One of the original ideas for what ultimately became Captain America: Civil War looked very different from the film that was released in theaters, and it's all because Marvel Studios president and chief creative officer Kevin Feige insisted on bringing a larger conflict to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
In an interview with The Town, as reported by The Direct, Marvel Studios producer Nate Moore recently discussed the script that was pitched for the third Captain America film, It revolved around Baron Zemo and a Madbomb, which caused people to fight each other. It was up to the titular superhero and the Winter Soldier to stop it. Feige believed it wasn't a large enough threat. Moore explained, "[Feige] was like, 'That's not a big enough idea, guys.' And we're like, 'Let us write a draft, we'll prove it to you.'"
Moore continued, "As we’re getting done with it… he pulls me into his office and he said, ‘You know, I think we should try to do Civil War.’ And I was like, ‘Kevin, we don’t have half the stuff that’s in Civil War. We don’t have the New Warriors, we don’t have… Here's all the reasons why we can’t do it'... There were so many things that we didn’t have." While Moore argued against it, even after going back and reading through the "Civil War" comics, but ultimately the third instalment of Captain America adapted "Civil War" and saw the Avengers divided by the Sokovia Accords.
Captain America: Civil War included all members of the Avengers, with the exception of Hulk and Thor, and split them into pro-registration and anti-registration groups. The film still implemented Zemo and Cap's reunion with the Winter Soldier, just as the original pitch did. Civil War was released in 2016 and was widely praised by both critics and audiences. It was a massive success at the box office, grossing $1.1 billion worldwide against a budget of $250 million.
The Next Captain America
A fourth Captain America film, Captain America: New World Order, is currently in development. However, this time around, Steve Rogers will not be a part of the story. Rather, the film will focus on Sam Wilson, who was given the shield in Avengers: Endgame and finally accepted the mantle of Captain America in Disney+'s The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.
Moore recently confirmed the MCU film will begin filming next spring and that pre-production is already underway. New World Order is currently scheduled to arrive in theaters on May 3, 2024. Details concerning the plot of the upcoming film are currently unknown.
Captain America: Civil War is available for streaming on Disney+.
Source: The Town with Matthew Beloni via The Direct