by Matt Sernaker, Managing Editor

Captain America and The Avengers are back! Captain America: Civil War marks the beginning of Phase 3 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and the Russo Brothers (Directors of Captain America: The Winter Soldier) have returned to ensure that the party starts off with a bang. Following the events of Avengers: Age of Ultron, the Avengers now feature a new line-up consisting of Cap, Black Widow, Falcon, Scarlet Witch, The Vision, and War Machine. When a mission abroad results in civilian casualties, the United Nations decrees a new sanction to put rules in place to control the heroes deployment. The new law doesn’t sit well with Cap, and the Avengers find themselves divided. Team Cap versus Team Iron Man…who will win?

Minor spoilers ahead. 

After the critical success of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, fans have been looking forward to more MCU installments from the Russo Brothers. These two have been tasked with taking the reins of the Avengers franchise from Joss Whedon, and Civil War is a damn good indication where the overall MCU will be heading. It is important to note that while Civil War does prominently feature the Avengers, it is unquestionably a Captain America movie. Cap is faced with the hard choice of obeying a law that he disagrees with, ultimately leaving people in danger, or fighting against the country and establishment that he has sworn to protect. When The Winter Soldier strikes at a gathering of the United Nations, Cap must also face a conflicted Tony Stark, who steps in to lead the U.N. sanctioned Avengers team. Can these two find a middle ground, or will they be forced to take drastic measures?

Captain America: Civil War features an incredible roster of actors, including Chris Evans (Captain America), Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man), Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow), Anthony Mackie (Falcon), Sebastian Stan (Bucky/Winter Soldier), Don Cheadle (War Machine), Jeremy Renner (Hawkeye), Paul Bettany (Vision), Elizabeth Olsen (Scarlet Witch), Paul Rudd (Ant-Man), Emily VanCamp (Sharon Carter), Frank Grillo (Crossbones), William Hurt (Thaddeus Ross), Martin Freeman (Everett K. Ross), and many others. While Avengers: Age of Ultron felt over-packed at times, Civil War manages to balance the line up with ease, and allowed the audience to experience small and large scale moments with everyone on the team. It is hard to claim that this movie has just one MVP, because all of the cast members excelled in this story. Of the established actors, Paul Rudd definitely deserves a shout out for Scott Lang’s contributions (and one of the best moments in the film). The unlikely pairing of Bucky and Falcon resulted in some hilariously unexpected moments, mainly due to the two men acting like younger brothers fighting for the attention of their older brother. Civil War also gave Jeremy Renner one hell of an opportunity for Clint Barton to be a bad ass (we seriously need a Black Widow/Hawkeye movie).

In addition to the returning Avengers, Civil War featured the cinematic introduction of the Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman, Get On Up). As shown in the promotional material, T’Challa ends up siding with Team Iron Man, and joins the hunt for Cap and friends. The King of Wakanda is definitely a force to be reckoned with, and Civil War was a great place to showcase the character. His interactions with Black Widow are some of the highlights of the movie, and you can see that there is an inner turmoil that the character must overcome. If this is any indication, the upcoming Black Panther solo film is going to be quite impressive.

One of the most exciting announcements related to Civil War was that Marvel and Sony managed to come to an agreement regarding the film rights to Spider-Man, and that we would finally see the character join the Avengers on the big screen. Tom Holland (In the Heart of the Sea) makes his MCU debut, and managed to make a spectacular first impression. We finally get an actor who personifies both Peter Parker and Spider-Man, and everything just seems to click. While there is a minor detour to get Pete to join the fray, his inclusion in the main events is pretty organic. To everyone who complained about the 3 seconds of costume footage that we saw in the trailer, just wait until you see Spidey in action. You will be very satisfied.

So in the end, is Iron Man the villain, or is Captain America? Both opinions have merit, and the argument will certainly leave fans and audiences wondering who is truly in the right in this sticky situation. The conflict leads the characters to some new and interesting places, and we get to experience one hell of a battle between the opposing sides.

Overall

Captain America: Civil War is epic on so many levels, and it is hard not to rave after sitting on the edge of your seat for the duration of the film. It is not only one of the best superhero films of all time, but it also is probably one of the best adventure movies of the last decade. The keys to the MCU are in fantastic hands with the Russo Brothers, and this is just the first stop on a brand new ride. There is a new energy present with this group, and it is very apparent. If there was ever a time for a superhero movie to win awards, Civil War would unquestionably get my vote.

ComicsOnline gives Captain America: Civil War 5 out of 5 moral dilemmas.

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