Civil War is so full of dramatic irony, and it honestly makes the movie so great, and powerful, and messy. Like, we as an audience know that after Bucky gets found, Steve isn’t fighting about the Accords anymore, he’s fighting to keep Bucky safe. You know who doesn’t know that? Tony, Rhodey, and Vision. They know Bucky’s there, and that he was the Winter Soldier, but they don’t know anything as in depth as Nat, or the people from Team Cap. We as the audience know that Tony had just relived the last conversation he had with his parents on a stage, which is why he reacts so horribly in the final fight scene, but Steve doesn’t know that. We as the audience know that Tony found out about Charles Spencer right after he gave his BARF speech, which made him more emotionally vulnerable, but the Avengers don’t know that. We as the audience know that Sam lost Riley, his partner, who he fell from the sky, the same way Rhodes did, which is why he goes after Rhodes when he goes down. Tony doesnt know that, so he assumes Sam as someone who is still trying to fight them, and protects his best friend. We as the audience know that T'chaka was not murdered by the Winter Soldier, T'challa does not know that. We as an audience know that Steve is afraid of losing more of his past (his fear scene in aou), which causes him to lose sight of the accords in his fight for Bucky, but the other Avengers dont know that. Hell, we as the audience know that Tony’s worst fear is losing the Avengers, more people who he considers family to an outside force that he has no control over, which is why he fights so hard to keep Steve on the team by having them sign the accords. We as the audience know that the Winter Soldier killed Howard and Maria Stark, and we know that Steve knows. Bucky and Tony don’t know that. We as the audience know that they’re all being played by Zemo, the Avengers don’t know that.
So honestly, bravo to the writers because they managed to make a movie that people are STILL arguing about one whole year later.
