"Captain America: Civil War" has hit theaters and has hit pretty hard, raking in a solid $181.79 million during it's opening weekend.
I grew up on DC Comics, my dad being a big Batman fan. But then Marvel movies came in and they were much better than DC movies. The interlocking storylines/movies, the bonus end credit scenes, the awesome casts, and -- of course -- the Stan Lee cameos. I enjoyed all of that a lot more than basically anything that DC has made over the same amount of time.
Here are some things I've picked up on while watching these witty and well made movies.
1. Tony Stark's ideas suck.
OK, so not all of his ideas suck, like the Iron Man suit- good idea, good purpose. But there are other ideas that just lead to conflict and disaster (at least in the comic world). Of course, something has to lead to the battle the heroes have to fight in, but who has been the source of the conflict? That's right, Tony Stark. Just look at "Avengers: Age of Ultron" -- Ultron is created from Tony's idea to have artificial intelligence protect the world ("Peace in our time." -Tony Stark, "Avengers: Age of Ultron") and look where that got them.
Also, look at "Captain America: Civil War" -- Tony thinks the idea that heroes have be to regulated and controlled by a committee (and has to get approval from a committee before taking action) is a good idea. Does he NOT KNOW that things take a whole lot longer than necessary when they have to be put through a committee? If that actually was implemented, the world would be destroyed ten times over by the time the heroes would actually get approval to go into action.
But I will admit, Tony Stark and his realization that the weapons his company manufactured were falling into the wrong hands in "Iron Man" helped me finish my History of the United States final. (I got an overall A in that class.)
2. CHRIS EVANS' ARMS
Actually, Chris Evans in general.
3. Black Widow shows that all women can be badass.
Black Widow is awesome. She is one of the few heroes that doesn't have powers. She's basically all skill and she's a great example of how strong a woman can be. And she's nowhere near a 'damsel in distress' character. She takes care of herself. A great example of this is when she gets called in to be part of the Avengers Initiative in the first Avengers movie.
The sad thing is that, yes, she's made scattered appearances in Marvel movies from "Iron Man 2" to "Captain America: Civil War," but she hasn't gotten her own movie yet. The spotlight isn't on her long enough in any of the movies to really take anyone's eyes off the dominate male hero that she is assisting.
4. Hawkeye is all of us.
Hawkeyes doesn't have any specific "powers" he just is really really good at shooting arrows. How did he get there? Practice. In a way he is all of us- if you've seen the new Hawkeye comics, he's the one that calls for coffee and naps. Which, I'm sure all college students can identify with. He's also probably one of the most under appreciated Avengers since he doesn't have all this cool gadgetry or powers. He's just a middle-aged man with a family and some mad archery skills. He also looks like grumpy cat, which is essentially how I feel when I don't get a nap.
5. Coulson is all of us when we meet a famous person or "fangirl" over something/someone.
Ever meet your favorite celeb (or really, any celeb)? Coulson is basically all of us when we meet someone famous or one of our idols. He collected the Captain's trading cards and was practically Captain America's biggest fan.
6. Friendship is important.
Even after so much goes on in their history, Steve Rogers stands with Bucky Barnes (which is part of the conflict in the new Captain America movie). But this shows how, if you're really friends with someone, no matter what happens you'll be there for time and with them through thick and thin. Even if one of you was frozen for like, 50 years and the other was made into a brainwashed super solider.
7. English Literature is important.
"Doth mother know you weareth her drapes?" -Tony Stark, The Avengers
As someone who has a lot of background in writing and English, and actually enjoyed my English classes in high school, I found this line very amusing. Even though the most prominent playwright has been dead for ages, Shakespeare still gets a shout out in a superhero movie.
8. Sometimes words are hard.
Do you ever just have those days where you can't think of the right word? Or your words get jumbled? Yeah, it appears that Thor has those days too.
9. Sometimes you just need a good dance party.
It really depends on the situation, but both are great options. It's always good to just dance it out. Why use violence when you can use dancing?
10. We shouldn't let our fears control us.
At first Scarlet Witch uses fear to manipulate people (example, Tony Stark, which then leads to the idea and creation of Ultron). But she is also afraid herself. By the end of "Avengers: Age of Ultron," Scarlet Witch has better control of her powers and their affects.
But the main thing we should learn from the Maximoff twins is that we shouldn't let our fears control us because we one day we won't be able to outrun them.
So why not face them head on and be brave?
*Side note: I'm slightly disappointed that Funko!, the company that makes those Pop! Vinyl figurines didn't make one for Quicksilver. Literally ALL THE OTHER CHARACTERS from Avengers: Age of Ultron got a figurine. Except Quicksilver.
11. It's OK to get angry.
Sometimes it's good to get angry. If there's an issue that you're passionate about or someone insulted someone you love or you feel (rightfully) threatened, it's okay to get angry. It's not okay to get angry about petty things or things that aren't going to be important in the long run.
12. Bullies are NOT OK.
It's been a huge issue in schools. Bullying. Bullying doesn't just last for that moment and just goes away. People can be affected by bullying experiences for the rest of their lives. I, personally, wasn't bullied to a large degree, but I certainly didn't feel as welcome or included at my high school. But how does this affect me now? It makes me feel like I'm not as included or welcome or able to join my friends now in college because I'm afraid they actually don't want my company. Just like those "friends" from high school. So, bullying is NOT okay and it needs to stop. Superheroes- even if they're really just fictional characters- still have an influence on kids and adults, so if there's at least one hero that's standing up against bullying, that's using that character to set a good example.
13. Sometimes duty calls.
Black Panther was kind of thrown into the Civil War mix with a duty to his father. Of course, the duty kind of started off with a revenge vibe, but in the end he helps where help is needed. He also has duty as warrior and king. I'm excited to see more of Black Panther in the Marvel movie universe.
14. Teamwork makes the dream work.
Sometimes you're not able to do something yourself. There's, of course, that lovely and overused phrase "there is no 'I' in 'team'" (and I guess "teamwork makes the dream work" is overused as well) but it's true. Not all battles that the heroes fight are solo battles. I mean, look at half of the Marvel movies, even the ones that are titled with a solo hero doesn't mean they are the only won that takes down the villain in the end. There's at least one or two other people that end up getting introduced or helps out in some way.
15. Help comes in all sizes.
Ant Man proves this. Now, I haven't actually seen his solo movie, but he's in "Captain America: Civil War." Honestly, you'd think a hero that can change to the size of an ant would be useless and a stupid concept, but really there's some good tactics that a hero that size can be used for. Ant Man has the element of surprise on his side as well as the ability to get into very small spaces.
16. Family is important.
Yes, this GIF is from the 2005 "Fantastic Four," which I thought was a whole lot better than the reboot. But in a lot of the Marvel movies the theme of family and friends and protecting them is very prominent. I guess you could say, the family that fights together stays together. And even if they aren't exactly blood relation, the team that the Marvel movie highlights usually becomes close or family-like. But the main thing is that you can trust your family to be there when you need them most.
See, Marvel can be educational.
