Here it is: the 13th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the 3rd in the Captain America series, and the opening salvo for the MCU’s Phase 3: Captain America: Civil War. By now the die-hard fans have already made it to midnight screenings, and just about everyone else is probably making plans for what the critics seem to agree is the best Marvel film yet.
Of course, since this is Marvel, we’ve still got another nine films on the horizon over the next three years, so no sooner are we done enjoying Civil War than it’s time to start thinking about what’s up next. So here’s where we hope Marvel are taking us now that the Civil War has been fought. We’ll keep spoilers to a minimum, but the truly spoilerphobic might want to take care.
1. Spider-Man Has to Become an Avenger
The webslinger makes his MCU debut in Civil War, and Tom Holland uses his brief time on-screen to make a pretty convincing case for being our best Spidey yet. He’s only roped in by Tony Stark to help pin Captain America down though, and doesn’t get given fully fledged Avenger status in the film. We know Robert Downey Jr. is making an appearance in his solo film, Spider-Man: Homecoming, but we want to see the wallcrawler join the lineup for Infinity War. His mid-fight banter is one of Civil War’s many highlights, and we don’t want to see him wasted in just his solo films.
2. Scarlet Witch and Vision, Sitting In a Tree
Scarlet Witch and Vision have one of the great comic book romances, and while the MCU has hinted at their connection, that’s been it so far. Both heroes have some of the franchise’s most spectacular powers, but also some of its best chemistry, and they both deserve more screen time – so give them a romance already, Marvel.
3. Lasting Repercussions
It shouldn’t spoil too much to say that by the end of Civil War, things aren’t exactly tied up in a neat little bow for our heroes. The film’s central conflict isn’t exactly resolved, and nor are the personal dramas that erupt along the way. We just hope that doesn’t all get swept under the rug for Avengers: Infinity War in order to get the gang back together – let’s see some lasting damage, and see our heroes try and deal with it. There’s also a certain character who sustains certain injuries – and it would be way more interesting if those keep them from superhero-ing next time around, rather than staging a miraculous recovery.
4. Ant-Man On the Run
One of the most interesting elements of last year’s Ant-Man was the fact that Paul Rudd’s Scott Lang is an ex-con, and it feeds into most of the inter-personal dynamics of that film. By backing Team Cap in Civil War, Ant-Man is back on the wrong side of the law, and we don’t want 2018’s Ant-Man and the Wasp just ignore that.
5. Wakanda, Wakanda, Wakanda
Not only did Chadwick Boseman’s Black Panther boast perhaps the coolest MCU costume yet, he also threatened to steal the film more than once – but despite that, we only get a glimpse at his Wakandan home. We know he’s got a solo film on the way, but we want him to stay home for it – we’ve seen him at large in the world, let’s find out what it’s like when he has to be both superhero and king in a super cool, high-tech country. Wakanda is the MCU’s best way to show us an amazing new world without ever leaving Earth, so let’s hope they make the most of it.
Oh, and…
More of this, please?
