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Iron Man Vs. Team Cap: Which Civil War Side Was Actually Right?
Team Iron Man vs. Team Cap: Which Civil War Side Was Actually Right?
The battle in Captain America: Civil War split the Avengers in two, but only one side had the moral high ground.

BY ROBERT VAUX
PUBLISHED OCT 03, 2021
Captain America: Civil War constitutes the central hero-on-hero battle of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and set the scene for both the tragedy of Avengers: Infinity War and the eventual universe-saving heroics of Avengers: Endgame. It was, in essence, a conflict of opposing ethics. Tony Stark, looking to keep the Avengers legitimate, signs the Sokovia Accords permitting government oversight and control over the Avengers, while Steve Rogers, skeptical of the way that might tie their hands in a crisis, refuses. The fate of the Winter Soldier creates the crack, as Tony argues for the greater good and Steve puts everything on the line for an old friend in desperate need of help.

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The movies take a very balanced approach to the two sides, presenting them as human beings with opinions rather than absolute paragons of right and wrong. Steve may be acting selfishly in protecting his friends without factoring in the greater good, while Tony's ease with making deals might end up sacrificing his strength in the name of compromise. But which of them was actually right?

Iron Man's Motivation And Advantages
The Sokovia Accords arise after an altercation in Lagos, Nigeria in which innocent Wakandans are killed in the crossfire. Tony agrees to the Accords after meeting the mother of a boy killed in the finale of Avengers: Age of Ultron and -- having created the mad robot in the first place as well as committing a number of other significant mistakes -- is keenly aware of how all-too-human the Avengers are. Furthermore, the Sokovia Accords give the Avengers UN backing, legitimizing them in a way that they never could as private citizens, and prevents the government from turning against the Avengers.

And luckily for Tony, MCU powerhouses like Thor, the Hulk and Captain Marvel -- none of whom would be apt to agree to the Accords -- are all off-world. That ultimately leaves him with a bevy of far more powerful heroes than Cap, including the Vision, Black Widow, Spider-Man, War Machine and Black Panther. It's a powerful group, and when added to Tony's personal arsenal and presumed backing from the UN, it seems to stack the power deck firmly to Iron Man's advantage.

Captain America's Motivation And Advantages
Captain America in Civil War
For all his patriotism and dedication to the greater good, Steve Rogers can be anti-authoritarian. He'd already bucked the system in Captain America: The Winter Soldier and exposed massive corruption in the ranks of S.H.I.E.L.D. as a result. This goes back to his pre-heroic origins as a sickly orphan on the streets of Brooklyn. He learned to fend for himself rather than count on a government that clearly didn't care whether he lived or died, and his dogged determination to join the war effort despite repeated denials indicates that he'll do what he thinks is right regardless of what anyone else thinks. Naturally, he eschews the Accords from the get-go, stating that he can't wait for the paperwork to clear when lives are at stake.

In other circumstances, he'd have some heavy hitters on his side, but with Thor and the Hulk engaged in the events of Thor: Ragnarok, he has to rely on more down-to-Earth heroes. Besides Bucky, that includes Hawkeye, Falcon, Ant-Man and the Scarlet Witch. Besides that, however, he has to rely largely on strategy and tactics to stop Zemo, even if it means letting Tony's forces claim victory.

Winner: Captain America
Captain America Civil War Team Cap
Civil War's big tell is Thunderbolt Ross, who has seemingly given up his days of Hulk-hunting and become Secretary of State. The idea of a man like him deciding when and where the Avengers can act is inherently problematic and backs up Steve's arguments in a way Tony could never refute. T'Challa is another strong sign that Steve's moral compass holds true. Initially obsessed with avenging his father, he changes course when he realizes that Zemo was responsible instead of Bucky. He sends the Winter Solider to Wakanda to heal and turns Zemo over to the authorities. Furthermore, as the king of a sovereign nation, T'Challa doesn't appear apt to ask anyone's permission to do anything -- another huge point in Steve's favor. Even Tony himself crumbles by the end, blowing off Ross and going his own route in the movie's final moments.

But the most concrete proof of Steve's veracity comes in the first few minutes of Endgame when the world reels under the immediate impact of the Snap and the surviving Avengers plot some kind of response. "World governments are in pieces," Black Widow says with quiet finality. "The parts that are still working are trying to take a census." The idea that any organization so afflicted could manage some kind of official authorization, let alone possess the detachment and moral clarity to do so properly, is absurd. The Snap proved Steve right in perpetuity because in a universe with that kind of evil running around, good can't always stop to ask for permission.