CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR - A Spoiler-Free Ranking Of The Movie's Supporting Cast

We've already ranked the members of #TeamCap and #TeamIronMan, but what about Civil War supporting characters like Aunt May, General Ross, and Baron Zemo? Hit the jump for our analysis...

By JoshWilding - May 03, 2016 08:05 AM EST

Filed Under: Captain America: Civil War

Captain America: Civil War is a very busy movie, and along with the members of #TeamCap and #TeamIronMan, there are a lot of great supporting characters who make their respective presences felt in a big way. Some are good guys and others are bad guys, but they all play pivotal roles in this Phase 3 movie regardless of how much screentime they have compared to the members of The Avengers.

With so many new characters being introduced and others we've met in the past being taken to some unexpected and different places, Captain America: Civil War makes great use of this lot, and I know many of you are dying to find out how the likes of Zemo and Crossbones fare. There are no spoilers for the movie below, but everyone's definition of a "spoiler" differs, so read on at your own risk...

6. Everett Ross

There's no denying that Sherlock star Martin Freeman deserves a bigger role in Captain America: Civil War, but with so much else going on, you can understand why he ends up making little more than a cameo appearance as the leader of the task force looking to bring Bucky into custody.

Unfortunately, there's not an awful lot to talk about here, and while his final scene may or may not be loaded with subtext (it probably isn't, but the character is a blank enough slate that Marvel can take him in any direction they choose), we're left relying only on Freeman's word that he'll be back in a future movie as this one certainly doesn't set any future appearances up! What little we do get of the British actor is hard to complain about though, and providing Everett Ross does return, this is an ok introduction.

Marisa Tomei also doesn't get a whole lot of screen time as Peter Parker's Aunt May in Captain America: Civil War, but her few scenes are pretty good, and she definitely seem to share a fair bit of chemistry with Tom Holland (and, oddly enough, Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark). Her age obviously means this take on the character is vastly different to what's come before, but let's face it, it makes a hell of a lot more sense for a 15 or 16 year old kid to have an aunt in her early 50s than it does in her 80s/90s!

May is someone we'll no doubt get to spend quite a bit more time with in Spider-Man: Homecoming next year, but prepare yourselves as what we see here definitely points to the Marvel Cinematic Universe version being very different when compared to both the previous movies and comic books.

What we get of Crossbones in Captain America: Civil War is great, but there simply isn't enough of it. Don't get me wrong, Frank Grillo's role is undoubtedly a satisfying one and it accomplishes what the Russos no doubt intended within the larger narrative of the story, but the character's impact on the Marvel Cinematic Universe pales in comparison to that of his comic book counterpart.

All in all though, this movie definitely gets his look right and those gauntlets - which looked pretty daft when they were first spotted in set photos - are used to great effect. While there's no denying that Crossbones isn't the kind of character who could hold an entire movie as a villain, it still would have been nice to see him take on a larger role, but for the most part, I'd say his fans will be pleased.

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3. General Ross

Captain America: Civil War marks the long overdue return of William Hurt's General Ross, a character we last saw in The Incredible Hulk who would have likely played a key role in The Avengers had Joss Whedon not (thankfully) dumped Zak Penn's screenplay. As the Secretary of State, he plays a key role in making Earth's Mightiest Heroes aware of the Sokovia Accords, and in many ways fills the role Tony Stark had in the comic book version of Civil War as an antagonist of sorts.

This movie takes him to some interesting places anyway, and while it's not entirely clear where he could pop up next, Marvel would be wise to make him a recurring presence in the Marvel Cinematic Universe moving forward as it definitely feels like there's a lot more which can be done with him in this world.

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2. Sharon Carter

Possible restrictions as to how much Marvel can include Scarlet Witch in marketing materials for Captain America: Civil War have resulted in Emily VanCamp's Agent 13 being made to look like a key member of #TeamCap. Well, there's some truth to that, but as the trailers have already made clear, she's not the pivotal part of the movie's big battle sequence promo art would have you believe.

However, that doesn't really make Sharon Carter's role any less satisfying, and while it's hard to escape the feeling that this movie is rushing her story arc a little after failing to do enough with her in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, it's great to have another badass female character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. VanCamp is given more of a chance to shine here too, and makes for a great Agent 13.

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1. Helmut Zemo

Marvel has a big problem with their villains, particularly when it comes to prematurely ending their stories by killing them off before the credits roll. While I'm obviously not going to reveal Zemo's fate in Captain America: Civil War here, both his story arc and plan is definitely up there with the likes of Loki and Ultron rather than Malekith and Whiplash, so it's no spoiler to say he ultimately makes for one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's more interesting bad guys.

Much of the credit for that deserves to go to the excellent Daniel Bruhl, and both he and this movie's solid screenplay make Zemo a layered and interesting character whose actions will definitely leave you with something to think about. He's not THE best comic book movie villain to date, but will surely be remembered as ONE of them.

Which of these characters are you most looking forward to seeing in Captain America: Civil War? As always, let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

Liked this? Try these:

► CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR - A Spoiler-Free Ranking Of The 6 Members Of #TeamCap

► CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR - A Spoiler-Free Ranking Of The 6 Members Of #TeamIronMan

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119 Comments

1 2 3

ThedamnBatman - 5/3/2016, 8:34 AM

next.....

Sephiroth - 5/3/2016, 8:40 AM

I'm buying my ticket today...only two more days!

GhostDog - 5/3/2016, 8:41 AM

I'm telling you Zemo is a GREAT villian. He fits the mold of the traditional adversary in a PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER rather than a run of the mill "mwahahaha" corny comic book villian.

He's not grandstanding or over the top, he's a minimalist villian who's verrrrrrrrry cerebral and subtle.

Aeggie - 5/3/2016, 8:51 AM

@ComicsBornAndBred - HE BROKE THE AVENGERS 😈👏👏👏

Magnar - 5/3/2016, 8:46 AM

"it makes a hell of a lot more sense for a 15 or 16 year old kid to have an aunt in her early 50s than it does in her 80s/90s!"

haha yup

DjTheMarvelKid - 5/3/2016, 8:49 AM

Next button for life!!!

Aeggie - 5/3/2016, 8:50 AM

Great list. Zemo is an AMAZING villain. He did what no other villain could do. He broke the Avengers! 😈👏👏👏

JayTopStix - 5/3/2016, 9:22 AM

@Aeggie - This is just reaching, cmon don't say stupid stuff like this please. I loved the movie but that is just fanboy all over. He is so irrelevant.

HubbleFunk - 5/3/2016, 10:15 AM

@Aeggie - No he didn't. [frick] all ramifications by the end of the film.

1 2 3

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CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR - A Spoiler-Free Ranking Of The Movie's Supporting Cast

We've already ranked the members of #TeamCap and #TeamIronMan, but what about Civil War supporting characters like Aunt May, General Ross, and Baron Zemo? Hit the jump for our analysis...

6. Everett Ross

5. Aunt May

4. Crossbones

3. General Ross

2. Sharon Carter

1. Helmut Zemo

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