Marvel's Civil War and Dehumanisation

[Shutset]

Beware! Spoilers for Captain America: Civil War and The Avengers: Infinity War

 

Like many MCU fans, I looked forward to the release of Captain America: Civil War and speculated how things were going to end up

and how the Avengers would get back together in Avengers: Infinity War. Personally, I supported Team America's side but back then I saw the pros in the Pro-registration side and wanted to see a sort of compromise between both sides.

 

However, once I saw the film, my feelings about the Sokovia accords and those who support it grew much more bitter.

This has been difficult for me type because I have lived with these feelings of bitterness for the last two years - Yeah, I know. It's ridiculous of me to get this worked up over a film that's meant to be pure entertainment.

 

Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross gets appointed overseer of the Sokovia Accords and locks up Team America, ignoring Tony Stark's testimony to Buckey Barnes innocence and much of the world despises them, having no gratitude for having saved the world several times over. I grew to dehumanise everyone who supported the Accords - the US President, CIA agent Everett Ross, the armed guards who watched over the imprisoned avengers and even members of the general public and members of Team Iron Man - by projecting the image of Thunderbolt Ross onto them, seeing them as vicious bigots who treat the Avengers like animals to be locked away.

(Which makes it all the more confusing to me why it turns out that Vision and Wanda have been seeing each other for years since she and the rest of Captain America broke out of prison - I always thought Vision would've sought to arrest her again, as a twisted way of "keeping her safe", without a second thought.)

 

So I often fantasised paying vengeance upon the entire human race for this betrayal - pretty much joining Thanos in collecting the Infinity Stones to wipe out humanity and then subjugate the surviving half of Earth so they would suffer as much as possible. Even if the Avengers got together, defeated Thanos and reversed his intergalactic genocide, I wouldn't see the people of Earth being grateful for their actions but even if they did and the President repealed the Sokovia accords and fired General Ross, I wouldn't ever bring myself to forgive them because of how far I've dwelled in my hate.

 

It is said that hatred is a venom that causes more harm to the vessel that carries it then whoever it is poured upon.

I have recently read about the effects of dehumanisation, my favourite article being this here.

It tells about how when you're in a conflict with another side, you learn to attribute negative traits and project flaws of your own onto your enemy to make them less human, thus removing any moral restraint to pay them twicefold the evil they may have done unto you (if not more so).

 

Maybe I'm the only one whose been so wound up like this, maybe there are other fans who share my feelings and inner struggle.

Either way, I just wanted to let this all out and not keep it bottled up for the rest of my life.

 

Thanks for taking the time to read this.