Captain America: Civil War - 10 Great Comic Moments We Won’t Get To See

One of the toughest parts in adapting a beloved comic into a film is deciding what parts get kept and what gets tossed aside. The Civil War miniseries contained a multitude of memorable moments but, for various reasons, many of them are not going to end up on screen.

Marvel has a history of taking famous comics and putting their own spin on them. Often they use only the general premise of a noted story while altering nearly all of the details. This approach can be seen in the adaptation of The Winter Soldier and likewise in how Extremis became Iron Man 3. To their credit, Marvel consistently finds ways to maintain the tone and essence of these stories while refraining from outright copying them from page to screen.

Beyond Marvel's will to craft a new adventure, sometimes they simply don’t have a choice. Thanks to complicated rights issues, many of the key players of Civil War won’t legally be allowed to factor into the film.

Likewise, the established MCU is vastly different from what the comics universe was at the point the comic was released. Specifically, secret identities are not an issue, and the number of heroes is substantially smaller, thus the entire plot needed altering as a result.

The film is sure to evoke some classic moments from the Civil War comic but it’s a good bet that a lot of these iconic pages will be left behind in the process.

The Great Moment: In the wake of the Stamford tragedy and the subsequent public outcry, many of the heroes meet to discuss the best course of action.

As they agree upon the Superhuman Registration Act, the Watcher appears. Since he only shows up at events of great significance, it is immediately made clear to all of them how drastic a decision they have made and his appearance acts as an ominous warning for what would follow.

Why We Won’t Get To See It: In the simplest terms, Marvel couldn’t use the Watcher if they wanted to. Though it’s unclear exactly who owns his rights, considering his ties to the Fantastic Four, it’s a safe bet that he belongs to Fox.

Even if Marvel did have the ability to use him, however, chances are they would abstain anyways. Civil War looks to be as realistic as possible, more of a political thriller than a cosmic adventure. The presence of an all-knowing being showing up takes away from the reality of the situation and undermines the very personal conflicts that would follow.