Captain America: Civil War promises to change the Marvel Cinematic Universe forever, and a war between two pillars of the Avengers — Iron Man and Captain America — will do that. There are many reasons why Iron Man and Captain America are fighting in Civil War — Tony Stark hates Captain America's talk of honor and morality while Cap thinks Tony is a self-obsessed billionaire, or that Iron Man wants to submit to government oversight, something Cap is adamantly against. Needless to say, the conflict between the two superheroes in Civil War is complicated, and so it's important to be up to date with all the Avengers movies to really understand what's happening in the game-changing film. But if there's one scene you need to rewatch before seeing Captain America: Civil War , it's actually not from The Avengers series.
No, that scene is actually from Captain America: The Winter Soldier, the second Cap film, and it's completely Iron Man-less. I know what you're thinking: what about the wood cutting scene in Age of Ultron? Or the first Cap vs. Iron Man fight in The Avengers? Well, those are great, sure, but the one scene you need to watch to really have a deeper understanding of Civil War is solely about Captain America and his particular brand of morality.
The scene is between Captain America and Nick Fury, then SHIELD director, when Fury first shows Cap Project Insight. Project Insight was Fury's master SHIELD plan that involved sending three massive Helicarriers into space armed with the capability to target and kill people, no matter who or where they are. As Fury tells Cap, the point of the Project is to "neutralize a lot of threats before they happen."
What makes this scene so important is Cap's reaction to Fury's plans. To him, Project Insight isn't about keeping people safe, it's a new form of terrorism masquerading as national (or international) security. Cap's stance is clear: he thinks that freedom needs to be defended, even if it means not being able to stop crimes before they happen. The bottom line is that Cap wants freedom, and he'll fight like hell to get it.
This scene perfectly sums up Cap's reigning ideology, his drive and what he stands for. It also explains why he's so weary of the government and those in power. Fury may think he's acting in the interests of the nation, but Cap sees his good intentions leading straight to a kind of extreme dictatorship "by holding a gun to everyone on Earth and calling it protection." In Civil War, Cap's distrust of the government continues. He trusts his own moral compass, but not those of others. And he certainly doesn't trust them to be in complete control of his actions, hence his opposition to the Sokovian Accords and his conflict with Iron Man.
Captain America's sense of justice has always been at the very core of his character. Unlike Iron Man or Thor, Cap didn't have to grow into his desire to fight against injustice. His crisis of faith was never really in himself, but in others (in an army that refused to let him fight in WWII, and later in SHIELD). But, it looks like Cap will face a brand new crisis of character in Civil War, one fans haven't seen from him before. And that couldn't be more exciting.
Images: Walt Disney Studios; Giphy
