Captain America: Civil War Should Have Included This 1 Story from the Comics

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While Marvel Studios doesn’t seem to have the same hype and excitement surrounding their tentpole releases as they did in the past, there are still fans who are highly dedicated to the epic cinematic universe. Part of the brilliance of the MCU comes down to the way it has built characters up over long stretches of time and gotten audiences to genuinely care about them. The earliest MCU films were focused on crafting solid stories about their individual characters, while still existing in a larger universe. This made larger “event movies” like The Avengers and Captain America: Civil War so much more impactful when they were released.

Captain America: Civil War remains one of the high watermarks for the MCU’s signature mix of exciting action, compelling character work, and the right amount of humor and heart. The film adapted one of the most famous Marvel comic book events of the 21st century — writer Mark Millar’s Civil War. Though the film was merely a loose adaptation of the original story, it contained the basic DNA of the iconic event from the comics. One of the most important things missing from the film adaptation, however, was the ending.

Marvel’s Civil War Event Ended With a Shocking Death

Steve Rogers Was Assassinated In the Final Moments of the Civil War Event

The Marvel Cinematic Universe’s version of the Civil War storyline did arguably improve on many aspects of the original story, but there are still a few parts of the book that are sorely missed in the live-action adaptation. For every streamlined story beat surrounding the registration of superheroes, there’s a missing piece, like Spider-Man’s internal battle over whose side he’s on.

For every emotional beat added surrounding Black Panther or Bucky Barnes, emotional aspects of the comic, like the strained relationship between Sue and Reed Richards, are noticeably absent. It shouldn’t be surprising to fans that the MCU’s version of the story is vastly different, as the live-action adaptations for the big screen are often known for the creative liberties they take, but fans were somewhat surprised when Captain America: Civil War didn’t end with the titular character’s seeming demise.

In the original Civil War, one of Marvel’s best event series, Captain America and Iron Man’s conflict goes on for much longer than it does in the film. There is far more than one battle in the comic series, and there are actual consequences for the heroes and the sides they decide to join. Peter Parker, aka Spider-Man, is one of the most integral parts of the original event, and despite the fact that Tom Holland’s iconic version of the Wall Crawler was introduced in Captain America: Civil War, Spider-Man is hardly vital to the film’s plot.

This is a major missed opportunity, as Spider-Man’s inner struggle over the course of Civil War is one of the most compelling aspects of the event. The film, while streamlined and more easily digestible for casual audiences, misses out on a lot of the nuances present in the original story. This is never more apparent than in the fact that the film refused to kill off Steve Rogers in its final moments.

In a shocking shift in Marvel’s status quo, the end of Civil War saw Steve Rogers assassinated by a mysterious gunman in the aftermath of his final battle with Iron Man. It was a devastating moment for fans, and no one really knew where the Captain America story might go from there. Of course, no one ever really stays dead for long in comic books, but Captain America had been a pillar of the Marvel Comics Universe for decades, and his untimely death was a major surprise to readers. The death of Captain America perfectly led into Bucky Barnes, Captain America’s former sidekick, as well as the former Winter Soldier, begrudgingly picking up the shield and becoming Captain America in Steve’s honor.

Captain America: Civil War Could’ve Further Utilized Its Focus on The Winter Soldier

Bucky’s Major Involvement In the Civil War Film Would’ve Allowed His Time as Captain America to Be Naturally Adapted

Sebastian Stan’s iteration of Bucky Barnes, aka the Winter Soldier, has slowly become one of the MCU’s most acclaimed and beloved performances, and his involvement in Captain America: Civil War is actually quite different from the comic event of the same name. In the book, Bucky is not a major part of the story, and he is still reeling from the de-programming of his Winter Soldier brainwashing. He is an ally to Captain America, but he remains in the shadows when it comes to interacting with any other heroes. In the film, Bucky is one of the catalysts for the events that unfold. Captain America is protecting his best friend in the wake of his brainwashing, and that gives the film a real sense of emotional weight.

Bucky is forced to deal with much of what happened to him during his time as the Winter Soldier, as well as how that affected those around him, and that gives his character some real depth and direction. Iron Man’s relationship with Bucky also becomes further complicated when it is revealed that the Winter Soldier was responsible for the deaths of Howard and Maria Stark, Iron Man’s parents.

Where the comic event occasionally faltered, the film adaptation beautifully grounds the story in emotion and character work, which is why it is somewhat disappointing that the filmmakers didn’t take it even further down that route. Forcing the heroes of the MCU into a violent confrontation against one another is already intense for viewers, but the emotional gut punch that could’ve come from Steve Rogers’ death could’ve pushed the film from being excellent to being a masterwork.

The growth of Bucky Barnes, as well as his relationship to Steve Rogers and his role as one of the Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, could have been explored on a more intimate level if Captain America had actually been killed in the finale of the film. Bucky would lose his one major connection to this world he now finds himself in, and he would be forced to reconcile with the other heroes of the Marvel Cinematic Universe in ways that fans would have greatly appreciated seeing.

The MCU never really gave Bucky and Tony any kind of resolution to their shared trauma, but if Steve Rogers had died in Captain America: Civil War, there would be no way around it. If the film had ended the way the comic did, the perfect emotional arc for Bucky would be for him to follow in his comic counterpart’s footsteps and take on the mantle of Captain America.

Steve Rogers Could Have Returned Alongside the New Captain America Down the Line

The Original Captain America Would’ve Returned to the MCU After His Best Friend Took Over

Much like the comics released in the wake of Civil War, the films following Captain America: Civil War in the wake of Steve Rogers’ death could have really played up the major loss felt by the world, and particularly by the superhero community. Positioning Bucky’s new version of Captain America in the middle of that kind of strife would have worked wonderfully, and instead of Steve Rogers becoming a version of Nomad during the events of Avengers: Infinity War, Bucky’s Cap could have been the begrudging leader of the ragtag group of former Avengers on the run from the government.

Steve Rogers could have been absent from one of the Avengers’ major films, and Bucky would have to step up alongside the other heroes and truly embrace the role of Captain America. Then, Steve Rogers could have returned in Avengers: Endgame and given fans the emotional payoff they wanted from that character. This change would’ve given fans a chance to engage with a new version of Captain America, it would have allowed more dynamic interactions between Bucky’s new Captain America and Tony Stark’s Iron Man, and it would have paved the way for Sam Wilson’s iteration of the character that would go on to lead the Captain America: Brave New World film.

Although fans still consider Captain America: Civil War to be one of the best films in the MCU, there are a number of comic book fans who were slightly disappointed to see Bucky Barnes’ tenure as Captain America brushed past. The death of Steve Rogers was a major aspect of the Civil War storyline, and it would have made a ton of sense for it to be adapted into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Despite the fact that this change might have benefited the universe overall, the MCU’s future is still looking bright, with the character of Bucky Barnes returning in the upcoming Thunderbolts* film.

“}]] Captain America: Civil War was an excellent adaptation of the iconic comics story, but one aspect of the original tale was sorely missing in the film.  Read More