CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR Directors Discuss the Point of View of Iron Man / Tony Stark



In CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR, Captain America opposes The Sokovia Accords while Tony Stark / Iron Man is all for the document that sees the world governments wanting more accountability and governing power over the Avengers.

Directors Anthony and Joe Russo spoke to Empire about Stark's point of view on The Accords.

“Tony’s defining characteristic is his egomania, in a lot of ways,” Anthony said, “and we thought it would be interesting to bring him to a point in his life where he was willing to submit to an authority, where he felt it was the right thing to do.”
“He now has a guilty complex,” Joe added, “and the guilt drives him to make very specific decisions.”

So which side is right and which is wrong? The directors want fans and moviegoers to debate this even after the credit roll.

“When people leave the theatre, they’re going to be arguing about who was right in the movie, whether it was Tony, or whether it was Cap,” Joe said. “Tony has a very legitimate argument in the movie that’s a very adult point of view, about culpability, about the Avengers’ responsibility to the world, and the world’s right to have some sort of control over the Avengers. It’s a very complicated emotional arc for Tony Stark in this movie. Downey is utterly amazing in the part. I think he’s taking this character he’s been crafting for years and goes to some very risky places in the movie with the character.”

How do the views of Stark differ from Cap's?

“Tony is a person who understands the grey as well as anybody,” Joe said. “Cap is extremely black and white and there is a certain level of moral fibre and fortitude that a guy like Tony would perceive as being irritatingly perfect, and irritatingly obstinate. The notion of wanting to punch Cap in his perfect teeth is a way to express his frustration with Cap’s inability to conform to politics, and to compromise.
“The theme of the movie is betrayal and it’s a very powerful theme. The movie’s extremely emotional. It hinges on that emotion, and on a very personal level we didn’t want the movie to become about politics and people arguing about platitudes. The third act is built around a very personal moment between these characters.”

CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR releases on May 6, 2016.