Cap: Civil War - Russo Brothers Confirm Sokovia Accords are Their Superhuman Registration Act

In a trailer analysis interview, Empire got the first word from the Russo Brothers, directors of [...]

Captain-America-Civil-War-Cap

In a trailer analysis interview, Empire got the first word from the Russo Brothers, directors of Captain America: Civil War. Now that some footage is out there, the questions and speculation can begin in earnest. Perhaps chief amongst them has been what form the Superhuman Registration Act from the comic books would take, one of our six biggest questions from the trailer.

Now, the Russos have confirmed that the Sokovia Accords seen in the trailer are their version of the document. Sokovia is the city that was going to be used as a bomb by Ultron - it wound up being evacuated and blown up, but that's still an entire city wiped off the map as colateral damage.

"We're using the essence of what Civil War was about," says Joe Russo. "The comic book isn't applicable to the storytelling that we've structured up to this point, but the concept of registration, the notion that heroes need to be either monitored or controlled because their power can be scary, is applicable."

That's of course also referring to the fact that the comic book story was centered mostly on secret identities. Outside of, kind-of Ant-Man and the incoming Spider-Man, no one has a secret ID in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and it's certainly not an issue they can go to war over.

"The Accords are the world jointly trying to govern the Avengers moving forward," Russo continues. "It has to do with the effects of Ultron and Sokovia, and New York City [roundly trashed at the end of The Avengers], and Washington D.C. [nearly devastated by falling helicarriers at the end of Captain America: The Winter Soldier]. Examining the third acts of all the Marvel movies, we're saying, if you could point to the collateral damage in all those incidents, could you use that against the Avengers to control them?"

His brother and co-director Anthony Russo also promises the stakes are considerably raised.

"You have to pit him against the establishment, only this time it's even graver consequences and even graver stakes than in Winter Soldier. In Winter Soldier, he was on the side of right because the establishment had been corrupted by a very evil organisation. In this movie, it's just the establishment versus Captain America and he has to make a choice whether or not he can tolerate the establishment any longer."

Check out the article for a full scene-to-scene breakdown.