Civil War is coming, and hopefully a great movie is coming with it. Ever since we heard the announcement for the film, we’ve been anticipating the smack down between Captain American and Iron Man. While we’re not exactly sure what will start their conflict in the wake of Age of Ultron, we do know it will spread far and wide, touching almost every hero in the MCU. Aside from what starts their battle, the bigger question is which side will the rest of the characters pick? Who will side with Tony and who will stand by Steve?
Just for some background, in the comics Civil War started when the government called for mandatory superhero registration, meaning that superheroes would have to be integrated into the bureaucracy and secret identities would be known to government officials. Iron Man was pro-registration and Captain America opposed the bill, starting a conflict that would split the Marvel Universe down the middle. For the purposes of the article, we’ll assume Captain America: Civil War‘s plot will follow a similar path.
We’re here to analyze each character’s relationships up to last frame of Avengers: Age of Ultron to speculate on which sides certain heroes will fall on.
*SPOILERS FOR AGE OF ULTRON BELOW*
Falcon
First introduced in The Winter Soldier, Sam Wilson has shown he’s not only a patriot but also a man of bravery and moral integrity. He’s also proven he’s loyal to Captain America no matter the situation. When asked by Nick Fury is he’s on board for their plan to take down Project Insight, Sam looks to Steve and says, “Don’t look at me. I do what he does, just slower.”
Which side will they choose? Captain America
War Machine
While Rhodey has always had an uneasy friendship with Tony in both the comics and onscreen, he has always remained true in his loyalty to the United States government. If, in fact, the cause of Civil War is a government mandated superhero registration act, then Rhodey will most likely side with the government and with Tony.
Which side will they choose? Iron Man
Bruce Banner/The Hulk
Bruce Banner wasn’t present for the comic version of Civil War, and given his MIA status at the end of Age of Ultron it’s doubtful we’ll see him pop up. His presence would tip the scales too much in one direction of the conflict.
Which side will they choose? None. He will be MIA.
Vision
This one is tricky. Vision is born from J.A.R.V.I.S., an AI who was completely loyal to Stark. However, Vision has become something more. It’s very possible that his love of life might drive him to side with Captain America, but he might take a view of the long game and decide Iron Man’s way is the right way. The problem is we simply don’t know him well enough, as he’s only had about half an hour of screen time.
Which side will they choose? Could go either way… but we’re slightly leaning with Captain America.
Scarlet Witch
Scarlet Witch is an enhanced human, so if there is a registration act it will be about her almost more than anyone else. It’s unlikely she would want her life to be thrown out into the open for all the world to see. She also still doesn’t like Tony Stark, despite now being an Avenger. It’s very hard to see her following his orders.
Which side will they choose? Captain America.
Thor
Thor also left for Asgard at the end of Age of Ultron, meaning he won’t be in Civil War for the same reason the Hulk will be gone: he’s just too powerful. Don’t expect him to show up.
Which side will they choose? None. He will be MIA.
Nick Fury
Nick Fury wants what’s best for the world, but he also believes in keeping control of potentially dangerous situations. He loves keeping an eye on everyone and everything, which means he would be in favor of superhero registration.
Which side will they choose? Iron Man.
Maria Hill
Hill has shown complete loyalty to Fury. While it may be interesting to shake up that loyalty, she’s also working as Tony Stark’s personal assistant, which means she’s double invested in the pro-registration camp.
Which side will they choose? Iron Man.
Hawkeye
This one is tricky, as Hawkeye could really go either way. However, Age of Ultron shows us that he values his privacy because he has a family to protect, which may make him sympathetic to those who have to give up their right to privacy when they register.
Which side will they choose? Most likely Captain America.
Black Widow
Natasha’s private life is already out in the open. She’s also shown a lot of loyalty to both Fury and Rogers over the course of the MCU. If Fury goes with Stark, it will boil down to what Natasha believes is the right course of action in an ideological sense. Like Fury, Natasha has shown she has a hard time trusting people. When Bruce Banner abandoned her at the end of Age of Ultron, she probably went into deeper lockdown. Odds are she will most likely go with the side that has more safeguards against potential problems, which would be the Stark camp.
Which side will they choose? Most likely Iron Man.
Black Panther
One of the first announced cast members of Civil War, Black Panther is something of a wild card. As part of the leaders of Wakanda, he will probably have to be understanding of political ramifications for his international actions, thus not wanting to hurt ties with countries such as the United States. On the other hand, Tony Stark did trash his homeland in a fight with the Hulk and perhaps he couldn’t care less about foreign relations. It really depends on how they decide to portray the character.
Which side will they choose? Too soon to tell.
Spider-Man
Spider-Man was the very center of the comic’s version of Civil War, first famously siding with Stark before defecting to the anti-registration side. In this version, he may very well be pulled in the same direction as he represents the everyman that superhero registration is targeting. However, we don’t know how they will characterize this version of Peter Parker, so it could go either way.
Which side will they choose? He’ll be courted by Iron Man, but most likely will end up siding with Captain America.
The Winter Soldier
It’s pretty obvious Civil War is going to include a redemptive arc for Bucky Barns. There’s just very little reason for him to side with Stark rather than the man he will rediscover his friendship for.
Which side will they choose? Captain America
Ant-Man
While his movie is just coming out, it’s hard to tell what side he’ll be on. We haven’t seen how he’s characterized yet, so it’s hard to say.
Which side will they choose? Too soon to tell.
Did we miss anyone? Do you disagree with the sides the characters will choose? Let us know in the comments!
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