This is a weekend that Marvel fans have been waiting for. With Captain America: Civil War being released all the way back in May, it's not really available in theaters anymore -- but soon it will be available on home video. Specifically, tomorrow, September 2nd, marks the movie's digital release -- and the iTunes package is filled with stuff that comic book lovers are going to want to dive into.
With the film being released on iTunes this Friday, I was invited to a special preview earlier this week to get a look at all of the special features that will be included with the release. What should you be on the lookout for? We've highlighted six of the best options below!
The Road To Civil War For Captain America And Iron Man
One of the great highlights of Captain America: Civil War is the way in which it capitalizes on the events that have happened in the Marvel Cinematic Universe thus far -- and that's exactly what these two special featurettes explore. Titled respectively "The Road To Civil War: Captain America" and "The Road To Civil War: Iron Man," and clocking in around five minutes long each, the individual bonus features look at everything that we've seen Tony Stark and Steve Rogers go through since Iron Man and Captain America: The First Avenger, and the way in which their individual outlooks have changed leading up to the institution of the Sokovia Accords and their great divide. It's the kind of special feature that's actually pretty perfect if you're just a casual fan of the franchise and need to catch up on everything that has happened.
An Early Look At Doctor Strange
The year 2016 has seen a whole ton of superhero action, with not only Captain America: Civil War, but with Deadpool, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and more as well... but we're not done quite yet. This fall, audiences will be introduced to the mystical and magical side of the Marvel Cinematic Universe with Doctor Strange, and the iTunes digital release gives fans a preview of what to expect from the upcoming Scott Derrickson-directed feature. A portion of the clip is dedicated to the boiler-plate stuff about the plot and the titular character's journey, but it also gives a bit of the spotlight to characters from the film of whom we haven't seen much: including Chiwetel Ejiofor's Baron Mordo, Benedict Wong's Wong and Mads Mikkelsen's Kaecilius.
Four Deleted Scenes
For a film as massive as Captain America: Civil War, the iTunes digital release suggests the production was very confident in the material, and very economical with the scheduling, as there are only four deleted scenes. That being said, they are pretty cool extended looks at the movie. The first is an extended version of Peggy Carter's funeral (featuring more time between Cap and both Black Widow and Sharon Carter); the second is a small extra scene featuring Daniel Bruhl as Baron Zemo; the third is an extended look at the second conversation between Black Widow and Black Panther; and the fourth is a quick extra sequence from the Leipzig Halle Airport sequence. All together there is only about seven minutes of footage, and nothing in it all is hugely substantial, but there are some fun moments.
The Making Of Captain America: Civil War
As one of the biggest Marvel Studios movies to date, a whole lot of preparation and work went into the making of Captain America: Civil War - and all of that work is celebrated in the most substantial part of the package included in the movie's iTunes digital release. Split into two parts that each clock in over 22 minutes long, the featurette is a full documentary about the making of the blockbuster, featuring new behind the scenes footage, a whole ton of interviews with members of the cast and crew, and spotlights on each one of the many, many Marvel Cinematic Universe characters that populate the film. This includes the latest major addition to the company's line-up of superheroes: Spider-Man.
Team Cap And Team Iron Man Pages Full Of Content
Film and comic book fans have spent months now debating which side was right in Captain America: Civil War, and the iTunes digital release of the movie has special material dedicated to both sides of the fight. In the main menu there is an option to "Choose Your Side" and after picking either Team Iron Man or Team Captain America, you will be presented with options to watch not only new character-based featurettes tied to Captain America: Civil War, but also previously released iTunes exclusives that were featured with purchases of Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Iron Man 3, Captain America: The First Avenger and Captain America: The Winter Soldier. And don't worry -- just because you choose one side doesn't mean you can't go back and access the other team's menu.
The Captain America: Civil War Gag Reel
Those who have watched special features for Marvel movies in the past know that the group of actors in the franchise can often be giant goofballs, and it's because of this that Captain America: Civil War has a long and funny gag reel amongst the special features for the iTunes release. A shortened/edited version of the clip has already made its way online, but the bonus feature that will be in the iTunes package as well as on the Blu-ray is considerably longer, and, as a result, filled with a whole lot more superhero humor.
