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
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
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
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.
3. Zemo’s Plan
Despite everything going on within Civil War you’d think there wasn’t room for a villain. Helmut Zemo was an unusual villain because he didn’t have the usual traits and desires of previous MCU villains. Instead he wanted to bring the downfall of the Avengers because of a personal vendetta. This, in many ways, made him a more dangerous villain because of the lengths he was willing to go to. What was fantastic was how the film led you to believe his goals were basic but in fact it was all a ploy to execute his actual scheme.
Zemo deliberately brought about a rupture within the Avengers through manipulating events and facts. This was all to avenge his family, whom were killed during the events of Age of Ultron. His deadly plan went about breaking apart our heroes in the most personal battle ever conceived and ultimately succeeds.
2. Assassination of the Starks
The nail in the coffin came about with the revelation that Bucky was responsible for the death of Iron Man’s parents. This was a shocking scene, especially in how it was executed. Bucky didn’t just assassinate them, he full-on murdered them. Iron Man’s father was beaten to death whilst Iron Man’s mother was strangled. What made the scene more tragic was Iron Man’s reaction, “You killed my mum.” We already knew he had a shaky relationship with his father but in this film we got an understanding that he was very close to his mother, thus seeing her brutally murdered hit him hard. It was made even worse when Captain America indicated he knew about this and kept it from Iron Man in order to prevent further pain. Instead this caused further friction between the characters and cemented their final dual to the death as part of Zemo’s plan.
1. Captain America v. Iron Man
The final dual between Captain America and Iron Man was an emotional experience to witness, leaving you feeling tense, upset and afraid. These characters had become close comrades and helped to forge the Avengers in order to make a difference and now they were fighting each other to the death. The entire battle revolves around the fate of Bucky, with Captain America wanting to protect his friend whilst Iron Man wants nothing but vengeance.
The death of family members became one of the main themes of the film, with both Blank Panther’s and Spider-Man’s introduction being driven by this. The fight ultimately ends with Captain America having the choice to kill Iron Man but reluctantly chooses to destroy his suit instead. In that moment both of their symbols of justice are tarnished and Captain America throws away his infamous shield due to no longer feeling he deserves the right to wield it. In one act the MCU is reshaped forever.
That’s my top 6 darkest moments from Civil War, please share your own Top 6 Moments in the comments below or on our Twitter page.