Captain America: Civil War will see a brutal conflict take place between two teams of superheroes. Team Captain America will be fighting for the right to remain uncontrolled by the government, while Team Iron Man will be fighting on behalf of the government, which wants to exert some control over superheroes.
There will be other individuals in play – namely, certain supervillains and government authority figures – and every single character in the movie could have a say in how the battle comes to an end.
That being said, we feel that there are certain characters who have a big chance of landing the finishing blow in the conflict – whether it be a literal physical blow or otherwise – when it comes to bringing the movie to a climax.
This article lists the ten most likely candidates to land the decisive blow in Captain America: Civil War.
Thanos
The character who lands the decisive blow in the battle between Team Captain America and Team Iron Man might not be taking part in the conflict – in fact, he might not even be on the same planet as the conflict itself.
The Mad Titan Thanos made his move to start collecting the Infinity Stones in the mid-credits scene of Avengers: Age of Ultron. It could be an attack by the big-bad of the Marvel Cinematic Universe that brings the war between the superheroes to an end.
What if, for example, he blows up Xandar while retrieving the Orb Infinity Stone, and word gets to the Avengers that Earth is Thanos’ next target? They would have to put their differences aside and join forces once more. There’s every chance that something like that could happen before the end of Captain America: Civil War.
And now on to another villain.
Baron Zemo
Captain America: Civil War isn’t just about a conflict between two teams of superheroes, of course. There will be some actual villains around to make life even more difficult for the likes of Captain America and Iron Man, as well.
The main villain of the piece is going to be Baron Zemo – played by Daniel Brühl in his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut – and he is bound to play a big part in the proceedings.
In fact, it could be a move by Zemo that brings the conflict to a close – whether it be a physical attack that unites the two teams of quarreling heroes, or a move behind the scenes that makes them realize they’re being played. Either way, he could be important in the battle coming to an end, one way or another.
And yet, another villain could be important when it comes to the battle coming to an end.
Crossbones
Frank Grillo will reappear as Brock Rumlow in Captain America: Civil War, with his new identity, Crossbones. And if the character’s role in the Civil War comic book arc is anything to go by, he could be very important in the movie’s climax.
Crossbones was responsible for the death of Captain America in that story and, if that turns out to be the case in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, he could be the man whose move brings the titular war to an end.
Imagine, if you will, that the fight between the two teams of superheroes is ongoing and, out of the blue, a bullet from Crossbones’ gun kills Captain America in front of his allies and former friends – the battle would come to a halt then and there, as they all realize what matters most.
And now, on to the most powerful character on this list.
Vision
As the most powerful character in Captain America: Civil War by quite some distance, the Vision is likely to play a rather large part in the story – and he could be the deciding factor in the battle as a whole.
Paul Bettany’s character is made of the nigh-indestructible vibranium and possesses none other than an Infinity Stone (the Mind Stone). His power dwarfs that of the likes of Captain America, and even Iron Man.
As a character who is also self-described as being “pro-life”, he may use his power to bring the battle to an end after coming to realize that it isn’t good for the fate of the world.
And now, on to a character who appears to be very important, if the promotional materials are anything to go by.
Bucky Barnes
If promotional material for Captain America: Civil War is anything to go by, Bucky Barnes, aka the man formerly known as the Winter Soldier, could be very important when it comes to the titular battle in the movie – and he could be the man to end it.
He has featured extensively in trailers and concept art, and he looks prepared to do whatever it takes to win the battle – whether for himself or his team as a whole (he is, of course, on Captain America’s side).
He clearly attempted to shoot Tony Stark in the head in one scene in a trailer for the movie and is set to feature prominently as a fugitive from the government – and as a man on whom the likes of Iron Man and Black Panther specifically want to gain revenge for the deaths of their respective parents. With that in mind, he could be a key figure in the battle’s climax.
On to a highly-anticipated newcomer in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Spider-Man
The one character that every fan can’t wait to see in Captain America: Civil War is undoubtedly Spider-Man. Tom Holland will portray the character – also known as Peter Parker – for the first time in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Until now, the Webbed Wonder had previously only appeared in Sony-distributed solo movies on the big screen.
Spidey isn’t expected to have a lot of screen time in this movie, but his impact could potentially be huge – and he could be the deciding factor in the outcome of the titular battle.
Iron Man looks to be outmatched by the duo of Captain America and Bucky Barnes in the trailers for the movie – but what if Spider-Man appears and sways the battle in Iron Man’s favor by assisting the armored hero? It would be awesome if that were the case.
And speaking of the franchise’s flagship hero, we’ll move on to him now.
Iron Man
Of course, as the flagship hero of the franchise – and as the leader of one of the two teams fighting in Captain America: Civil War – there’s every chance that Tony Stark, aka Iron Man, could land the decisive blow in this movie.
He has been the key to victory in pretty much all of his appearances to date – most notably in the Battle of New York in The Avengers – and his fans would be disappointed if that didn’t turn out to be the case this time around.
In all honesty, his team far outmatches Captain America’s in Captain America: Civil War, and he could easily lead them to victory, land the finishing blow, and maintain his status as the main man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Of course, the titular character has a great chance of landing the decisive blow in the battle, as well.
Captain America
This movie is, of course, called Captain America: Civil War. That obviously makes it a Captain America movie, and it would, therefore, be something of a surprise if the super soldier isn’t victorious and doesn’t land the decisive victory blow at the movie’s climax.
On the face of it, Cap’s team seem hopelessly outgunned in this movie, as they possess less power than Iron Man’s team. They also have the might of the world’s governments up against them, as they rebel against the implementation of the Sokovia Accords.
But everyone loves an underdog. If Captain America ultimately ends up being the key to winning the battle in this movie, it would definitely be appropriate and welcome.
But could we be surprised in this movie?
A surprise candidate
The cast of characters in Captain America: Civil War is huge already, but there’s every chance that some surprise appearances could be made by existing Marvel Cinematic Universe characters who aren’t scheduled to appear, or even by some new characters who haven’t been listed.
Thor or the Hulk, for instance, could be drawn back to Earth to end the conflict that their friends are taking part in. Or the Guardians of the Galaxy could appear to tell the heroes on Earth to unite in order to prepare for the coming of Thanos.
Moreover, someone like the imminently arriving Doctor Strange could step in to pacify the quarreling heroes, or a cosmic hero like Nova, Adam Warlock, or Quasar could do the same thing. It would be a nice surprise for something like this to happen.
Then again, the conflict might not be settled by anybody at all.
Nobody
Who’s to say there even will be a decisive blow in Captain America: Civil War? The movie could quite easily end without there being an obvious winner.
It has been hinted that the conflict between the heroes may continue in other movies – such as the solo Spider-Man movie and/or Black Panther – and that they don’t resolve their differences until one of the two Avengers: Infinity War movies in 2018 and 2019, respectively.
Ending on a cliffhanger with no decisive winner could be a good option for Marvel Studios, as it would leave audiences wanting more.
That being said, it could be annoying for audiences to finish watching this movie without seeing an outright winner or a resolution of sorts. We will have to wait and see what happens!
What do you think? Who will bring the conflict to an end in Captain America: Civil War? Someone in this list or another character? Have your say below!
