Hi.
I'm TheManFromMars, I'm a huge Marvel fan, and this is my first editorial. Here, I'll share my ideas of how Marvel Studios could adapt down the line three major recent events as a continuous story in the form of an Avengers trilogy.
CIVIL WAR
I'm probably one of the very few people on Earth who not only enjoyed Civil War, but also was on
Tony's side during the whole thing. I'm not gonna discuss my reasons here or in the comment section. This is not the purpose of this Editorial.
We begin the story with a superhero antic gone wrong.
Horribly wrong. It doesn't need to be Nitro exploding a school like in the comics, any superhero related tragedy will suffice. Public pressure begins to weight against the superhero community forcing the government to put a Superhuman Registration Act bill for vote. This splits the Superheroes in two sides: "For" lead by Iron Man and "Against" lead by Captain America. The Registration Act won't be about secret identities here, because it's pointless. It will be about accountability instead, with the Supers having to serve the government as Agents and answer for their actions or retire, no exceptions.
Somewhere in the middle of the story Tony will trick Bruce Banner into a rocket ship, where he explains that someone as dangerous and destructive as the Hulk is bad press, and it was an unanimous decision between the "pro-registration" group that they need to get rid of him (that turns out to be a lie). Bruce can only watch in disbelief at the betrayal as a special gas prevents him from hulking out and knocks him unconscious, so Tony can send him aimlessly into outer space.
The plot will basically follow the comic's storyline after that, culminating in the big battle in NY, where Cap surrenders because they were winning the fight but losing the cause. Most of Cap's "accomplices" are arrested too, Registration is made law, and Stark got a nifty new position as Secretary of Defense.
But there's trouble in paradise: Pepper thinks Tony has changed. He's cold and distant. With tears in her eyes, she leaves him. Tony is eerily indifferent about it. Later at night, 'Tony' contacts his mothership...
OH, NOES! Tony is a Skrull!!! The real Tony is kept hostage on the Skrull's mothership! The entire Civil War was a ploy by the Skrull Empire to hinder Earth's defenses! (Real Tony's abduction may have happened either in a previous movie or in this movie before the Registration war begun).
They're not done, however. Invasion has just started.
SECRET INVASION Whether there will be a few movies in between Civil War and Secret Invasion, showing the heroes dealing with the aftermath of the Registration Act (and maybe even planting a few seeds of suspicion to the audience about characters who could be Skrulls) or the movie follows Civil War directly, the story begins with Steve Rogers going to trial. As he climbs up the courtroom stairs BAM! He's shot by an angry citizen. He doesn't die, though. He's taken by an ambulance to a hospital, where he's said to be in critical condition.
Later, the news will report that Captain America managed to escape the hospital and is a fugitive. A manhunt ensues. One by one, Cap breaks his old "Anti-Registration" pals out of jail. He tells them that (somehow) he found out about an alien conspiracy infiltrated in the government, and the only way to stop it is to disable all government agencies and take over the White House. (It is later revealed that this Cap is a Skrull. The real Steve was abducted and replaced in the hospital while he was weak. This will make the characters and, hopefully, the audience even more suspicious towards everyone.
Who can you trust?)
While the Skrulls are doing their shenanigans on Earth, in their mothership, Steve manages to escape his cell, and finds all the other prisoners who the Skrull replaced, including Tony Stark. Now, this could be a sweet moment when Tony and Steve shake hands and make peace, or a bitter moment where Steve doesn't fully trust Stark as of yet. Regardless, they all join forces to escape the mothership and warn Earth.
After more shenanigans, we have the big fight! Steve's bullet wound could make it difficult for him to fight (and maybe even kill him, if they decide to go that route) or not at all, Super Soldier Serum, fast healing, and all that. In the end, they're victorious, the Skrull conspiracy is revealed, the "Anti-Registration" party receives presidential pardon, the registration act is abolished, and Pepper comes back to Tony.
Trusts have been betrayed and friendships were broken, so is not all flowers and sunshine. While Skrull Tony was responsible for all the horror the Civil War caused, most if not all of his followers were normal heroes who picked their side on their own free will, so many heroes may hold a grudge because of that.
But still, everything ended in a mostly happy note. Except...
HULK'S BACK! Whether he's back from drifting aimlessly in space or back from Sakaar (if they decide to make Planet Hulk), he's back on Earth, unaware of the Skrull invasion. As far as he knows, his best friends betrayed him and sent him to death.
And oh, boy, he's
pissed.
WORLD WAR HULK I'm not gonna lie and pretend I've read WWH. I didn't. I only know the gist of it. So, I'll be brief.
Hulk is angry as hell and all he wants is to smash his so-called friends, especially Stark, and anyone who gets on his way. The army and the superhero community try to stop him, but Hulk pass through them like a steamroller, while the core Avengers (or maybe the Illuminati) hide away trying to think of a plan to stop or, if necessary, kill him.
In the end, they manage to turn Hulk back into Bruce Banner and explain the Skrull situation to him. The army arrives, demanding the arrest of Banner for the various crimes the Hulk commited on his rampage. As a heartwarming display of friendship, the heroes defend Bruce, even though he almost killed them all earlier. Bruce, however, looks at all the destruction he caused and turns himself in, saying something like:
"They were right all along. I'm nothing but a monster". It's a bittersweet ending.
Bruce may get his redemption on the next movie.
So, that's it. Thanks for reading. Please, share your thoughts of how much my ideas suck in the comments bellow.