A to Z 2016 : CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR

I know I've already talked about Captain America: Civil War in XXVI | TRAILER TUESDAY | XXVI, but it just goes to show how excited I am about this movie! Disney/Marvel has done an excellent job in weaving together the stories of their multiple superhero franchises. Well, the ones they own the licenses for (and even some they don't specifically, like Spider-Man). Granted, in some circumstances it's limited. It would likely cost a fortune to feature an ensemble cast in each and every franchise (even when cities are being decimated or the entire world threatened), but it's not like that wouldn't draw in the crowds — and their hard-earned cash. The same goes for stretching story arcs over multiple movies, when there's definitely the wealth of content to pull from.

Once accepting the Marvel Cinematic Universe is a beast of its own, allowing the necessity of condensing plots into 2 1/2 hour movies that will differ from the source material, it becomes a bit more palpable. It is what it is. But, it's important to note I haven't read the source material and I've kind of blindly trusted Disney/Marvel after they've made me fall in love with movies featuring characters (to me, some of them B or C class at that) I never much cared for, even when I was an avid comic reader/collector.

Let's take a look at the first released trailer for Captain America: Civil War:

This trailer is a little more subdued than the most recent, but it still does a great job building the tension between two of the leading Avengers: Captain America and Iron Man. Then there is the focus on the bond between Captain America and Bucky/Winter Soldier, which is pivotal to the plot and I'm glad to see Bucky and that friendship being brought to the forefront again.

A government initiative to catalog and regulate superheroes makes sense. Sometimes even those with the best of intentions end up being a danger to not only themselves, but the public at large (see The Hulk). But naturally there would be a strong resistance by many, as principles/morals clash. This has already been drummed up in the background of the previous films, hinting at which side of the line some characters will fall.

In the trailer we even catch glimpses of the other Avengers involved (strangely sans Hulk), newer characters being introduced, and also the stance some of those individuals have taken. I can't wait to see the combat between Captain America and Winter Soldier Vs Iron Man! Not going to lie, I may still get chills from the trailer.

One caveat I may have is in regards to William Hurt's character (the one spearheading the initiative) and that's only if he ends up being uncovered as a HYDRA agent. I guess I find that it gets old if being the case over and over and over again. I understand these positions of high power is where many of the most notorious members would reside, but not everyone in influential positions are evil. I dunno, just a minor annoyance.

Then we have the second trailer:

Here we are treated with more story development and longer screen time of one of the newest characters: Black Panther. Everyone refers to him as Marvel's counterpart to Batman, but I'm pretty clueless about him. We also see a finer line of divide between superheroes and whose side they've chosen to fight on (and some of how they are paired off in the conflict against one another). The biggest surprise to me was Spider-Man, who apparently leans Team Iron Man. Spider-Man has been one of my favorite Marvel characters since I was a child. I guess I assumed that him being an angsty teen would make him more "Damn the Man" anti-government. But, again, I haven't read the source material.

I'm curious to learn how they explain the absence of Hulk. I suppose Thor could be off battling Asgard-side? It seems odd to me if many of the stronger, godlike characters are left out of the fight. Then the possible involvement of a third party/entity? Crossbones is present in the second trailer, and HYDRA is oft times a menace in the background. And where is Nick Fury in all of this?!

It will also be interesting to see how this movie, and the events that unfold, will affect the rest of the movie franchises and TV series like Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., a show I have yet to get on board with (but realizing it focuses on Inhumans means I better get on it!), though I've heard it's decent.

Thankfully I won't have much longer to wait! Captain America: Civil War hits theaters this May and it's definitely one of my 2016 Highlights!

Are you excited for Captain America: Civil War? If so, whose side are you on? Captain America or Iron Man, and why? What's your favorite movie so far in the Marvel Cinematic Universe? Favorite character?