by Marc Lutz, Editor

Before I get started, please keep in mind that first and foremost, Captain America: Civil War has not yet been released, and second, that this is an opinion piece. If you don’t like my opinions, that’s fine; you’re entitled to your own. I’ll happily discuss with anyone why I’m #TeamCap and not team the other guy.

Captain America/Steve Rogers was first introduced to the world in March of 1941 when the world was at war. It was a time when the entire world was questioning what it meant to be human. America was fighting a war on two fronts and we, as a society, were in a sort of collective depression. We went to work, came home, and went to work again. Times were pretty tough all the way around.

In the midst of all this is Steve Rogers: a skinny kid from Brooklyn who is targeted by bullies simply because he’s smaller. Steve loves his country, he wants to go fight for it, and he wants to go to the German front and take the fight to the bad guys – not because it’s easy, but because it’s the right thing to do. Trying desperately to talk him out of it is his friend “Bucky” Barnes. They were the original “ride or die” team.

Naturally, Bucky tries talking his friend out of what would certainly be a suicidal quest, while he himself is about to go in that direction. Even though Bucky is the more outgoing one of the pair, he genuinely wants to take care of his friend and keep him safe. So, long story short, Bucky heads off to war while Steve gets a dose of the super soldier serum and becomes Captain America.

We all know this, so let’s take a deeper look.

Steve Rogers already has the makings of a hero from the start. He’s bright, he stands up for what’s right, he supports his friends, and he never backs down from a bully. He’s honest, he’s loyal, and above all else, he’s the best part of every one of us. He’s the person we all want to be. When there’s something not right, he goes and fixes it. Friend in trouble? On it. Bully acting up? No problem. Most of us won’t even ask out the girl that lives on our floor because we’re afraid she’ll say “no”. He won’t ask out Becky because he knows she’ll say “yes.” He knows who he is, what his life is about, and he doesn’t want to be the source of suffering for anyone else.

So skipping ahead a bit, we have The Avengers, along with Tony Stark as Iron Man. (note: from here forward, I’ll be speaking in the cinematic universe) Did Tony help save New York from an alien invasion? Sure he did. Does he build robots to help out in sticky situations? Yeah. Did he grab a nuclear weapon (that was fired by our own military, by the way) and haul it back up through a rip in space to save Manhattan? Sure he did. Just ask him; he’ll tell you all about it. Most of the time, you don’t even have to ask him. This is at the core of why I’m Team Cap.

Tony Stark is all about Tony Stark. Is he part of the team? Sure he is. The problem is, he brags about it constantly. He can’t let the deed speak for itself; he’s gotta make sure everyone knows his part in it. Why? The simple answer is hubris and ego. Tony’s ego is massive and needs to be fed constantly. Steve isn’t about his ego; he’s about doing the right thing. He’s about humility. He lets the deed speak for itself. How do you know when a male is a man? Because other men will say so.

Ok, I got that out of my system.

So let’s go back to WWII. Steve becomes Captain America, Hitler/Hydra are on the move, and Steve’s best friend gets captured. What’s he do? The only thing he knows how to do: the right thing. He suits up and goes out to save his friend. The same friend that has had his back since childhood. He doesn’t do it to stick one to the Nazis; he does it because it’s the right thing to do. His best friend is in trouble and he goes to get him. That’s what friends do.  That’s what loyalty is. That’s what makes Cap, Cap.

And then what’s the next thing he does? He submits himself for reprimand action. Why? He knows what he did was against the rules, even though it was the right thing to do. At the same time, he knows that some rules need to be broken. He recognizes the difference between the letter of the law and the spirit of the law. Tony isn’t like that; he thinks he is, but his motivations are different.

Captain America 2: The Winter Soldier showed us that the heroes of the Marvel Cinematic Universe cannot entrust their lives and well being to the governments of the world. We saw very clearly that Alexander Pierce (Robert Redford) used the power of the world’s governments to build 3 murderous SHIELD/Hydra Helicarriers in an attempt to harm the citizens of the world–to judge and execute them before they might commit whatever crime.

Avengers 2: Age of Ultron gave us another more individually powerful villain, Ultron, doing essentially the same thing, wiping out the undesirable life forms (in this case: humanity).

So this brings us to the crux of Captain America 3: Civil War. Team Cap versus Team Iron Man. It’s right and wrong versus the letter of the law. On the macro scale, it’s a refusal to surrender our freedom and it’s the good in all of us standing up for the right of humanity and all sentient beings to not be pre-judged due to look or occupation or costume by those who cannot know what it’s like to carry the burdens of a costumed hero. On the micro, more personal scale, it’s one man deciding that helping his friend – remaining loyal, honest, honor bound – is more important than judgement, retribution, and the lack of due process. It’s Cap standing up for the little guy, his friend, and defending someone who can’t really defend himself. It’s all the things we wish we could find in ourselves. Steve realizes that the letter of the law does not reflect right and wrong and he’s doing something about it. I don’t fault him for that; I applaud him. I wish I were more like him every day. In the most basic ways – honesty, integrity, loyalty, standing up for the little guy – we all can be. That is why I’m all about Team Captain America.

If you want to see the counter-point to my Captain America side, check out Ben’s Team Iron Man article.