16 Problems Nobody Wants To Admit About Captain America: Civil War

It was very clear at the end of Age Of Ultron that Marvel had missed a trick with Tony Stark's arc: the film should have pushed the Frankenstein elements of his character more and his fear of the world ending if he didn't do absolutely everything and anything in his power to protect it. Instead of that, they gave him a redemption moment and everyone forgave him for creating Ultron.

The problem for Marvel is that their Tony Stark is not the shades of grey character he is in the comics: they've flirted with the idea of having him broken and emotionally ruined before, but he's always able to draw back with a cheeky smile and a disarming quip. Unfortunately, in Civil War, he can't be likeable: his motivation might be understandable, but he has to be played as the villain of the piece because a 150 minute film simply doesn't have the capacity to be that complex.

And the idea of Marvel throwing their most charming lead man on the bonfire and sabotaging his appeal is preposterous. And not only that, it wouldn't even work, no matter how many of the crimes from the comics he replicates: he's just not the same dictator-in-waiting as he is on the page.