The Road to CIVIL WAR

Captain America: The Winter Soldier did more then just lay the groundwork for Marvel’s Avengers: Age of Ultron, it also set the stage for the necessary argument that I believe will ignite the fires of Civil War.

We saw Steve Rogers stand firm with his ideals while former director Nick Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D. offered up a system that wanted to eliminate threats before they emerged. And Hydra liked that idea so much they were willing to expose themselves. What we saw in cinema was a near perfect strategy built on the idea of control, imagine peace without constant conflict.

But following the destruction of an international apparatus like the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division Earth’s heroes are forced to take on the responsibility of global policing. Which leads to Ultron, betrayal and the team we know changing.

Kevin Feige confirmed that fact to Buzzfeed:

The Avengers films, ideally, in the grand plan are always big, giant linchpins… It’s like as it was in publishing, when each of the characters would go on their own adventures and then occasionally team up for a big, 12-issue mega-event. Then they would go back into their own comics, and be changed from whatever that event was. I envision the same thing occurring after this movie, because the [Avengers] roster is altered by the finale of this film.

Just checkout this exchange between Iron Man and Captain America:

After I saw that clip I understood that for Tony Stark, prior to the Avengers, he was a man who controlled his own universe but then aliens fell from the sky and things became more complicated. In his third solo flick we saw him plagued with PTSD and at a loss as to what he should do. So he kept building suits of Armor.

But by the end he steadied himself, destroyed his extra bots and removed the shards in his chest. At the time I thought that was the most random ending in the world, but looking back that action has become symbolic. He did it because he saw an end game, and a way that he could pass the torch to someone or something else.

The meat of the issue is going to come after movie audiences and the players that populate the Marvel universe see the destruction of Stamford. Fran Kranz, an actor that’s collaborated with Joss Whedon in the past, posted an interesting tweet:

Mockingbird. Robbie Baldwin. Shield. Soon.

He’s since deleted it which makes me think that the talent in question might just be set to play one of the New Warriors in an upcoming episode of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. And that specific character, as fanboys and fangirls know, just so happens to play a role in the destructive events that get this massive ball rolling. I believe that the creators know the importance of Speedball and he’ll be key to the big screen iteration of this conflict.

His team’s action happened to be a tipping point that got Congress to push through the Superhuman Registration Act. So imagine a world that’s been ravaged by extraterrestrial threats and robots, only to then lose a school due to a handful of misguided gifted individuals chasing down one destructive villain.

How would all the international governments respond? What would they be willing to do in the wake of forces they cannot control and are barely starting to understand?

One word: OVERSIGHT.

This is not a question of secret identities but the world’s need to reign in these players. Leaders will be forced to find a way beyond the Avengers to deal with these powerful individuals. Identify them, then get some necessary training going which will lead to an environment of accountability.

The creation of such an apparatus would fulfill the desire to have a security blanket over a battered planet but would no doubt push people like Steve Rogers away while also cornering someone like say the Black Panther who’ll have to pick a side.

It’s too close to forced enlistment in a non-existent conflict which won’t sit well with our veteran but might be okay with the billionaire in the room. And in this “Age of Miracles” such measures might preempt further destruction but personal freedom would be sacrificed. One things for sure: we’ll see brother versus brother in a struggle that’ll leave a wound in trust and ideals as a redefined status quo rises.

Where we go from here, who knows? But I’m willing to bet we’ll see everyone shake hands and party following an Infinity run-in with that Mad Titan, Thanos.

What do you think my fellow fanboys and fangirls? Is the path to Civil War clear or will something else happen to ignites the conflict?

Sound off with your thoughts and opinions in the comments section below!