Team Iron Man Or Team Captain America? Which MCU Civil War Team Every Marvel Netflix Hero Would Choose

According to the official timeline of the MCU, Marvel Television’s Defenders could have been included in 2016’s Captain America: Civil War, but the street-level heroes would have been split between Team Iron Man and Team Captain America. Captain America: Civil War kicked off the MCU’s Phase 3 with a pseudo-Avengers movie, as Earth’s Mightiest Heroes came back together to discuss what to do after the instigation of the Sokovia Accords and the framing of Bucky Barnes’ Winter Soldier. The Sokovia Accords divided the Avengers into two factions, but these teams would have been different had Netflix’s Defenders also been involved.

Captain America: Civil War featured the returns of many of the MCU’s superheroes, except for Thor and Bruce Banner’s Hulk. However, there were several street-level heroes who weren’t involved in the Avengers’ dispute. In January 2024, Marvel Studios integrated Marvel Television’s Defenders Saga into the MCU’s official Disney+ timeline, implying that these six projects may now be MCU canon. Each of them, bar The Punisher, take place before the events of Captain America: Civil War, meaning any of the Defenders could have been recruited onto Team Iron Man or Team Cap, similarly to new additions Spider-Man, Ant-Man and Black Panther.

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Daredevil Would Be Team Captain America

Daredevil’s Anonymity Would Have Aligned Him With Captain America

Since his introduction in 2015’s Daredevil season 1, Charlie Cox’s Matt Murdock has valued his anonymity above all else. By daylight, Murdock works as a small-time Hell’s Kitchen lawyer, while he operates as the vigilante Daredevil by night. It’s paramount for Murdock to keep the two sides of his life separate, but signing the Sokovia Accords and revealing his secret identity to the world would have actively gone against this. In an effort to retain his anonymity, Murdock certainly would have joined Team Captain America, fighting against the Sokovia Accords, though this would have led to him becoming a fugitive.

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Matt Murdock’s opinions on the Sokovia Accords were solidified during 2022’s She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, during which Murdock was hired to represent fashion designer Luke Jacobson in a case against Jennifer Walters’ She-Hulk and Eugene Patilio’s Leapfrog. While She-Hulk wanted a list of Jacobson’s superhero clients to be released, Murdock stressed how important anonymity is to many of these heroes, speaking about himself in the process. She-Hulk: Attorney at Law also revealed that the Sokovia Accords have been repealed, allowing superheroes to operate legally with anonymity once again, but Daredevil was lucky to keep his identity off the document completely.

Jessica Jones Would Switch Sides

Jessica Jones May Follow A Similar Storyline To Black Widow

It’s possible that Krysten Ritter’s Jessica Jones would have followed a similar storyline to Scarlett Johansson’s Natasha Romanoff, a.k.a. Black Widow, had she been involved in Captain America: Civil War. Initially, Jones may have been a member of Team Iron Man, perhaps fueled solely by her hatred for her own superpowers, and the fact that she is a public figure anyway who doesn’t care if people know about her abilities. Her strength would have been a huge asset to Team Iron Man, but her allegiance to Tony Stark wouldn’t have lasted for the entirety of the Avengers’ battle.

Jessica Jones’ personal experiences would have informed her switching sides and joining Team Captain America, as she has had traumatic experiences with others telling her what she can and can’t do. Specifically, David Tennant’s mind-controller Kilgrave scarred Jessica Jones, so after realizing that the United Nations and the Sokovia Accords wanted to place limitations on what the Earth’s heroes can do, Jessica Jones may have fought against them. This would have followed in the footsteps of Black Widow, who allowed Captain America and Bucky Barnes to escape during the Avengers’ battle, despite fighting for Team Iron Man.

Luke Cage Would Be Team Captain America

Luke Cage Would Certainly Fight Against Government Oversight

There’s no doubt that Luke Cage would have joined Team Captain America had he been recruited during Civil War, as he has spent several years fighting against corruption and oppression. Mike Colter’s Luke Cage would have seen that United Nations oversight would have only led to the Avengers being sent to places they wouldn’t be needed, agreeing with Steve Rogers’ Captain America that the panel would have other agendas. On Netflix, Cage fought to bring peace and freedom to Harlem by ridding his neighborhood of criminals such as Mariah Dillard and Cottonmouth, and would do the same in Civil War.

Since the events of Luke Cage take place before Captain America: Civil War, there is confusion why he wasn’t recruited during the Phase 3 film. Luke Cage was a public figure in Harlem, and was much more noticeable than Peter Parker’s Spider-Man, so the fact that neither Tony Stark nor Steve Rogers approached the bulletproof man is unusual. Cage’s impressive gifts may have turned the tides of the Avengers’ battle, though he could have caused a huge amount of damage as well, and it’s unclear whether he would even want to get involved in such a monumental and high-profile fight.

Iron Fist Wouldn’t Choose A Side

Danny Rand’s Iron Fist Follows Different Rules Than The Avengers

It’s very likely that Finn Jones’ Danny Rand wouldn’t have got himself involved in the battle between the Avengers in Captain America: Civil War at all. Understandably, the mystical history, mythology and responsibilities of the Iron Fist are frankly above the limitations of the United Nations and the Sokovia Accords. Danny Rand isn’t just any superhero, but he has been imbued with the ancient power of the Iron Fist, and considers himself more powerful than any other heroes and vigilantes. This means he probably wouldn’t have participated whatsoever in the Avengers’ battle in Civil War​​​​​​​.

If he had become embroiled in the Avengers’ spar, Danny Rand’s Iron Fist likely would have fought on Team Captain America, battling against United Nations oversight. If this team had won, he would’ve been able to continue using his powers as the Iron Fist without being limited by the Sokovia Accords. It’s very possible that Jessica Henwick’s Colleen Wing, the new Iron Fist, would have done the same, though she wouldn’t have cared so much about the history of the Iron Fist ability. Instead, Wing would have wanted to continue to protect Chinatown without being supervised by the United Nations.

The Punisher Would Be Team Iron Man

The Punisher May Have Fought Against The Winter Soldier On Team Iron Man

Jon Bernthal’s Frank Castle likely wouldn’t have cared at all about the implementation of the Sokovia Accords. He became an incredibly public figure as the Punisher during Daredevil season 2, so wouldn’t have had any qualms about continuing to declare his name to his actions – even though his activities as the Punisher would have landed him in prison once again. While the Sokovia Accords wouldn’t have bothered Frank Castle, he would have likely joined Team Iron Man during Captain America: Civil War, anyway, for a similar reason to Chadwick Boseman’s T’Challa, a.k.a. the Black Panther.

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The Sokovia Accords may have divided the Avengers, but Steve Rogers’ relationship with Bucky Barnes put the nail in the coffin. Barnes was framed by Zemo for an attack on the United Nations which killed T’Challa’s father, T’Chaka, prompting the Black Panther to join Team Iron Man. For a similar reason, Frank Castle’s Punisher would have joined Team Iron Man, hoping to bring down the most dangerous and notorious killer, as the Winter Soldier took hundreds of lives over several decades. The result of Captain America: Civil War would’ve been very different had the violent Punisher joined Team Iron Man.