What Captain America 3 Story Could Have Been Without Iron Man’s Civil War

Captain America 3’s story wasn’t always going to be Civil War, and here’s what it might have been had Robert Downey Jr. not returned as Iron Man.

Captain America: Civil War almost didn’t happen due to Robert Downey Jr.’s contract, meaning that an alternative Captain America 3 could have been very different. The first film of Phase 3 has evolved into one of the biggest films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and a staple for Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. The film separated the Avengers from the MCU as the heroes chose to side with Captain America (Chris Evans) or Iron Man on the Sokovia Accords. Captain America: Civil War allowed Marvel Studios to do a loose adaptation of the 2006 comic event, but it wasn’t always meant to be the plot of Evans’ third solo film.

The idea of ​​turning Captain America 3 in Civil war The film came from Kevin Feige during the development of the script for the film, which Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely returned to write. However, they started working on the script in 2013, before Captain America: The Winter Soldier came out and the idea for the movie to tackle the iconic comic book story came up. Although Kevin Feige had the idea of Captain America: Civil War, it was not a guarantee that it would ultimately be the subject of the film. Robert Downey Jr.’s Marvel contract expired after Avengers: Age of Ultron, which meant that Feige and the Russo Brothers had to convince him to return as Tony Stark. After all, without the role of Iron Man in the film, Captain America: Civil War would look even less like the comic version of the story.

Related: Civil War Was Almost The Movie That Killed The MCU’s Future

As Captain America: Civil WarThe script for had different drafts just in case the Sony deal for Spider-Man didn’t happen, the early stages of development didn’t consider Iron Man’s role in Captain America 3. As hard as it is to imagine what the movie would look like without Tony Stark and Steve Rogers going to war, there are plenty of clues to Marvel’s original plan. From Another Captain America To More Winter Soldiers, Here’s What Captain America 3Iron Man history would have been without Iron Man Civil War.

Steve and Bucky’s relationship would take center stage

One of the main communication channels for Captain America 3Steve’s story was always going to be the relationship between Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan). Captain America: The Winter SoldierBucky’s ending saved Steve from drowning, and the post-credits showed him learning more about his past. Their friendship is always an important part of Captain America: Civil War, as Steve risks everything to defend Bucky and keep him safe. There are no known details about what their arc together would be like, but the movie would likely still have shown Bucky and Steve rekindling the friendship they had decades ago. The duo would not be alone for the duration of Captain America 3, however, as Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) would still appear based on the setup that he was helping Steve search for Bucky. Emily VanCamp was also set to return as Sharon Carter in some capacity.

Baron Zemo was still the villain of Captain America 3

the original Captain America 3 the story still included Baron Zemo as the main villain. Stephen McFeely confirmed this in a 2016 interview leading up to Captain America: Civil Warthe exit. He said the way Baron Zemo works is from the original iteration of the movie, though parts of his story have evolved to fit the Civil war adaptation. It is unknown if Zemo’s Sokovian origin would have been used in Captain America 3 were it not for the return of Downey Jr., but the villain would still have operated more in the shadows than he appears. Zemo’s feud with Captain America would have remained, but his overall plan would change depending on other details. It is also unknown if he would have worn his purple mask in this version of the film.

Captain America 3 would use Marvel’s Madbomb

Instead of a story revolving around the splitting up of the Avengers, Captain America 3The Great Menace of was originally meant to be a concept from the comics known as Madbomb. Created by Jack Kirby in 1975 and used as the centerpiece of a memorable Captain America and Falcon arc, the Madbomb was a sonic device that drove people crazy when activated. The Russo Brothers have confirmed the presence of the Madbomb in various interviews. The decision to go with the Madbomb as the big threat that Captain America, Falcon, and Bucky needed to stop came from an interest in the heroes having to fight hordes of near-zombified civilians. It was also teased that Captain America 3Madbomb could have infected other MCU heroes, allowing the film to see Captain America battling his friends in one form or another.

Related: How Captain America: Civil War’s Alternate Ending Would Have Changed Phase 3

Hydra’s Other Winter Soldiers Had Bigger Roles

Captain America 3Hydra’s original story potentially included an even bigger role for Hydra’s other Winter Soldiers. Super Soldier Assassins have been used as a huge element of misdirection in Captain America: Civil War, as Baron Zemo killed them before they could fight Captain America, Iron Man, and Bucky. The twist helped set up a more personal finale for Civil war, but this does not seem to have always been the case. Actor and stuntman Scott Adkins revealed in 2018 that he met the Russos to play one of Hydra’s Winter Soldiers when they were supposed to have a bigger role. It’s unclear if this was after the film’s story moved on to Civil war or if it was before. These super soldiers could have been Captain America 3The original way to have a massive battle, as the other Hydra super-soldiers could go mad from the Madbomb and become even bigger threats to Steve and company.

Captain America 3 could have included another cap

the original Captain America 3 The story also apparently included plans to introduce another version of Captain America. Prior to Captain America: The Winter SoldierChristopher Markus teased that their plans for the sequel include a “Psychotic 1950s cap.” While no names were said, it appears Markus was teasing the debut of William Burnside, the fourth Captain America in the comics. Burnside became Cap when Steve Rogers went on hiatus, but went insane from an improper amount of Super Soldier Serum. No further details on how this alternate Captain America would factor in Captain America 3the story never came. It would have been quite surprising to see Steve Rogers lose the mantle (even temporarily), but Burnside could also have been reimagined as a Hydra super soldier instead. In any case, William Burnside may have become the MCU’s dark Captain America replacement years before John Walker’s role in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.

Crossbones probably would have had a bigger role

Crossbones is a character who was given the short end of the stick due to Captain America 3the story turns into Civil war after Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man joined the project. Frank Grillo appeared in Captain America: The Winter Soldier as Brock Rumlow and the film’s ending hinted at a great future for Captain America’s villain. In reality, he was only used for one sequence in the final film and was killed off early. This was not going to happen in the original plan of Captain America 3. Grillo teased that he and the Russos repeatedly discuss a bigger future where Crossbones is elevated to villain status. There were even reports that Crossbones was going to be the film’s main villain. After dropping a building on him and losing Hydra, Captain America 3 was the right place to give Frank Grillo’s character more to do. While the details of his original role aren’t known, it’s easy to imagine him fitting into the Madbomb storyline and possibly even being the one to release it – much like his mission to steal a biological weapon in Captain America: Civil Waropens.

Would the Serpent Society be involved?

Something that was never clear Captain America 3 is if the Serpent Society were ever to appear. Marvel Studios named the film Captain America: The Serpent Society at the 2014 Phase 3 slate unveiling event before revealing the real title was Captain America: Civil War. The Serpent Society is a group of Marvel villains who all have serpent-related names and abilities. Neither the Russos nor Markus and McFeely ever indicated that the villainous team was supposed to appear in Captain America 3even though Marvel Studios joked that they would be the main villains.

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