10 Ways Captain America: Civil War Will Set Up Avengers: Infinity War

The Russo Brothers have promised that Captain America: Civil War is going to be a massively significant movie in the wider context of the MCU, setting the wheels in motion for 2018 and 2019's epic Infinity War saga in a number of crucial ways. From introducing awesome new heroes to possibly killing off beloved characters, establishing more villains and deepening the psychology of The Avengers overall, Civil War has the potential to be the most mature and thoughtful MCU movie yet, and is sure to make the two-year wait for Infinity War's first instalment nothing short of agonising. While we'll have new movies starring Doctor Strange, the Guardians of the Galaxy, Spider-Man, Thor and Black Panther to keep us going until then, it's Civil War that's likely going to be best remembered when Phase Three's grand finale rolls around, and here's why...

10. The Civil War Divide Sets The Avengers Up For Failure In Part 1

Civil War will of course see the Avengers get split down the middle, with Iron Man leading one team against another led by Captain America. Whoever wins, it's hugely unlikely that the movie will conclude with the Avengers all back together and made up, and the Russos have stated in interviews that the condition of the heroes at Civil War's conclusion will play directly into Infinity War. As such, don't be surprised if this results in the two teams attempting to take on Thanos separately in Part 1, leading to two distinct set-pieces where the teams are defeated as Thanos gets his hands on the Infinity Gauntlet. Only after being beaten down (and possibly suffering some fatalities among the ranks) will the two factions team up and revolve their differences, presumably in Part 2. And so, we can observe how the seeds for the entire narrative through-line of Infinity War will be sewn in Civil War: this isn't going to be a contrived feud cooked up for this one single movie, but rather one that infuses the MCU with anxiety and tension for years to come.