Problems Facing Captain America: Civil War and How Marvel Can Overcome Them
Jackie Gualtieri ’18 / Emertainment Monthly Staff Writer
Of the major complaints regarding Avengers: Age of Ultron, the one that’s the hardest to argue with is just how overstuffed the film is. Every entry into the Marvel Cinematic Universe so far has introduced the audience to new characters, but Ultron was in a league of its own, establishing several backstories and introducing characters that we can expect to see gain more screen time in Marvel’s Phase Three films.
Ant-Man is set to finish off Phase Two this July, introducing Paul Rudd as the newest Avenger. Phase Three kicks off with the Captain America: Civil War next May. As of right now, at least seventeen actors have signed on as what would appear to be major characters. The actors introduced in Age of Ultron with characters who have joined the Avengers have already announced their return. Sebastian Stan, Emily Van Camp, and Frank Grillo are all also set to reprise their roles from the second Captain America film. Strangely enough, William Hurt, or General Thaddeus Ross, is returning to the Marvel universe after his appearance in the forgettable Incredible Hulk from 2008. David Bruhl and Martin Freeman have also been cast in unspecified roles. Civil War is also when we will be introduced to Chadwick Boseman’s Black Panther. It is also expected that Spider-Man will make his first appearance in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, although the role has not been cast. Additionally, Jeremy Renner and Scarlet Johansson are set to return as Hawkeye and Black Widow repsectively.
The other option, and hopefully the route they will take, is to focus on the main plot, the Civil War itself, and make the other characters secondary. If they focus mainly on Iron Man and Captain America and leave the other Avengers as supporting characters, the audience may actually be able to follow what’s happening on screen.