Marvel's handling of the Avengers in Phase 4 finally shows how silly General Ross was to complain about damages in Captain America: Civil War. One point of contention across the Internet is the fact that the Avengers were reckless in their first battle in New York City, causing unnecessary destruction. In Avengers: Age of Ultron, the team decimates Sokovia, leaving many dead and an entire land mass displaced, and they seemingly didn't have to pay for or even clean up their mess. This fight brings the MCU to Captain America: Civil War, where the Avengers must face these criticisms.
In that film, General Ross uses the number of causalities and monetary damage caused by the Avengers' various battles to prove a point against the superheroes having free reign to operate independently. Showing footage of the Battle of New York, he points out that 74 bystanders were killed, with $88 billion in financial losses. The damage for Captain America: The Winter Soldier, which dealt primarily with the heroes attacking a HYDRA-controlled S.H.I.E.L.D Helicarrier, adds up to $208 billion and 23 dead. In Age of Ultron, the fight leads to 177 Sokovians killed and $474 billion in damages.
While the Avengers should be held accountable for the destruction they cause, especially after Avengers: Age of Ultron, Ross' complaint is unfair. The team is effectively saving the world and is guarding everything that's left more than they are destroying what's there. The Avengers' intent has to be taken into consideration because they don't exactly smash buildings or cause damage without thought. Rather, they do what they think is right and necessary in the heat of a fight, using whatever they can to bring the villains down. The idea that the Avengers do more harm than good is moot because, without them, everything would be far worse. If the cities or territories that the Avengers damaged hadn't had the superheroes fighting for them, everyone in the area would be dead, displaced, or under slavery. So, despite costing cities billions and billions of dollars after every fight, they've more than proven their worth.
The Avengers Make A Lot Of Money For The U.S.
It's also worth considering that, within the MCU, the Avengers are essentially the United States' Royal Family, in that they are a lucrative tourism asset. So far in Marvel Studios' Phase 4, it has been shown that the Avengers are a beloved group of heroes who are idolized by the masses following the events of Avengers: Endgame. In the universe post-Avengers, there's a heavily-advertised Captain America musical, a whole new Statue of Liberty, AvengerCon in Ms. Marvel, Wakanda Tours, toys and merchandise, the podcast, as well as the books on their exploits. Even if it wasn't their intent, the Avengers effectively created an entire industry, which makes up for the billions of dollars of damage they caused in films prior to Phase 4.
So, the idea from Captain America: Civil War that the Avengers do more harm than good doesn't quite hold water, from both a financial perspective and in the interest of maintaining the well-being of the planet. Essentially, those in the MCU have to either deal with the Avengers' damage and keep their world or resign themselves to giving it all up.
