There's a devastating conflict brewing in Avengers: Age of Ultron – and it has nothing to do with megalomaniac robots.
After reaching an uneasy truce with their roles on the team and its structure, Tony Stark/Iron Man and Steve Rogers/Captain America start to clash on an ideological level that will have huge ramifications for the Avengers – and Marvel films to come.
The stoic Steve, still reeling from revelations of widespread corruption and the infiltration of SHIELD by HYDRA in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, is starting to question the precepts and principles he's followed blindly for so long.
Tony, meanwhile, is drifting towards the desire for order and control.
“Morality hits Tony, humanity hits Tony. All of a sudden he feels responsible,” says Chris Evans, who plays Rogers for the fourth time in the billion-dollar Marvel franchise.
“It’s blurry and that’s what makes it great. No one’s right, no one’s wrong,” says Evans.
“It’s going to make it even harder for them to come to an agreement, which I’m really excited about,” says Downey.
While the seeds of a showdown between the two heroes are scattered throughout Age of Ultron, we won't see it sprout until the release of Captain America: Civil War, due to be released next summer. Plot details are sparse, but comics fans know that the Civil War storyline was the one in which the Avengers fractured, divided down battle lines drawn by Stark and Rogers.
“It’s like a marriage,” says Evans. “We love each other, but it’s explosive. You’re working toward the same goal, but you have very different approaches to it.”
Downey adds: “I’m really stoked to see when we have more stuff to actually do together besides act like we’re about to have a fight one day.”
Pre-production is already under way on a summer shoot for Civil War, with Winter Soldier directors Joe and Anthony Russo at the helm.
“Some people say there’s going to be superhero exhaustion – but these movies aren’t just superhero movies,” says Evans. “The superhero involvement is what’s going to bring the audiences, because of the familiar properties, but then you get into the movie and it’s not just him and his suit, it’s not just me and my shield – it’s people having real-life discussions and real-life conflicts as characters. That’s what people are going to relate to.”
artslife@thenational.ae