“The film definitely has a more serious tone I think than any other Marvel [Studios] movie yet” – director Anthony Russo on Captain America: Civil War.
[dropcap size=small]T[/dropcap]he majority of Marvel films thus far have been filled with action, comedy and a tad bit romance here and there. Kevin Feigi, the president of Marvel Studios, even said that the “Marvel Cinematic Universe will never be dark”. However, Captain America: Civil War is a film that is going to pit fan favorites against one another and because of this the film has to be dark. Thankfully, it seems that everyone’s favorite web-slinger and Ant-Man are going to provide some comedic relief.
It was at the Comic-Con Experience in San Paulo, Brazil that director Anthony Russo sat down to talk about more details regarding Captain America: Civil War and what fans can expect from the film. The Russo brothers did a fantastic job with Captain America: The Winter Soldier and what they’re doing in this film is going to lay the ground work for the rest of what is to come in Marvel’s Phase Three plan.
“The film definitely has a more serious tone I think than any other Marvel [Studios] movie yet and that’s kind of natural to the process because you’re really gonna turn these heroes, who have been friends and partners, against one another. And if we’re gonna have them fight for a whole movie to the end, there has to be a serious issue because these are smart people, they’re likeable people; they’re not villains, they’re good guys. And so you have to think very hard about a very complex situation that’s gonna put them in conflict with one another for an entire movie.”
If you were thinking that Captain America: Civil War was going to be filled with bad ass fight scenes, sweet CGI moments and hilarious one liners from Tony Stark you are most certainly correct. That being said, this is a huge moment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe story line and not everyone is going to come out at the end of this film alive or the same as they were before. The majority of the characters in the film are fighting for something they believe in, to the point where some characters will do things they never thought they would. Don’t worry though, the whole film isn’t going to tear your heart to pieces. Spider-Man and Ant-Man are going to be there to give you some great laughs in between moments of sadness and tension, just don’t expect them to appear right away.
“At the same time, not all the characters in the movie have the same investment in the conflict. There are certain characters that come into the story a little later who don’t have the same baggage that the Avengers have in terms of what’s going on in the film. So they don’t have as much darkness to deal with in the film, so they can be a little lighter and more fun. I think the movie has a healthy balance between very serious, interesting and very surprising storytelling, and sort of light, fun wits and humor.”
There is one essential character who will be adding a serious tone to Captain America: Civil War and that character is the Black Panther. The Black Panther seems to be working for neither side of the civil war, but rather for what ever side suits his needs best.
“Black Panther is, first of all, an amazing character. We couldn’t be more excited to bring him to the screen for the first time. He’s very central to the story. He comes into the story pretty early, but what’s great about Black Panther in this film is all the other characters break down into two sides – Captain America’s side and Iron Man’s side. Black Panther never quite chooses a side, he’s sort of on his own side for the whole movie which makes him very cool in this storytelling.”
Keeping an evenly distributed amount of screen time for all of the characters in Captain America: Civil War can be a very difficult task to do. Sure, the movie centers around Captain America and his battle against Tony Stark but you still have to give the fan favorites their own moments of glory. Luckily, the Russo brothers seem to have balanced everything out for us.
“They’re all amazing characters, we and the fans love all these characters. They’re played by amazing actors, so as filmmakers and storytellers, we have to give all those characters their due. You have to come to this movie; you’ve got your favorite characters. You want to see them do something amazing, have fun with them, be surprised by them. Our job as storytellers to figure out how to give you that experience. Some people have more prominent roles than others in the movie; Captain America has the most prominent role. Iron Man is the next most prominent role because he has that primary point of view that’s pushing against Captain America in the film. And then the other characters kind of fill in around them, but I think all of them have great moments. So, whoever you love, hopefully you’ll leave the movie happy.”
Comic book fans may have remembered that a romance unfolds between two members of the Avengers, one living and breathing A.I. and one mysterious woman with witch-like powers. When this matter was brought up to Anthony Russo he only commented by saying, “They both have strong stories that will cross at some point in Civil War.” That really doesn’t give us much info on that subject but one thing is certain, Captain America Civil War is shaping up to be one of the best Marvel movies yet.
Captain America: Civil War hits theaters on May 6th, 2016.
