Warning: If you haven’t seen any of the Marvel movies from last year or earlier this year, you will be spoiled.
Team Captain America
Captain America Civil War’s plot hasn’t been fully revealed yet, but what we do know so far is that superheroes haven’t been making friends over the past few months. A Hulkbuster fight in South Africa already pissed people off, but the Avengers destroying a city into pieces? Yeah, that can’t be good PR that anyone can come back from.
All we know right now thanks to Ant-Man is that superheroes apparently have restrictions applied to them thanks to something known only as “The Sokovia Accords,” which probably means that heroes aren’t allowed to do their thing unless they conform to a specific set of rules (but not giving up your identity, secrets don’t exist in the MCU). Cap’s team is definitely not in love with this idea, and his side includes…
Winter Soldier
Bucky Barnes was Steve Rogers’ lifelong friend from before Steve took the serum that turned him into Captain America. Barnes was part of Cap’s Howling Commando unit in WWII, serving as a sniper during missions. During the war, he was captured by Hydra and brainwashed into becoming the Winter Soldier, gaining a cybernetic arm and deployed to perform world changing acts of terrorism over the next several decades.
At the end of his titular film, Barnes vanished and tried to piece together his old life, but as the trailer shows us, that isn’t going as planned. In any case, Civil War will partially involve the government wanting Barnes to answer for his crimes, and possibly being executed for them. Since he’s literally the only thing from Steve’s life that remains from the old days, Steve’s doing everything in his power to protect him, and that includes going against the government and fighting fellow Avengers.
Falcon
A fellow war veteran turned VA, Sam Wilson was given cybernetic wings during his stint as a soldier. He first meets Steve while jogging in DC, and after Steve and Black Widow are framed by the Hydra-infiltrated SHIELD, Sam helps them bring both organizations down. Sam later shows up in Avengers: Age of Ultron as a member of the New Avengers and fights Ant-Man (and loses) in the latter’s movie.
Sam’s a goodhearted person who instantly connects with Steve when they both meet, and that’s why Steve went to him while on the run. Sam’s more of a soldier than a spy, and to him, there’s no better honor than having Captain America come to you for help. He knows that going up against the government yet again will lead to him getting shot at, but it won’t stop him from joining Cap’s side again.
Scarlet Witch
First making her appearance in Age of Ultron from earlier this year, Wanda Maximoff is a war orphan with a huge grudge against Stark. Her and her brother, Pietro, joined up with the homicidal AI Ultron, then later defected to the Avengers when they learned that he was much worse than the guy who created him. Even though her brother died during the final battle, she stayed with the New Avengers to master her powers of telekinesis and mind control.
Odds are that Wanda is on Cap’s side because she sees a bit of her and her brother in Steve and Bucky. While not entirely similar, Bucky is the only thing Steve has left in the world, much like Pietro was for her. She also knows what it’s like to be manipulated by Hydra and turned into something you didn’t want. Plus, she still probably hates Stark for all that destruction he caused to her home.
Hawkeye
Clint Barton is Black Widow’s partner in crime, favoring a bow and arrow over guns. He’s mainly been more of a supporting Avenger, calling out shots and providing opportunities for the much stronger members to attack. After Age of Ultron, he retired from the superhero game to be with his wife and family. Which is why his appearance in Civil War is all the more surprising.
It’s possible that he’s brought back into the fold by choice, since this is a definitely bad situation for all involved. He could even probably be Bucky’s “bodyguard” from afar, given his enhanced vision. His role in all of this is unclear at the moment, but one thing’s for certain: Ant-Man will also be in this, which means they have to perform the greatest superhero combo of all time.
Team Iron Man
On the other side of Civil War is Iron Man’s group. These guys may not like the Sokovia Accords, but they recognize that they exist for a reason, and going along with it is much better than being hunted down or imprisoned. This group is led by Iron Man.
War Machine
James Rhodes is Tony Stark’s closest friend, and after serving as a supporting player to Iron Man’s antics, he’s coming into his own as a part of the New Avengers. The War Machine armor has lost the Iron Patriot colors in favor of the classic black and grey scheme, and that wicked gatling gun is back, as well.
Besides joining with Stark out of loyalty, Rhodes is also a member of the Air Force. If nothing else, joining with the government on this is probably superiors pulling rank on him or reminding him of his duties to his country. Even if not, there’s no denying that heroes have gotten destructive over the past few years, and for a guy who’s used to counting on others to have his back in the thick of it, someone like the Winter Soldier probably has him on edge.
Black Panther
T’Challa is the prince of Wakanda, an isolationist African nation that’s home to Vibranium (the material that made Cap’s shield). While his solo movie isn’t due for another few years, he was hinted at in Age of Ultron via Ulysses Klaw, a recurring foe in the comics.
Even though the Hulkbuster fight in Ultron didn’t occur in Wakanda, seeing the destructive powers the Avengers have can’t leave him sleeping well at night. His role is said to be neutral in the film, so it’s possible that he’s joining Stark simply because he understands the need for order. Or, it’s possible that Barnes killed his father and just wants to gut the guy himself. Right now, one thing that is clear is that he can run really dang fast.
Black Widow
One of the founding Avengers, Natasha Romanoff is easily the deadliest woman on the planet, thanks to her training from the Black Widow program. She was originally an agent for the KGB before Hawkeye saved her life and brought her into SHIELD, but now that she, Cap, Falcon, and their team brought the organization down, she’s a full time Avenger. She and Steve are the only OG Avengers in the new lineup.
Even though she and Steve are friends thanks to The Winter Soldier, Natasha is still friends (used loosely) with Stark as well, given that she was the first Avenger he met. She knows better than any of them that sometimes you can go too far in your mission, and even though the world needs them, that same world should be able to trust the Avengers to not leave a trail of chaos everywhere they go. Then again, she is a spy, so maybe she’s just playing Stark to help Steve…
Vision
Stark’s trusty AI Jarvis was “killed” by Ultron in the film, but Stark later uploaded him into a cybernetic body that was infused with an Infinity Stone. Kinda weird, kinda child-like, the Vision is surprisingly capable in a fight, using the Stone as a laser beam and able to turn intangible when he chooses. Also, he can pick up Thor’s hammer, which is still a big deal.
Loyalty from creator aside, Vision is a logical being who’s fully aware that humanity is doomed in the near future. That said, he’s interested in seeing how they respond to the incoming threat, so this could all just be a (very violent) game to him. Comics fans should probably expect this divide to affect him a good deal, particularly since he and Scarlet Witch were a thing in the comics.
Like the roster of both teams? Think it’s unfair? Let us know in the comments below.
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