Is Captain America the bad guy in Civil War?
Richard Trenholm of C|Net asks “Is Captain America the bad guy?” in Civil War and then gives away the ending while saying that Captain America has lost the war by the end of the film. So, does Captain America lose the war?
Yes, there are spoilers… Read on after the ad if you are ready to discuss the ending.
Yes, there are spoilers… Read on after the ad if you are ready to discuss the ending.
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Captain America is definitely the good guy, and he does win the battle if not the war. When Iron Man finds out that the Winter Soldier, the moniker of a brainwashed Bucky Barnes, killed his parents and that Steve Rogers may have known though Rogers didn’t try too hard to find out the answer, Tony Stark loses all sense of morality and with a cold rage that has been building since his parents’ deaths, goes after Bucky. A raging Iron Man shows no boundaries and there is no appealing to his rational side. After blowing off Bucky’s arm, it is clear that Stark means to kill him. Captain America is able to prevent the murder and save Bucky and Stark.
Stark already feels guilt for all of the deaths that he has caused through Ultron and his arms dealing. After all, the intimation of a son killed in Sakovia is what starts the ball rolling on the Sakovia Accords. Killing Bucky would have added to Stark’s guilt, and with his current mental state, it would have been ruinous by either robbing Stark of his humanity or by throwing him deeper into a depressive state where he can make further bad decisions.
Stark is still little more than a man-child who has never effectively dealt with his parents’ deaths. He is currently left dealing with the dissolving of his relationship with Pepper Potts, who before this has been his moral compass. (She’s the one that made sure Stark received Coulson and joined the Avengers.) Bucky’s murder would have left Stark raving mad. Instead, Steve Rogers leaves Tony Stark alive in a heap on the ground, and all Stark can do is, like a spoiled child on the playground, take his father’s shield and go home.
With the destruction of the Iron Man suit, Rogers has won the physical battle. By dropping the shield, he has won the figurative battle. Rogers is able to hold onto his values – the freedom of people like him and keep one of his friends from making a mistake that he would later regret. He is also able to allow his friend Bucky to have a choice in how he is treated. The Sakovia Accords are still in effect. Tony Stark will probably not get the psychological help he needs, and so the war is not over. However, at the end of the film, it is clear that Rogers and his crew are hiding out and that Stark can contact Captain America anytime he needs to.
Stark already feels guilt for all of the deaths that he has caused through Ultron and his arms dealing. After all, the intimation of a son killed in Sakovia is what starts the ball rolling on the Sakovia Accords. Killing Bucky would have added to Stark’s guilt, and with his current mental state, it would have been ruinous by either robbing Stark of his humanity or by throwing him deeper into a depressive state where he can make further bad decisions.
Stark is still little more than a man-child who has never effectively dealt with his parents’ deaths. He is currently left dealing with the dissolving of his relationship with Pepper Potts, who before this has been his moral compass. (She’s the one that made sure Stark received Coulson and joined the Avengers.) Bucky’s murder would have left Stark raving mad. Instead, Steve Rogers leaves Tony Stark alive in a heap on the ground, and all Stark can do is, like a spoiled child on the playground, take his father’s shield and go home.
With the destruction of the Iron Man suit, Rogers has won the physical battle. By dropping the shield, he has won the figurative battle. Rogers is able to hold onto his values – the freedom of people like him and keep one of his friends from making a mistake that he would later regret. He is also able to allow his friend Bucky to have a choice in how he is treated. The Sakovia Accords are still in effect. Tony Stark will probably not get the psychological help he needs, and so the war is not over. However, at the end of the film, it is clear that Rogers and his crew are hiding out and that Stark can contact Captain America anytime he needs to.