As they say, “there ain’t no rest for the wicked.” It’s only been a week since Avengers: Age of Ultron made its big debut in theaters and already Marvel Studios is back to work as production begins for Captain America: Civil War. Most of the cast has been confirmed since the big Phase 3 studio event last year, including the likes of Hawkeye and Black Widow, but there have been a number of new faces that will emerge in the third installment of the Captain America franchise. See the full roster and official plot synopsis after the break.

For comic readers, Mark Millar’s Civil War has been one of the most game-changing events in recent history of the Marvel Comics universe. If there is to be one storyline fans would hope to see this iteration of the cast live out – because Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr. certainly can’t keep going in this franchise as much as we’d like them to – it would have to be Civil War. Producer Kevin Feige has done a swell job in molding the Marvel Cinematic Universe to best resemble the many stories there are to tell leading up to Civil War, but we know they can’t sync perfectly to comic lore. Which brings us to the official plot synopsis courtesy of Marvel Studios:

Captain America: Civil War picks up where Avengers: Age of Ultron left off, as Steve Rogers leads the new team of Avengers in their continued efforts to safeguard humanity. After another international incident involving the Avengers results in collateral damage, political pressure mounts to install a system of accountability and a governing body to determine when to enlist the services of the team. The new status quo fractures the Avengers while they try to protect the world from a new and nefarious villain.

In the books, the mistakes of a handful of vigilante, reality star superheroes rally the U.S. Government to initiate the Registration Act. This law prohibits the use of powered people to act on their own without the Government’s consent, which brings upon a divide amongst our heroes. Captain America opposes the Registration Act and pits his friend, Tony Stark against him. With heroes and villains taking sides to stand up for what they believe is right, you can imagine how glorious of a mess the whole situation becomes. I’m not sure who the new threat could be since the villain Baron Zemo joined the Registration Act team, but he could be the main threat for the film.

There has been some great tie-ins in previous films that preface the tension between our two titans of justice, and the Captain America: The Winter Soldier directors, Anthony and Joe Russo, will be suiting up again to take on this hefty production. And with how The Winter Soldier left things, and how well-crafted that movie is, the brothers Russo are perfect choices to continue the story of Captain America. The screenplay was written by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely who also wrote The Winter Soldier and Captain America: The First Avenger. So I feel that everyone has a pretty good sense of tone and story of where to take Civil War and make it a thrilling addition to the MCU.

Of course Chris Evans will be reprising his role as Steve Rogers aka Captain America alongside Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark aka Iron Man. Included in the returning, star-studded cast from previous films are Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff aka Black Widow, Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes aka Winter Soldier, Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson aka Falcon, Paul Bettany as The Vision, Jeremy Renner as Clint Barton aka Hawkeye, Don Cheadle as Jim “Rhodey” Rhodes aka War Machine, Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff aka Scarlet Witch, Emily VanCamp as Sharon Carter aka Agent 13, and Frank Grillo as Brock Rumlow aka Crossbones. Sadly, The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), and Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) have not been slated to join the group. The Hulk is probably sulking somewhere; Thor is dealing with his demons up in Asgard that will lead to Ragnarok; and Fury I would assume would appear, but will most likely be scheming in the shadows somewhere.

And leaving no break after his big debut this July, Paul Rudd will be joining our heroes for the first time as Scott Lang aka Ant-Man. New to the MCU accompanying Rudd are Chadwick Boseman who will be introduced as T’Challa aka Black Panther, Daniel Brühl as Baron Helmut Zemo, William Hurt as General Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross (replacing Sam Elliot from The Incredible Hulk), and Martin Freeman whose character is unconfirmed. Spider-Man has been confirmed to also appear in the film, which Marvel has yet to reveal.

Avengers: Age of Ultron made an astonishing $191.3 million domestically at the box office this past weekend, the second biggest opening weekend of all time right behind The Avengers. Captain America: The Winter Soldier left theaters with a cool $714 million worldwide, the sixth highest grossing film in the MCU. With Civil War more focused on the two leads of the franchise, I expect it to easily outshine its predecessor.

Captain America: Civil War arrives in cinemas on May 6, 2016.

Here’s the official title card:

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Source: Marvel