That big 'Civil War' twist is a defining moment for Captain America
Psst: Go see Captain America: Civil War before you read any further. This is your one and only spoiler alert.
Remember the moment in Civil War when everything breaks?
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Tony Stark has just chased his friend-turned-enemy Steve Rogers across the world to apologize for being such a dick and fight by his friend's side again. Everything's going great until Tony learns an ugly truth: His parents were victims of Hydra, and they were killed by the organization's top assassin, the Winter Soldier. The brainwashed alter-ego of Bucky Barnes.
Cue a knockdown brawl with Iron Man on one side and Captain America/Winter Soldier on the other. But the most important bit -- how did Steve Rogers know about the Stark murders? -- isn't overtly explained.
"Steve's greatest failing [is] he doesn't lie."
In fact, that's a knowing nod for fans that know the Captain America movies inside and out, as series writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely told Mashable.
The fact that Bucky murdered Howard and Maria Stark is "glancingly hinted at" in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, said Markus.
"It is a -- call it an Easter egg -- during the Dr. Zola presentation in the underground Hydra lab, when he's telling [Captain America and Black Widow] about how Hydra had infiltrated SHIELD and been there for 50 years."
In the scene, Black Widow is skeptical. "People would have noticed" that level of insinuation, she says. "This is impossible."
Zola's reply: "Well... accidents happen."
We hear Zola's statement as the scene cuts to a newspaper clipping with a headline that reads: "Howard and Maria Stark die in car accident." There isn't an overt confession that the evil organization was responsible for their deaths -- but everything Zola leaves unsaid is easy enough to figure out.
"It's very clear that Hydra has killed the Starks, so Steve Rogers and Natasha Romanoff know in that moment," McFeely explained.
"Now, the question is: Does he know that Hydra's greatest assassin is [Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier]? He doesn't know that in the moment, but he learns it later in the movie. We felt that Steve had an excellent suspicion that Bucky may have had a hand in killing the Starks."
The way Steve reacts to Tony learning the truth at the end of Civil War definitely supports that read. The process that we, as the audience, don't see is his gradual realization that Zola's revelations create a deeply personal connection between Tony and Bucky.
Why, then, wouldn't Cap tell his friend the truth about Tony's parents? That, the writers say, speaks to who their version of Steve Rogers is as a person.
"Steve's greatest failing [is] he doesn't lie, but there's a willful blindness in operation there," Markus said. "He's looked the other way on something he could probably figure out if he tried hard enough."
McFeely agrees. "For our money, it's maybe the most interesting emotional beat in the whole of his movies."
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Adam Rosenberg is a Senior Games Reporter for Mashable, where he plays all the games. Every single one. From AAA blockbusters to indie darlings to mobile favorites and browser-based oddities, he consumes as much as he can, whenever he can.Adam brings more than a decade of experience working in the space to the Mashable Games team. He previously headed up all games coverage at Digital Trends, and prior to that was a long-time, full-time freelancer, writing for a diverse lineup of outlets that includes Rolling Stone, MTV, G4, Joystiq, IGN, Official Xbox Magazine, EGM, 1UP, UGO and others.Born and raised in the beautiful suburbs of New York, Adam has spent his life in and around the city. He's a New York University graduate with a double major in Journalism and Cinema Studios. He's also a certified audio engineer. Currently, Adam resides in Crown Heights with his dog and his partner's two cats. He's a lover of fine food, adorable animals, video games, all things geeky and shiny gadgets.
