- "An empire toppled by its enemies can rise again. But one which crumbles from within? That's dead. Forever."
- ―Helmut Zemo to Steve Rogers
Captain America: Civil War is a 2016 superhero film, based on the Marvel Comics superhero of the same name. The film is a sequel to Captain America: The First Avenger, Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Avengers: Age of Ultron. It is the thirteenth film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and the first installment of Phase Three. The film was released on April 27, 2016, internationally and on May 6, 2016, in the United States.
The film is directed by Joe Russo and Anthony Russo and stars Chris Evans as Steve Rogers/Captain America, Robert Downey, Jr. as Tony Stark/Iron Man, Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow, Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier, Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson/Falcon, Don Cheadle as James Rhodes/War Machine, Jeremy Renner as Clint Barton/Hawkeye, Chadwick Boseman as T'Challa/Black Panther, Paul Bettany as Vision, Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff, Paul Rudd as Scott Lang/Ant-Man, Emily VanCamp as Sharon Carter, Tom Holland as Peter Parker/Spider-Man, Frank Grillo as Brock Rumlow/Crossbones, with William Hurt as Thaddeus Ross, and Daniel Brühl as Helmut Zemo.
The fourth film in the series, Captain America: Brave New World, is set to be released on February 14, 2025, following Sam Wilson as the lead character after he assumed the moniker of Captain America in The Falcon and The Winter Soldier.
Synopsis[]
Marvel's Captain America: Civil War finds Steve Rogers leading the newly formed team of Avengers in their continued efforts to safeguard humanity. But after another incident involving the Avengers results in collateral damage, political pressure mounts to install a system of accountability, headed by a governing body to oversee and direct the team. The new status quo fractures the Avengers, resulting in two camps—one led by Steve Rogers and his desire for the Avengers to remain free to defend humanity without government interference, and the other following Tony Stark’s surprising decision to support government oversight and accountability.
Plot[]
In 1991, HYDRA operatives inside the Russian Armed Forces travel to their Siberian facility and revive the Winter Soldier from a cryogenic state. After using a set of conditioned trigger words to ensure the Winter Soldier's loyalty, Vasily Karpov orders him to intercept an automobile and execute its occupants.
In the present day, Captain America, Black Widow, Falcon and Wanda Maximoff learn that Brock Rumlow plans to steal a biological chemical weapon from the Institute for Infectious Diseases in Lagos, Nigeria. After being cornered, Rumlow attempts to commit suicide with a bomb vest, trying to take Rogers with him in an act of revenge. Maximoff contains the explosion, but she loses control of her powers and inadvertently destroys a nearby building, killing several relief aid workers from Wakanda.
At MIT, Tony Stark demonstrates B.A.R.F. – a piece of technology aimed to recreate and relive old memories, and follows with a speech where he introduces a grant being awarded to all students, giving them all the proper funding to move forward with their own inventions and ideas. Before leaving the stage, he is shaken when the teleprompter makes reference to Pepper Potts, whom he has broken up with over his refusal to give up being Iron Man. Outside, he is confronted by Miriam Sharpe whose son was killed in the battle with Ultron in Sokovia, whose story shakes Stark especially when she says that she blames him and the Avengers for her son's death, not Ultron.
One month after the incident in Lagos in their headquarters, the Avengers are visited by Stark and Thaddeus Ross, waiting for them. Ross explains that due to the events of New York, Washington, D.C., Sokovia and the recent disaster, Lagos, the United Nations has decided that the Avengers can no longer be allowed to operate privately. To that end, it has been decided that the Avengers will sign the Sokovia Accords that is approved by 117 countries, which will establish an international panel to control the Avengers' movements as well as monitor and police the rapidly growing number of enhanced individuals.
The team is divided over the act; Stark supports government oversight because he feels guilty for his role in creating Ultron and the devastation Ultron caused. He also feels that the Avengers need to take more responsibility for the consequences of their actions, as he did when he discovered Stark Industries was secretly shipping weapons to Ten Rings. However, Rogers worries that the Avengers may be compromised if it comes under the control of a nefarious third party, such as the infiltration of S.H.I.E.L.D. by HYDRA. Ross states that refusing to sign the accords will be seen as an act of resignation.
Meanwhile, retired Karpov is ambushed by Helmut Zemo, who asks for information regarding the 1991 mission. Karpov refuses, forcing Zemo to kill him.
During their debate about the Accords, Rogers learns that Peggy Carter has passed away in her sleep and abruptly leaves for her funeral in London. While there, he learns Sharon Carter was Peggy's great-niece as she delivers a eulogy about how one should never back down from what they believe in. This solidifies Roger's resolve not to sign the accords. Wanda finds herself confined to the facility by Vision, ostensibly for her safety since emotions are running high after what happened in Lagos.
In Vienna, where the signing of the Accords is to take place, a terrorist bomb kills King T'Chaka of Wakanda. When security cameras reveal the suspect as Bucky Barnes, T'Chaka's son, T'Challa, vows revenge. Against Romanoff's advice, Rogers and Wilson decide to go behind Ross' back and bring in Barnes themselves. Following a tip-off by Carter, and a grueling chase, Barnes is captured, and Rogers, Wilson, and T'Challa are arrested for obstruction of justice.
While Barnes is in captivity in Berlin, Rogers and Stark argue about the Accords further, with Rogers nearly convinced to sign until he learns of Wanda's in-house arrest. At a power grid station outside the city, a box sent by Zemo contains an e-bomb, which explodes and shuts down electricity for the entire city, including the cameras and computers that were monitoring Barnes. Barnes is released by Zemo, who uses HYDRA's trigger words to send him on a rampage. Rogers and Wilson intervene just as Barnes is escaping containment, with Rogers attempting to calm Barnes while Wilson chases after Zemo, who is attempting to flee the facility. Zemo escapes, and Barnes nearly gets away in a helicopter before being caught by Rogers.
In a panic, he intentionally crashes the chopper, and as it falls into the nearby river, pulls Rogers in with him before being knocked unconscious by the impact. After coming to his senses, Barnes tells Rogers that Zemo is headed for the abandoned HYDRA facility in Siberia where he and five other Winter Soldiers were created using the Super Soldier Serum he stole in 1991.
Believing Zemo intends to release the other Winter Soldiers and unleash them on the world, Rogers calls upon Clint Barton for aid in freeing Wanda, which Barton agrees to since he feels he owes her a debt as her brother sacrificed himself to save his life in Sokovia. He manages to break into the Avengers Compound and convinces Wanda to come with him, who uses her abilities to overpower Vision. Falcon decides to recruit Scott Lang to join the team as well, having been impressed by his abilities following their duel a few months prior. Lang, who is in awe at getting to meet Captain America, quickly and easily agrees to join Rogers.
Back at the Joint Counter Terrorist Centre compound, Stark convinces Ross to give him 36 hours to bring his renegade comrades in and assembles Romanoff, T'Challa, James Rhodes, and Vision. Feeling he is still undermanned, Stark travels to New York City and meets Peter Parker, a high school student who has been using enhanced agility and tensile webbing of his own design to fight crime while disguised as a spider-based hero known as Spider-Man. When Stark asks him why he's doing this, Parker explains that he understands the price of not doing the right thing.
Trying to flee Berlin and reach Siberia before Zemo, Rogers and his team assemble at Leipzig-Halle Airport, where they hope to take a chopper out of the country. When sirens indicate the airport is being evacuated, Rogers instructs his team to suit up and travels to a chopper alone, where he is confronted by Stark alongside his allies. When Rogers refuses to back down, the Avengers get into a massive fight which destroys a large section of the airport.
During the fight, the Avengers decides to buy time for Rogers and Barnes to reach the Quinjet, at the expense of imprisonment. Ant-Man uses his suit to grow gargantuan, which tips the scales and creates enough of a distraction to allow Rogers and Barnes to reach a jet. The two are confronted by Romanoff, but she can't bring herself to take them down and allows them to leave in Stark's Quinjet, while the rest of the Avengers are captured.
As Stark and Rhodes chase the jet, Vision attempts to blast Falcon, who is following them, out of the sky. However, he misses and accidentally hits Rhodes and plummets to the ground. He survives the fall but is left paralyzed. Romanoff, knowing she will be arrested for acting against the accords after Tony gives her a halfhearted warning, goes into hiding. Parker is injured in the fight, and a grateful Stark sends the boy back home, much to the former's dismay until he threatens to call his aunt if he doesn't listen to him.
Stark finds evidence that Barnes was framed by Zemo, and finds that the rest of the Avengers have been thrown into a top-secret prison called the Raft designed to hold enhanced people. He visits the dismayed former Avengers and temporarily disables security in order to learn from Wilson where Rogers and Barnes are going. He follows the two to Siberia and is shadowed by T'Challa. Rogers and Stark reconcile, and as they explore the facility, they discover that the other Winter Soldiers have been murdered by Zemo who had never intended to release them.
Zemo reveals that he is a Sokovian and wants to punish the Avengers for the death of his family during Ultron's attack. Zemo shows Stark a security video from 1991, which reveals Barnes as the assassin who murdered Stark's parents to steal samples of the Super Soldier Serum from their car. Stark asks Rogers if he knew. Rogers tells him he didn't know Barnes killed them. Not having received the answer he wanted, Stark asks again and Rogers admits that he knew they were murdered. A disillusioned and enraged Stark then turns on both of them, and another fight breaks out. While trying to crush Stark's arc reactor, Barnes' robotic arm gets blasted off by his suit's unibeam.
Rogers finally manages to disable Stark's armor and begins to depart with Barnes. As Rogers leaves, Stark bitterly tells him that his shield doesn't belong to him, but rather his father, who made it. Accepting that he is no longer worthy of it or the title of Captain America, Rogers reluctantly drops the shield and leaves with Barnes.
Having succeeded in his plans of ripping apart the Avengers, Zemo waits outside where he meets with T'Challa, and the two discuss vengeance and the terrible things it can lead men to do. T'Challa has decided he will not let his desire for revenge consume him like it did Zemo and the Avengers and prevents him from committing suicide, content on sending him to prison. Under the custody of Everett Ross, Zemo hints that while he may be imprisoned, his grand plan wasn't as much of a failure as Ross suggests it was, knowing that the Avengers may now be irretrievably fractured.
Back at the Avengers facility, Stark builds an exoskeletal frame for Rhodes, to help him regain the use of his legs. Rhodes assures his friend that, despite what happened, like him, he still believes he made the right choice. Stark receives a package containing a phone and a letter from Rogers. In the letter, Rogers apologizes for everything that happened and for not telling him the truth about his parents, as well as noting his regret that he cannot accept the accords. He tells Stark that he knows the day will come when the team will need to assemble and act like one again. When that day arrives, Rogers and his team he freed from prison will be there.
Months later, Barnes and Rogers are granted asylum in Wakanda by T'Challa. Barnes chooses to undergo cryostasis until his brainwashing can be completely removed or suppressed successfully. As Rogers warns T'Challa that the governments of the world will come to Wakanda if they find out Barnes is there, T'Challa dares them to try.
Shortly after the clash, Parker pretends to have injuries about his battle when Aunt May approaches. When she leaves Peter's room he discovers a portable holographic computer that Stark had programmed into his Web-Shooters.
Cast[]
- Chris Evans as Steve Rogers/Captain America
- Robert Downey, Jr. as Tony Stark/Iron Man
- Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow
- Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier
- Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson/Falcon
- Don Cheadle as James Rhodes/War Machine
- Jeremy Renner as Clint Barton/Hawkeye
- Chadwick Boseman as T'Challa/Black Panther
- Paul Bettany as Vision
- Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff
- Paul Rudd as Scott Lang/Ant-Man
- Emily VanCamp as Agent Sharon Carter
- Tom Holland as Peter Parker/Spider-Man
- Daniel Brühl as Helmut Zemo/Baron Zemo
- Frank Grillo as Brock Rumlow/Crossbones
- William Hurt as Secretary Thaddeus Ross
- Martin Freeman as Agent Everett Ross
- Marisa Tomei as May Parker
- John Kani as King T'Chaka
- John Slattery as Howard Stark
- Hope Davis as Maria Stark
- Alfre Woodard as Miriam Sharpe
- Kerry Condon as F.R.I.D.A.Y.
- Jackson Spidell as Josef
- Gene Farber as Colonel Vasily Karpov
- Florence Kasumba as Ayo
- Stan Lee as FedEx Driver
- Gozie Agbo as Theo Broussard
- Cornell S. John as Attaché
- Ann Russo as Heike Zemo
- Jim Rash as MIT Liaison
- Amelia Morck as UN Staffer Gibson (uncredited)
- Jane Wu as UN Staffer Wu (uncredited)
- Unknown Actor as Officer Madao (uncredited)
- Unknown Actor as Officer Dhakim (uncredited)
Appearances[]
Locations[]
- Earth
- Siberia, Russia
- Siberia, Soviet Union (flashback)
- HYDRA Siberian Facility
- Lagos, Nigeria
- Cambridge, Massachusetts
- New York
- Cleveland, Ohio
- London, England
- Vienna, Austria
- Bucharest, Romania
- Berlin, Germany
- New York City, New York
- Parker Residence
- Columbia University Medical Center
- Chrysler Building
- Avengers Tower
- Stark Mansion (hologram)
- Grand Central Terminal (footage)
- Midtown School of Science and Technology (indirectly mentioned)
- Rogers Residence (indirectly mentioned)
- Rockaway Beach and Boardwalk (mentioned)
- Schkeuditz, Germany
- Raft
- Golden City, Wakanda
- Washington, D.C. (footage)
- Triskelion (footage)
- United States Capitol (mentioned)
- Smithsonian Institution (mentioned)
- Novi Grad, Sokovia (footage)
- Bahamas (mentioned)
- Pentagon (mentioned)
- Las Vegas, Nevada (mentioned)
- Fort Lauderdale, Florida (mentioned)
- Phoenix, Arizona (mentioned)
- Paris, France (mentioned)
- Amsterdam, Netherlands (mentioned)
- Geneva, Switzerland (mentioned)
- Italy (mentioned)
- Uganda (map)
- Moscow, Russia (mentioned)
- Tony Stark's Mansion (mentioned)
- Lugoj, Romania (mentioned)
- Siberia, Russia
- Multiverse
- Ancestral Plane (mentioned)
Events[]
- Attack in Lagos
- Assassination of Vasily Karpov
- Bombing of the Vienna International Centre
- Avengers Civil War
- Assassination of Howard and Maria Stark (flashback)
- Uprising of the Winter Soldiers (flashback)
- Chitauri Invasion (footage)
- Battle of New York (footage)
- HYDRA Uprising (footage)
- Battle at the Triskelion (footage)
- Ultron Offensive (footage)
- Battle of Sokovia (footage)
- Battle of Gulmira (mentioned)
- Battle on the Norco (mentioned)
- Attack on the HYDRA Research Base (mentioned)
- Duel at the Avengers Compound (mentioned)
Items[]
- Vibranium
- Captain America's Uniform
- EXO-7 Falcon
- Steve Rogers' Sketchbook
- Winter Soldier's Prosthetic Arm
- Iron Man Armors
- Mark III War Machine Armor
- Black Widow's Bite
- Black Widow's Batons
- Hawkeye's Bow and Quiver
- Hawkeye's Baton
- Hawkeye's Blades
- Ant-Man Suit
- Pym Particle Discs
- Spider-Man Suit
- Crossbones' Battlefield Suit
- Arc Reactor
- Mind Stone
- Sokovia Accords
- Winter Soldier Book
- Tony Stark's Glasses
- Iron Man Gauntlet
- Ball Grenade
- Memory Suppressing Machine
- B.A.R.F.
- James Rhodes' Leg Braces
- Super Soldier Serum (flashback)
- Atomic Bomb (mentioned)
- Scepter (mentioned)
- Steve Rogers' Notebook (mentioned)
- Iron Legion (mentioned)
- Milo (mentioned)
- Medal of Honor (mentioned)
Concepts[]
Vehicles[]
- Quinjet
- Stark Industries Helicopter
- Black Panther's Jet
- Volkswagen Beetle
- Audi R8 V10 Plus
- Audi SQ7
- Audi A4
- F-35 Lightning II
- Chitauri Chariot (footage)
- Helicarrier (footage)
- Range Rover (mentioned)
Sentient Species[]
- Humans
- Hulk (footage)
- Synthezoids
- Chitauri (footage)
Creatures[]
- Dogs
- Leviathans (footage)
- Cats (mentioned)
- Spiders (mentioned)
- Birds (mentioned)
Organizations[]
- Avengers
- Stark Industries
- September Foundation (mentioned)
- Joint Counter Terrorist Centre
- Golden Tribe
- CIA
- United States Department of State
- United Nations
- Institute for Infectious Diseases
- FBI
- Russian Armed Forces
- United States Armed Forces
- GSG 9
- Dora Milaje
- United States Marshals Service
- Wakandan Design Group
- ZOMS
- ADS News
- LDE News
- The Daily
- The Spot
- Jurnalul de Lugoj
- ITPD
- Lagos State Police Command
- Bundespolizei
- FedEx
- MSNBC
- Newstime
- Adevărul
- Bursa
- România Liberă
- HYDRA (flashback)
- Winter Soldier Program (flashback)
- KGB (logo)
- Strategic Scientific Reserve (logo)
- MI6 (mentioned)
- Cleveland Division of Police (mentioned)
- United States Congress (mentioned)
- S.H.I.E.L.D. (mentioned)
- World Security Council (mentioned)
- Salvation Army (mentioned)
- Sokovian Armed Forces (mentioned)
- EKO Scorpion (mentioned)
- Nestlé (logo)
Mentioned[]
- Clean Slate Protocol
- Pepper Potts
- Charlie Spencer (picture)
- Pietro Maximoff (picture)
- Thor
- Bruce Banner
- Peggy Carter (picture)
- John F. Kennedy
- Sharon Carter's Mother
- Bast
- Sekhmet
- Loki
- Franklin D. Roosevelt
- Ultron
- Sarah Rogers
- Hank Pym
- Laura Barton
- Cooper Barton
- Lila Barton
- Nathaniel Barton
- Dolores
- Heinrich Zemo
- Carl Zemo
- Steve
- Ben Parker (indirectly mentioned)
- Ivan Romanoff (deleted scene)
- Natasha Romanoff's Mother (deleted scene)
- Mark Fuhrman
- Lend-Lease Act
- Tic Tac
- Phoenix Lights
- The Empire Strikes Back
- The Manchurian Candidate
Production[]
In January 2014, Variety reported that Anthony and Joe Russo would return to direct a third Captain America installment with Chris Evans returning as Captain America and Kevin Feige returning to produce.[1] The Russo brothers have been confirmed to direct the third film and are working with the film's writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely for the film's story[2], citing that it will be the "wrap-up" of the Steve Rogers storyline.[3] It is confirmed that the film will be released on May 6, 2016.
On October 14th, 2014, it was reported that Marvel Studios and Robert Downey, Jr. were negotiating a major appearance as Iron Man in Captain America 3.[4] On October 28th, 2014, Robert Downey, Jr. was confirmed to appear, while Chadwick Boseman was confirmed to appear as Black Panther, and the official title for the film was revealed, all at the Marvel live event in El Capitan Theatre.
On January 26th, 2015, a casting call announced that Daniel Brühl will portray Baron Zemo, though Marvel Studios had not yet officially confirmed the information.[5]
On February 10th, 2015, Sony Pictures Entertainment and Marvel came to an agreement that allowed Spider-Man to appear in Captain America: Civil War.
Filming began in April 2015[6] and concluded on August 21, 2015.[7]
On November 24, 2015, the first official teaser trailer debuted. The second trailer arrived on March 10, 2016.
Videos[]
[]
Trailers[]
Clips[]
Other[]
Music[]
Not in the Official Soundtrack[]
| Song title | Artist | Location(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Try to Remember | Hope Davis |
Played by Maria Stark on piano in the B.A.R.F. holographic simulation. |
| Finders Keepers | Xzibit, Demrick, Sylvester Jordan Jr. & 21 the Producer |
After Tony Stark's speech at MIT. |
| Pie Jesu (Faurè Requiem) | Atlanta Boy Choir |
Sung at Peggy Carter's funeral. |
| Bonnie and Clyde | Spencer Shapeero |
Steve Rogers and Sharon Carter talk after Peggy Carter's funeral. |
| I Fall in Love Too Easily | Chet Baker |
Vision tries to make a Sokovian recipe for Wanda Maximoff. |
| Left Hand Free | Alt-J |
Peter Parker listens to this as he returns to his apartment. |
[]
| Song title | Artist | Location(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Sharks Don't Sleep | Dean Valentine |
Official Trailer #1 |
| Event Horizon | Hi-Finesse |
Official Trailer #2 |
| Equivalence | Hi-Finesse |
"The Past is Prelude" Trailer |
| Ready Or Not | Mischa Chillak feat. Esthero |
"The Safest Hand" TV Spot |
References[]
- ↑ ‘Captain America 3′ Takes Shape at Marvel (EXCLUSIVE)
- ↑ Directors Joe & Anthony Russo Confirm They’ll Direct CAPTAIN AMERICA 3; Say They’re Breaking the Story Now with Screenwriters Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely
- ↑ Russo Brothers say Captain America 3 will wrap up Steve Rogers storyline
- ↑ Robert Downey Jr. to Join ‘Captain America 3′ (EXCLUSIVE)
- ↑ Captain America: Civil War Casting Calls
- ↑ No Hydra Or S.H.I.E.L.D. In Season One Of AGENT CARTER; Will Feature One Major Marvel Villain
- ↑ CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR Wraps; Ant-Man & War Machine Spotted On Set w/ Cap & Iron Man
External Links[]
Captain America: Civil War on Marvel Database- Captain America: Civil War on Wikipedia
- Captain America: Civil War on IMDb
- Captain America: Civil War on 𝕏
- Captain America: Civil War on Facebook
- Captain America: Civil War on Disney+
| Phase One | Films | Iron Man • The Incredible Hulk • Iron Man 2 • Thor • Captain America: The First Avenger • The Avengers |
| Short Films | The Consultant • A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Thor's Hammer • Item 47 | |
| Phase Two | Films | Iron Man 3 • Thor: The Dark World • Captain America: The Winter Soldier • Guardians of the Galaxy • Avengers: Age of Ultron • Ant-Man |
| Short Films | Agent Carter • All Hail the King | |
| Phase Three | Films | Captain America: Civil War • Doctor Strange • Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 • Spider-Man: Homecoming • Thor: Ragnarok • Black Panther • Avengers: Infinity War • Ant-Man and the Wasp • Captain Marvel • Avengers: Endgame • Spider-Man: Far From Home |
| Short Films | Team Thor: Part 1 • Team Thor: Part 2 • Team Darryl | |