I likely have similar criticisms as some in regards to what little I've heard/read about this movie, mainly being the villains in it being Hulk villains, and, for me personally, a lacking definition as to what Sam's weight within the Captain America mantle is. For that, here are the ideas I thank God for that He, if He wills, blessed me with:
Arnim Zola is a main villain in this. He is an agent of chaos, wants anarchy, hates governments, only having worked with HYDRA for his own survival. In reality he's an anarchist, wanting the country to be torn apart at the seams by their own division.
Zola's using a brainwashed ex soldier named William Burnside, whose underwent facial reconstructive surgery to look like Steve Rogers, inserting him into the public as a fake Steve to run for president under the campaign of ensuring public safety through reinforcing the sokovia accords, under the guise of remorse for not supporting it leading to Thanos. Because no one really knows what happened to Steve Rogers and many even disbelieve the time travel idea, a Captain America presenting himself as in the running is a strong motivator for many to support him.
William was used as a Captain America proxy during the cold war, having been experimented on with some variation of the super soldier serum, which drove him insane, thinking he was the real Steve Rogers.
The accords have become a point of intense contention in recent times as reports of abuse of power, needless brutality cause a ruckus amongst the increasingly growing super powered community, one made up of genetically enhanced individuals accidents or otherwise, inhumans and even mutants.
Early on in the movie, Zola activates the HYDRA implemented brainwashing protocol on Isaiah Bradley (who'd been ingrained with this protocol while he was locked up, though it was never activated), to perform an attempted assassination on the fake Steve Rogers as he runs for president. This is hailed by extremists against the sokovia accords as an act of retaliation for the abuse perpetrated by accords agents and as payback for Isaiah Bradley's mistreatment in his past.
Isaiah is arrested and locked up for this assassination attempt, adding fuel to the fire of the anti accords movement, as Isaiah is made into the face of it's actions. The main anti sokovia accords promoting it is extremist sect, a group called the Scourge Of Injustice.
On the opposite end the fake Steve Rogers gains even further political traction in gaining sympathy and favor for his assassination attempt and seeming resilience in the face of it, and accords agents becoming more aggressive in their approaches as a response to this, Isaiah Bradley also being made into a representation of the danger of unchecked powers.
The treatment of Isaiah in this situation also serves to partially radicalize his grandson Eli Bradley, leading him to join the Scourge group.
As situations intensify on both sides, the accords and Scourge both become more radicalized in opposition to eachother. But Eli becomes increasingly uncomfortable with the consequences of their actions and where they're headed, eventually their leader seeking to finish what Isaiah started and kill the fake Steve Rogers.
Themes of this movie are about PTSD and soldiers being discarded by the military when they're done with them, abuses of power, and the folly of the danger of idolization in heroes and figureheads. William was put on ice when he became unstable instead of being given the mental health assistance he could've been given. Isaiah Bradley was locked up in the past in spite of his heroism for the sake of covering up their experiments and trying to replicate it.
When a soldier dies on his watch early on in the movie, Sam struggles with the role of leadership as he's reminded of the loss of his friend that made him retire from the army in the first place, his trauma of that flaring up, his friends death being only a footnote in their raid that got him killed, never formerly being given an acknowledgement due to the mission being off the books. All this is tied to also his own opposition to the sokovia accords. Sam is very much in a place where he's breaking into being his own man as Captain America. Before, he got back into being a soldier because Steve seemed to need his help, he says he does what Steve does just slower, he defers to Steve's leadership in how they respond to the Bucky and accords situation moreso, now he's got to step up by his own perception.
In this we explore some of his past, in how his dad was a minister and was killed when Sam was a teenager. In his anger at this, Sam got into trouble, before joining the military. In the present day, Sam finds himself struggling with the same anger he had as a teen in not just his own failures but also in seeing the injustices done by sokovia accords agents, and how the group the Scourge is using that as a way to encourage destructive behavior. In standing on his own 2 feet, he embraces the Truth of God, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit and wears his dad's cross as a maintaining of moral focus in his actions.
Sharon Carter is in this as well, working as a partner of sorts with Sam in this movie, them bonding, but is then revealed to be a sleeper agent under Zola's control, gotten to during the time after the civil war, which, when Sam realizes this, assists him in discovering Zola's location, and uses her memories of her hero her Aunt Peggy to break the mind control on her. Sharon is also Sam's love interest in this movie.
William Burnside is a false image of Steve Rogers, a seemingly pure blank canvas of the surface level idea of Captain America, a white blonde haired blue eyed privileged man with power. He's what those who hold up Cap as perfect see him as and those who hate him see him as. Zola uses the fake Steve Rogers, William Burnside, to tarnish Steve's name and either sow discord against him further or turn people against those who support Steve Rogers. This furthering the divide amongst the people.
Sam is going to discover Zola's plan and, with help from Eli Bradley on the plan of Scourge, with his friend Juaquin Torres having taken on the Falcon mantle and Bucky Barnes, be forced to fight against the Scourge group and Sokovia Accords agents, who have basically been given shoot first orders on all supers who could cause a ruckus. Through his example, Sam is able to rally people, proudly leading as Captain America, to oppose the destructive tactics of both the Scourge leader and the orders given by to Accords agents.
This all concludes with Sam facing off against the fake Steve Rogers, William Burnside, who refuses to accept he's not Steve, them battling against eachother, as Sam seeks to reach William as he fights him, but when that isn't successful, uses the shield to knock him unconscious. Bucky gives a comatose William Burnside over to the wakandans to fix him, as Isaiah is cleared of the charges and is getting help from the wakandans as well, Sharon's brainwashing being less extensive so it requiring less time on it. Eli is encouraged by his granddad to maintain his goals in opposing mistreatment of people but don't let himself be consumed by bitterness and violence like the Scourge leader did, Sam telling him that being a Patriot can mean even fighting for what's best for the country as well as for it.
Sam is still held as a criminal though for fighting against military agents, and goes back into hiding, comfortable with that if it means fighting for what's right. Sharon opts to join him, calling him Captain America and kissing him.
Please review and tell me what you think!