[Theory] Why Iron Man is the Villain in Civil War

This doesn't really contain spoilers, just theories, and is written with the assumption you've seen all the Marvel Movies to this point. So, spoilers for those.

So we've just has a new trailer drop for Captain America: Civil War and it's utterly fantastic! Everybody is very excited (And nervous! Nobody likes it when Mummy and Daddy fight) and I for one cannot wait for the movie coming out. I'll be there on opening day!

The marketing for this movie has been pretty brilliant, in true Marvel fashion, and has encouraged fans to pick a side in this conflict between our most beloved characters. Are you #TeamCap or are you #TeamIronMan? Arguments are popping up all over the place and it's generating a lot of hype for the movie. This movie gives people legitimate reasons to back both sides, too. They've genuinely created a relatable scenario where friends have conflicts, have differing ideologies and opinions and that's now being reflected on social media between fans. I love it.

But I'm now going to explain why backing #TeamIronMan is a fucking stupid idea, and in essence is backing #TeamHydra.

Civil War boils down to the "Framework for the Registration and Deployment of Enhanced Individuals." A document that will require super humans to sign up for government agency, revealing their identities and signing up for a government controlled and monitored program. This was a reaction to all the disasters that superhero fighting has caused, and the collateral damage. Superheroes save the day, but they also put the day in jeopardy by their mere existence and the forces they meddle with has inspired action. Legislative action.

Tony thinks this is what's necessary to maintain order and control, He's seen what happens when unregulated 'weapons' get into the wrong hands.

Cap thinks this is a shite idea because he's seen what happens when you point a gun at someone and burn a number in their arm, and what it does to the people holding the gun. "This isn't freedom"

Now let's talk about Tony Stark. Tony is in constant self conflict, or became as much in his first movie. We were sold the genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist and what we actually got was a real man struggling with his principles, with a hefty dose of guilt. He was a warmonger. A weapons manufacturer, and in essence put the US in the same situation Superheroes and dicking with cosmic artifacts have put Earth. He escalated America, exposing it to further threats. He brought a gun to the knife fight and then everyone wanted guns. Some people got them, and it was partially his fault. He's not only had first hand experience of how escalation within war works, he's also been directly responsible for that escalation.

"Your work with the Tesseract is what drew Loki to it, and his allies. It is the signal to all the realms that the earth is ready for a higher form of war." - Thor

Let's take this to the sequel, where he's now dealing with his imminent death, and in order to save himself and the world from the mess that he once again created. This has a massive impact on his social and personal life, and caused him to act irrationally. We're exposed to the way in which Tony is quick to act. Making Pepper CEO, and other completely independent decisions made by a man suffering from some next level stress. This exposes Tony's impulsiveness further. Even Shield were reluctant to take him on board based on his psych evaluation. He also shows his pride and his stubborn attitude. Even when faced with death he refuses to seek external help. He's not a great team player. He doesn't trust anyone.

"Soldiers trust each other.That's what makes it an army.Not a bunch of guys running around shooting guns." - Captain Amercia

Then we see him in the Avengers next. He's once again dabbling with these cosmic entities, tempted by the drive in him to fix what he's created, create a shield around the world. This causes conflict not only within him but within the rest of the team and nearly breaks them up before they get started. They manage to come together for common purpose, which involves the tipping point in Tony's mental health: His journey into space, fighting aliens and getting more first hand experience of the scale of how far things will escalate.

Then we've got Iron man 3. A more human movie for Tony Stark. Once again, acting impulsively, nearly getting him and pepper killed and exposing them and the world to more danger. We also see that his mental health has started to manifest symptoms inducing panic attacks and nightmares.

Age of Ultron. Scarlet Witch just flat out fucks with his head. Implanting suggestions that his friends, and everyone, is going to die because Tony failed to act. Exposing him to his own fears and insecurities because of the power he wields. This brings Tony to his most irrational decision yet. To further dabble with the cosmic entities poisoning him and creating a super weapon that holds the earth to ransom. Mass destruction and death. Entirely his fault.

We can start to see a pattern in Tony's rationale, and make an analysis of his motivations and fears.

This all justifies the Registration Act for Tony. It's a way of him seeking redemption and achieving his ultimate agenda of peace and an end to the escalation. But I've also just described the creation of a villain. A good villain doesn't know what he is. A good villain is the exact opposite of our hero and a great villain has a motivation, a justification and a rationale for their behaviour. Often one that seems entirely reasonable on the surface. I'm not a person that believes evil is born. I think evil is created from dire circumstance. Tony has been through some shit and is willing to do anything to make up for his shortcomings; "I'm game, whatever shape that takes" as we hear in the trailer when we see the reveal of The Raft: The superhero Auschwitz...

Tony's motivations are moral, but his actions are evil, even if he's oblivious. He's also not only trying to fulfil his agenda. He's also fulfilling Hydra's.

"Ultron can't tell the difference between saving the world and destroying it. Where do you think he gets that?" - Scarlet Witch

Without going into too much detail about Hydra, let's have a look at their motivations and agenda. For this we can look into Dr. Zola's speech in Captain America: Winter Soldier. After we're introduced to Hydra in Cap's first movie, we're exposed to more of their capabilities in the sequel and specifically during this scene. Zola says this:

"HYDRA was founded on the belief that humanity could not be trusted with its own freedom. What we did not realize was that if you tried to take that freedom, they resist. The war taught us much. Humanity needed to surrender its freedom willingly. After the war, S.H.I.E.L.D. was founded, and I was recruited. The new HYDRA grew, a beautiful parasite inside S.H.I.E.L.D. For 70 years, HYDRA has been secretly feeding crises, reaping war. And when history did not cooperate, history was changed." 

"Accidents will happen. HYDRA created a world so chaotic that humanity is finally ready to sacrifice its freedom to gain its security. Once the purification process is complete, HYDRA's New World Order will arise. We won, Captain. Your death amounts to the same as your life, a zero sum!"

See what he said: "We won, Captain." He's right. This was possibly the biggest twist in the Marvel Cinematic Universe: Hydra have been manipulating things behind the scenes for the past half century. Hydra have become such a sophisticated spy network it infected and dismantled the most sophisticated spy network on the planet: Shield. They've managed to create the conditions they need. Everything since Hydra's creation has been engineered or taken advantage of by them so that their agenda can be fulfilled:

Humanity handing over it's own freedom. The Registration Act will be the catalyst for this ultimate goal.

This is where Cap comes in. This is why the Registration Act doesn't sit well with him, even if this suspicion is masked by his loyalty to his friend. He's been here before. He's seen totalitarian regimens and what they can do. He's seen the consequences of when people have their freedoms jeopardized and taken away from them. He's had first hand experience of his own fears, just like Stark. This is why they so poetically stand at opposite sides of the spectrum. They're both right, Tony just can't see past the end of his nose.

"There is the next mission and nothing else." - Tony Stark

None of this is just a coincidence. Most of the conflict, war, assassinations that have happened in the past 50 years have happened because of Hydra. It all leads to their overall agenda. They are the Illuminati. Weaving a tapestry of deceit to fulfill their ultimate goal: Peace. Or at least a version of it they prefer: Ultimate control. Totalitarianism.

Registration is a stepping stone toward this goal, and Cap has seen it. He saw Hitler do it and he saw Hydra do it and they're doing it again vicariously through Stark and other politically influential people throughout recent history.

Here's my prediction if the Registration Act is passed.

• Phase 1. Superhuman Registration Act Passed.
• Phase 2. Resistance rises up against the Act. Act struggles to police entire Superhuman populace.
• Phase 3. Concentration camps and prisons set up for violators of the Act.
• Phase 4. Regulations fail to address problem. More people die and more mass environmental damage at the hands of Superhuman infighting and resistance.
• Phase 5. Government doesn't learn lesson. Imposes more regulations. Starts imprisoning and executing human allies of Superhumans and all voices of opposition to the Act.
• Phase 6. Further resistance. Military totalitarian regimen necessary to maintain control. Superweapon created by Stark and funded by each UN member state to police entire populace. (Project insight reinstated).
• Phase 7. Resources are spread thin, UN merged into a single Super State to fund project Insight on Global scale.
• Phase 8. Mass poverty and mass death due to all resources diverted to the Capital to maintain government control. Many Superhumans killed. Super State left to be run by a handful of wealthy elites infested with Hydra spies.
• Phase 9. Earth's population reduced to a few million due to mass poverty, hunger and environmental damage. Most superhumans dead. Lottery system initiated to determine which state gets to eat. All other pastimes made illegal to ensure compliance.
• Phase 10. Hail Hydra.

We've seen this kind of pattern emerge in X-Men Days of Future Past: Registration, Concentration, Elimination. We've even seen these patterns from other movies and media with similar themes. X-Men, Hunger Games, Equilibrium and especially the comics, books and eras of history from where they're inspired deal with relatable themes of persecution and how dystopian totalitarianism is created. It's part of what makes them so good.

History repeats itself. This is why it's pointing south. Cap has seen this before. He's seen it in the form of the Nazis, Hydra in 1945, Hydra/Shield in the form of project insight and had it spelled out to him by Zola. He's recognizing it again in the form of Tony Stark. A man driven to the brink of madness through stress and guilt, who's seen too much of the horrors of the universe and the future to make rational, reasonable decisions. Without Fury and a unified team to be his counteractive voice of reason I fear he could take this all the way, making him the ultimate ally of Hydra and the true villain of Captain America; Civil War.