In a surprise move, Marvel dropped the first trailer for Captain America: Civil War last night on Jimmy Kimmel Live (thanks to some Grade-A studio f*ckery, expect to see a new trailer from DC soon, too). Trying to keep up with their bosses’ brinksmanship may drive everyone at Marvel Studios and Warner Brothers/DC completely insane, but so long as we get to break down Civil War, I’m fine with that.
This is hands down THE BEST TRAILER Marvel has ever cut. And it’s paired with THE BEST POSTER they’ve ever done. Marvel’s got a rep for being a little a lazy when it comes to promotion, using the same basic trailer rhythm and poster formats over and over, but for Civil War, they are pulling out all the stops. The tag line is great: “Divided we fall”. And this trailer is off the f*cking charts. If you have worried about Civil War—stop. They’re nailing it.
I don’t think Lainey is going to be able to take it, because she loves Tony Stark and he is clearly on the Wrong Side. Marvel truism: If you’re not Captain America’s side, you’re on the Wrong Side. (Lainey: I also can’t handle it when bands break up! SOMEONE HOLD MY HAND THROUGH THIS ENTIRE MOVIE!) Gone are Tony’s flashy suits—he looks like Robert Redford in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. And we see him increasingly beat up and beat down in the trailer. He’s supporting the effort to corral the Avengers back into some kind of government control, and there’s a quick shot of lackeys confiscating Captain America’s shield as Steve Rogers looks on, plus Tony’s great line, “Sometimes I want to punch you in your perfect teeth.” This is the Tony Stark we know in the comics—controlling and manipulative and borderline a bad guy. This is a Stark hostile takeover, wresting control of the Avengers from Captain America.
Or an attempt, anyway, because Cap is all over this trailer, kicking nine different kinds of ass. The Winter Soldier proved Cap can be a top notch brawler, and the bone-crunching action style the Russo Brothers brought to that movie is on full display here, including a quick cut of Black Panther—who looks badass, by the way—kicking the Winter Soldier’s ass and Falcon pulling off a cool as sh*t move. But it’s mostly Cap, the besieged leader, forced underground and fighting one friend to save another.
Which brings us to Sebastian Stan. Bucky Barnes is the secret weapon of Civil War—as I’ve said before, this is the movie where Stan has to make us love Bucky like we do Cap and Iron Man. Like I said this summer, the “civil war” isn’t really about registration, it’s about Bucky—he’s right at the center of the conflict. Cap lands in hot water because he’s trying to protect his friend, helping him evade arrest for crimes he committed while under Hydra’s control.
Stan has to sell us on Bucky’s evolution from assassin to Avenger in the span of one movie, and he’s going to look F*CKING COOL while doing it. Remember how last year I kept saying The Winter Soldier will give you a Sebastian Stan Problem? Well, Civil War is going to make it much worse because there is a ton more Bucky, and this time he even talks. This is Chris Evans’s movie, but depending on how the editing shakes out, Stan could end up a co-lead. The relationships between Cap and Bucky, and Cap and Iron Man, are what define Civil War. And because we’ve had years to come to know and love these characters, it is actually heartbreaking when Tony says, “So was I.”
But you know what the best part of this trailer is? What ISN’T in it. We haven’t even seen the villain yet. They’re not even scratching the surface of what’s really going on.
Attached – RDJ and Chris Evans at Kimmel.
