Well folks, the Granddaddy of them all is coming May 5th. Captain America: Civil War pits the two titans – Iron Man and Captain America – of the Marvel Cinematic Universe head-to-head in a matchup even the least astute of comic book fans could look forward to. When these two heroes meet over the Sokovia Accords, all past relationships and bonds can be thrown out the door – Iron Man is siding with the government for all superheroes to register with the government, while Captain America is on a mission to protect his air-tight defense of freedom. While both Tony Stark and Steve Rogers have more than enough star power to take each other on one-on-one, this ain’t no “Thrilla in Manila,” it’s the Super Bowl of the World, the Finals of Flying Folks, the World Series of Supers, the National Championship for Super Hero Sovereignty. Meaning Tony and Cap won’t be able to do it alone.
Both heroes’ sides have more than their fair share of intriguing role players and crunch time performers, but whose side holds the key contributors to help lift their legion of high powered heroes to the summit of victory? Let’s take a closer look at the unofficial pre-release power rankings of all heroes (super and non) in Captain America: Civil War.
13. Sharon Carter/Agent 13 – Captain America
Let’s be honest here – Sharon Carter is already batting well above her weight in most combat situations. With no super powers and no high tech gear to mask her human vulnerability, the cards are stacked against her. The two saving graces for Carter is her excellent tactical skills and more than formidable hand to hand combat when it comes to last resorts.
12. Clint Barton/Hawkeye – Captain America
He’s being pulled out of retirement for his matchup against team Iron Man, and if that’s any indication, its likely Clint Barton has probably dulled ever so slightly since the Sokovia incident. That being said, the guy has got a hell of a shot from long range, and an arsenal of shots to keep the opposition at bay. Between the two human assassins, Hawkeye needs to make Black Widow play the long game in order to lend an assist in his team’s efforts. And speaking of assists, maybe he’ll get a helping hand from a certain insect whispering ex-con…
11. Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow – Iron Man
She’s got Hawkeye beat in both the hand-to-hand and gear department, though her tactical abilities fall short. The name of the game for Natasha has always been kill, up until her sensitivity training from association with the likes of Cap and Barton, but when it comes down to it, Romanoff can pack a widow punch due in large part to updated tech gear–undoubtedly from Tony Stark. That being said, will the devoutly loyal Black Widow be willing to go the distance to terminate former comrades like Barton and Rogers? Who knows, but hesitation is never an advantage when it comes to battle.
10. Sam Wilson/Falcon – Captain America
All right, let’s be real here, Wilson is a grade-A trash talker. I’m talking Gary Payton/Larry Bird level smack talk, but for a paratrooper thrust into the world of superhero combat, its likely his skills aren’t quite fully developed. He’s a raw talent with a lot of heart, but he still desperately needs more experience, and its no doubt going up against the likes of Iron Man and Black Panther, he’ll get more than his fair share of first-hand combat. Also, when you get your ass handed to you by Ant-Man after Lang has been doing the superhero gig for less than a year, you definitely have some room to grow.
9. Scott Lang/Ant-Man – Captain America
Luckily enough for Falcon, he and Scott Lang are teammates this time around, which works to their advantage in the arena of wisecracks and brash bravado. Unfortunately, the two make up for one of the greenest groupings of heroes in the MCU. That being said, Ant-Man’s unique abilities make for excellent evasive techniques when it comes to hand-to-hand combat, but then again, shrinking doesn’t necessarily make one invincible in the face of bullets. However, if things follow the comics, there is certainly a “giant” possibility that a new iteration of Ant-Man could see him become impervious to artillery onslaughts.
8. Lt. James Rhodes/War Machine – Iron Man
Excellent military tactician turned semi-superhero; Rhodey has got the goods and then some when it comes to aerial artillery. That being said, if the movie’s trailer is any indication, it looks like things won’t necessarily bode well for Rhodes’ fate in the interim. It probably doesn’t help that War Machine is still technically a courier for the United States government, so it can’t be all that comfortable partaking in superhero escapades with Uncle Sam (not Wilson) breathing down your neck. Don’t be surprised if War Machine gets into his own head too much.
7. Tony Stark/Iron Man
Where War Machine has ample firepower, Tony has ample narcissism and snark. So don’t be surprised where Stark ensures his best chances of defeating Captain America’s factions by hiding more than a few tricks up his sleeve when it comes to battle against Cap and Bucky Barnes. That being said, out of all of the heroes going head to head over the Sokovia Accords, Stark is by far and away the most underwhelming in terms of hand to hand combat. He tries to offset his inabilities by always having some aspect of smart suit tech around him, but what happens if someone like, say, Bucky Barnes gets after Tony before he’s able to don his Iron security blanket?
6. Peter Parker/Spider-Man – Iron Man
He’s the wildcard of all the heroes at this point. When it comes to the comics, Spidey is a low-key Goliath of small-packaged power, even with him being a teenager. He’s bound to have plenty of spirit, and could make for an intriguing one-two punch of snark with Stark to combat the likes of Falcon and Ant-Man when trading barbs. Unfortunately, the guy is still a teenager, so who knows what level of ability this Peter Parker has managed to develop thus far – either way, he’s the inevitable LeBron James of the MCU, just brimming with raw talent, and inordinate ability.
5. Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier – Captain America
Supposedly, he’s the reason this whole thing is going on (outside of the Sokovia Accords, of course), and whether or not Bucky has since settled down mentally since the events of The Winter Soldier remains to be seen. If Spider-Man is the MCU’s LeBron James, then Bucky Barnes is Ron Artest/Metta World Peace. He’s an absolute headcase that has superstar talent in certain areas – in Barnes’ case, he’s a physical monster and has excellent marksmanship from years of working as the world’s greatest hit man. So when it comes to the likes of Iron Man and War Machine taking to the skies, don’t be surprised if Barnes snipes them before doing something absolutely batshit crazy.
4. Steve Rogers/Captain America
Keeping with the basketball analogies, Captain America is the MCU’s Tim Duncan – fundamentally sound when it comes to hand to hand combat, grounded in his beliefs, continually questioning authority, and 97 years old. He’s the Tom Brady of this fight – anyone touches him, all of his team is going to bat for him – not afraid to try and knock the air out of a few adversaries in the name of justice and ultimate victory. Oh yeah, he’s super powered and can long snap a motorcycle more than twenty yards before punting the heads of his assailants to high heaven.
3. T’Challa/Black Panther – Iron Man
Not a whole lot is known at this juncture in the MCU when it comes to T’Challa’s abilities as Black Panther. That being said, each comic book iteration of Black Panther has seen him act as one of the most intelligent and physically gifted of all Avengers. Consider him to be the most brilliant of all the superheroes going toe to toe with one another, so he’s the cerebral offensive and defensive coordinator, no doubt. He’s filled with rage as well, so there’s no doubt he’ll be more than capable of unleashing the fury of Wakanda on anyone that tries to cross. That and the fact that he managed to slice a motorcycle like a hot pad of butter in the trailers, so the Vibranium claws make him the most powerful hand-to-hand hero.
2. Wanda Maximoff/Scarlett Witch – Captain America
Scarlet Witch is scary powerful – she can manipulate the minds and memories of anyone she pleases, as well as manipulate matter. Her creepy facial expressions also work to her advantage, causing a sort of Medusa-like fear amongst those who look to take her on. The death of her brother Pietro during the Sokovia incidents will undoubtedly come into play when it comes to her unbridled despising of Tony Stark and his initiatives. It’ll be difficult for any of the Earth-bound Avengers to put up much of a fight when it comes to the other-worldly spiritual abilities of Wanda.
1. Vision – Iron Man
Its really no contest when you think about it – Vision is literally as strong, if not stronger than Thor (or at the very least, worthy). At a few days old, he somehow managed to take out Ultron’s drone army with ease either phasing through the drones, lasering the drones with his mindstone, or just simply beatin the hell out of them. The guy is a living computer, and has an infinity stone in his head, which makes him effectively invincible when it comes to taking on other superheroes. Consider him to be a Wanye Gretzky, Michael Jordan, Peyton Manning, Alex Rodriguez, Lionel Messi hybrid superhero on all the PEDs imaginable.
