The MCU confirmed, in the worst way, that Steve Rogers eventually won Captain America: Civil War. Although the MCU is known for reinventing comic book arcs according to what its universe asks for rather than making one-on-one adaptations, having the Civil War storyline adapted as Captain America 3 was a surprising decision. The MCU’s Civil War felt smaller than the one from the comics, especially because everything had to be resolved in just two hours. Civil War had an impact on the rest of the MCU’s Phase 3, but now Phase 4 has unceremoniously settled Captain America and Iron Man’s biggest debate.
Following the events of Civil War, not much was heard from the Sokovia Accords in the MCU. The She-Hulk: Attorney at Law revealed that the Sokovia Accords have now been repealed. In other words, superheroes no longer have to act in an official capacity in order to continue being superheroes. More than six years later, the MCU proved that Steve Rogers was right – the Sokovia Accords would never work in the long term.
Why Were The Sokovia Accords Repealed (& When)
In WandaVision, which took place in 2023, Jimmy Woo stated that SWORD director Tyler Hayward’s Project Cataract was violating Section 36B of the Sokovia Accords. Therefore, WandVision confirmed that the Sokovia Accords remained valid throughout after WandaVision, the Sokovia Accords were part of Captain America’s exhibit celebrating the life of Steve Rogers, strongly suggesting that the Accords were now part of history and no longer valid. With She-Hulk taking place in 2025, it is safe to say that the Sokovia Accords were repealed somewhere close to the events of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier in 2024.
When it comes to why the Sokovia Accords were repealed, the MCU has yet to offer an official explanation. Matt Murdock saying that the Sokovia Accords had been repealed took many by surprise, mostly because the governments of the world had decided to maintain the Sokovia Accords even after Thanos defeated the Avengers and killed half of the universe. Not much changed between WandaVision and The Falcon and the Winter Solider, but it’s possible that there was pressure for the Sokovia Accords to be repealed since the events of Infinity War. After the Avengers saved the universe in Endgame, plus considering that Earth was now relatively safe, the Sokovia Accords became obsolete.
The MCU Finally Realized Steve Rogers Was Right
There was never an official winner in the MCU’s Civil War as neither Iron Man nor Captain America was happy with the way things ended in the movie. Both Tony Stark and Steve Rogers had been manipulated by Zemo, and by the time the planet needed the Avengers, Earth’s Mightiest Heroes were split – with heroes like Black Widow, Falcon, and Captain America being fugitives. Still, audiences continued debating whether Captain America or Iron Man had won the MCU’s Civil War, and there were enough elements in Phases 3 and 4 to both theses. In Steve Rogers had a bigger presence at AvengersCon than Tony Stark.
Curiously, Ms. Marvel also saw the Department of Damage Control having a significant role in post-Endgame Earth. Although Damage Control did not necessarily have the power to arbitrate whether superheroes could act, it tried to regulate the action of people with superpowers such as Spider-Man and Ms. Marvel who, at the end of every fight, would often generate a lot of collateral damage. That considered, superheroes no longer have to act under the rules of the world’s government, which only proves that Steve Rogers was right. Captain America won the MCU’s Civil War, and for that reason, new heroes like Spider-Man, Kate Bishop, and Ms. Marvel can operate freely.
Why Civil War's Ending Deserved A Bigger Stage
Given how important Captain America: Civil War was supposed to be for the MCU, having the Captain America vs. Iron Man debate be settled through a throwaway line in a more comedy-focused show was a mistake. As fun as it was to see seeing Daredevil use the end of the Sokovia Accords on a case against She-Hulk, the way the MCU revealed that the Sokovia Accords were repealed made it seem like they were never that important for the story. The MCU’s Civil War replaced the Superhero Registration Act from the comics with the Sokovia Accords, but the movie version of Rogers and Stark's fallout never matched the importance of its comic book counterpart.
