16 Problems Nobody Wants To Admit About Captain America: Civil War
6. It's Remarkably Divisive
Whether you care to admit it or not, Civil War is basically a politicised battle that draws on some incredibly divisive issues including civil liberties and the cost of watching the watchmen. Is the MCU - which has consciously dropped more weighty elements from the source in favour of spectacle and entertainment - really ready to start encouraging that sort of debate?
If it's not done smartly, Civil War's anti-registration act has the potential to be an allegory for over-zealous governmental power and gun control. There's undoubtedly something of the anti-registration fears of gun fans in Cap's team, and there's definitely something of the government spooks conspiracy about Iron Man's team. If anyone gets wind that Marvel are trying to preach either way, that's going to make selling to as broad an audience as possible difficult.
Unfortunately, there is a lot more to what the Civil War debate could represent than just two extreme options, and the capacity for preaching is undoubtedly tied to that binary. In other words, it's an imposing mine field that Marvel will do well to negotiate without losing something of what the MCU is.