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11 Things You Should Know Before Seeing Captain America: Civil War
Throughout the Marvel Studios movies, we've been introduced to several heroes and watched them take on the threats against the world as the Avengers. In the next film, Captain America: Civil War, a change is about to occur. Instead of fighting the enemy, the heroes will fight each other.
What caused this rift between the comrades in arms? A lot has to do with the public perception of the superheroes and the destruction caused by their encounters with the forces of evil. This destruction feeds into the fear of the people and the government, which leads to a decision that splits the team.
We map out the events leading up to the strife between the Avengers.
The Incredible Hulk (2008)
In order to stop the threat of the Hulk, Emil Blonsky is injected with an attempt to recreate the Super Soldier Serum. He later has Bruce Banner's gamma-irradiated blood injected into his body after the serum alone isn't enough to stop Hulk. The combination of the two transforms Blonsky into the Abomination. The two monsters fight in Harlem, New York, causing a fair amount of damage. This was the Cinematic Universe's first exposure to the destruction caused by a superhero/supervillain battle.
The Avengers (2012)
The Hulk/Abomination battle didn't destroy too much of the city. It's possible the government or authorities tried to cover up as much as they could. During the Battle of New York when the Chitauri (and Loki) attacked, there was no way to hide the destruction. The Avengers gathered to deal with, and push back, the threat. Despite this fact, the world would associate the Avengers' presence with the destruction. The world's eyes are now open to the power the Avengers posses.
Thor: The Dark World (2013)
The destruction involving the Avengers isn't limited to just New York. When Thor's battle against Malekith spilled over into London, the world has another reason to fear those with superpowers. To make things worse, Thor didn't even bother with any of the clean-up after the fight. S.H.I.E.L.D. had to come in to help.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
The Winter Soldier showed no remorse or concern for any innocent bystanders when chasing after Captain America, Black Widow, and Falcon. Like many of the other battles, it's not really fair to blame the heroes for any damages or terror a bad guy might cause. It's simply a matter that the public will associate these events with the more familiar heroes that happen to be involved or at the scene. If people weren't afraid before, this showed you couldn't even drive down the street without the possibility of a fight breaking out.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
The destruction of S.H.I.E.L.D. with helicarriers literally falling from the sky was another fearful day in the Cinematic Universe. S.H.I.E.L.D. may have been a government agency but with Avengers like Captain America, Black Widow, and Hawkeye associated with them, this added yet another major incident that could be tied to the Avengers.
Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
After Hulk is mind-manipulated by Scarlet Witch into going on a rampage in Johannesburg, South Africa, it's up to Iron Man, in his Hulkbuster armor, to stop him. It's a massive fight which results in an incredible amount of damage and destruction to the city. To the world, they simply saw two Avengers brutally fighting each other. The Avengers didn't even try to explain what happened. They simply retreated to a safehouse. How could they explain that their member, who is a ticking timebomb, was mind-controlled? Even if Stark offered to help cover the cost of repairing damages, there's no way to reassure the citizens something like this wouldn't happen again.
Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
Part of the problem was the creation of Ultron. Tony Stark has long dabbled in creating artificial intelligence. Because of his work, Ultron came to life and decided the best way to save the world was to destroy humans.
Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
The Battle of New York may have caused damage over blocks of the city, but the Avengers' fight with Ultron ended up in the destruction of the entire city of Sokovia. They may have assisted in evacuating everyone, but how can they feel safe knowing this sort of destruction is becoming a common theme with the Avengers?
Captain America: Civil War (2016)
Because of all the destruction, the nations of the world agree there needs to be more accountability from superheroes. Thaddeus Ross, last seen during the Hulk/Abomination battle, is now the U.S. Secretary of State. He approaches Steve Rogers and his newer team of Avengers, stating they can no longer operate as vigilantes with unlimited power. Tony Stark steps forward, agreeing with the Sokovia Accords, which will call for more responsibility. Steve Rogers opposes this view.
Captain America: Civil War (2016)
Black Panther is making his Cinematic Universe debut. As the ruler of the nation of Wakanda, he is pulled into the fight between Stark and Rogers when an incident close to home impacts his life.
Captain America: Civil War (2016)
Spider-Man is also making his debut in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This isn't the Spider-Man we've seen in past films. It appears Tony Stark has a hand in bringing him into the battle. Hopefully he knows what he's getting into.
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