Fighting bad guys is so last season. Right now, the superhero genre is all about superheroes fighting one another: Batman V Superman, Daredevil vs. Punisher, and one half of the Avengers vs. the other half in Captain America: Civil War. The second Marvel Studios film from directing duo Anthony and Joe Russo, Civil War sees Iron Man and Captain America on opposing sides of an issue that affects not only them, but every other person with special abilities: should superheroes be supervised?
The question will fracture the main players of the Marvel Cinematic Universe into two factions, leading to a potentially epic (and potentially devastating) battle that we’ve only so far seen a small glimpse of in trailers. Amid all this hero-on-hero action, however, there’s also a new(ish) villain in the mix: Frank Grillo as Crossbones.
Of course, Grillo has been seen in the MCU before, accompanying Captain America on missions as an apparent ally before revealing himself to be a member of Hydra in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. As a member of S.H.I.E.L.D. he was known as Brock Rumlow, but being hit by a falling helicarrier is the sort of thing that can change a man (or at least leave him with a lot of scars), so Rumlow will re-emerge as Crossbones in Civil War. Check out Rumlow’s new look, Scarlet Witch’s fiery new outfit, and more Captain America: Civil War images below, courtesy of Empire.
While the specifics of Captain America: Civil War’s plot are being kept under wraps, speculation so far points to Crossbones being involved in orchestrating the civil war between Earth’s superheroes. We know that Steve Rogers’ loyalty to his old friend Bucky Barnes a.k.a. The Winter Soldier will play a crucial role in his motives, so perhaps Crossbones will help to frame Bucky for violence, in turn spurring pressure for tighter control of people with special abilities.
Speaking to Empire, Joe Russo said that “the consequences of Civil War will have an even more significant impact [than The Winter Soldier]” - a not-insubstantial promise, since The Winter Soldier destabilized and nearly destroyed S.H.I.E.L.D. “In Civil War, we’re going to change the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s psychology, and it’s an extreme shift,” the director went on. “Winter Soldier was a political thriller; this is a psychological thriller.”
Russo also dropped another hint that Civil War could potentially end with a major character death, teasing that that the movie has a “very dramatic ending that will be controversial for a lot of people.” With no more solo Captain America or Iron Man movies planned for the next few years, could the Avengers lose one of their core members before they have to face off against Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War?
Captain America: Civil War will release on May 6, 2016, followed by Doctor Strange – November 4, 2016; Guardians of the Galaxy 2 – May 5, 2017; Spider-Man – July 7, 2017; Thor: Ragnarok – November 3, 2017; Black Panther – February 16, 2018; The Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 – May 4, 2018; Ant-Man and the Wasp – July 6, 2018; Captain Marvel – March 8, 2019; The Avengers: Infinity War Part 2 – May 3, 2019; Inhumans – July 12, 2019; and as-yet untitled Marvel movies on May 1, July 10 and November 6, 2020.
Source: Empire (via Heroic Hollywood)