Green Hal37: Probably ignored Tony's characterization for plot. A lot of Civil War was actually plot over logic.
Glad you enjoyed that.
Exactly.
So, before we get started, I wanted to address two things.
First, I realized in the first chapter I never said where Scott was sitting. Scott is sitting on the end of Steve's couch, next to Natasha.
Second, regarding my stance, although I personally lean heavily to Team Cap, I am not Anti Team Iron Man. I actually agree with several of their points up until they sign The Accords. I am anti-Accords, as they are written and anti-writing characters OOC in order to cause conflict. Which Tony is written extremely OOC in Civil War, as is one other member of Team Iron Man, which I will cover in this chapter. If they wanted a conflict between Steve and Tony, at least have it over something that made sense, like Bucky being framed for murder.
Anyway, that's all I wanted to address. On with the story.
The scene changes to a house in Cleveland. A man is sitting at a table, eating dinner when he hears a crash outside.
"Wait, who's this guy?" Scott asked confused.
"I don't know," Tony said confused, looking at his fellow Avengers but they all shrugged cluelessly.
"I bet he's a bad guy," Scott said was met with several raised eyebrows. "Hey, he even looks like a bad guy!"
The man walks over to a window and lowers the blinds slightly. He sees a man on his front porch, looking freaked out by his car hitting the car in the driveway. The owner quickly steps away from the blinds as the man outside walks up to the door. He speaks in an American accent as he suggests they take care of the auto accident themselves. The owner eyes the gun he has on a table before letting the man in. He opens the door as Zemo lungs for him, striking him and knocking him out.
"I guess he's a bad guy to," Scott mused.
"We don't know that yet," Steve pointed out.
"Perhaps we should continue watching and we will find out," T'Challa suggested.
A bit later, Zemo is taking a hammer to the wall, uncovering a box. The owner of the house is tied, upside down, his head inside a sink that was filling with water. Zemo empties the box of its contents, finding a familiar red book.
"Looks like you're right Tick Tack, the guy is Hydra," Sam noted.
"Yeah, but what about the other guy?" Peter questioned but no one had an answer.
Zemo goes through a file, finding a picture of the man in Russian Armed Forces uniform. The man demands to know who Zemo is and Zemo, now with a Sokovian accent, tells him to call him Zemo.
"I don't suppose that rings a bell with anyone?" Rhodey asked but nearly everyone shook their heads.
"I'm afraid not," Thor said.
"Well, hopefully this will give us some answers," Steve noted as the recording continued.
Zemo demands to know what happened on December 16th, 1991. The man wants to know how Zemo found him and Zemo explains he went through the files Natasha dumped onto the internet during The Hydra uprising. Zemo's only interest is finding out what happened on December 16th, 1991. When the man refuses to cooperate, Zemo walks over and, to the man's surprise, turns off the water.
"Wasn't expecting that," Natasha admitted.
"Somehow, I doubt this guy just decided to give up," Tony said doubtfully.
"He's Sokovian," Wanda said softly as they all looked over at her. "I didn't recognize it at first but his dialect, the way he says things…he's from Sokovia, just like me."
"So we got a guy going after old Hydra operatives that's from Sokovia. Okay, that narrows it down a bit," Tony noted, his mind working.
"Not by much though," Rhodey pointed out.
"Enough, for now," Steve agreed with Tony.
Zemo points out that killing the man is not something he wants and would be pointless in the end, giving him a chance to live if he talks. The man responds with 'Hail Hydra', so Zemo turns the water back on and walks away as the water consumes the man's head.
"See, bad guy," Scott said feeling vindicated.
"Mr. Lang is correct. I have seen many men like him, obsessed with one goal and will kill anyone who gets in their way," Thor agreed.
Peter shivered, unnerved by Zemo's cold-bloodedness. Sensing his uneasiness, Wanda decided to try something. Unseen by anyone, she waved her hands and red mist floated over to Peter. Peter suddenly felt a lot calmer, which he found strange. Wanda smiled, which was wiped off her face as the recording continued.
Back at the Compound, The Avengers are in the longue, talking about The Accords. Steve is sitting in a chair, reading The Accords as Sam and Rhodey argue behind him. Sam feels that The Avengers will be tagged like common criminals if they sign while Rhodey thinks, because The UN authorized The Accords, they should sign.
"Seriously?" Sam asked incredulously as nearly everyone who knew him looked at the stunned Rhodey. "Since when do you smile and nod when the government tells you to?"
"I don't know. It's almost like I've been replaced with someone who looks me but acts the opposite," Rhodey mused.1
In the lab, Barton and Fitz were caught between snickering and wondering if Rhodey could see the future.
Rhodey and Sam's argument is interrupted by Vision, who declares he has an equation. Since Tony announced that he was Iron Man, the number of powered individuals and world ending events has increased exponentially. Steve asks if Vision think it's their fault and Vision clarifies that their strength invites conflict. Oversight is not something they can dismiss, Vision insists.
"We're not dismissing oversight. I don't think anyone here has a problem with oversight," Steve said as he looked around at his fellow Avengers, who all appeared to share his feelings before he focused on Vision. "But these Accords, they don't offer oversight. Don't confuse control for oversight Vision. It's a dangerous misconception."
Vision frowned, considering Steve's words. Perhaps he was not yet ready to make these kinds of decisions, he mused.2
Natasha notes that Tony is being uncharacteristically quiet and Steve said it's because Tony has already made up his mind. Tony makes a sarcastic comment as he heads over to the kitchen to make some coffee. Tony complains about coffee grounds in the disposal before pulling out a holographic photo of Charles Spencer. Tony explains who Charles was and that he was one of the casualties of the battle of Sokovia.
Wanda winced, guilt eating at her in her part of the destruction of her home and all the lives lost. Clint put a hand on her shoulder as he shot Tony an incredulous look.
"'We dropped a building on him'? What is wrong with you?" Clint demanded.
"You make it sound like it is our fault Stark," Thor said lowly and Tony unconsciously scooted towards the edge of his seat. "We had to stop Ultron. Would you have preferred we let humanity be destroyed?"
"I don't what's going on with me. He looks like me but…he's not acting like me," Tony said truly puzzled.
Tony declares The Avengers need to be put in check, that they need to accept limitations or they will be no better than the bad guys.
"Okay, seriously, who is this guy? He's not acting anything like me," Tony said, growing more and more perplexed by his behavior.
In the lab, Fitz handed Barton ten bucks.
"I told you that you shouldn't have taken that bet," Barton said smugly as he pocketed the money.
Steve and Tony argue about The Accords, which Steve sees as only shifting the blame, which Rhodey, still advocating for signing The Accords, says is dangerously arrogant. Steve argues that the UN is filled with people with agendas and that those agendas change. Tony says this is good, using his trip to Afghanistan and realizing the harm he was doing as an example. Steve argues that Tony chose to do that, something he could not do if he signed The Accords. Steve asks what if The Avengers are sent somewhere they don't need to go or if they need to go somewhere but the UN won't let them go.
"That's a good point Cap," Clint said with a frown as he looked at the others. "Is anyone here not prepared to save lives just because the UN tells them not to?"
Not a single person said anything, but the point was made. If people were in danger and they could stop it, none of them would think twice about intervening, Accords or no Accords.
Steve says the safest hands are still their own. Tony argues if they don't do it now, it will be done to them later.
"So we should just go along with it?" Clint said, almost laughing at the thought. "I'll be sure to tell the Founding Fathers they should have just gone along with King George and never founded America."
"Clint," Natasha said warningly.
"No, he's right. I don't know what is wrong with me but I'm being stupid, more so than usual. I apologize in advance, because I have a feeling I'm gonna owe you guys a lot of apologies," Tony said, unnerved by the actions of his on screen self.
Wanda realizes that he means they will come for her. Vision immediately says they'll protect her.
"How Vision, how are you gonna do that?" Clint demanded as Wanda paled. "How are you gonna stop Ross from coming after Wanda if you signed The Accords? Because if half the things I've heard about that man are true, he'll come after her the first chance he gets!"
"A man like Ross is only interested in his own power, fearful of what he does not understand," T'Challa noted as Vision frowned, considering the flaws in his logic.
"I think that before The Accords are presented, Wanda should go somewhere…off the grid," Steve said with a pointed look at Clint.
Clint realized what Steve was saying and gave a subtle nod. Clint reached out and grasped Wanda's hand and she gently squeezed back. He had failed her brother, but he wouldn't fail Wanda.
Natasha suddenly speaks up, saying that Tony might have a point, to Sam's surprise. Natasha points out they need to earn back the trust of the world.
"Seriously Nat?" Clint asked as those who knew her best (Clint, Steve, Tony and Sam) stared at her incredulously.
"I don't trust the government. But when this goes south-and it will-you'll probably need someone on the inside, since Tony and Rhodey are pretty dead set on signing," Natasha pointed out and suddenly, her actions made sense.3
Tony and Natasha begin to joke when Steve gets a text.
'She's gone. In her sleep' it reads.
Steve feels a wave of grief crash over him. Peggy had been getting worse in the last few months; her Alzheimer's making it difficult for her to recall anything. She was one of the last relics of his old life, his first love and one of the few people left who had cared about him before he became Captain America. And she only had a few months left.
Seeing the state of their friend, Sam put a hand on his shoulder as Natasha reached over, taking his hand. Everyone else stared at him sadly, allowing him to grieve his loss. Even those who didn't know the situation such as Thor, T'Challa, Scott, and Peter could understand and emphasize that Steve had lost someone.
"We can take a break for a bit if you want Cap," Tony said gently and Steve took a shuttering breath, trying to control himself.
"No. We need to keep watching. I'll-I'll be okay," Steve said, part of him wondering if he was trying to convince himself or them.
Tony eyed him, concerned for his friend for a minute before he unpaused the recording.
Steve abruptly says he needs to go before standing up and walking out, to his teammates' confusion. Steve walks down the stair and puts his hand to the bridge of his nose.
The scene changes to London a few days later. The funeral for Peggy is taking place in a church; the choir is singing as the pall bearers bring in the casket. Steve is one of the pall bearers and tears are visible on his face.
Later, everyone is seated and the Priest allows Sharon Carter to give the eulogy. Sharon steps up to the podium and Sam elbows Steve, who had been lost in thoughts. Steve looks up at the podium and is shocked to see Sharon.
"You know her Cap?" Clint asked, seeing the look of surprise on his friend's face.
"She was a SHIELD agent Fury assigned to watch me during The Hydra uprising," Steve said surprised before looking over at Natasha. "Did you know she was related to Peggy?"
A sly grin was his only answer and Steve could only chuckle, a welcome sound to his friends.
Sharon begins the eulogy by revealing she was Peggy's niece and that having Peggy as an aunt was a lot to live up to, which is why she never told anyone they were related. She remembers asking Peggy how she succeeded at Espionage and Diplomacy at a time when a woman was not wanted to succeed in either.
Peggy had told her 'Compromise where you can and where you can't, don't. Even if everyone is telling you something wrong is right. Even if the whole world is telling you to move. It is your duty to plant yourself like a tree, look them in the eye and say 'no, you move''.
"I think I would have would have liked her," Tony said wistfully, wishing his father had not kept his work with SHIELD such a secret.4
"She probably wouldn't have been too fond of you at first," Steve said, a trace of his usual humor in his voce.
"Well, I'm not good at first impressions. But I'd wear her down," Tony said confidently and Steve laughed.
"Probably," Steve agreed good naturedly.
After the funeral, Steve is standing alone in the church, looking at a picture of Peggy as Natasha walks up to him. Steve remembers finding out Peggy was still alive after coming out of the ice. He says he was lucky to get her back and Natasha points out Peggy got him back to. Steve sighs, asking who's signed The Accords. Natasha says Tony, Rhodey and Vision have. Clint says he's retired and Wanda hasn't made up her mind.
Wanda knew it was unlikely she would sign. Even if these Accords were something to consider, even if they stopped them from coming after her, she still wouldn't sign. Ross reminded her too much of List to even consider it.
Natasha says they need to stay together but Steve won't give up his free will to do it. Natasha knows this, making a confused Steve ask why she's there. She says she didn't want him to be alone before she hugged him, comforting him as he broke down.
Steve looked over at Natasha a grateful look on his face. Words failed him as he tried to express how grateful he was for her support. But he didn't need to say anything; the look she shot him said she understood.
The scene changed to Vienna later that day. As reporters crowded around the building, T'Challa was watching from the window.
"Hey, it's you Your Highness," Scott exclaimed.
"So it would appear," T'Challa noted, wondering if he would finally find out why he had been brought here.
T'Challa turns away from the window as he hears Natasha enter. T'Challa walks over and they bond over how neither of them really like the spotlight. T'Challa makes it clear his dislike of politics as T'Chaka walks over. Natasha apologizes for the deaths of the Wakandians in Nigeria, which T'Chaka gracefully accepts. They both regret Steve not being there as the session begins. Natasha takes her seat as T'Chaka notes T'Challa is getting good at diplomacy. The two share a close moment before T'Chaka takes the podium.
T'Chaka gives an impassioned speech, talking about Wakanda remaining in the shadows for too long. As his father gives his speech, T'Challa is by the window and notices something odd on the ground. Police surround a news van, looking tense. Suddenly, they run. Realizing what is happening; T'Challa rushed forward, telling everyone to get down. T'Challa tried to tackle his father out of the way but the explosive goes off, sending him flying as T'Chaka is caught up in the explosion.
"Son of a bitch!" Tony cried out and everyone was so shocked no one called him on swearing in front of Peter.
T'Challa crawled towards his father, who wasn't moving. He desperately searched for a pulse but it was no use. T'Chaka was dead.
"No!" T'Challa cried out in despair.
T'Challa buried his head in his hands, his shoulders shaking with sobs. Thor placed a hand on the prince's shoulder, sadly remembering his mother's death. Peter, Wanda, Steve, and Tony all stared at T'Challa in sympathy as they remembered the deaths of their own parental figures. They knew nothing they said would help T'Challa now, so everyone simply remained quiet, letting T'Challa break down.
1: I don't know who that was who looked like Rhodey, because it wasn't Rhodey. This guy seems to be a government lapdog who blindly follows orders because the government tells him to. Which is completely inconsistent with the portrayal of Rhodey in the Iron Man films. And, since the MCU seems to be setting up the Skrulls as the main villains of phase 4, let's just say this Rhodey is a Skrull and the real Rhodey was replaced whiles the others were in Lagos.
2: Vision seems to act more like a computer than a person in Civil War. His equation is all very logical, but it doesn't stop to consider the real world. His logic would work on paper, but not in the real world because it fails to consider how often threats like Ultron pop up. To paraphrase a quote from Agents of SHIELD, Vision is good with equations, but stupid when it comes to the real world.
3: I've always struggled to understand Natasha's decision to back The Accords. Even if she was desperately trying to keep The Avengers together, even if this does fit with her wiping red out of her ledger, I find it very difficult to believe, given her experience with The Red Room and with Hydra, that Natasha would ever willingly give control of her life over to the government. But it makes a lot more sense for Natasha's character if she's going under deep cover.
4: Some people think Peggy had some sort of role in Tony's life, either as an honorary aunt or even his godmother. I'm sorry, I don't see it. Peggy is unlikely to put up with any of the stunts we saw Tony pulling before his life changing trip to Afghanistan. If Peggy had any sort of influence over Tony's life, he would have grown up to be a very different person. Plus, we know Howard kept all his work with SHIELD a secret from Tony.