Cap's viewpoint in this movie is informed by his experiences in The Winter Soldier. SHIELD was supposed to be the good guys, but they were infiltrated for years without knowing it, and even Nick Fury was manipulated into launching a program that would wipe people off the planet before they even did anything wrong. He does not want to put his decisions in anyone else's hands.

Caps journey from wanting to do anything to fight for his government, to questioning it, to turning his back on it, is one of the best arcs in the MCU.

One of my fav little details about Nat’s fight with Bucky when he first loses control in this movie is that she specifically (and repeatedly) attempts to hit him in the head, even going so far as to hop on his shoulders to give herself more leverage. Recall how she freed Hawkeye from mind-control: “I hit you really hard in the head.” However, when Hawkeye’s mind-control lifted in Avengers 1, it wasn’t because Natasha hit him-it was because she knocked him down and he slammed his head on the railing. This explains why, this time, she ultimately failed to free Bucky from his mind-control; she simply wasn’t able to hit him hard enough under her own strength. He only later comes back to himself when the helicopter crashes into the water and he smacks his head into the windshield hard enough to crack the glass. It’s a subtle call-back to previous movies and shows that Nat is cognizant of Bucky’s situation and is ultimately trying to help him, which also foreshadows her choice to let Bucky and Steve escape later on during the airport fight. Steve going to bat for Bucky honestly probably reminds her of her own friendship with Clint and how quickly the others were willing to take her word for it when she assured them Clint was freed. She fought Clint, yes but as soon as Loki was out of his head she didn’t hold any of the things he did while under Loki’s control against him because she understood it wasn’t his choice. It’s not a perfect comparison because Bucky is liable to lose control again as long as someone knows the codewords whereas Clint was freed for good, but it likely gives her a lot of empathy towards Bucky’s situation and makes her more willing to give him and Steve a chance to figure things out.

Also, please bear in mind that Bucky is a victim. He didn't do anything wrong, that man was controlled, tortured and manipulated for years. Of course Steve would side with him, he is his best friend.

One of my favorite aspects is that they didn’t do the stereotypical “oh there’s a big bad guy let’s actually team up instead of fight each other” at the end. They actually tore their relationship apart and it was a perfect setup for the next avengers film

They’re not acting out of character, you’re comparing their current actions to how they were in the beginning, but they’ve went through arcs & experienced a lot, they’re acting in character for where they are mentally during that point in their lives

Cap is pure of heart. His own hands are the safest hands. He’s not worried about negative public perception with the inevitable casualties because he KNOWS the actions or reactions were with good intentions. Tony is more paranoid. His intelligence and foresight gives him more clarity over the big picture, but it also causes him to constantly second guess himself and others in pursuit of this safe utopia that he thirsts for.

Fun fact: Wanda wasn't blasting Vision downward through the multiple levels of the Avengers facility, she changed the density of his body so that he just crashed through the floors because he weighed so much.

21:16 Remember, lifting Thor's hammer isn't about strength, it's about worthiness. And he was able to move it a tiny bit in Age of Ultron (I watched your commentary on that movie too and noticed you didn’t catch onto that). He made it screech on the table; that's why Thor looked nervous. If it was about strength, then he and the hulk would be able to lift it EASILY. Why do you think Thor in the first movie struggled to lift it after being sent to Earth by Odin and stripped of his title? He who is worthy shall possess the power of Thor.

That is the point about Cap, he is not for the goverment, never was. He is for freedom and for the founding ideals of the USA in general. He always had his beef with the representatives of the goverment, in the comics and in all the movies you watched. He follows orders, IF they make sense for him, if not he does what he feels is the right move.

I think a really important thing to note is that Steve is the only person we are shown actually reading the Accords. And I think if more people read what was in them, they would be Team Cap. There are some disgusting, dehumanizing things in there.

RDJ's blank face and breathy tone when he says "I don't care, he killed my mom." really conveys the pure rage that Tony is feeling. He isn't even visibly acting aggressive or shaken up, and is barely even trying to reason with cap, just telling him there isn't another choice.

The quote Sharon gives at Peggy's funeral (about planting yourself like a tree) is taken from the Civil War comics (specifically The Amazing Spider-man issue #537)..Spider-man asks Cap how he deals with feeling like the whole country is against him & Cap responds with, "You really wanna know? Doesn’t matter what the press says. Doesn’t matter what the politicians or the mobs say. Doesn’t matter if the whole country decides that something wrong is something right. This nation was founded on one principle above all else: the requirement that we stand up for what we believe, no matter the odds or the consequences. When the mob and the press and the whole world tell you to move, your job is to plant yourself like a tree beside the river of truth, and tell the whole world - “No, you move.”"....That is hands down one of my favourite quotes and I'm glad they added that into the film.

The hype for this movie was insane when it first dropped, definitely one of the best in the MCU

Tony's decision making comes from the fact that he feels the weight of his decisions. He took a nuke into space. He saw a vision of the team getting their ass handed to them, and everybody lost. PTSD from the Mandarin. Having a grieving mother blame him and his organization for her son's death. It's all catching up to him.

Something to keep in mind with Wanda's failure in the beginning is that she's still figuring out how to properly use her powers, and her magic is very _chaotic_ in nature. It's even possible she intended for the bomb to fly further away, but the RNG of the spell sent it up straight. Regardless, she didn't just save Cap's life but also the massive crowd on the ground (likely still saved more than those who perished in the mid-level floors). She's also likely feeling extra guilty because in that moment she can hear the thoughts of all those around her - tons of people wondering why she didn't do better, questioning whether she's evil, and mourning over those caught in the explosion. Secretary "Thunderbolt" Ross being a douche was basically kicking her while she's down - superheroes that don't prioritize country/military first and foremost rub him the wrong way - he's frequently too single-minded.

You're thinking of how they were when we were introduced to them. Tony and Steve's attitudes changed due to their personal experiences. Cap has found that his own moral compass is higher than the country he represents, and doesn't trust government anymore. Tony has been unfettered for awhile and Ultron does weigh on him, he feels like he does need to be minded.

Tony: did you know? Steve: I didn't know IT WAS HIM Tony: don't bs me I said did you know? Steve:...yes In winter soldier when trapped with the AI version of Arnim Zola, he tells Steve about creating a world of chaos and people will give up their rights in the name of security. And says 'afterall..accidents WILL happen' whilst showing the CCTV of the car crash and newspaper headlines saying starks died in a car crash Steve knew it wasn't an accident but they were assassinated by hydra. But not that it was Bucky. That's why he qualifies his first answer 'i didn't know IT WAS HIM'.

Civil War was a big deal in the comics too. The Superhuman Registration Act meant any hero had to register with the government and reveal their identities to them. Cap was against this idea, as he knew some heroes kept their identities secret for a good reason (ie. To protect their loved ones from their enemies). Stark was pro-Registration, and when it came down to enforcing the Act, his team did so, militantly. Reed Richards was the jailor for those who didn't comply, sending them to the Negative Zone. Spider-Man was originally Team Stark, revealing his identity in front of a media audience. The Kingpin, Wilson Fisk had been put away by Peter, so he sent an assassin to deal with him at his house, where Aunt May was shot and put in critical condition. Stark, in the meantime, couldn't contact Thor, who he thought, in his hubris, would have sided with him. So he got the next best thing, he created a machine with Thor's likeness and capabilities. He resulted killing the hero, Goliath (an Ant-man ally, seen in The Ant-Man and Wasp, played by Laurence Fishburne). Spider-Man would switch sides to Team Cap when he realized that maybe Team Stark weren't really the good guys at the end of the day, with their totalitarian tactics. The final showdown between both teams happened where so many Marvel stories take place-- New York City. Cap defeated Tony, but looked around at the collateral, and would surrender, reminding Tony why they were heroes in the first place. There's more to it, so many characters with their own titles had their own Civil War series, so there was so many points of view. The Fantastic Four got split up, with the Invisible Woman on one side after the Human Torch was hospitalized by an angry mob, The Thing siding with her in the battle of New York. Mr. Fantastic remained Tony's lackey. Wolverine hunted down the exploding mutant, and turned him over to Namor since his sister died in the explosion that started everything. T'Challa sided with Tony, but his wife, Storm, disagreed. The two split up, however briefly. All in all, a great story that divided so many people.

FUN FACT: Natasha is a double agent and was on Steves side from the start. That's why at the last minute she turned on Black Panther

This movie DID accomplish something. You'll find out in Infinity War.

Natasha was trained in the Red Room in Russia when she was a child. It is discussed more in detail as the movies go on. And yes, she is a badass!!!!!

The reason why Tony’s tech is improved every movie is cause he learns froms his mistakes

Rumlow is a comic villain called Crossbones, one of Cap's big enemies. And yes, Natasha Romanoff already is a superhero: The Black Widow, a super-spy/assassin trained from a very young age in the Red Room to be one of the most effective killers on the planet.

Chadwick Boseman the actor who played as Black Panther in the Marvel movies had colon cancer it just shows you that he is a strong actor because he had cancer during all the Marvel films he was in & it didn't affect his acting

Agent Carter’s “no, YOU move” is derived from a longer quote that came from Cap to Spider-Man in the comics.

A cool fact is that the Secretary of State that handed out the Sokovia Accords is Lieutenant Generall Ross from the Incredible Hulk. Six years after the Hulk incident, Ross left the Military and served as the United States Secretary of State, as we see in this film.

I admire how you managed to not spoil anything for yourself so far, seeing you react to Spider-Man was wholesome, looking forward to Infinity War and beyond :)

21:15 lifting Thors hammer isn't about strength, it's about being worthy. Hulk couldn't lift it and for a good portion of Thor 1 Thor couldn't lift it himself until he proved himself worthy.

I like how black widow fights. She uses agility and whatever to take down men much bigger than her. In a fist fight, she would get stomped by those dudes. It's feels more accurate to the real world.

I like how people say cap needs his shield to fight when he’s a literally super soldier😂

I love how you point out Cap and Tony's view points being kind of "out of charcter" for their characters. And you would be right if you were going off how their characters were in their first movies. The beautiful writing brings us to this point where both characters have grown so much. Tony has constantly realized to get his ego in check and to listen to others more. While Cap's experience with SHIELD/Hydra has made him not trust people as much.

Sorry, the change of character of Tony and Steve is not surprising it was a process. Tony still feels guilty. He created Ultron he was the reason for death so have been his weapon before. This turned him from an egoistic person to one that is overwhelmed with guilt and doesn't even trust himself anymore. So he wants that someone else takes the burden. For Steve, it was the total opposite. He believed in the government but this trust was destroyed when he saw that even the US government could become corrupted with power and by its leading people - Hydra infiltrating Shield. That's why he no longer trusts institutions but in people or himself. This character development over movies is one of the reason that makes this movie so great.

You're right about it seeming awkward that Tony was for the accords and Capt was against it. I think Tony chose to be against it because he was confronted earlier in the movie by the mom who lost her son and put the guilt trip on him. Plus him and pepper were on a break due to the risks of Tony being an Avenger, so maybe them being in check would help him and pepper get back on track. And it also goes back to Tony's story in Ironman 1 when he was selling weapons not knowing the consequences of his actions until he was kidnapped and saw the destruction which caused him to want to shut down the weapons division of Stark Industries until further notice ( Tony was basically putting himself in check). Capt was loyal to the government and trusted in them and would have normally been all for the accords but I think the whole fiasco with the Avengers, the government having secrets about using the tesarect to make weapons and in Winter Soldier, discovering hydra being part of the government, made him distrust the government. I see both sides even though I don't know how the government could actually stop the Avengers anyway when some of them have superstrength, are not even human or are gods from other worlds.

I just happen to live in Chadwick’s hometown of Anderson, South Carolina. this man has done so much for the local communities & kids down here. Wakanda Forever, My King 🤴🏿🙌🔥🍻 13:30 wow, that hits WAY harder now 😭 and RIP William Hurt as well

Your reaction to Spider-Man was priceless! 😆 I’m so glad you didn’t get spoiled.

Cap and bucky barnes have been friends since childhood..cap looked up to bucky and he protected cap to a point..they are like brothers and while cap is Tony's friend..he is buckys brother from childhood so he has a unbreakable bond with him because bucky is all he has left of his past...so I can see why he didn't tell Tony..what good could come from it? Bucky felt great remorse later for the things he did under hydra control...so I have a soft spot for bucky barnes

Hey Alex, great reaction and yeah this movie is nuts - it's basically "Avengers 2.5" with TONS of important things - Black Panther, Spiderman, Ant Man returns, Wanda and Vision, Bucky trying to be good, Baron Zemo, the Sakovia accords - all kinds of world-building stuff. The ideological divide is interesting. Steve always follows his heart and does what he thinks is right and doesn't want to be subordinate to anything other than his own morality. Tony has guilt from always being reckless and wants someone to keep him in check. Both have good points which makes it so much more of a relatable grey area.

The look on Bucky's face when Spiderman just casually catches his punch and holds it WHILE making a joke about it. And yeah, Natasha is so freaking awesome. Wanda is scary powerful. Like really scary powerful.

8 years later and I still can't see iron man's viewpoint

Lifting Thor’s hammer has nothing to do with strength. Remember, in Avengers, Hulk couldn’t lift it either. If you aren’t worthy of the hammer, it can’t be lifted, period.

Little fun facts alex: The body on the bathtube is one of the russo's brothers, both directed winter soldier, infinity war and endgame. He also did a cameo in winter soldier as a kinda paparazzi. The moment cap and tony are fighting and the face each other (cap with the shield, tony with the blast), is the actual cover from the comic "Civil War".

Rest in Peace King of Wakanda, Chadwick Boseman, who acted through any pain he was going through to put on a charming and great performance

One of the big deals about Spiderman is that he always holds back for fear of hurting someone. Bucky looked surprised when Peter caught his arm with no effort because even Cap struggled with the prosthetic in a fight. Peter had no trouble at all.

Alex "Someone tell me where this woman (Black Widow) got her training." Well, there's this movie called "Black Widow"...You'll get there.

Lifting Thor's hammer isn't about strength, its about being worthy.

This is one of my favorite movies in the MCU ever, especially how it set the standards for Phase 3 and introduced Black Panther and Spider-Man into the MCU. You'll very much enjoy what's coming and I'll happily be watching! 👍

Cap: She’s just a kid (talking about Wanda) Also Cap with Peter (*A KID*): 29:41

At this point we’ve only heard bits of Natasha’s story but I’ll answer your question of where she got her training without future spoilers haha. In age of ultron she said she was raised and trained in the red room, so we know she was trained and indoctrinated since she was a child. She mentions in Winter Soldier that she was KGB. So she got her training from basically a child kgb assassin program that was called the “Red Room”.

I remember you reacted to the trailer for No Way Home on your music and variety channel. Now you get to see how Tom Holland got started in the MCU as Peter Parker. You have come full circle. Lest I forget, R.I.P. Chadwick Boseman and William Hurt. And here is where the relationship between Wanda and Vision starts to flourish.

100% my favorite MCU movie. Such a good story, even if it didn't follow the original comic. The interactions between heroes was so cool to see on screen. The fighting and comedy was the best. The MCU was at 11 with this one.

Tony seeing the video of Bucky killing his parents is probably one of the most emotional scenes in the mcu

Both Tony and Cap's character arcs in this movie really are built up over the course of the prior MCU movies. Cap's always supported freedom above all else and that includes one's personal freedom to do what they want with their life. Plus Cap's last experience with a government body was SHIELD, which had been infiltrated by HYDRA for years and he got a glimpse of just how far reaching that corruption can spread. On top of this, the recent death of Peggy means that Bucky is the only person in his life now that was there pre-freezing so Cap who is not necessarily in the best mindset already will now do anything to keep his friend safe. If this were Iron Man 1 or even 2 Tony he would absolutely be on Cap's side on this saying screw this not thinking about the possible consequences of his actions. However with everything that happened to him with Ultron and him maturing during the first Avenger's movie and his recent break up with Pepper it's all come together to make him try and be the more mature methodical person who wants to keep everything safe, the problem is it's still Tony and he goes overboard with this just like everything else he does in his life because Tony never does anything less than 110%.

The Avengers that signed the Sokovia Accords actually gave their autonomy to The United Nations, not the United States.

The Avenger's mission in Lagos was one of my favourite scenes tbh. I loved how it showcased each character's skills (especially Cap & Nat), and how well they had learned to work w/ each other in combat. I wish we could've gotten more scenes like that throughout the MCU tbh, especially w/ Natasha - I feel like this (& CA:WS) is where she shines best.

This was the 1st Marvel movie I watched and feels as good each time as it did the 1st time. The action, the dialogues, the plot, the multiple themes it explores and incorporation of all those superhoes so seamlessly is so great. Wiill probably never get tired of this one

I loved this movie when it came out and I still feel its in the top 4 of all the MCU movies. You'll love Infinity Wars & End Game. Loving these reactions bro, keep it up!!

"Why am I worried about the fruit" dude do you even _know_ how many plums Sebastian Stan got after this movies at fan events?

bucky's face when peter catches his fist "holy S this guy caught my fist" his face when peter speaks "WTF is this guy like 12?"

Of all the MCU movies, I've said that Winter Soldier had the second most compelling story and Civil War had the most compelling story. The plot line is phenomenal. We may not get another story plot this good, but it DOES get bigger and better with Infinity War and Endgame, so Alex STILL hasn't reached the pinnacle of greatness yet. I think we have Doctor Strange next? Then Spider-Man Homecoming? And then Black Panther which is a huge one, and THEN ........ We get to the first movie of the big two, INFINITY WAR! Can't wait.

Cap is definitely right about everything, and everything he was talking about he'd already dealt with, people with agendas changing aka him finding out about hydra in shield, needed to go somewhere and not being able to aka back in the war he wasn't supposed to go rescue bucky and the rest of the 107th. Tony was off his rocker.

This was the movie that made me a Sebastian Stan/ Bucky fan. Dude is hilarious and a complete badass

23:23 - I like how Tony keeps his arm injury throughout the franchise. He even rubs his arm while talking to spiderman in homecoming.

For yall that didn´t know, King T´chaka which Alex thought was 50 cent, is John Kani. And he voices Rafiki in the lion king.

I'm glad you enjoyed the movie. It was a pretty big turning point for their relationship. 4:42 🤣 Russia. 22:40 Without a doubt. Yes

This movie is my favorite becouse it makes me think from multiple perspectives

When you asked if the government had experimented on people like Hydra had in the movie... well as it turns out, reality isn't only stranger than fiction but it inspired it. MK-Ultra was a CIA mind control program that inspired the writers at Marvel to come up with the concept for the Winter Soldier and the ideas in this plot of Bucky being mind controlled by secret words. MK-Ultra is just the one we know about. Imagine how many other countries had how many other mind control programs to create their own manchurian candidates.

@Alex Hefner YES...remember during the Winter Soldier movie the Computer voice that was Arnim Zola showed Steve and Natasha the newspaper clip of Tony's parents killed ...then hinted at Bucky

Captain America talking about wanda: "SHES A KID" *while wanda is in her early 20s Captain america fighting Peter :*Throws a fucking tons and tons of pounds on him* while peter is only 16

21:12 , lifting Thor's hammer has morning to do with only Physical STRENGTH. Even Hulk couldn't pick it up. The hammer decides of you're WORTHY enough to lift it. That Spell was chanted by ODIN

"this girl's not even a superhero" ...she can move things with her mind. What?

"I see both sides". Which is good. Better than the comic. In a morally grey story, both sides are right and both sides are wrong. In the Civil War comic series, Mark Millar took the approach of, "Both sides are wrong and I hate them".

I legit teared up seeing how excited you got when Spider-man showed up. I did the same thing when I saw this in the theater and I even knew it was gonna happen, lol.

36:25, Yes Mate Computer ZOLA showed CAP in CAP 2 that Howard was assasinated by HYDRA. Who was HYDRA'S Killing Machine??

When I watched Civil War back when it came out in the theater i cried my eyes out. Because I remembered that my vrother told me when we were childteb that in the comics the Civil War, not only, ripped the avengers in half, but all the marvel group to to fight on either Caps or Iron Mans side. The X-Men split, the fantastic Four, ALL. Broke me. Imagine alone the heartbreak in this srory. Than afain with Ligan anf Chaz Rogue, Jean etc.

When they are running up to each other in the airport it reminded me of the second lion king when they are fighting

Civil War kicks off a Rollercoaster of emotions, and movies that leads to the climactic Avengers Infinity War, and Endgame. I'm really excited cuz next you have Spiderman homecoming, and black panther which are both great movies.

I love the cast of "Community" pops up in the Russo MCU films.

36:29 Okay, so this is how I understood it. Tony asks Steve if he knew and Steve says "I didn't know it was him." So it seems like he knew it happened this way but didn't know it was The Winter Solider, I think? Honestly, there are minor things I am still not certain about years later.

Sometimes it feels like you have the attention span of a squirrel. You asked if Baron Zemo was Hydra? You just saw him torture a Hydra soldier to death by drowning not minutes ago.

“Tony stark created Spider-Man?” Um no, they very clearly say he’s been around, Tony saw footage of him on KZfaq

"There's going to be destruction either way" And this is why Cap was always right.

This movie starts Phase 3, and is monumental for how things play out from this point on

Caps viewpoints changed from the winter soldier which caused him to be lose his faith in the government. Tony on the other has had PTSD ever since the 1st Avengers movie which was made prevalent in Ironman 3 which was the basis of him building Ultron which resulted in people dying. So now he feels like they need to be put in check. It's great storytelling seeing both characters one way in earlier movies and watching when and how each one's viewpoints shifted

The Sokovia Accords play a huge role in the MCU going forward

Starks problem is that he is too arrogant and has a huge ego so he’s always pushing the boundaries. Like how his unnecessary need to create Ultron bit him back in the ass. He needs to be controlled but it isn’t everyone else’s fault that he does whatever he wants when he wants and doesn’t care about the consequences. So when he does get called out on his shit he feels guilty. Cap isn’t like that. There isn’t a selfish or arrogant bone in that man’s body. Unlike Stark does plan and he does take all approaches and outcomes into consideration, which is why the whole betrayal about Shield and Hydra effects his trust in the government so much because he never would’ve doubted them. That’s why this movie does a great job in showing how two individuals changed the status quo by going against their past beliefs and choosing sides that reflect their new ones.

Black Panther: If you didn't kill him then why did you run? Bucky: wtf.... you're kidding right?

“She said a line that resonated with cap” She said cap’s line🤣

It's refreshing to finally watch a reactor who gets the orange slices reference

Bucky isn’t bad they brainwashed him

"Introduced Spider-Man" (flashes a pic of Vision and Wanda) 🤣

If you think the instigating action for the accords was dark in this movie, you should see how it starts in the comics. Super villain blows up a whole school

So... does this mean once you get to that point in the release timeline, we'll get a combined (or multipart) Disney+ MCU TV series release?

After finishing the Infinity Saga you'll see the significance of this movie for both Cap and Tony...right now they have reached antithesis, the furthest point away from their original stances. When you're done you gotta view the whole sage as basically one giant ass movie. Then you'll be enlightend to understand the full arcs of both these characters.

The woman who does all of Black Widow's stunts and fighting scenes in the MCU is Amy Johnston. She's a professional stunt woman and a master martial artist. She's in a few movies where she plays the main story character. Black Widow is one of my favorite Marvel characters. Amy Johnston is a beast. Great reaction Alex.

"How many people will Bucky kill cause Cap wont kill him?" Ask that to Batman about Joker

IMO, Tony Stark's ego is the biggest problem the Avengers ever faced. His ego led him to create Ultron who destroyed Sokovia. That led to the Sokovia Accords, which led to the "civil war", which led to Rhodey's spinal injury. I could keep going but I don't want to spoil anything. As I said, just my opinion though.

You were spot on with Cap and Tony acting out of characters. But it works! Actually both of them influenced each other to the point they basically switched characters. Cap was the two goody shoes patriot, but after Tony called out his blind loyalty to his country, Cap started to question SHIELD's and Hydra's agendas and became more and more rebellious. On the other hand, Tony was influenced by Cap with the pressure to be a self-sacrificing hero. After those progressive character development, their character arches totally make sense!

In my opinion, Steve is seeing it as 'I sign this, I give up all rights to protect people and am told who to save and who to let die." He feels that if he has no right to protect all those who need protecting, then what is the point of being a hero. He has learned that if he let others deiced who he can and can't save, than he is no better than Hydra in The Winter Soldier.

Does Alex read the comments. I am sure he does. I hope he gets the time to read through some of these comments. So far everyone has done a good job of clarifying different points and expanding on details without spoiling things. Hopefully people remember to be mindful of spoilers or spoiler tag there comments.