Team Iron Man.
Supporters of the Superhero Registration Act.
WAR MACHINE (Don Cheadle)
If Iron Man has one guaranteed member in his team it has to be his long-time friend and fellow armoured hero, War Machine. James ‘Rhodey’ Rhodes has fought by Stark in many Marvel missions and has proven to be a trusted and capable ally. His position within the United States Air Force and his relationship with the government may give Stark and Rhodes an edge over the fugitives assembled by Cap.
MARIA HILL (Cobie Smulders)
The former S.H.I.E.L.D. second in command left the organisation after the collapse for a job at Stark Enterprises. Hill offers Tony a working knowledge of S.H.I.E.L.D. which comes with a database of most heroes and identities. This bound to be of use when Stark works to track down free range heroes. Count on Hill to stand alongside Tony in the Civil War.
THE HULK (Mark Ruffallo)
Whether or not Bruce Banner ends up floating in space at the end of Age of Ultron remains to be seen but given he is Earth bound, it would be hard to imagine him not teaming up with science brother, Tony Stark. Civil War is a film that will deal with the notion of identity and which other Marvel character has as much as an identity crisis as Banner/ The Hulk. The Hulk and Iron Man are due to go head-to-head in Age of Ultron so this could be the much needed reconciliation they deserve.
BLACK WIDOW (Scarlett Johansson)
Leading on nicely from my previous point, Civil War presents an opportunity to further the relationship between Natasha Romanoff and Bruce Banner that is due to be explored in The Avengers sequel. When else will they get to develop this, their solo films? It may be hard to imagine Widow dismissing the bond she shared with Cap during the Winter Soldier. Remember, Romanoff is a master spy so who knows what she could be up, double crossing is a strong possibility.
THE VISION (Paul Bettany)
Forget Pepper, Banner and Rhodes if there is one character that has seen Tony at his lowest moments its J.A.R.V.I.S. Assuming that Age of Ultron’s Vision is the product of Stark’s former A.I it would make sense for the android to return to the only thing it knows. Regardless, after Ultron’s inevitable demise, it is going to be pretty directionless anyway. Civil War is the perfect time to explore a robots point of view on a very human issue.
QUICKSILVER (Aaron Taylor- Johnson)
Quicksilver is widely rumoured to debut and die in phase 2 of the MCU but given he does speed out the other end, what better conflict would there be than a brother/ sister divide. Quicksilver hates America and he hates The Avengers but an act of enlightenment in Age of Ultron must occur for him to join them. Quicksilver is a curveball candidate to join Team Stark but he does offer much welcome variation in a team of mechanical men and one time S.H.I.E.L.D. sirens.
Team Captain America
Adversaries of the Superhero Registration Act.
FALCON (Anthony Mackie)
Falcon is to Cap what War Machine is to Stark. The pair have shown to be able to trust each other and work excellently together, attributes Captain Ameica will need to defeat Stark. The duo have already taken down an establishment in S.H.I.E.L.D./ HYRDA so why not the US governement too. Falcon's flight ability will also come in useful against Stark, Rhodes and the Vision.
AGENT 13 (Emily VanCamp)
Blonde, beautiful and no nonsense, Agent 13 offers a nice similarity and contrast to the likes of Hill and Romanoff. Peggy Carter’s relative will be sure to lend a hand to Captain America as well as fulfilling the romantic interest role. Carter switched to the CIA after the events of The Winter Soldier but could the lure of Captain America prove to be irresistible.
HAWKEYE (Jeremy Renner)
Hawkeye’s tactful and resourceful thinking are bound to be great assets to a team on the run. Hawkeye is a character that will stand up for his beliefs and he also packs an on point aim. Hawkeye has been affected by the power of supervillains and surrendering his ability to fight them will likely serve as motive for the archer. Plus, it is only fair that Captain America gets a founding Avenger too.
THE WINTER SOLDIER (Sebastian Stan)
Civil War is set to continue Captain America’s hunt for Bucky Barnes, his former ally and friend. Being the third and presumably final instalment in the Captain America trilogy, it is now or never to resolve the story of Barnes and the former comrades fighting side by side one last time presents an excellent opportunity… unless the Winter Soldier decides to fight in an Infinity War too.
BLACK PANTHER (Chadwick Boseman)
Black Panther is set to debut in Civil War but whether or not the peaceful ruler gets in on the conflict is uncertain as of now. T’Challa is more likely to choose cap over stark as Steve Rodgers is a better interpretation of the traditionalist view held by the Wakandan king. Black Panther is also a notable fighter who could out skill even the likes of the Hulk.
SCARLET WITCH (Emily Olsen)
If Stark gets Quicksilver, it’s only logical that the Scarlet With joins team Captain America. Scarlet Witch’s power is unimaginable and could really boost the strength of Cap’s team. After being locked up in a cell, Scarlet Witch might also want to fight to keep herself free of any more restrictions. The reality bending sorceress also gives Rodgers some much needed female support.
AGENT PHIL COULSON (Clark Gregg)
How long can the movie side of the MCU neglect Coulson! It would be criminally unjust of Marvel to stage such an event movie without the original beating heart of the MCU and who would he side with: The Tony stark that was notoriously difficult to him throughout their initial encounters, or his icon and fascination, Captain America, who inspired him to join S.H.I.E.L.D.
NEUTRAL
Not involved in the conflict.
THOR (Chris Hemsworth)
With the call sheet already as full as it is, it seems reasonable to suspect that some heroes might sit this one out. Thor is a likely candidate as his state after Ragnarok is up in the air. Even if he does survive his third instalment, it’s possible he will be dealing with other issues across the nine realms making a Civil War appearance doubtful.
NICK FURY (Samuel L. Jackson)
Nick Fury is the man responsible for assembling the Avengers so for him to pick sides may be impossible. Members of his former organisation will be against each other and Fury’s rationality would suggest that he would go off the grid for the event. Surely though, he will have some influence in the Civil war but as far as choosing a side, don’t count on it.
SPIDER-MAN (Unknown)
Spider-Man is due to make his MCU debut in Civil War but picking a team would prove difficult for any novice teenage hero. Could he be swayed by Stark’s offer of a suit upgrade of by Rodgers’s wholesome values and sense of righteousness? To avoid alienation, Spider-Man might just remain neutral and join in at the eventual resolution battle gaining him a spot aboard The Avengers.
Thank you for reading please share your own predictions below! Could wee see the Netflix heroes join the conflict, or even the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.? Or what about the characters from Ant Man, Doctor Strange and beyond, sound off in the comments section.