Chapter 4: Power, Security, and Superheroes as WMDs

Introduction

Imagine a world where heroes with incredible powers face the same challenges as international superpowers: balancing security, facing off in arms races, and navigating alliances. Captain America: Civil War gives us exactly that, taking classic political science concepts like the security dilemma, deterrence, and multilateralism, and putting them to the test with high-powered Avengers as the main players. In this chapter, we’ll dive into the Avengers’ struggle over power and control as a way to explore how states interact and manage threats, especially when that “threat” happens to be a superhero with the ability to take down a city singlehandedly.

The political tension in Civil War begins with the Sokovia Accords, a set of international rules designed to control the Avengers, and leads to a split between Captain America, who wants independence, and Iron Man, who believes in oversight. As they each assemble their own team and clash over issues of freedom, control, and security, we get to see how power in the real world is often just as messy—and as complicated—as it is in superhero films. By using the Avengers’ choices to unpack IR concepts, this chapter makes political science as thrilling as a Marvel showdown. So, get ready to look at alliances, deterrence, arms races, and more through the eyes of the world’s mightiest heroes and find out how these ideas play out in the real-world balance of power. Avengers assemble!

SPOILER WARNING: This chapter will reference specific characters and events from the film Captain America: Civil War, some of which may spoil major plot points. If you would like to watch the film before you continue, I highly recommend it. HCC students can watch the film for free through our library’s Swank account here: Captain America: Civil War (2016) Not an HCC student? Check your streaming platforms or local library for access!