Find out which Marvel heroes are joining Team Iron Man in next month’s Captain America: Civil War
Last week, we brought you the first half of our breakdown of the alliances in Captain America: Civil War. You can click here to check out Team Cap and read on for a look at Team Iron Man.
On the side of the Sokovia Accords to embrace a governing body in organizing the Avengers and anyone with more than human capabilities are Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), Black Widow/Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson), Black Panther/T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman), War Machine/Jim Rhodes (Don Cheadle), Vision (Paul Bettany) and Spider-Man/Peter Parker (Tom Holland). This side accepts to have government oversight after another global incident involving the Avengers which results in collateral damage while Captain America and his team choose to protect their rights to operate freely.
While the trailers have given us some ideas as to why each side has been divided, let’s look back on the reasons established characters like Rhodey and Natasha might be siding with Tony and speculate why newcomers like Black Panther, Vision and Spidey are joining Team Iron Man.
Team Iron Man: Tony Stark
After operating as a free agent and privatizing his own tech, Tony Stark learned that without oversight it’s really easy to make big mistakes when there isn’t really anyone capable of stopping him. Over the course of the Iron Man and Avengers films, his arc led to the creation of Ultron which almost resulted in the end of humanity. Through his all-knowledge-possessing-sentient-metal baby, Tony learned that having the capability to act with unchecked power has awful consequences. As a result, Stark embraces taking accountability in Civil War with the Sokovia Accords in order to better define the relationship of the Avengers with the standing governance of wherever they may intervene. Like all things Tony does with good intentions, this might backfire if the hands he shakes happen to have their fingers crossed behind their backs.
Team Iron Man: War Machine
Rhodey’s on Team Iron Man undoubtedly because through their friendship, Tony’s been encouraged to work with the military in one way or another. Even if Stark didn’t entirely trust them, he had faith in his friend. Rhodes is one of the good guys who’s had Stark’s back through it all. While he did kinda steal the Iron Man suit that was later hijacked in Jon Favreau‘s Iron Man 2 after Tony’s rock bottom days, it started Stark on the path to being more selfless and realizing that he could be open to working with others with the same ultimate goals. The trust they share led to Stark re-branding one of his suits as the War Machine armor for his friend, which has been used by the American government in many missions since. We’re guessing Iron Patriot didn’t stick, but hey, we also think WarMachineRox.
In Civil War, Rhodes’ influence could once again be seen as a sign of good faith and encourage him to participate in the accords. We think the shot of War Machine going down might have less to do with The Winter Soldier but more to do with the government screwing with Tony. It looks like a missile takes him out, not Buck. The look Tony has while holding Rhodey is one of realization. Plus the line over that is, “I was wrong about you, the whole world was wrong about you.”
Team Iron Man: Black Widow
Surprisingly after being on Cap’s side during The Winter Soldier, Natasha is Team Iron Man. Maybe it’s because she’s experienced the brutality of Sebastian Stan‘s Bucky, who shot right through her to kill his mark or maybe she’s a double agent. Based on her first experience with the Winter Soldier, I think it’s likely that she feels he’s not to be trusted and sees his return as Cap letting himself get fooled. We know there’s an action set piece in the beginning that could very well lead to Cap compromising her and the mission to chase down Bucky. After losing her trust in Nick Fury when he kept her in the dark about faking his death during Hydra’s S.H.I.E.L.D. takeover, she might also see Cap’s allegiance to Bucky as a new form of betrayal.
Now when it comes to the accords, she’s technically the first to give the government full transparency. So she has nothing to gain by being on Cap’s side, but this could also be a misdirect. It would by default conveniently put her on Iron Man’s team, but she also wouldn’t have anything to lose as a double agent. It’s hard to see her and Clint on real opposing sides. In the international trailer, her fight with Hawkeye (Team Cap) is playful as she asks him if they’re still friends after and he says, ‘Depends on how hard you hit me.’ And later during her talk with Stark she doesn’t seemed bothered by the danger she’s in and tells him she’s not the one who needs to be watching their back. I can see her working both sides to get the band back together.
Team Iron Man: Vision
Another possible double agent that rounds out this side is Vision. He and Wanda are probably the most powerful on each team because of their connection to the mind stone (and since Thor and Hulk are sitting this one out).They could be overseeing but also if they did end up fighting, they’d cause the biggest booms.
On the other hand, Vision also has a wealth of experience through his relationship to Tony from his former consciousness J.A.R.V.I.S. which was used to create him as a benevolent protector for humanity. Filled with knowledge, he might see the bigger picture, but as Tony is his maker, it seems like the natural choice for him to cooperate publicly on Stark’s side. His new identity as Vision is one that both he and Tony will be under heavy scrutiny for as they will have to demonstrate to the world that he won’t turn against them like Ultron.
Team Iron Man: Black Panther
No specifics are known as to why Black Panther is on Iron Man’s side other than he has beef with the Winter Soldier. Does it have anything to do with the explosion he’s in from the trailer? Probably. Will they have a best friend moment where they realize they both have dads allegedly killed by the Winter Soldier? Maybe, but hopefully more tactfully executed than realizing your moms share the same name.
Team Iron Man: Spider-Man
We have a theory on this one. In the viral marketing campaign for Ant-Man, there is a WHIH news segment with Christine Everheart where the bottom news scroll reads: Stark Industries Announces New Scholarships For Promising Students From Urban City Schools. Peter Parker is a kid from an urban city school in New York with a knack for science who could very well be one of the students that gets a scholarship. Just speculating, but working with Stark Industries would grant him access to tech that helps him build his Spidey suit and tools. Whether or not Stark knows his identity, Parker as a student and as Spider-Man probably looks up to Tony as a role model. He grew up in the MCU during the events that unfolded in NYC and it seems fitting that he would become Tony’s little science bro.
What side are you on? Do you agree with Team Iron Man? Let us know in the comments below!
