Captain America

The Marvel Cinematic Universe, now in its eighth year, has been known to kickstart a lot of otherwise unknown actors’ careers, and give some their big break while rebooting others’ careers. While Robert Downey Jr. definitely had the biggest name at the start, it wasn’t easy for Jon Favreau to convince the Marvel execs that he was right for Tony Stark, but we’re all so glad he did. Chris Evans’ only other blockbuster credit was as the Human Torch in Fox’s Fantastic Four (2005) and its ill-fated sequel Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007), but his chiseled jawline soon landed him the title role in 2011’s Captain America: The First Avenger.

What do you get a man who’s turning 75 years old? Maybe a nice knit cardigan or a hand-crafted wooden pipe. But if that man is Captain America, you best get him a giant bronze statue.

There are so many Marvel heroes in Captain America: Civil War that it almost feels more like a bridge between Avengers: Age of Ultron and Infinity War than a Cap sequel. Directors Joe and Anthony Russo did a fine job of juggling multiple characters and action set pieces, giving each hero a chance to shine — that was particularly evident in the airport sequence, in which we saw pretty much everyone fighting each other in various combinations. The one combo we didn’t get was Black Widow and Cap, but a new animatic from an unused scene gives you an idea of what that might have been like.

Marvel’s Agent Carter has expired in more ways than one after both Civil War and TV upfronts, but don’t take that to mean Hayley Atwell will say goodbye to the character just yet. Cap’s best gal is still in the loop, and Peggy is apparently none-too-thrilled by Steve’s familial choice of Civil War love interest, nor that headline-making comic reveal.

If you’ve been cruising social media today and you follow any comics fans, you probably caught a glimpse (or several thousand glimpses) of a #SayNotoHydraCap hashtag.

Apologies in advance to your butt because your sense of patriotic duty is about to trump any and all loyalty you may have to your own bodily comfort. Mark your calendars for May 5 (that’s this Thursday; again, sorry to your butt for the short notice), which is when Marvel will unleash the Ultimate Captain America Marathon in select theaters nationwide. The marathon includes the first two Captain America films, both Avengers films, and culminates in — what else — Civil War.

Not long after the initial rumor was reported, it was confirmed that Robert Downey Jr. will be making an appearance in Spider-Man: Homecoming — returning Sony’s favor following Tom Holland’s MCU debut as the web-slinger in Captain America: Civil War. Since then, we’ve been wondering if any other Marvel characters would crossover to the Spidey reboot, and according to Holland, there’s at least one more hero he wants to see in his upcoming solo film.

It’s pretty well-documented that the flow between Marvel’s cinematic properties and TV series has often been a one-way street, though Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. most often plays ball with the MCU-defining tentpoles. Now, Marvel may be in for a Civil War all its own, as Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has seemingly spoiled the upcoming Captain America ending ahead of time.

It’s well-documented at this point that Marvel movies take no cue from the multiple TV tie-ins, most always the other way around, though Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 3's worldwide introduction of Marvel’s Inhumans seemed at least potentially worth a mention. Not so, apparently, as Captain America: Civil War’s writers had no awareness of the TV branch in crafting Cap’s international adventure.

The 2016 Lego catalog is out, and with it come some surprise reveals for upcoming sets based in the Marvel universe. Just like the 2015 catalog revealing a bit about Avengers: Age of Ultron, Lego's latest teasers show a great deal of what to expect from the upcoming cinematic adventure, Captain America: Civil War. These sets are not to be confused with the other recently announced Marvel Super Hero sets, which included the first ever Captain Marvel and Thanos mini figures, though those are also due out in early 2016 and do make an appearance in the catalog. While there have been countless Lego sets based on the Marvel movies (and countless others) that haven't panned out with an exact 1:1 representation to the movie, the Avengers: Age of Ultron sets were fairly spot on. That's what makes these new Civil War sets so interesting. Each shares at least a little bit in common with some of the teasers and trailers we've seen so far, though there are still some surprises that should make Marvel fans excited if they do work out.