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5 Reasons Why I'm Team Cap — and you should be, too


Spoiler Warning! Some references to the Civil War comic books are ahead; however, the movie version may be different.

Captain America: Civil War is soon to be released (May 6), and we are being asked to choose a side - Team Cap or Team Stark.

Like many arguments of our time, this one involves politics... to be precise, superhero politics. Apparently, the government wasn’t too happy about all the superhero battles demolishing cities, and now want super folk to register with the government. This decision causes a big rift in the Avengers, creating a civil war.

Ignoring all the legislation minutia, here are 5 reasons why you should be on Team Cap over Team Stark.

  1. Captain America IS America

    Cap knows the difference between right and wrong, and follows them regardless of the law. In this way he is a vigil-ante as much as a superhero. He knows that freedom comes at a cost, and he is willing to pay the ultimate price in order to ensure that what he believes is just and right is upheld... doesn’t matter what politicians, the press, or anyone else says. In this sense, he is incorruptible. If he takes a stance on something, it's a good bet that he's on the right side of freedom and justice.

  2. Tony is often his own worst enemy – And other things

    Tony Stark has his moments as a superhero who saves the day, but time and time again he creates more problems than he solves. In the Cinematic Universe we saw him arrogantly try and create a new AI and instead create Ultron, who could have destroyed most of humanity. He displays similar behavior in the comic books, when he takes rash actions, simply because it is the expedient thing to do.

    In the comic books, Tony’s true villain is his own alcohol addiction, which was significantly dulled down in the movies to make for a less dark and depressing story. In the comics, his drinking resulted in many bad decisions and outcomes, much worse than many of the villains in his story arcs.

    Looking beyond Tony’s self-created problems, his moral compass is not geared toward what is right and wrong, but what is the greater good. Tony has no problem sacrificing a few, or even destroying a few, to save many.

  3. Captain America is Worthy

    Remember that scene in Age of Ultron where everyone tries to lift Thor's Hammer (Mjölnir), but everyone fails. Well that’s because they're not worthy (except for Vision)... Until you rewind, and notice that Cap actually wiggles Mjölnir. That little wobble doesn’t mean Cap is partially worthy, that’s not how Mjölnir works. You are either worthy or you aren’t, and the Hammer will either move or stand completely still. So why didn’t Cap completely lift Thor's Hammer? That’s a story for another day.

    Iron Man – Not Worthy

    click to enlarge
  4. Cap is a True Patriot

    Cap knows the difference between a just order and an unjust order. In the movie, he may be portrayed as someone who betrays the law and his friends, but that’s just because Cap refuses to act against the values of his conscious and moral compass, which are the guiding principles of his behavior.

  5. Stark Knows They Shouldn’t Have Fought

    In the end, Tony Stark knows it wasn’t worth it. It took him a long time, but he knew why Cap did what he did, and that all the fighting would never be worth the cost. The price of freedom can be great, but for Cap, it was worth fighting for.

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