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6 of Captain America: Civil War’s Darkest Moments

Originally the Marvel Cinematic Universe wasn’t known for its darker moments, rather its fun, quirky and action-packed ones. Come Phase Two, however, things began to change within the MCU. Things started to get grittier, more realistic and personal for the characters. The drama had a harder punch and wasn’t just about one-liners and good old fashioned superhero action.

Although we had some reprieve from this new direction in Guardians of the Galaxy and Ant-Man, the darker tones returned in full for Avengers: Age of Ultron where everything changed. Captain America: Civil War continues that streak by starting Phase Three with an even grittier tone filled with emotional trauma. Here’s a look at my Top 6 Darkest Moments from the recent Marvel blockbuster.

6. Civil War

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Starting off this list I turn to the infamous airport scene. In this scene we see a superhero scrap unlike any other. Despite the scene having its fun aspects, and badass moments, it was also quite dark because of the implications involved. Even though the battle itself felt light-hearted at times, especially with all the jokes Spider-Man kept spurting out, the whole scene had a tragic undertone and really brought about the realisation that the Avengers we had come to know was no more. The worst moment of the battle was War Machine being paralysed after Vision became distracted whilst pursuing Captain America and Bucky Barnes, thereby accidentally shooting down his comrade.

5. Collateral Damage

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Collateral damage hasn’t really been addressed within the MCU prior to this film but now the Russo brothers want us to understand that heroism isn’t without consequence. Thaddeus Ross, last seen in The Incredible Hulk, informs the Avengers that each of their battles got innocent civilians killed. 

This made things more realistic and challenged each member of the Avengers in terms of their purpose and whether or not they make the world safer. This especially affects Iron Man because he was the cause of Ultron. There was a tense and personal scene, developed to push Iron Man over the edge, where a mother informed him that he killed her son.

4. Ramifications of Legislation

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The legislation brought about a tear within the MCU. By the end of the film everything has fallen apart. Friendships have been severed, heroes have become criminals and the world of heroism is redesigned to be controlled by the government. It certainly made us question the future of the MCU. One of the worst ramifications was seeing Captain America’s team arrested. Each of the members called Iron Man out on his betrayal, showcasing how far the play-boy philanthropist had fallen. He was now a shell of his former self and had lost his meaning, lost the love of his life, Pepper, and lost the respect of his comrades.

About the author

John Hussey