For nearly a decade, fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe have been debating whether Captain America: Civil War should have been part of the Captain America series, with many claiming it feels more like an Avengers movie. After all, the 2016 film gives Chris Evans’ Cap and Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark — the two faces of its central conflict — almost equal time and weight throughout. It also brings in other Marvel heroes, forcing them to choose sides. There are enough that Civil War fits right in with the likes of Age of Ultron, Infinity War, and Endgame. Despite this, it’s still under the Captain America umbrella, something that’s been a regular point of contention on sites like Reddit.
In an interview with CBR, directors Anthony and Joe Russo finally settled the long-running debate, admitting they actually petitioned to change Captain America: Civil War to an Avengers film. The pair reflected on their choice to follow Captain America: Winter Soldier with a feud between Marvel’s heroes, revealing that it felt like a natural next step given the “groundswell of love for the characters.” According to Joe Russo, things spun out from there, with the premise starting to feel bigger than a standard MCU sequel:
“We were thinking about, ‘How do we challenge these characters moving forward?’ And the most threatening thing that they could face seemed to be one another. A divisive breakup amongst themselves. … So as that story started to coalesce, and it became not just a breakup between Steve and Tony, but a breakup of the family that they were the co-heads of — the Avengers family that they were the co-heads of — the movie just started to feel like an Avengers movie.”
Joe added, ““We tried to get them to change the title. We did. We tried to get them to call it Avengers: Civil War.” It’s a vindicating revelation for anyone who argued it should’ve been categorized as such all along. However, Marvel Studios clearly wasn’t on board with that plan, as the final product is still a Captain America sequel. And, to be fair, there are some issues with Captain America: Civil War as an Avengers film, hence the online debates surfacing in the first place.
There Are Still Issues With Captain America: Civil War as an Avengers Movie
The Russos’ recent comments explain why Captain America: Civil War feels so much larger than it should, and they settle the movie’s ongoing debate from a creative standpoint. However, there are issues with Civil War being an Avengers movie, which likely contributed to it remaining a Captain America film instead. For one, it doesn’t feature two prominent members of the original Avengers team: Thor and Hulk, both of whom would’ve likely stopped the rift between Steve and Tony from growing so large. Additionally, although Civil War features a bunch of MCU heroes, Steve’s arc remains front and center — and continues his self-reflection and growth from The Winter Soldier.
Such details prove both sides of this debate have valid points, and with the Russos’ perspective not matching Marvel’s final decision, the back-and-forth will likely continue. Of course, Captain America: Civil War causing a real-life split among the film’s creators and fans does feel fitting. And regardless of how it’s categorized, it remains one of the strongest additions to the MCU. At the end of the day, that’s all that really matters.
Do you agree with the Russos that Captain America: Civil War feels like an Avengers film? Leave a comment and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!