Captain America: Civil War at 10 – The Background of the Marvel Studios Hit

      On the tenth anniversary of the film, Hasitha Fernando examines the backstory of Marvel Studios' Captain America: Civil War.

      Steve Rogers' character journey, which began with the retro-styled action film Captain America: The First Avenger, came to a climax with the monumental Captain America: Civil War, often described as Avengers 2.5. Throughout this evolution, Steve Rogers transitioned from a compliant soldier who had deep faith in the government to a disenchanted agent determined to take down HYDRA, ultimately becoming a hero guided by his own moral compass. As Captain America: Civil War marks its 10th anniversary, we delve into the behind-the-scenes narrative of this Marvel Studios hit.

      The Russo Brothers were chosen after positive test screenings of The Winter Soldier.

      Before directing Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Anthony and Joe Russo primarily worked in television, known for popular comedies like Arrested Development, Community, and Happy Endings. Kevin Feige selected the Russo brothers for the Captain America sequel due in part to his admiration for the Community episode "Modern Warfare," which featured a hilariously intense paintball match filled with contemporary pop-culture references. Just three months before Captain America: The Winter Soldier's release, the Russo brothers were brought on to direct the unnamed third Captain America film as Feige and Marvel executives were very impressed with the film's test screenings. In March 2014, they confirmed their involvement in the third Captain America movie, with Chris Evans reprising the lead role and Feige serving as producer.

      The film's initial story significantly differed from the final product.

      Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely began their careers with the Emmy-winning mini-series The Life and Death of Peter Sellers before moving on to feature films with 2005's The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. The success of the Chronicles of Narnia series played a crucial role in Marvel Studios hiring them to write Captain America: The First Avenger. Positive reviews from critics and fans of the first film led to Markus and McFeely being brought back for the sequel. Although Captain America: The Winter Soldier diverged from the original in both tone and narrative, the conspiracy-driven action thriller resonated greatly with audiences, resulting in their return for the third installment, which they began working on in late 2013. Their original vision was for a small-scale film without any other Avengers, but Feige opted to adapt Mark Millar's Civil War, which showcased the conflict between Captain America and Iron Man based on their differing views. However, elements from Markus and McFeely's original concept, like the focus on Cap and Bucky's relationship and Baron Zemo as the main villain, made their way into the shooting script.

      Influences for the film included The Godfather, Fargo, and Se7en.

      Captain America: Civil War was not a direct adaptation of Mark Millar’s celebrated comic but included aspects of the story to align with the MCU’s overarching narrative and to develop the character arcs of Steve Rogers and Tony Stark. While the comics centered on the Superhero Registration Act as the catalyst for conflict between Cap and Iron Man, the film used an event from Stark’s past, which Baron Zemo exploited to great effect, as the impetus. In an April 2014 interview, Joe Russo described the MCU film as a continuation of Steve Rogers' story from Captain America: The Winter Soldier, noting that “it’s nice that it’s a two-parter. There’s a journey that the Winter Soldier goes on that isn’t complete yet.” The Russos aimed for the film's tone to merge elements from The Winter Soldier and The First Avenger, with influences from films like The Godfather, Se7en, Fargo, and the works of Brian De Palma.

      Chris Evans trained between takes to attain a superhuman physique.

      Chris Evans began his career in television, including roles in series such as Opposite Sex, and transitioned to film in the 2000s with teen comedies like Not Another Teen Movie and The Perfect Score. Before his iconic portrayal of Captain America, he had played eight different comic book characters across various films, including The Fantastic Four, The Losers, and Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. Since then, Evans has reprised his role in multiple MCU films, making him one of the highest-grossing actors ever. One prominent scene in Captain America: Civil War features Steve Rogers attempting to prevent Bucky's helicopter from taking off using only his bare hands. To prepare for this, Evans followed Anthony Mackie's lead, curling weights hours before filming to sculpt his impressive biceps. His dedication resulted in significant pain, as he recalled, “That shot is a little bit of bicep porn. ‘Zoom in on the biceps,’ that’s what the script said. Kevin Feige didn’t airbrush my biceps, that’s me. It’s not