Joe and Anthony Russo definitely fulfilled their promise of making a divisive movie. A Team Cap man myself, I found a friend and I actually engaging in frustrating debate over the effectivity of the Sokovia Accords in between post-credits scenes. One thing him and I were able to agree on, however, is that there must be a better solution than what the movie presented. Thus, there were times when both characters were right, and both characters were wrong. I'm stuck at my job doing nothing until 3:00, so what the hell, let's dive into the complexive morality of this film.
Why Iron Man Was Wrong
"What if this panel sends us somewhere we don't think we should go? What if there's somewhere we need to go and they don't let us?"
Since I'm on
Captain America's side, the natural place to start is why
Iron Man was wrong in this movie. From my viewpoint, Cap makes an irrefutable point in the quote above: signing the Sokovia Accords surrenders any right to use their own powers. And I think
Tony Stark's guilt over
Ultron prevents him from seeing that. You can't save everyone, but if you're not allowed to go somewhere you need to go, even more people could die.
Not only that, but in the final battle, Iron Man turns full-on antagonist. I think this was a great way to cement this as a Captain America film; it's all morally questionable until that moment. Stark became a bully, letting his emotions get the best of him. This was certainly a human thing to do, but in doing so he let
Zemo get away, not knowing
Black Panther was there. Stark literally let himself be manipulated, and tried to do something he should not have done.
Why Iron Man Was Right
There's no decision-making process here. We need to be put in check. Whatever form that takes, I'm game. If we can't accept limitations, we're boundaryless, we're no better than the bad guys.
But the answer isn't as black-and-white as some would make it out to be. In stooping down to the bully level, Stark proved his own point: without limitations, they're no better than the bad guys. After
Secretary Ross refused to let him go stop Zemo, Iron Man went outside of the law and went to Cap's aid anyway. This was a very heroic action, but one that fully cemented the
Avengers' separation.
With the Iron Man suit on, Stark has power. And though that power can be used for superheroics, it can also be abused, as it was when he decided to beat the crap out of
Bucky.
Why Captain America Was Wrong
It's been said that Steve Rogers' sense of morality is part of his superpower, part of his appeal. But even the best of men fail to live up to their own standard at times. Nick Fury called him "the greatest soldier in history," but Dr. Erskine said he's "not a perfect soldier, but a good man." He's human, and one of the most prevailing of all human traits is hypocrisy.
In Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Cap found out from Arnim Zola that Hydra had Tony's parents assassinated. Zola also touched on the Winter Soldier during this time, so Cap probably put two-and-two together. And yet in the two years since that happening, he never told Tony the emotional aspect of this discovery. In Avengers: Age of Ultron, as shown above, Cap even criticized Tony for keeping secrets from him--all while Cap was keeping an even bigger one from him. There's no debating that this was a pretty douchey move on Captain America's behalf.
Another thing I didn't like is how Cap was completely shut off to working with the United Nations. He didn't come up with a counter-proposal or even attempt to reason with Secretary Ross. I assume this was just so they could keep the plot moving, but I also think this is also a character trait of Steve: like myself, he doesn't like change.
Why Captain America Was Right
"If I see a situation pointed south, I can't just ignore it. Sometimes I wish I could."
"No you don't."
At the end of the day, our title character was closer to being right than anyone else here. If you're prevented from going to a place where you could save lives, and then you don't and more people die, how could you live with that decision? It's enough guilt knowing you couldn't save everyone, and both Tony and Cap know what that feels like.
And while Cap may have betrayed Tony's trust, he wastes no time in getting his crap together to protect his friend Bucky. After freeing his fellow superheroes from the Raft, he sends Tony an off-the-books phone that Tony can reach him at if his abilities are needed. "With great power comes great responsibility" may be the iconic quote Uncle Ben said to Peter Parker, but it seems Steve Rogers is quite aware of it too.
Well that's my take, CBM. Everyone's right and everyone's wrong in some form or fashion. Let me know what YOU think in the comment section!