‘Captain America: Civil War’s’ Working Title Unveiled, Reveals Plot Point?
It’s not uncommon for films to use working titles when they are in production, usually for security purposes. Famously, Return of the Jedi was filmed under the title “Blue Harvest,” and the Marvel Studios movies have each used working titles to throw off internet snoopers. The first Avengers movie was filmed under the working title “Group Hug,” and this year’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier used “Freezer Burn” as its working title.
In the case of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, the working title gave a clue to the plot of the film as the titular Winter Soldier (played by Sebastian Stan) and Cap himself (Chris Evans) were both frozen before being thawed out in a world that had gloriously passed them by. In the case of Captain America, his acclimation to the new world is what makes the character so compelling, but the Winter Soldier, on whom cryogenics has left a lasting impression, has a “freezer burn,” if you will.
Today, Marvel announced that the third Captain America film, subtitled Civil War, will use the working title “sputnik.” Sputnik was the code name for the first Soviet space flights in the 1960s. It was also the code word used in The Winter Soldier to shut down Bucky Barnes, keeping him from questioning his HYDRA superiors in their mission of taking out Captain America and S.H.I.E.L.D. itself.
If “sputnik” is involved in Captain America: Civil War, it could point to one or two major plot points. One, Bucky Barnes’ Winter Soldier will be back, and two, as seen at the end of the last film, if Bucky has completely broken his HYDRA hold, he could come back to be an ally of Steve Rogers. This is good for their long-time friendship, but bad for Captain America.
(Possible spoiler warning ahead)
In the Marvel Comics timeline, the superhero Civil War ended with Captain America being shot and killed by two characters that featured in The Winter Soldier film. Cap’s death forces Bucky to take up the shield and fight as the new Captain America. If Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier is a part of this film, it begs to wonder if Steve Rogers’ Captain America is not long for the Marvel Studios film franchise. This rumor was recently reported in the Inquisitr.
There has already been talk that the current Avengers would be replaced — with with new actors in the roles, or with new characters completely. Captain America: Civil War could very well lead to Steve Rogers’ — and Chris Evans’ — involvement with the team, and film series, coming to an end.
Does the working title for Captain America: Civil War spell doom for our star-spangled hero? What do you think will happen in the highly-anticipated film? Sound off in the comments below.
[Image courtesy of mygezza.com; screencrush.com]
