Home Comics & Toys The Russo bros. explain why Captain America: Civil War had zero hero deaths

The Russo bros. explain why Captain America: Civil War had zero hero deaths

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Civil War (2)

When you’ve got a civil dispute that includes men in iron suits, elite assassins and one pissed off prince in flexible Vibranium, you’d kind of expect to see some lethal action resulting in a death or two. And before Captain America: Civil War even hit the big screen, those rumours were running rampant. After all, this was a film that was loosely based on a comic book series where Steve Rogers bit the big one and found himself gunned down in cold blood as he was on his way to court.

But in Captain America: Civil War, everyone walked away pretty much intact. Well except for Rhodey and most of Cap’s team who found themselves incarcerated but still! That ain’t too bad! But the film almost went very dark very quickly during the early pre-production phase, as directors Anthony and Joe Russo considered offing a hero or two in the third Captain America film. Including the star-spangled Avenger himself.

Speaking to Hitfix via SlashFilm, the Russos and MCU big cheese Kevin Feige gave some answers as to why nobody was killed off in Civil War:

Civil War (1)

Anthony: We never talked about killing Cap in this one, right? No.

Joe: We did for a beat. We talk about everything.

Anthony: I think the thing to remember is, we do talk about every possible scenario over and over and over again for months and months and months. We talked about it. But it never made its way into a realistic outline.

Kevin Feige: Well, the ending was always more about fracturing the team completely before getting into Infinity War.

Joe: We talked about lots of potential characters dying at the end of the movie. And we thought that it would undercut what is really the rich tension of the movie, which is this is Kramer vs Kramer. It’s about a divorce. If somebody dies, it would create empathy, which would change and allow for repair, and we didn’t want to do that.

Kevin Feige: In the amazing comic book story, which certainly the conceit of this movie is based on and some of the specifics — during their big battle, which has a hundred times as many characters, a character dies. And we talked about that for a while. And, ultimately, we thought what happened to Rhodey would be enough of a downer.

Anthony: The tragedy is the family falls apart. Not that the family falls apart and then somebody dies.

And there you have it. It’s the death of the Avengers as a team that the Russos were after, as they dealt that concept of Earth’s mightiest mortals a fatal blow. Also, you don’t just go ahead and kill someone bankable like Chris Evans just like that. C’mon. The Avengers will of course get better, just in time for them to deal with Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War.

But it’s going to be interesting to see the circumstances that force them to team up again. Right after Thor gets back from Australia that is.

Last Updated: September 28, 2016

20 Comments

  1. Oh rubbish. There were no meaningful consequences for anything, it was nice & safe & family friendly. Maybe I watched a different movie? In my one they were still friends at the end & the incarcerated ones were broken out of prison by Cap. So they lost their rooms in the Avengers mansion. OMG MOM YOU’RE SUCH A BITCH!

    Reply

    • Mistake Not...

      September 28, 2016 at 11:17

      Consequences in a Marvel movie? Psshh

      Reply

      • Gr8_Balls_o_Fire

        September 28, 2016 at 12:50

        Yet Man of Steel was too dark. BvS was too serious. Rolling eyes

        Reply

        • Mistake Not...

          September 28, 2016 at 14:27

          Precisely.

          Reply

  2. Original Heretic

    September 28, 2016 at 10:42

    That actually kinda makes some sense. If someone had been killed, it would have created empathy and support for that character.

    Though, that being said, when Giant Man is offed in the comic by the Thor clone, the impact it had on both sides was brilliantly written.

    Marvel played it safe. I hope they aren’t afraid to kill a few heroes off in later movies.

    Reply

    • Alien Emperor Trevor

      September 28, 2016 at 10:53

      I’ll be rather disappointed if a couple of heroes don’t die in Infinity War. And not just a sidekicks, at least one major “I have my own solo movies” one.

      Reply

      • Original Heretic

        September 28, 2016 at 11:00

        And hopefully it’s all violent and brutal. Like, Thanos influences the Hulk with the power of the mind gem, makes him rage out and attack Iron Man. And rips him in two and the crushes his head.

        Reply

        • Alien Emperor Trevor

          September 28, 2016 at 11:13

          lol – I wouldn’t go that far.

          Reply

          • Original Heretic

            September 28, 2016 at 11:15

            Cap America decapitated by his own shield?

          • Alien Emperor Trevor

            September 28, 2016 at 11:22

            Decap America! 😀

          • Original Heretic

            September 28, 2016 at 11:37

            Then he’s really be a game character. De-Cap-Attack!

        • The Order of the Banana

          September 28, 2016 at 12:14

          Dear heavens!

          Reply

      • Dungeon of JJ

        September 28, 2016 at 11:25

        Except Cap! 😛

        Reply

        • Alien Emperor Trevor

          September 28, 2016 at 11:35

          Why not? You’ve already got Falcon Cap & Winter Soldier Cap waiting for the shield. 😛

          Reply

          • Dungeon of JJ

            September 28, 2016 at 12:14

            noooo

  3. HvR

    September 28, 2016 at 11:18

    BS, they didn’t do it because it will make it harder making another standalone for said character. That is not without going to that magical place called Tahiti *vomits*

    “So we kill the Cap”
    “Are you nutting fucks, you do shoot the golden goose”

    Reply

    • BakedBagel

      September 28, 2016 at 11:20

      Isint he a nazi now?

      Reply

      • Snowlock2.0

        September 28, 2016 at 12:35

        bet you did nazi that coming.

        Reply

  4. The Order of the Banana

    September 28, 2016 at 12:13

    It was a lovely movie. My mother enjoyed it too. No need to kill Cap! Don’t be that movie!

    Reply

  5. Snowlock2.0

    September 28, 2016 at 12:38

    Movie was about a bunch of children throwing temper tantrums and then the villain’s evil ending was so anti climactic, I wondered if I could get my money back.

    Reply

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