Team Iron Man is Still the Only Clear Choice in ‘Captain America: Civil War’

2016 brought with it a debate that divided the MCU fan base, and now that almost a decade has passed, there is really only one side of the heated argument that has been proven correct. Even now, Marvel fans often stick to their original convictions when it comes to the debate in question. However, with everything that has happened in the MCU since the 2016 movie was released, it’s tough to deny that half the audience needs to reassess what they thought at the time.

Captain America: Civil War pitted the MCU’s most powerful heroes, other than Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) and Thor (Chris Hemsworth), against each other. The movie gradually took its characters through political discourse, but ultimately resulted in a highly cinematic fight sequence featuring many of the MCU’s stars to that point. No one watching truly wanted any blood spilled from any of the Avengers, but sides were still chosen by those watching in movie theaters. With Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) and Captain America (Chris Evans) each heading up their own squad of superheroes, it became a binary option when it came to who was right and who was wrong. The answer was presented as a morally gray one, but that’s simply not the case anymore.

The Disagreement Among the Avengers in ‘Captain America: Civil War’ Explained

For those who haven’t seen Civil War in a while, what sets the plot in motion is a spicy political twist. The United Nations demands that the Avengers sign a bespoke agreement called the Sokovia Accords. Named after the fictitious nation that the Avengers left in ruins in the wake of 2015’s Age of Ultron, the documents were drafted to make the Avengers an official body that answered to the UN, rather than being left to operate as an independent group of vigilantes that often cause immense destruction in foreign countries during their heroics. In short, the UN wanted authority over the Avengers, so that Iron Man and company could be deployed when necessary and be accountable to a higher power.

On paper, it’s a very sensible and politically savvy idea. With the Avengers being based in the US, concerns were also raised that it appeared the Avengers were representing American interests abroad whenever they rushed in to save the day. Regulating the Avengers seems like a necessary step to adjust those optics, as foreign countries would invariably call for their help when required, and the UN would be negligent not to grant valid requests for the specific kind of aid that the Avengers can provide. On the other hand, if someone needs help, waiting around the UN to greenlight a rescue operation would likely cost lives that would have been saved if the Avengers weren’t waiting around for permission.

These two trains of thought are what Civil War is based on. While the debate starts off fairly mild, Captain America and Iron Man end up staunchly disagreeing with each other. Although Iron Man is on the cusp of convincing his ally at one point in the movie, Evans’ character resorts to protecting his old friend Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), who has been framed for a terrorist plot. Cap’s actions directly clash with the Sokovia Accords, which then sets in motion the movie’s primary storyline. Iron Man has half the Avengers on his side, who want to bring Bucky down with the UN’s backing, and Cap has his own loyal followers within the Avengers who help him clear Bucky’s name.

Even if Captain America Seemed Right at the Time, Team Iron Man Was the Smart Choice in ‘Civil War’

Walt Disney Studios Motions Pictures

In 2016, there was certainly a convincing argument to be made for siding with Cap, and reasons that were just as salient for joining Team Iron Man. Civil War‘s entire marketing campaign was built around that very decision. Boiled down to their respective sentiments, Iron Man was choosing the path of logic, and Cap’s decision-making came from pure emotion. They both wanted to continue saving lives; it was just a matter of them both weighing up the pros and cons of the Sokovia Accords and coming up with different conclusions. The thing is, Cap’s philosophy was incredibly short-sighted.

His resistance to obeying the Sokovia Accords only left him with the option of continuing to save lives as he always had, with the fallout of said heroics becoming a secondary concern. There was no way the UN would let him carry on operating in this way, and as proven by the events of Civil War, he quickly became seen as someone bordering on a terrorist himself as a result of sticking to his principles so rigidly. Justifying to the higher-ups why people needed saving before he was allowed to intervene just didn’t align with his values, so he turned away from the Avengers and became the closest thing to a bad guy he’s capable of becoming.

Inversely, it very much seems that Iron Man was playing the long game. Even if he wasn’t intentionally doing so, signing the accords was the right way forward. Following the events of 2019’s Avengers: Endgame, the UN dissolved the Accords, once more allowing superheroes to operate autonomously. The sheer threat that Thanos (Josh Brolin) posed to the Earth made the thought of making the planet’s mightiest heroes wait for permission to act seem incredibly misguided, as proven by the UN’s decision to reverse course after Endgame.

If Cap had been able to convince Iron Man that refusing to sign the Accords was the right move, all that would have happened was a war between the Avengers and the UN — although, it’d hopefully not be as bloody as it sounds. What Cap should have done is side with Iron Man, even though he didn’t want to. After a few disasters that the UN decided didn’t require the Avengers, it would become glaringly obvious that a mistake had been made, and the Accords would have been dissolved much earlier than they were. Of course, Cap would also have needed to convince the other Avengers that Bucky wasn’t to blame for the terrorist attack, but that’s just another reason why Civil War remains one of the most narratively complex movies in the MCU.

Release Date

May 6, 2016

Runtime

147 minutes

Writers

Christopher Markus, Stephen McFeely

Producers

Kevin Feige, Louis D’Esposito, Patricia Whitcher, Stan Lee, Victoria Alonso, Alan Fine

Franchise(s)

Marvel