of multiple movies, that's how big Civil War is.
1. The Return of Spider-Man
Okay, this one's a long shot and more of a personal hope than anything else, but recent rumors have suggested Marvel and Sony could work out a deal allowing Spider-Man to be part of the shared universe. Peter Parker had an integral role in Civil War; in fact he was something like the moral compass at the center of it. He began on the side of Iron Man and the Registration Act, but as the government's tactics became more brutal he would switch to Cap's side. It's possible we could see another character step in to fill that role but it would be more effective with Spider-Man, who everybody knows and respects.
2. The Death of Captain America
We've been saying it for awhile and others have noticed it, too, but the Captain America movies are conveniently populated by all the characters who have a role in The Death of Captain America storyline. That story was the tragic finale to the Civil War, with Cap assassinated and the Winter Soldier taking over the mantle. It's a crucial piece to the puzzle, and when I think about recent stories suggesting Captain America may not be factoring much into future films, it leads me to think his demise is right around the corner. This would be the time to do it.
3. Ragnarok
Tony Stark did some truly loathsome sh*t during Civil War, and one of those involved cloning his missing buddy, Thor. Stark used Thor's DNA to create an all-powerful clone named Ragnarok, and he proceeded to tear apart Cap's team, even going so far as to kill the superhero Goliath, a former Avenger and friend of Hank Pym aka Ant-Man. If Raganarok appears in the films it would likely be in a similar way. We could see Chris Hemsworth's Thor too busy on Asgard to join up with his Avengers pals, and Stark comes up with Ragnarok as a solution. Whatever the case, the presence of Ragnarok is a good way to show just how twisted Stark's idea of right and wrong has become.
4. The Introduction of Blade, Ghost Rider, and Punisher
One thing about Civil War is that it includes a ton of characters, practically the entire Marvel Universe is involved. There simply aren't enough characters right now for Marvel to make this look like a huge "war", and one way to help fill out the ranks is bringing in popular characters like Blade, Ghost Rider, and the Punisher. Marvel recently gained their film rights back and this would be an easy way to work them in, possibly leading to future solo movies in the process. This one actually leads directly to my next hope.
5. Iron Man and Captain America Lead Separate Avengers Teams
With Cap and Iron Man on opposing sides of the Registration Act, both men began leading their own teams of Avengers. Cap's "New Avengers" (which included Luke Cage and Hawkeye) mostly worked underground and in secret to avoid confrontation with Iron Man's government-sanctioned "Mighty Avengers". With Doctor Strange and Ant-Man being introduced in the next couple of years, it stands to reason they'll be joining some Avengers team, probably one led by Iron Man. This may also be a good way to bring the Netflix TV series characters: Luke Cage, Daredevil, Iron Fist, and Jessica Jones.
6. Tony Stark: Director of SHIELD
One of the strongest repercussions of Civil War had Tony Stark taking over as the director of SHIELD. With the spy organization in shambles and Nick Fury presumed dead (we know better), now would be the perfect time for a move like this. It would also allow for Downey Jr. to make limited appearances in the films, and whether he appears on the show or not it may have a ratings impact on Agents of SHIELD. We saw the boost it got from being tied in to Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and the same could happen again.
So those are just a few things I'm hoping for, and some of them seem feasible. If I thought harder about it I'd probably include more wishful things, like movies for the Thunderbolts and New Warriors, the introduction of Moon Knight (he needs a film now!), and more. I'm genuinely excited to see where Marvel goes with this, and given their track record I have every reason to believe they can pull off Civil War in the epic fashion it deserves.
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