Oh, hi, “Civil War.”
Tonight, Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr. made an unannounced visit to “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” and they premiered the first teaser trailer for “Captain America: Civil War,” next summer's mega-sequel that is essentially a third “Avengers” film.
It's a damn fine trailer, and one of the things I like most about it right away is just how little it reveals. Mainly, the trailer sets up the underlying tension that eventually leads to the civil war, starting with the return of General Ross, played once again by William Hurt. I love that they're bringing him back from “The Incredible Hulk,” and it makes perfect sense that he would want to bring the heroes of the Marvel Cinematic Universe under his control.
They had to create an entirely different reason for this to happen than existed in the comics, and I'm glad to see that it is built off of conflicts that already exist within the various films. At first, I thought they moved too fast telling the Bucky story, killing him in the first “Captain America” movie, but now it's clear that they've had a plan for him all along, and he's just as important as Cap as a character. Sebastien Stan may not have been very well known when he was cast, but he's grown admirably while playing the role, and he and Evans have a very important sense of chemistry between them.
And can we talk about that moment at the end of the trailer?
“Sorry, Tony. You know I wouldn't do this if I had any other choice… but he's my friend.”
“So was I.”
My kids and I just watched the trailer four times in a row, and they freaked out at the first glimpse of Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman) just as hard as they freaked out at seeing who is on which side during what looks like one of the film's big fights. But it was that last image of Winter Soldier and Cap handing Iron Man his ass that had them off the couch and on their feet cheering.
Is it May yet?
“Captain America: Civil War” arrives in theaters May 6, 2016.