Identities

Captain America: Civil War  (2016)

Though incredibly popular, I think even the most intense Marvel fanatics would be hard-pressed to call these movies "films." Still, if any superhero franchise has skillfully approached the difficult contradictions in the identities of the heroes we love, it is Marvel; and if any Marvel movie has been sufficiently artful in its maneuvering of uncomfortable topics like vigilantism, it is "Civil War." 

When the United Nations demands that the Avengers sign the Sokovia Accords -- which would regulate the activities of superheroes -- following the events of Avengers: Age of Ultron and a botched Captain America mission in Nigeria at the start of Civil War, we immediately experience a clear "othering" as the rift between those in favor of the Accords and those against them widens. Captain America's view specifically arises from a place of performativity, as he believes that to sign the Sokovia Accords would render superheroes useless, unable to perform as they are required. Unlike Under the Skin which focused on more alien understandings of identity and The Rider which focused on deeply personal and specific identities, Civil War gives us a glimpse into an identity -- the Avengers -- splitting in half from the inside as a result of catastrophes arising from their superhero identities. This leads characters such as Iron Man, who was directly responsible for the AI Ultron and the destruction of Sokovia, to question their right to operate unperturbed by authority. The themes of The Rider, however, are not entirely absent here.

Another key cause for Captain America's stance arises from James "Bucky" Barnes, a super-solider friend who was brainwashed to murder political leaders and sow chaos. Throughout the film, Bucky deals with his splitting identities -- that of himself, and that of the Winter Solider, his brainwashed alter-ego who leads an attack in Vienna that kills the father of Black Panther -- and this struggle is compounded by the presence of the Sokovia Accords. If this aspect of the story were explored more, I feel that Civil War's status could more realistically be upped to a "film," but as it stands, the movie never quite steers enough away from its Marvel brand of humor and action set-pieces. Perhaps it is a comfort, however, that Bucky's struggles are detailed much better in 2020's Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Continuity, it seems, can be a blessing and a curse.

Captain America: Civil War (Roger Ebert)

Review: 'Captain America: Civil War' (Variety)