Warning: spoilers for Captain America: Civil War and the original Civil War story are ahead!
Captain America: Civil War is kicking off Marvel’s Phase Three months, and by all accounts, it’s going to be brutal. Following the passing of the Sokovia Accords, the Avengers and some other MCU heroes will battle over whether or not they should be regulated by the world’s governments, and all the while, a deeper conspiracy is at work. So far we’ve seen and learned about a lot of cool stuff in the movie, from Black Panther and Spider-Man’s debuts to Ant-Man turning into Giant-Man, but there’s still much to be revealed.
For over a year, various rumors have come out of supposed events we’ll see in Captain America: Civil War. Those, along with moments from the original 2006 Civil War story and shots from the previews, could potentially spice things up even further. Here are the big moments hinted or reported on that we still think could happen in the latest Marvel blockbuster.
Before we go further, let me make it clear that I have not seen Captain America: Civil War. This is just speculation based on what’s been shown in the trailers, reports and moments from the original Civil War story.
War Machine’s Death
Given that he’s best friends with Tony Stark and a military man, it wasn’t surprising learning James Rhodes, a.k.a. War Machine, would be fighting on Team Iron Man in Captain America: Civil War, but it was shocking seeing him badly injured/seemingly dead in the previews. At some point during the movie (probably the big battle between the heroes, judging by the airport in the background), War Machine will be shot down, and Tony will understandably be pissed about his friend’s condition. The second trailer made it look like Winter Soldier was responsible, but that could just be clever editing, so we really don’t know who’s responsible yet. While it’s possible that Rhodes is just injured and will be fine after some hospital time, the worst case scenario is that he’s meeting his demise after eight years in this universe. His death would drive Tony to take stricter action against the anti-registration heroes, and would also explain why he’s especially mad at Steve.
A New Avengers Team Forming
At the end of Avengers: Age of Ultron, the original Avenger team disbanded, leaving Captain America and Black Widow to form the New Avengers with Scarlet Witch, War Machine, Falcon and Vision. Putting together another Avengers team only a year later might seem too soon, but this new superhero legislation will likely make it necessary. The current Avengers have split in half, and no matter how the conflict ends, the new law will necessitate that the heroes be officially monitored. Following the original Civil War story, Tony Stark formed the Mighty Avengers, who were officially sanctioned by the government and part of the 50 State Initiative, so don’t be surprised if the MCU goes this route as well. The new team could just be composed of the remaining members of Team Iron Man, or maybe some folks from Team Captain America will switch sides. Either way, don’t be surprised if during the final minutes of the movie, we see yet another Avengers team being called into action, and this time, they have people to answer to.
A Bruce Banner Appearance
As hard as it is to believe after seeing these previews, there are a few previously established heroes who aren’t appearing in Captain America: Civil War. One of those folks is Bruce Banner/The Hulk, who was last seen in Avengers: Age of Ultron flying away from his teammates in the Quinjet. Last year, Mark Ruffalo revealed that Robert Downey Jr told him he would be in the third Captain America installment, but we later learned that he’d been cut from the script. However, two months ago, Anthony Mackie seemingly implied Ruffalo was involved somehow in the production, which would line up with those rumored sightings of him in Berlin when the movie was shooting there. To be clear, we don’t believe that Hulk is actually going to jump into this battle and start destroying everything in his path. If Ruffalo does appear, at most it would be as Bruce Banner in a cameo, similar to how he showed up in Iron Man 3. Still, it would be nice to get Banner’s viewpoint on this debacle.
Zemo’s Deeper Connection
It’s been known for many months that Daniel Brühl is playing Zemo, but no appearances in the previews and few details released, we have no idea what to expect from him. Aside from this version being a loose interpretation of his comic book counterpart, the only thing we know for sure is that Zemo’s appearance sets up a future Marvel movie. How so hasn’t been revealed, but we speculated that he might have something to do with Red Skull’s return. Remember, this is the third Captain America installment, and there aren’t any more Steve Rogers solo adventures scheduled in the near future, so now would be the perfect time to bring him back. Red Skull’s death in Captain America: The First Avenger never seemed permanent, so Zemo could conceivably donate his body for Red Skull’s return or provide another means of resurrection for the HYDRA villain.
Captain America’s Death
If you read Ed Brubaker’s run of Captain America following Civil War, you remember that shortly after his capture, Steve Rogers was gunned down (of course, just like most superhero story deaths, it wasn’t permanent). Although Crossbones actor Frank Grillo has denied that his character will snipe Steve like he did in the comics, it’s been rumored that Captain America will die during the movie, which would fulfill some of that "gut-punch" the movie has been said to deliver. Steve has lived most of his adult life as a soldier and protector of humanity, so for him to die in battle would be appropriate, albeit heartbreaking. His death would certainly get the feuding heroes to stop fighting, and maybe even get Tony to reexamine his stance on regulation. Of course, Chris Evans is confirmed to appear in the Avengers: Infinity War movies, so assuming Steve’s death hasn’t been faked, we assume he’ll be resurrected during Thanos’ attack on Earth.
A New Captain America Debuting
Steve Rogers isn’t the only individual to hold the Captain America mantle, and after he "died" in the comics, another took his place soon after. It’s been rumored that this will happen in Captain America: Civil War, with three candidates offered as possibilities following Steve’s supposed funeral (again, that part’s not confirmed). If they’re being faithful to the original story arc, then Bucky would be the best bet. Not only was he was the one who succeeded Steve in the comics, but becoming the new Star Spangled Avenger would allow him to find redemption for his actions as the brainwashed Winter Soldier. Falcon was also offered as a possibility (which fits since he’s currently Captain America in the comics), as well as Sharon Carter, so maybe one of these three will don a red, white and blue uniform by the movie’s conclusion. Again though, with Chris Evans coming back for Avengers: Infinity War, said individual’s time as Captain America would be relatively short.
