When it was announced in 2014 that Marvel's Civil War story arc would be adapted for the third Captain America movie, comic book fans knew what was coming. The superheroes of the Marvel Cinematic Universe had run around unsupervised for long enough, and the world's governments were eventually going to decide that rules needed to be put in place following multiple incidents with casualties. That came finally in Captain America: Civil War with the Sokovia Accords, decreeing that the Avengers and any other enhanced individual must only engage in superhero activities if approved by a UN panel. This legislation is not only responsible for many of the MCU's heroes clashing over ideological differences, but for ushering in the new status quo of Phase Three. However, if the MCU follows in the comic book world's footsteps, eventually the Sokovia Accords will need to be overturned so things can return to normal.
As it stands now, the MCU's superhero community is extremely fractured post-Civil War. Iron Man and Vision are the only heroes legally allowed to operate. Steve Rogers and his team, minus a newly-frozen Winter Solider, are still continuing to fight the good fight, but they're considered criminals. Black Panther is giving those individuals asylum in Wakanda. War Machine was crippled following the airport battle. Peter Parker must have a special arrangement with Tony Stark to continue being Spider-Man, but I doubt the industrialist will call the teen in on dangerous global missions. Finally, Black Widow is in hiding for betraying Team Iron Man. With Thor and Hulk dealing with their own issues, the Guardians of the Galaxy adventuring on other planets and new heroes like Doctor Strange and Captain Marvel not involved in this life yet, there are a lot of severed threads across the franchise.
This piece isn't meant to incite another debate over the merits of legislating superhero activities. There are merits to both sides, but when looking at this strictly from a storytelling perspective, this legislation is restricting the ability for these heroes to work alongside on other or simply get involved in other areas of the MCU beyond their own respective corners. It's great that Captain America: Civil War threw a wrench into the works and made audiences look at these characters in a new light, but that doesn't mean this shift needs to stay permanent. The MCU's superheroes are better when they're united, not separated.
So what will be the thing that brings these heroes back together and force the world's governments to overturn the Sokovia Accords? Easy: Thanos. After years of sitting on his La-Z-Boy throne, the Mad Titan has finally gotten off his butt and is looking for the Infinity Stones on his own. As of Captain America: Civil War, he has zilch, but by Avengers: Infinity War, he'll have all six of the stones inserted into his Infinity Gauntlet. Earth has been invaded/nearly destroyed before by the likes of Loki, Ultron and a few others, but Thanos marks the biggest threat this universe has ever faced.
Mere legislation isn't going to stop the Avengers from banding back together fight back against the intergalactic warlord and make sure he doesn't destroy/rewrite all of existence. We don't know yet exactly how the Infinity War will go down, but following its conclusion, the world's government will hopefully realize the Sokoiva Accords were a mistake and either amend them so they're not nearly as restrictive or abolish them entirely. All this being said, Captain America: Civil War isn't even half a year old yet, so we'll still be visiting an Accords-ruled world over the next couple years.
If you have your own idea about how the Sokovia Accords will be changed or eliminated, let us know in the comments below. We'll see what's in store for Earth's Mightiest Heroes in the MCU next when Avengers: Infinity War hits theaters on May 4, 2018.
