For fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the debate over who was right in Captain America: Civil War has been an ongoing one for many years. While the story has moved on since then and both of these characters have had their send-off in the MCU, the actions and plot from Civil War have impacted the narrative in many ways ever since.
Because of this, it’s worth exploring the ways in which the characters were right about their decisions, especially in regards to the Accords. They both had some valid reasons for doing what they did, and this is why it’s complex, to say the least.
Iron Man: Not all superpowered people are inherently good
When the Accords are presented to the other Avengers, some of them are more excited about it than others, but it’s easy to assume at first that these regulations aren’t necessary. This is because viewers tend to be thinking only in of the heroes we know and love, but the truth is that not all superpowered humans are good.
Even in the movies, Scarlet Witch starts as a villain and later goes on to abuse her powers in WandaVision, and it just goes to show the damage that can be done when these people act without rules in place.
Captain America: He stayed committed to his ideals
One of the reasons why Steve Rogers is such a well-loved character is that he stays true to his ideals. While this doesn’t mean he’s perfect or that he doesn't make mistakes, he is usually consistent about his ethics. He will break the rules if necessary if it means doing the things he believes to be right.
In Civil War, he doesn’t believe in the Accords, and he also believes he has loyalties to certain individuals, like Bucky, that he needs to uphold.
Iron Man: He recognized his previous faults
It’s pretty easy to see why Iron Man thinks the Accords are a good idea even though he is someone who generally likes his freedom. He definitely is dealing with a lot of guilt over his past actions in the world, and how they, even if inadvertently, hurt others.
He clearly sees how he was wrong about Ultron, and he wants more regulations put in place to keep himself and others in check.
Captain America: Tony went about it in a bad way
While there was some validity to what the Accords were trying to do, Tony’s approach when it came to the rest of his team was the wrong one. He knew about the Accords first, and instead of talking with them all privately, he let General Ross sort of ambush them all with the information.
This approach put some of the Avengers, especially Steve Rogers, on the defensive right away. It felt cowardly on Tony’s part, and it might have gone over better if communication had been more open.
Iron Man: The Accords were ed by many countries
While it’s easy to make the argument that the government might not be more trustworthy than the Avengers, this wasn’t something made up just by the United States. It had the of many, many countries in the U.N., and this was important as it gave other countries a say in what the Avengers did.
Given that the Avengers' actions had had such a direct impact on many other places, it wasn’t a great idea to have them running around like they were under U.S. jurisdiction.
Captain America: Iron Man was being a hypocrite about it
While Tony Stark’s guilt over his past actions might have made sense to compel him to the Accords, it’s also hard not to see him as a hypocrite. Tony is a genius billionaire who had for years done whatever he wanted, even defying the government in the past, without care.
He created weapons and sold them, and then after becoming Iron Man, he created Ultron without thinking of the possible impacts. So, while he might have felt guilty, the truth was that he didn’t even seem like he would follow the Accords. It’s made clear even in the movie itself that Tony would go outside of what he was ordered to do what he wanted anyway.
Iron Man: He was trying to prevent further damage from happening
On the other hand, just because Tony had made some mistakes in the past, it doesn’t mean that he couldn't change and learn from his mistakes. There were many things that happened that were out of the Avengers' control, such as attacks from Loki, and they often were just trying to clean up the mess. But, the Avengers themselves did have the ability to be dangerous, and Tony knew this because of his own mess-ups.
He saw the Accords as a way to possibly help keep himself and others in check and having a bit more oversight wasn’t a bad thing per se. It did make some sense even if Tony himself didn’t really follow the rules.
Captain America: He was trying to save his best friend’s life
One of the main reasons Steve didn’t want to sign the Accords is he had some natural mistrust in government institutions at this point. He has seen how S.H.I.E.L.D. became corrupted, and he didn’t want to have to live by the ideals and mandates of an institution he knew could become flawed.
His fears were confirmed when he saw Bucky almost be killed, and this confirmed for him that he needed to be able to act according to his own conscience and loyalties. Since Bucky didn't even let off the bomb, he was right to try to save him, and Steve and Bucky were best friends.
Iron Man: Superheroes doing whatever they wanted could be dangerous
The issue of superpowered people in society does have a lot of fascinating implications, and some of them are dangerous. The idea that superheroes would do whatever they wanted and not be stopped doesn't make sense, so it does seem logical that there would be some laws and mandates about what was allowed and what wasn’t.
However, this doesn’t mean the Accords were the best or only solution.
Captain America: The Accords could have discriminated against those with powers
The movie version of this conflict wasn’t nearly as intense as in the comics because the comics include the X-Men. However, this is reflected in who is Team Cap and who is Team Iron Man, for the most part.
Those heroes who are genetically modified to be super can’t take away this part of them, while people like Tony Stark are just regular people with super technology. X-Men comics show how discrimination against mutants is a huge problem, and the Accords were setting up the possibility for this kind of thing. In the MCU, there are still people who are shown to have more inherent powers or have less choice in the powers they receive than others.
