Anticipation is building for today’s “world trailer premiere” of Captain America: Civil War, with just eight weeks to go until the film is released.

Marvel fans are facing the painful choice between two of their favourite superheroes: Captain America or Iron Man…

What’s the film about?

A year after the events of Avengers: Age of Ultron, an international incident involving the team leads politicians to introduce new rules about when the superheroes should be called in to help. The new regime sparks a bitter rift between former allies Captain America (Chris Evans) and Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr) – an unprecedented scenario on the big screen but one that has been touched upon in the comic book Civil War.

Who else is in it?

As well as the leads, the film boasts a treasure chest of supporting talent, including Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow), Jeremy Renner (Hawkeye), Elizabeth Olsen (Scarlet Witch), Sebastian Stan (Winter Soldier) and Anthony Mackie (Falcon). There is also speculation that Tom Holland’s Spider-Man could make an appearance. Behind the scenes are directors Anthony and Joe Russo and scriptwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely.

What are people saying about it?

Forbes predicts Captain America: Civil War will be another “feather in Marvel’s cap” and Downey Jr has even described it as “the Godfather of superhero movies”.

Expectation of an epic affair has only been swollen by co-director Joe Russo’s talk of a “sprawling film with a lot of characters that tells very intricate stories”.

Some of the more complex storylines are expected to surround Johansson’s Black Widow, with Russo telling IGN that he took inspiration from a televisual juggernaut to pen her particularly emotional journey. “I always said what I loved about Breaking Bad is that Vince Gilligan always wrote himself into the hardest corner,” he said. “I would watch an episode and go ‘I have no f******* idea how he’s going to solve this next week,’ and he would solve it.”

Captain America: Civil War is scheduled to be released on 6 May 2016.

Civil War trailer: why is Iron Man fighting Captain America?

25 November

The new trailer for Captain America: Civil War has revealed a new hostility rising up between the superhero and his Avengers companion Iron Man.

The film is officially part of the Captain America series, but has been dubbed “Avengers 2.5” as it is also seen as a bridge to the next Avengers movie, Infinity War.

In the new trailer, Steve Rogers, aka Captain America, played by Chris Evans, is heard telling Tony Stark, aka Iron Man, played by Robert Downey Jr: “I’m sorry, Tony, you know I wouldn’t do this if I had any other choice. But he’s my friend.”

“So was I,” responds Tony, before the trailer cuts to footage of the two men fighting.

It appears the pair have fallen out over Captain America’s best friend Bucky Barns (Sebastian Stan), who was brainwashed into becoming villainous assassin The Winter Soldier in the last Captain America film.

But their dispute boils down to the “age old question of security versus liberty”, says Entertainment Weekly. The governments of the world want all would-be heroes to work under strict oversight. Iron Man is on board with the idea, but Captain America has no faith left in bureaucracy and government, and wants to protect his friend Bucky, causing a fracture in the Avengers just as they try to protect the world from another new villain.

Evans has previously said the “flip-flop” in perspective of the two characters is why the film will be so effective.

Tony has always been the one to buck authority, while the Captain comes from a world of order, hierarchy and structure. However, after the last Captain America film, The Winter Solder, he realises that one cannot always trust the system. “I think he now is starting to follow his own heart, and do his own thing, and as a result there becomes this kind of flip-flop in perspective,” said Evans.

His rebellion means veteran characters such as Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), Falcon (Anthony Mackie), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) and Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) are forced to choose sides. Chadwick Boseman’s Black Panther will also make a debut appearance in the film.

Directed by The Winter Soldier filmmakers Joe and Anthony Russo, the movie is due out in May 2016.