Since it launched in 2008 with Iron Man, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has grown to include a dozen feature films and three television series. Next year, Marvel Studios will enter Phase 3 of its MCU with the premiere of Captain America: Civil War, which will pit Steve Rogers a.k.a. Captain America (Chris Evans) against Tony Stark a.k.a. Iron Man (Robert Downey, Jr.). The third Captain America film will include many new and previously established characters like Ant-Man, Black Panther, Black Widow, and Spider-Man.
Although Comic-Con International has previously been the venue for unveiling footage from major upcoming comic book superhero movies, Marvel Studios sat out this summer's convention in San Diego. However, the studio did attend its parent company, Disney's, D23 Expo and delivered the first look at Captain America: Civil War, presented by the film's costars Evans and Anthony Mackie, who plays Sam Wilson a.k.a Falcon.
The footage began with a chase scene that saw Captain America, Falcon, and Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) attempting to prevent Crossbones (Frank Grillo) from blowing up a truck. During the fight, Crossbones reveals his face and taunts Cap about Bucky Barnes a.k.a. the Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan), saying, "You know, he remembered you. Your pal, your buddy, your Bucky." The footage went on to include an extended version of the Ant-Man post-credits scene, in which Bucky remembers some of his previous life.
Next, General Thunderbolt Ross (William Hurt) tells Captain America the "world owes you an unpayable debt," but some people see him as a vigilante rather than a hero. The tension between Cap and Tony escalates with the two arguing over what comes next, ending with Tony saying, "Sometimes I want to punch you in your perfect teeth." Cap is shown delivering his own explanation of being a hero: "In this job, you try to save everybody you can. Sometimes that doesn't mean everybody."
Additionally, Black Panther appears using his retractable claws and Black Widow faces off against Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner); she asks, “We're still friends, right?" Hawkeye responds: "Depends on how hard you hit me." Lastly, Scott Lang a.k.a. Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) is starstruck by Captain America, saying, "Captain America! This is awesome! Thinks for thanking of me." Perhaps unsurprisingly, Spider-Man (Tom Holland) did not appear in the Civil War footage.
So far, reception to the trailer from those that attended the Marvel D23 Expo seems to be largely positive. Though the action scenes in the trailer received praise, it seems the character moments and dialogue drew the best reactions (specifically Tony's line about punching Cap in his perfect teeth). It seems fans that weren't able to attend D23 should expect a trailer for another entertaining and action-filled entry to the MCU from Captain America writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely and directors Anthony and Joe Russo.
That being said, it doesn't appear Disney/Marvel will be releasing the Civil War footage online anytime soon. As often happens with footage shown at SDCC, it seems Marvel Studios is waiting to unveil this trailer to the masses. Whether that is because the studio isn't ready (such as, if they need to finalize any special effects or CGI), or they’re waiting for a time closer to the actual release date of Civil War, remains to be seen. However, with Captain America: Civil War set to hit theaters next spring, fans may not have long to wait before the first trailer makes its way online.
Next: Kevin Feige Talks Captain America: Civil War Story
Ant-Man is currently in theaters; Captain America: Civil War opens on May 6, 2016; Doctor Strange – November 4, 2016; Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 – May 5, 2017; Spider-Man reboot – July 28, 2017; Thor: Ragnarok – November 3, 2017; The Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 – May 4, 2018; Black Panther – July 6, 2018; Captain Marvel – November 2, 2018; The Avengers: Infinity War Part 2 – May 3, 2019; and Inhumans – July 12, 2019.