Let's be honest: Age of Ultron just wasn't the Avengers movie that fans were hoping for. It wasn't a bad movie, there was just too much going on at once and it felt more like setup for future movies than anything else.
One of those movies is Captain America: Civil War — and judging from the amount of hype surrounding the movie, it's set to be one of the biggest Marvel movies to date. From what the trailers have shown, it's the natural conclusion to the conflict between Chris Evans' Captain America and Robert Downey Jr.'s Iron Man — something that's been brewing in the movies for a few years now.
Of course, the movie takes its name from the Marvel comic book event of the same name — but how much do the films and books actually share in common? It's impossible to tell for sure before the film's been released, but there's enough content in the trailers to figure out some of the major differences between the story of the film and the comics — long story short, it looks like Marvel Studios is more concerned with touching on the same themes as the comic books, rather than making a one-for-one adaptation.
The Story of Civil War
At this point, there's no telling how the film will end, though it's easy to assume that all of the major players will survive — especially considering that Avengers: Infinity War is due out in 2018.
In the comics, however, Civil War made a huge impact. After the final battle in New York City, Captain America realized that he was wrong — with so many heroes causing so much damage, regulation was the right choice after all. Cap gives himself up to Iron Man and his pro-registration forces, after which many of the remaining anti-registration heroes go into hiding. The Negative Zone prison is completed, and the U.S. government institutes the "50 State Initiative," which sees each individual state receive its own super-powered team of crime-fighters. Tony Stark is even named the new director of S.H.I.E.L.D., though his new appointment doesn't last for very long.
The biggest twist is that, while en-route to his trial, Captain America is seemingly assassinated by an agent of the Red Skull. This acted as the end for nearly all anti-registration activities, save for the actions of the Secret Avengers.
Obviously, the film probably won't have such a morbid, melancholy conclusion — though it's entirely possible that Marvel will use it as an opportunity to really change the status quo of the Cinematic Universe.
With any luck, Captain America: Civil War could end up being exactly what Marvel fans have been hoping for. Avengers 2: Age of Ultron wasn't exactly a bad movie, but it didn't tie the universe together like the first film did — with any luck, Civil War will do just that.
Plus, who doesn't want to see Spider-Man join the Marvel Cinematic Universe?
Captain America: Civil War is set to debut on May 6.
