Captain America: Civil War is a 2016 film in the Earth-11584 continuity of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It is the third Captain America film, the second film in Phase 3, and the 17th film overall in the MCU. Chris Evans reprises his role as Captain America, but the film also stars Robert Downey Jr, Anthony Mackie, Scarlett Johansson and others reprising their roles from previous films. The film was a box office success, earning over a billion dollars at the worldwide box office.
Production[]
During production on the original Avengers, seeds were planted for a potential adaptation of the Civil War comic book event, given the clash of personalities between Tony Stark and Steve Rogers. Though at the time such an adaptation was not considered, by early 2015 it had been announced that Civil War would infact be the story arc for the next Captain America film. Following the success of Winter Soldier, Anthony and Joe Russo were invited back to direct Civil War, with screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely also returning. It was confirmed early on that most of the Avengers would return for Civil War, with only Mark Ruffalo's Hulk and Chris Hemsworth's Thor not appearing. Daniel Bruhl was also confirmed to play a modernized version of classic Cap villain Helmut Zemo.
It was confirmed around the release of Age of Ultron that both Black Panther and Spider-Man (the latter of whom was confirmed to join the MCU around the same time) would debut in Civil War. Chadwick Boseman was the first choice to play T'Challa, though Michael B. Jordan was also considered (he would later play Black Panther villain Killmonger in the 2018 standalone Black Panther movie). The casting search for the new Spider-Man was intensive, as Marvel President Kevin Feige wanted a younger Peter Parker. There had been some speculation that Spider-Man would instead be Miles Morales, though the Russo's later dismissed this theory without discounting the possibility of Miles appearing "sometime in the future." Eventually British actor Tom Holland was cast in the role of Peter Parker, with Marisa Tomei cast as Aunt May.
Filming commenced on Civil War in June of 2015, and concluded in September of that year.
Plot Summary[]
In 1991, HYDRA dispatches the Winter Soldier, previously known as James "Bucky" Barnes, to America on a covert mission. He stops a car on a backwoods road, killing the individuals inside and stealing a small briefcase that we see contains several files in it, as well as a series of vials containing a blue liquid, similar to the super soldier serum used to create Captain America. In the present day, we see Bucky wake up startled in his home, on the run from everyone. He breathes heavily, and then goes about his day, disappearing into the crowd in Budapest, Hungary.
At a mall in Alexandria, Egypt, a group of terrorists are holding several young men and women hostage. They make their demands: the release of their leader from NATO and SHIELD custody and several million dollars in ransom. Before their demands are met, though, we see that Black Widow is one of the hostages in disguise. She begins fighting the terrorists, and immediately her teammates intercede as well. Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch, Falcon and Captain America all fight against the terrorists, trying their best to save lives. One of the terrorists, who has a bomb strapped to his chest, goes running out into the crowded street. He claims to be an enhanced individual, and indeed he is capable of going toe to toe with Captain America, distracting him long enough to trigger the bomb in a group of people. Pietro comes running in and tosses the man high into the air while Wanda tries to contain the explosion. However an errant gunshot from Falcon accidentally clips her, causing her to lose her focus and allowing the bomb to explode over a nearby hotel, nearly flattening the building. The Avengers, shell-shocked for the moment, begin trying desperately to help with evacuations.
Back in New York, we get a brief scene between Tony Stark and the Fantastic Four. Tony briefly chats with the Four and thanks them for "signing the Protocol," though Sue admits they didn't have much choice. Tony does briefly ask about the signal from the package they sent off world a few months earlier, but Reed says he hasn't heard anything yet. As Tony is leaving the Baxter Building, now known as Four Freedoms Plaza, he gets a call from Thunderbolt Ross, who tells him there's a situation in Egypt, and they need him to bring the team back in together to finally sign the Protocol, whatever that may be. Elsewhere, Bucky is trying to purchase some fruit from a marketplace, but gets the sense that he is being followed. He runs out of the market, trying to lose whoever it is, but finally convinces himself it is just an overactive imagination. However, as he walks onto a bus, we do see a man take interest in him from afar.
Back at the Avengers compound, Sam, Pietro and Steve are consoling Wanda after the events in Alexandria, which caused the death of several Wakandan goodwill ambassadors. They say it is as much their fault as it is anyone else's. Vision walks into the conversation, saying that Tony Stark has arrived with an urgent meeting, and he's brought Thunderbolt Ross with him. At the sitdown meeting, Stark explains that the Avengers organization has been an independent one since its inception, and that even the tenuous connections to SHIELD has been severed or ignored in recent events. Therefore, the "Avengers Protocol" is being enacted by the United Nations, along with a registration effort to document all enhanced individuals and their known whereabouts. Rogers immediately suspects that this is Ross' doing, to maybe find Banner or something, but Ross says he is just following orders after sharing a quick look with Stark. Ross then reveals that a meeting in Vienna will take place in three days, to make the Protocols official. If they sign, they can remain with the organization. If they don't, they will be "retired." The team begins debating the merits of registration and working directly under the umbrella of SHIELD, with Rogers, Falcon, Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch disagreeing with the Protocol, and Iron Man, Black Widow, War Machine, Wonder Man and Vision agreeing with it. Amidst the discussion, Steve gets a text message saying simply "She's Gone." Cap immediately leaves, traveling to London, to attend the funeral of Peggy Carter with Sam, where he also finds out that Sharon, who had once shadowed him as a SHIELD agent, was in fact Peggy's niece. We also learn that, despite not signing the accords, the Maximoffs have decided to remain in the Avengers compound for the time being while they weigh their options.
Back in Budapest, Bucky is ambushed by several paid mercenaries, and then approached by a man who claims to be an old friend of Baron von Strucker, a Baron himself no less. He pulls out a book and begins reading words in Russian, as Bucky tries to fight against the Vibranium restraints that the mercenaries have placed on him. By the time the man finishes, Bucky is subdued and claims "Ready to receive orders." The man simply says, the target is Vienna. In Vienna, we meet King T'Chaka of Wakanda and his son, Prince T'Challa. The two share a moment as Black Widow, the only Avenger present though many others had signed the accords, comes over and introduces herself, apologizing on behalf of the Avengers organization. The two thank her, but express their disappointment that Captain Rogers has decided to "retire" instead of agreeing to the Protocols laid out. As T'Chaka gives a speech addressing the delegates, T'Challa notices a helicopter flying in the distance, with the side suddenly opening. He rushes to stop his father, but a bullet is fired from far away, killing T'Chaka with a shot straight through the head. In the pandemonium, a hidden bomb goes off across the street, sending the conference into further chaos. Through the smoke and debris, Widow notices that the man who shot T'Chaka was in fact the Winter Soldier.
At the Avengers facility, Pietro and Wanda learn of the attack and immediately move to help. However they are intercepted by Vision and a group of SHIELD agents, who inform them that, for the time being, it's best if they remain where they are. In London, Sharon and Cap share a moment together, before they find out about the bombing and who is behind it. Steve is contacted by Widow, who tells him to stay out of it for now, but Steve says he can't do that. In Vienna, T'Challa comes to grips with his father's death and departs, approaching a woman he calls Okoye. She calls him My King, but he responds he is not king yet, but there is an identity he needs to adopt now. Out of sight from the rest of the group, he pushes a bead on his bracelet and a ship decloaks. Inside, he approaches the mantle of the Black Panther. Steve receives information from Sharon concerning the possible whereabouts of Bucky Barnes, and travels to Budapest with Falcon to find him. Meanwhile, Tony assembles a team consisting of War Machine, Wonder Man and Black Widow, acting on the same information.
In Budapest, Steve and Sam find Bucky first. Bucky claims to have no memory of what had happened for the last 36 hours, a side effect of his brainwashing. Steve says he needs to turn himself in, but Bucky asks what they will do to him if he does, which Steve cannot answer. At that moment, the Black Panther attacks, driving Bucky and Cap out of the small apartment they occupy. Panther and Bucky fight for a period of time, with Falcon and Captain America being relegated to the sidelines, until War Machine and Wonder Man show up. Bucky makes a break for it as the heroes are distracted, with Black Panther chasing after him immediately. Falcon and Cap chase as well, leading to a long sequence car chase along a busy highway, that eventually ends with Black Widow cornering Bucky with her own motorcycle and Hungarian police interjecting themselves. Bucky, Cap and Falcon are taken into custody, as the Black Panther manages to slink away undetected from the battle to fight again.
At the American embassy in Budapest, Tony meets with Cap and they hash out some differences over the Protocols. Steve starts to come around, until Tony lets up about what is going on with Pietro and Wanda. This only strengthens Steve's resolve, and he again refuses to sign, forcing Tony to tell him he will be placed under arrest then. Meanwhile, the mysterious man from before sneaks into the special holding cell where they are holding Bucky. Mercenaries attack the embassy suddenly though are quickly subdued by the gathered heroes, but he once again uses the Russian code-words to activate Bucky's brainwashing, and asks for a mission report from December 1991, before setting Bucky free. Tony and Widow attempt to stop Bucky, but he evades capture, only for Black Panther to once again appear and try to kill him. Steve intercedes and stops the killing, but Bucky manages to escape. Falcon grabs his wingsuit and Cap's shield and the two make a break for it themselves, leaving Tony with nothing to show for their efforts. He confronts Black Panther, who removes his mask to reveal T'Challa underneath, saying that they will find Barnes.
Steve and Sam manage to find Bucky first, though, and once again he has returned to himself. Bucky explains that he was kept in a cold storage facility in Siberia most of the time, and that at the end of the Cold War, HYDRA attempted to create more of him out of some ex-KGB operatives. Cap and Falcon want to go after these other Winter Soldiers, but Bucky is reticent, wanting to turn himself in for what he had done so he can't hurt anyone else. Steve manages to convince him it wasn't his fault. They say they need help, but without a team they won't be able to take down these Soldiers. Steve says to let him handle that, and he proceeds to call Nick Fury. Meanwhile back in New York at the Avengers facility, Pietro and Wanda sneak off, though are intercepted by Vision. A brief scuffle erupts, but eventually the Maximoffs escape from their imposed prison. In Budapest, Tony and Widow weigh their options. They already have Simon and Rhodes at their disposal, and T'Challa says he'll help, but he promises to kill Bucky, not capture him. Natasha asks about the Fantastic Four, but Tony remarks they're busy with some Doom guy. She also asks about Hulk, and he doesn't say anything. Finally, Tony says he knows a guy...or at least a kid. He needs a quick flight back to New York.
In Queens, we see 15-year-old Peter Parker entering the small apartment he shares with his Aunt May. Peter ignores the other person in the room for a moment, before realizing that it is in fact Tony Stark. Stark sweet talks his aunt and asks for ten minutes alone with Peter, saying he needs to talk to him about an internship program that Peter had applied for. When they are alone, Tony confronts Peter with the fact that he has been using his powers to help people around Queens, calling him the "Human Spider" which Peter corrects to Spider-Man. Impressed both by Peter's technical savvy and willingness to help others. Peter also tells him briefly about the death of Uncle Ben, which triggers a memory in Tony about his last conversation with his parents just before they were killed. Shaking from his daydream, Tony talks Peter into coming to Budapest, all expenses paid of course. In Budapest, we see the man from before boarding a plane to Moscow. At the airport the next morning, Cap, Falcon and Bucky arrive to try and find a way into Siberia. They are greeted by Nick Fury, who says that any chance to take the piss out of the asshole who stole his job is good enough reason to be involved. Nick brings in Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch, having escaped the Avengers Facility. He also brings in Hawkeye and Ant-Man, as we saw in the end of credits scene from that film. Suddenly an alert sounds and Cap quickly deduces they've been detected.
On the tarmac, Cap walks alone, before being confronted by Tony, War Machine, Wonder Man, Black Panther and Black Widow. They all demand to know where Barnes is, and try to reason with Rogers. Cap tries to explain their situation, but they are quickly at an impasse. Suddenly Spider-Man enters the fray, webbing up Captain America, only to be knocked off his perch by Quicksilver and an enlarging Ant-Man. Falcon and Bucky are stopped from getting to a nearby Quinjet by Vision, and a fight breaks out between the two teams. Throughout the sequence, we see both teams are evenly matched, and eventually Cap and Bucky manage to break away from the main group when Ant-Man turns into Giant Man, distracting the other team. All of Cap's team is eventually captured, including Ant-Man who is brought down by ingenuity from Spider-Man (though Spidey takes a hard fall in the process.) Quicksilver is taken out by Wonder Man, whose ionic blasts cause increased friction on the ground Pietro is running on and causes severe burns to his legs. Wanda is taken out by a sonic blast from War Machine. Vision then comforts her and shows compassion for her plight, even admitting that he had predicted this outcome when they had tried to leave earlier. Hawkeye is captured by Black Panther and knocked out, before T'Challa takes off after Cap and Bucky. Eventually, Cap and Bucky make it to the Quinjet, only to be intercepted by Black Widow. Widow switches sides and delays T'Challa long enough to allow Steve and Bucky to board the Quinjet and escape. War Machine takes after them, only to be chased down by Falcon. Tony tells Vision to take out Sam's wingpack, but an errant shot takes out War Machine instead, causing him to plummet from the sky. As Tony cradles his friend, he blasts Falcon, watching as Cap and Bucky escape.
With Rhodey incapacitated and Cap's team of Avengers in custody, Tony consults with Natasha about everything that had happened. He warns her that Ross will come for her next, due to her actions involving Cap, but she simply says she did it for the right reasons...something Tony should know all about. He asks her what she means, and she reveals she knows what he did with Bruce, leaving Tony speechless. He then gets a call from T'Challa, who asks him to join him on a flight to a SHIELD prison called the Raft. En route, they discover that the psychologist who had entered the embassy in Budapest is actually Helmut Zemo, a former Sokovian intelligence officer and possible associate with HYDRA. Armed with this information, they both enter the Raft and speak with Cap's team, who taunt Stark for his initiation of the Protocol in the first place. After conversing with Falcon, though, they find out where Cap and Bucky are headed, agreeing not to reveal the information to Ross. T'Challa tells Sam he will not kill Bucky, though privately to Stark he says he will not be held accountable for his actions.
In Siberia, Cap and Bucky enter the facility where the Winter Soldier had been kept, triggering some difficult memories for Bucky. Before long they are confronted by Iron Man and Black Panther. On edge with T'Challa present, Bucky initially wants to run, but Iron Man convinces him to stay. They enter a large room with five cryogenic tubes open, though the individuals inside have already been killed. They then see Helmut Zemo behind a barrier of bulletproof glass. Cap asks what this is about, and Zemo replies that it is about revenge. Not for HYDRA or anything like that, but for his own family, who were killed in the Battle of Sokovia. He shows a clip of footage from the beginning of the film, the backroad where Bucky had killed two people before. The clip reveals that the two people he killed were Howard and Maria Stark.
Tony is incensed at the revelation, and asks Steve if he knew. Cap says he wasn't 100% sure, but he suspected it. In lieu of this, Tony goes after Bucky, trying to kill him. Panther goes after Zemo when Zemo slinks away, leaving Stark to fight Bucky and Cap by himself. Eventually, the brutal brawl is won by Captain America, though not without sustaining heavy damage to himself and getting Bucky's mechanical arm ripped off by Tony. As Cap and Bucky leave, Cap leaves his shield behind, walking away from his identity. Outside, Zemo explains more about how his family died and how he arranged the whole thing to tear apart the Avengers, though he doesn't take credit for the Winter Soldier killing everyone in Vienna, he merely took advantage of that situation. Before T'Challa can ask him anything more, Zemo tries to shoot himself. T'Challa prevents him from killing himself, and watches silently as Bucky and Cap take off for parts unknown.
In the denouement, we see Tony trying to help Rhodey learn to walk again, Spider-Man playing around with his new suit in his apartment, and Widow blending into a crowd in London. Finally we get narration of Steve to Tony in a letter he wrote, just as Tony gets a call from Thunderbolt Ross about a breakout at the Raft. We see Steve breaking out his team, saying that the Avengers will always be there, even if they operate in Secret.
Post-Credits Scenes[]
[We cut to a laboratory in Wakanda, where several scientists are walking around the Winter Soldier, as he prepares for cryogenic stasis. He reflexively touches where his missing arm would be as Steve walks in to the room.]
Rogers: You sure this is what you want, Buck? We can try and figure...
Bucky: Steve...it's for the best. I can't trust myself being out there while I've still got all this crap up in my head. So until they can undo whatever it is HYDRA did, this is the only way.
[Steve nods and slaps Bucky on the back. We cut to Bucky being placed in the cryogenic chamber, and then being frozen in place as Steve looks on. Cut to Steve looking out the window into the rainy skies, as T'Challa slowly approaches from behind.]
Rogers: Thank you for all this. I know you didn't have to do this.
T'Challa: Yes...I did. In the end, your friend was as much a victim as my father was. He did not ask for this, and he could not control himself. If by helping him I can bring him peace and redemption, than I will have served my father well.
Rogers: What about Ross? You know what will happen if they find out he's here.
T'Challa: [laughing] Let them try to take him.
[We pan out of the lab and see a futuristic city hidden by the rainy mists. We get a close up shot of a large panther statue, carved out of Vibranium, before we cut to black.]
/ = / = / = /
[Inside the RAFT prison, we see several guards knocked out along a long hallway. Several other army troops, mostly Asian, run down the hallway and head towards a cellblock. In the distance we can hear gunfire and men yelling in Chinese, as this appears to be a different break in from the one Cap had started before. A man in a green robe slowly floats down the hallway behind his troops, his face cloaked in darkness. He enters the cellblock and approaches one cell in particular.]
Mandarin: Open it!
[The cell door opens and the man walks in, seeing former industrialist turned inmate Justin Hammer cowering in the corner.]
Mandarin: Stand up you sniveling worm. After all, this whole thing is for you.
Hammer: F-for me? W-W-Why would you do that?
Mandarin: Simple, I need a man of your supposed talents for a project of mine. You help me, I set you free. It seems a simple enough bargain Mr. Hammer.
Hammer: Maybe...who are you?
[The camera pans around and we see an English man with braided black hair appear from behind the cloak, Ten Rings adorning his spindly fingers.]
Mandarin: Let's just say that I am a lesson in humility for Mr. Stark and his friends. A lesson that I assure you...is long overdue.
[Hammer starts to smile staring at the Mandarin, as we cut to black.]
Summary of Changes[]
- The film has a bit more in the beginning, as there is a scene showing the Winter Soldier in Budapest, trying to blend in with normal society. The flashback to the mission in 1991 is thus framed as a dream sequence for Bucky.
- The opening scene involves a nameless terrorist group instead of Rumlow/Crossbones and takes place in a mall in Alexandria, as opposed to a marketplace in Nigeria. Wanda's attempt to contain the explosion is also caused by an errant shot from Falcon in the chaos of battle.
- Instead of a scene with Stark presenting BARF technology at MIT, we get a brief scene of him with Reed Richards and the Fantastic Four, which also contains a reference to the ending of Incredible Hulk 2 and foreshadowing to World War Hulk.
- The Avengers Protocol places the Avengers directly under the control of SHIELD, which is still intact in this timeline (as opposed to the UN in the mainline MCU). There is also mention of a superhero registry, though little is explained about it.
- Due to being added in this continuity and surviving, both Quicksilver and Wonder Man have small roles in this film with their respective teams. Forest Whitaker also takes on the role of T'Chaka, as opposed to the role of Zuri he would take in the mainline MCU.
- Zemo brainwashes Bucky twice in the film (though he only admits to doing it once, which is long-term foreshadowing). Rather than framing Bucky for the deaths at the conference in Vienna, Bucky actually commits the murders, but under the influence of the HYDRA programming.
- Sharon Carter has a much reduced role in the film, and Everett Ross never appears. Many of Ross' scenes are instead given to Thunderbolt Ross, with Carter only appearing at Peggy's funeral and the immediate aftermath.
- We see a bit more of Wakandan technology, without it being fully explained. Okoye also makes a brief appearance in the film. Black Panther also escapes the initial fight with Bucky, instead of being taken in by Stark and the Avengers. He only unmasks after Bucky makes his second escape.
- Nick Fury actively aids Captain America's side, mostly to get back at Thunderbolt Ross for taking his job.
- Peter gives more of an explanation of his origin in this film, telling the story of Uncle Ben's death, which triggers a flashback for Tony to his own father's death.
- Natasha admits to knowing what Tony did to the Hulk, but doesn't say anything to everyone else. At the end of the film, she is seen hiding in plain sight, as Bucky had been at the beginning.
- Black Panther and Tony travel on the flight to the Raft together, and also depart together, upon learning about Zemo's plan.
- Captain America was not 100% certain of the cause of Howard Stark's death, but does admit he suspected it based on what he had learned from Red Skull in Winter Soldier.
- The scene with Peter messing with his new suit is truncated and placed at the ending montage, while Stark is reading Cap's letter. That letter also explicitly makes reference to the Secret Avengers group that Cap sets up with the people he breaks out of the Raft.
- There is a new post-credits scene, which sets up Iron Man 4 and the Mandarin, reintroducing Justin Hammer from Iron Man 2 into the MCU.
Cast List[]
- Chris Evans as Steve Rogers/Captain America- A WW2 veteran enhanced beyond peak human condition by an experimental serum who is also the leader of the Avengers organization.
- Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark/Iron Man- A billionaire genius who fights threats to the world by way of armored suits of his own design. Is the architect and lead proponent of the "Avengers Protocol."
- Sebastian Stan as James "Bucky" Barnes/Winter Soldier- A formerly brainwashed HYDRA assassin and best friend to Captain America.
- Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson/Falcon- A former paratrooper who is trained in operation of a combat flight suit.
- Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow- A former mercenary and SHIELD agent turned member of the Avengers organization.
- Chadwick Boseman as Prince T'Challa/Black Panther- The Crown Prince of the Nation of Wakanda, who fights in a Vibranium laced suit with superhuman abilities granted to him by a Heart-Shaped Herb.
- Don Cheadle as James Rhodes/War Machine- A former Air Force Colonel turned member of the Avengers who fights in an armored suit similar to Iron Man.
- Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch- An enhanced human with powerful telekinetic abilities as well as mind manipulation.
- Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Pietro Maximoff/Quicksilver- An enhanced human who can move at super speed. Twin brother to Wanda Maximoff.
- Paul Bettany as The Vision- An artificially created lifeform who is in possession of the Mind Stone and can alter is mass and tangibility at will.
- Paul Rudd as Scott Lang/Ant-Man- A former criminal and security expert who has the ability to alter his size via a revolutionary device called the Pym Particle.
- Tom Holland as Peter Parker/Spider-Man- A high schooler who, after being bitten by a radioactive spider, gains spider-like abilities and fights crime locally in Queens New York.
- Nathan Fillion as Simon Williams/Wonder Man- A former industrialist who can control ambient ionic energy and transmute his body into said energy.
- Jeremy Renner as Clint Barton/Hawkeye- A former SHIELD agent who retired from the Avengers after Age of Ultron, who is also a master marksman and archer.
- Daniel Bruhl as Helmut Zemo- A former Intelligence officer with HYDRA who sets the events of Civil War into motion for unknown reasons.
In addition, Matt Bomer, Katheryn Winnick, Dean Norris and Logan Lerman make cameo appearances as the Fantastic Four. William Hurt reprises his role as Thunderbolt Ross in the early portions of the film. Emily Vancamp and Hayley Atwell also reprise their roles as Sharon and Peggy Carter respectively, though the latter only appears in a picture. Marisa Tomei plays May Parker, the Aunt of Peter Parker. Though he doesn't appear in the film, a picture of Peter Gallagher as Uncle Ben can be seen in the Parker residence. Frank Grillo was initially set to cameo as Brock Rumlow, but his role was cut from the final film. John Slattery reprises his role as Howard Stark in a flashback scene, with Hope Davis playing Tony's mother Maria Stark. Danai Gurira plays Okoye, a member of T'Challa's security detail, the Dora Milaje, while Forest Whitaker plays T'Chaka, the father of T'Challa. Sam Rockwell reprises his role as Justin Hammer in a post-credits scene, and Ben Kingsley debuts as the Mandarin in the same. Stan Lee cameos as a Fed-Ex delivery driver near the end of the film.
Reception[]
Critical Reception[]
The film received nearly universal praise upon its release, with the review aggregate site Rotten Tomatoes scoring the film at 91% with an average rating of 7.7/10 based on 363 reviews. The site's critical consensus reads, "Captain America: Civil War begins the next wave of Marvel movies with an action-packed superhero blockbuster boasting a decidedly non-cartoonish plot and the courage to explore thought-provoking themes." Critics praised the directorial prowess of the Russo brothers, noting their improvement since Winter Soldier at handling a complex story. The performances of Downey and Evans were also noted, as well as the "strong" debuts of Tom Holland as Spider-Man and Chadwick Boseman as Black Panther. A few criticisms were leveled at the lackluster villain, a growing theme within films of the MCU.
Box Office Reception[]
The film was the highest grossing film of 2016, earning over a billion dollars worldwide. Domestically, the film earned $408.1 Million dollars, which placed it at number three for the year behind Rogue One and Finding Dory (both of which, incidentally, were also released by Walt Disney Pictures.)