That Captain America: Civil War was essentially just an Avengers movie was a point used to disparage the film in 2016. For diehard Cap stans, it was also a source of frustration: the Star-Spangled Man (Chris Evans) had already led the Avengers in two solid ensemble pieces, but his trilogy lived in its own world. At least, until it came time to wrap things up.
There was no way of knowing, in 2016, that Civil War was essentially the beginning of the end — the end of Marvel’s unchallenged supremacy, of the Avengers’ familial rapport, of Steve Rogers as a character who actually made sense. It was the first true stop on the road to Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame, which irreparably splintered its eponymous team and (depending on who you ask) committed the most grievous of character assassinations on Steve. His status as the Man Out of Time took on a new meaning after Endgame: he’d never get a chance to headline another solo adventure or really finish his story outside of a sprawling ensemble film.
