9) Take The Conflict Seriously
During the much-lauded airport sequence in Civil War, Captain America asks Spider-Man, after noticing his light-heartedness and playful comments throughout the battle, whether he understood how serious the situations was. It’s somewhat of an eye-opening moment for Spidey, but coming from Cap, it feels like something he should be saying to EVERYONE instead of just Peter. Throughout the airport scene, all of the heroes are quipping back-and-forth nonstop. Sorry Steve, but nobody seems to be taking this seriously.
This tends to be a problem with some MCU films: not exactly taking things seriously, even when the situations is pretty dire. With the heroes not seeing the need to drop the quips and jokes, much of the tension is lost because of it. It’s pretty telling that the most tense moment within that airport sequence is when Rhodey got shot down and everyone lost their smiles. Considering the potential destruction and causalities coming in the battle against Thanos, it’s essential that everyone utilizes Cap’s advice and takes the final confrontation seriously.
This point is easily possible without removing any of that recognizable MCU humor, too. All it takes to ensure that audiences feel the severity of the situations is to allow these more serious moment to stand on their own. Sure, you may be sacrificing potential laughs, but the film will gain a stronger sense of tension and stakes in their place.