Lita

As the post says, it was not just about Bucky. Not at all. The initial divide was caused by the Sokovia Accords and the differing stances they had. And you know what? They both had valid arguments.

Speaking SPECIFICALLY on the Accords (NOT the UN bombing, Zemo, Bucky’s framing, Bucky’s capture, etc). There’s both validity in the idea that a group as powerful as the Avengers should have more parameters and oversight. The proposal was a form of checks and balances. They also absolutely SHOULD be wary of the organization that is trying to control them. The events of The Winter Soldier (you know, where they found out one of their largest intelligence agencies was actually filled with a group that started as a Nazi rogue science division and said group was fully prepared to execute millions on the ASSUMPTION that they were a threat) were only two years before. This entire decision was going to be nuanced and complicated and messy. At this point, there was disagreement and tension. Steve was not planning to straight up fight the Accords, just not sign them. Would he just have accepted “retirement”? Who knows. Probably not, but we don’t even get there.

I think it’s also important to note that this is based on the comic storyline about the Superhero Registration Act. When we look at forcing a specific group of people who is already “othered” to be registered on a list, it is impossible to not consider the implications of that. Steve’s origins are in World War II. Ya know, when a fascist first started having the groups of people he was after registered and clearly marked before he started eradicating them.

Steve is then immediately thrown into MOURNING. Immediately after a poorly-ending mission has him down, the Sokovia Accords get shoved into his face, and he realizes there’s now a big rift in his team, he finds out that Peggy has passed. Honestly, do any of us make fully rational and unemotional decisions while in the full throes of grief? Regardless of what you think of Peggy and Steve as a relationship, Peggy (and Bucky) represents Steve’s tie to the past. She’s his life before the twenty-first century and even before the serum. He’s not just mourning a lost love, he’s mourning the life that he lost in 1945 (see Avengers deleted scene if you don’t believe me.) My thoughts on Peggy are below the cut. I think they’re relevant, but it is a whole side topic, and I am currently just speaking on Civil War.

Now IMMEDIATELY after attending Peggy’s funeral, Steve sees the bombing of the UN. He knows his friends are there. And it’s broadcast as the suspect being Bucky. ALL of this stress would throw the most sane person into a tailspin, don’t you think?

So fast-forwarding the action and everything to do with Bucky and that fight and getting back to the civil war aspect of this movie, we get to Berlin. Now the problem here is not simply Steve aiding a fugitive. The problem is that the events were not Accords sanctioned. None of the team on the Iron Man side is CURRENTLY arguing against Bucky. Tony is even proposing that if Steve signs and they make everything legitimate that they can get Bucky into a better situation than just imprisonment. (Also, note, Steve JUST NEARLY agrees to sign at this notion!). So we’re back to the original divide (pro/anti-Accords) but now with the complication of action. This is just more intensified because Bucky is now involved.

Steve realizes very quickly that something is not right. This event was targeted and specifically for someone to get to Bucky. He does not have time to take this to the team, let alone a UN panel. (Which I’m sure also drives his stance on the Accords). So he acts to save Bucky.

Now coming around to the airport fight scene. Steve, Sam, and Bucky fully believe that this doctor (who they don’t not know is Zemo) is after the other winter soldiers. They come up with their plan to go after him. they are also well-aware that this is also not going to be Accords sanctioned. Which means they will also be going against their own friends and teammates. They need backup. Which is how they drag in Scott, Clint, and Wanda. And like with everything to do with Steve Rogers, if he believes something is right, no way in hell is he going to stand down. (Source: "Compromise where you can. Where you can't, don't. Even if the whole world is telling you that something wrong is something right. Even if the whole world is telling you to move, it is your duty to plant yourself like a tree, look them in the eye, and say, 'No, you move.'" In Civil War this is said by Sharon Carter in Peggy’s eulogy. As she does in TFA and TWS, it speaks to what Steve needs at this point to further motivate his defining actions. This quote is also adapted from something Cap says in the comics. “When the mob and the press and the whole world tell you to move, your job is to plant yourself like a tree beside the river of truth, and tell the whole world, ‘No, you move.’” There is a bit more than that that is worth reading, but I pulled the part that clearly inspired the quote used in the film.)

Now let’s take a moment to look the perspective of team Iron Man. They’ve signed the Accords and agreed to oversight and a guidelines. They are trying to maintain that. They do not have the information that team Cap does regarding Bucky being framed, the doctor, the other winter soldiers, etc. To them, Steve’s gone off the deep end for his best friend from the 1940s. So now it’ s not just a disagreement, the opposition is directly violating the Sokovia Accords (which you might be thinking, obviously, they didn’t sign. But we’re looking at Team Iron Man’s perspective right now and they, at this point, are trying to do damage control and are unaware that they do not have all of the variables). Thus, a battle ensues.

Catastrophe. You don’t need me to analyze the fight here. I can, but that’s not what we’re talking about. We’re talking about the depth and nuance of CA:CW.

Moving along, we have Steve and Bucky getting to Siberia, fully under the impression that “the doctor” is planning to wake the other winter soldiers and wreak havoc on the world. Tony, finds out about Zemo. He realizes that Cap was right. Maybe not to the full extent, but he realizes there was a lot more at play here. So Tony, determined to help his FRIEND, violates the Accords that he just fought to defend. This is much less notable coming from someone like Tony, who is fickle and far more morally gray, but can’t be dismissed as completely insignificant.

And now we have Steve, Bucky, and Tony all in Siberia to meet Zemo. Zemo has other plans. His plans all along had to do with tearing the Avengers apart. (Don’t even get me started on Zemo) He is fully aware that revealing the truth about Tony’s parents will further drive the wedge that’s already there from the Accords.

Tony reacts. Tony is still processing. In Tony’s mind, he has been betrayed by a friend. The problem is not that Bucky (under all the HYDRA brainwashing) murdered his parents. The problem is that Steve, his friend and teammate, withheld this information from him. Did that warrant the level of crashout that was Tony going for blood with both of them? No probably not. But also let’s consider a few things when it comes to Tony. 1. He’s not known for being rational. 2. He is well aware that these two are highly-skilled super soldiers and probably well aware that he cannot easily kill them. 3. It’s been a long few days. This isn’t an argument for reasonable, but an argument for understandable.

So now let’s talk about this progression. Our initial conflict is a disagreement over the Accords themselves. This leads to further conflict when other events lead to the opposing side directly violating said Accords and the supporting side trying to uphold their end of the bargain. Now we have a secondary conflict, that is actually unrelated to our initial conflict, of Tony feeling betrayed by Steve.

Steve chooses Bucky. OBVIOUSLY. MCU Bucky is the absolute biggest driving force behind Steve Rogers. MCU Cap DOES NOT EXIST without Bucky. Steve drops everything for this man. REGARDLESS of if you ship Stucky, if you deny that Steve’s world revolves around Bucky Barnes, we are not watching the same movies. And that is a whole other essay.

Let’s talk about Steve and Tony though. We’ve all seen the meme about the obvious choice between your best friend of decades and that one coworker. Haha, funny. But this is another argument that really dismisses a much deeper and more nuanced relationship. We get so wrapped up in what we see on screen, that we forget that in this world there’s a lot that we DON’T see. And information is given to us in little details. Yes, we see a TON of fighting and bickering between Steve and Tony. But we also see them very deeply trust each other and have each others backs in every other situation. Age of Ultron fully implies that the Avengers have been working together for a while. In the end when Tony is getting ready to leave, Steve tells him he will miss him. Also, bickering and name-calling do not mean that they don’t actually get along regularly. Look at the relationship between Tony and Rhodey. Steve and Tony have a much deeper and more complicated relationship than “that one coworker.” They are FRIENDS. I will die on this hill.

This brings me to my other point about Tony and his reaction. Tony gets the childish view of Steve picking between two of his friends. But really, Tony doesn’t understand the depth of relationship that Steve and Bucky have. When we look at Tony’s closest relationships, he’s got Pepper, Rhodey, and Happy. None of them come close to what Steve has with Bucky. But Tony doesn’t see this. He can’t. His perspective on relationships is different. His closest frame of reference would be him sticking his neck out for Rhodey against the rest of the Avengers. Would he do it, hell yeah. Would he start a war over it? Probably not. You can argue that Pepper would be a better example, but that assumes both the romantic implications of Stucky (which yes we do, but I want this argument to stand even if you don’t) AND Tony KNOWING that is how Steve feels about Bucky. Again, Tony does not have all of the variables.

So in conclusion, um yes. Civil War is very gay and very much deeper than it looks.

the ultimate baby whisperer

robby used to be the guy who found purpose in being there for people on the worst days of their lives. he used to find meaning in being the one that helped you say goodbye to your father or your son or your brother.

he used to be the one comforting people in the ambulance bay, telling them to go home, that he can pick up the work load while they recover. they framed that shot the same way they framed the heather/robby confrontation for a reason.

but robby’s not that guy anymore. he doesn’t find fulfillment in this. he doesn’t do this because he likes being there for people, he does this because he feels he has the obligation to.

so when people complain about dennis not having a storyline this season, i don’t find that valid. dennis is showing us the beginning of robby’s story. he’s inserting himself into a family (janey and amy rhyming is so telling), he’s assuming responsibility for a child that isn’t biologically his, he’s falling into a work friendship with a deeply traumatized person (with scars on their leg). dennis’s future is also unfolding before our eyes. the dramatic tension that happens with his character is whether or not he will keep giving these pieces of himself like robby did. the question that dennis (as a dramatic device) poses is was there something that could’ve been done in the beginning to keep robby from becoming this or was it inevitable the whole time?

You can imagine how tempted I was to take that knife and put it in his hand and let him use it to his liking. You can imagine the restraint it took for me not to let my people loose. But where does that leave us? So I will fight this thing rising up in me eager to see more blood spilled today, and I will serve them by minding their future and doing the hard thing that will lead to the outcome desired by all of us.