Or, more significantly, how Captain America was so wrong
My opening statement as read on The Team Newplex Podcast episode 5, the Civil War debate. Check out my full speech below then head over to iTunes (or wherever you get your podcasts) to see how I fared against Team Cap in our first ever podcast debate!
I wanted to begin my opening statement by making a positive case for Iron Man. Is he a good man? Is he a good leader? Does he act in the best interest of others? The answers to these questions, I think, would show that Iron Man is – at heart – a hero.
But although Civil War was framed as Team Cap vs Team Iron Man – with fans able to pick any side they like with equal moral weighting – the real question of Civil War is: Who was right?
So while I could sit here and list off all the qualities I think make Tony Stark a better man that Steve Rogers, and make the positive case for Iron Man that I wanted to, it all becomes a bit redundant because the answer to that question – who was right – is obvious.
Iron Man was right. But, more importantly, Captain America was fundamentally wrong.
So I don’t need to justify Iron Man – I want to – but I don’t need to. Because the answer to the question is screaming out in all of Captain America’s appalling actions and attitudes.
Early in the film, the Avengers – lead by Captain America – are involved in a disaster that costs the lives of innocent bystanders. The world decides that it’s one collateral loss too many (following the terrible events of Sokovia) and – reasonably – demands some checks are put on their power.
The UN agrees on what they believe to be a reasoned treaty whereby some regulation would be placed on the Avenger’s activities – and those of any superhumans.
The Avengers are then faced with two options. Sign the Sokovia Accords and continue to exist as an organisation under UN jurisdiction or, alternatively, disband their now illegal operation.
There’s a reasonable debate to be had on either side, but Iron Man – as chief financier of the Avengers – decided it was better to sign the accords and let the Avengers continue, with the possibility of amending the accords with better terms through proper diplomatic channels later.
Captain America, on the other hand, thinks the Avengers shouldn’t sign the accords. He’s been burnt by oversight before when it was revealed that SHIELD was in fact invested with HYRDA. He can’t stand the thought of answering to anyone but himself, and so he refuses to sign – and encourages others not to do so also. However – and here is where Captain America gets it crucially wrong – he thinks that the Avengers should not sign the accords but also continue to run their organisation as they did before.
It is in this way that Captain America reveals himself as either painfully naïve or dangerously arrogant – with my money on the latter. He’s being told that the Avengers – which are by the events of Civil War a fully functioning private military operating on US soil – are illegal (obviously), but he doesn’t care. He thinks the law doesn’t apply to him and just because he doesn’t like it, he shouldn’t have to listen.
The options before him are sign or disband. That’s it. Iron Man could see this, and he chose to sign. Captain America thinks he can not sign, and also not disband. Everything that follows can be traced to the characteristics he displays in this decision-making process. He is an insubordinate, ignorant, lawless vigilante with an ego the size of a hellicarrier (like one of the ones he chose to drop in the Potomac at a cost to the taxpayer to the tune of several billion dollars).
I don’t need to tell you Iron Man was right to win this debate. I only need to show you that Captain America was wrong – and, unfortunately, this narcissistic, fatuous, egomaniacal child makes that tragically easy.