1) He Gets The Standout Action Sequence
Building on their strong action work in The Winter Soldier, the Russo brothers create some of Marvel’s most spectacular action sequences in Civil War. There’s the opening Crossbones pursuit in Lagos, the highway chase in Austria that ultimately has supersoldiers Cap and Bucky outrunning speeding cars, and the climactic fight set in Siberia that simultaneously ends Phase Two and kicks Phase Three off with a bang.
Nothing, though, is quite as spectacular as Civil War‘s epic airport showdown, in particular the big surprise that comes slap bang in the middle of it all.
No spoilers here, but suffice to say, Spider-Man plays a crucial role in that moment, which proves to be one of Marvel’s bolder and more bizarre action beats. With a desire to make Tony proud and an idea he got from “that really old movie” Empire Strikes Back, Parker emerges as the victor.
It’s a great introduction to the new Spider-Man’s intelligent fighting style, as well as further proof that the character is going to use humor to devastating effect.