The Driving Forces Behind 'Captain America: Civil War'

Written by John Edward Betancourt

THIS IS THE EMERGENCY SPOILER ALERT SYSTEM...YOU ARE ADVISED TO READ AT YOUR OWN RISK...

Over the past eight years, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has more or less brought forth the hopes and dreams of every geek out there by bringing super heroes into the mainstream like never before. Everywhere we turn now, super heroes are a giant focus in pop culture and that's largely in part to the un-paralleled success of the MCU.

​But it goes beyond simply blowing stuff up for this particular franchise. One of the reasons these stories have managed to resonate with all of us is the sheer fact that we always get a quality and engaging story that we can relate to in some form or fashion and the latest entry in the series, Captain America: Civil War is no exception to this rule. But this particular film signaled something new for Marvel as well. In many ways Civil War is Marvel's coming of age story because not only was it fun and relatable, but it truly dealt with some heavier themes and concepts; one of which just so happened to be fear. 

One could debate that the consequences of our actions and guilt are the central focus of this film since the events of Age of Ultron weigh heavy over everything in this story, but when you truly boil it down and strip away the Battle of Sokovia; it all comes down to fear. Take Tony Stark for example. While he is indeed haunted by the lives lost on his watch and stunned by finally seeing a face and a name of someone lost in his last conflict, it is fear; specifically of what these heroes can accomplish without rules or regulation in play, that drives him to push for the Sokovia Accords to become the gold standard for the Avengers, and what drives him to battle his friends and surrogate family.

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But perhaps the biggest surprise of making fear one of the central thematic concepts of this film, is the fact that it is not entirely focused upon in negative light. The movie also presents us with the positive side of fear by way of Steve Rogers' side of the story. He too is afraid, but more so of what evil can accomplish once he discovers that Zemo is headed to Russia to potentially unleash the super soldiers waiting there. It is his fear of what these soldiers can do, and the havoc they bring upon the world that drives him to abandon the Accords, do the right thing and do whatever must be done at any cost to save lives. 

While fear and its consequences and benefits are explored in depth in this film, it is not the only driving force behind the story. Another surprising concept that rears its head are the dangers of fury and revenge. This primarily applies to Zemo and Tony since they both exhibit those two things on different levels. Zemo answers the call of these emotions by setting a grand plan in motion to destroy the Avengers from the inside, and while Tony's battle with this is more primal and reactive and doesn't arrive until the climax of the film, the message is obvious as to what happens when you let it consume you. Yet once more the film is happy to show a counterbalance to the problem by way of T'Challa, who recognizes the danger and refuses to let it take control of his actions when he realizes that Zemo has worked to manipulate every hero out there.

Either way, this is by far the most mature Marvel movie to date, dealing with ideas and concepts that are often reserved for the pages of comic books and it's truly a wonderful thing to finally see them on display on the big screen, especially in a summer blockbuster film where thoughtful concepts often times are never present. It represents a bold new direction from Marvel as we begin Phase Three of the MCU and seeing as to how super hero films are still an incredible draw at the box office, Civil War included, one can hope that this film serves as an evolutionary marker for the genre where cerebral storytelling and deeper concepts become the standard for the future.

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