This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
In this tumultuous election year, there is one issue that none of the presidential candidates have mentioned even once — and it's an issue that will determine the safety and security of the world.
I am talking, of course, about the Sokovia Accords.
If you've been spending more time watching C-SPAN than going to your local multiplex, you may not know that the Sokovia Accords exist only in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and are a major catalyst that drives the plot of this month's mega-blockbuster "Captain America: Civil War."
(Let's get the SPOILER ALERT! warning out of the way. If you haven't seen "Captain America: Civil War" yet and still plan to see it, stop reading.)
Like many security measures, the Sokovia Accords were drafted hastily, in reaction to fear of a dangerous power. In this case, it's fear about the superpowered people of the Avengers.
The incidents of collateral damage during the Avengers' battles are detailed in "Captain America: Civil War" by Secretary of State Thaddeus Ross (played by William Hurt). They include the battle of New York, when the Avengers beat back the alien Chitauri (in "The Avengers"), the destruction of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s D.C. headquarters (in "Captain America: The Winter Soldier"), the carnage when an entire city in Sokovia was lifted into the sky (in "Avengers: Age of Ultron") and an anti-terrorist mission in Lagos in which members of a Wakandan peace mission were killed (in "Civil War"). He didn't even mention the destruction done in Johannesburg, where Iron Man put on the Hulkbuster suit to contain Hulk (in "Age of Ultron").
For the Avengers, the Sokovia Accords become the ultimate wedge issue, dividing colleagues and comrades.
Iron Man, aka Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), is chastened by the damage his Avengers have done and speaks in favor of signing the accords. "We need to be put in check," he declares. Stark isn't naive about the motives of governments, but he is pragmatic. "If we don't do this now, it's going to be done to us later," he says.
On the other side is Steve Rogers, our Cap (Chris Evans), who became embittered by authority after seeing how S.H.I.E.L.D. was infiltrated by the evil Hydra. Even the noble U.N., he says, "is run by people with agendas, and agendas change." Cap believes that with superpowers, "the safest hands are still our own."
From here, the Avengers choose sides, for motivations ranging from revenge to loyalty. And what began as a philosophical argument becomes a physical brawl in an evacuated Leipzig airport (in one of the most enjoyable fight sequences you're likely to see all summer).
But let's go back to that philosophical argument, because in many ways it's the same one now tearing apart the real-life American political scene. The fight over the Sokovia Accords is an analogy to the current debates over the limits of personal freedom and the scope of governmental power.
You could say Team Cap is on the conservative end of the spectrum, believing that government should stay out of the Avengers' way and let them decide the best way to deploy their powers.
Team Iron Man takes the progressive stance, trusting in government in its most ideal form (or safeguarded by limits built into the accords) to channel the Avengers' powers dispassionately, taking care not to do more harm than good.
Neither side is 100 percent right or 100 percent wrong. Stark's argument means trusting that a government entity (like the U.N.) will do the right thing. Taking Cap's side may be patriotic — who wants to go against a guy who's a chiseled embodiment of the Stars and Stripes? — but it means putting one's stock in individuals with unchecked biases and, yes, agendas.
But, as the story of "Captain America: Civil War" plays out, Cap's actions prove why his choice is ultimately wrong.
For starters, the Avengers aren't a liquor store or some other business that might be run better in private hands. They are more like a police force or an army, wielding such deadly force that government oversight is a necessity for public safety.
As Cap works to protect his pal Bucky, his focus becomes so narrow that he endangers civilians (to wit, the drivers in that Bucharest underpass). Cap also, through his single-mindedness, misses the signs that a rogue element — the vengeance-seeking Sokovian agent Col. Zemo (Daniel Brühl) — is using the Avengers' personal motivations to tear the group down from the inside.
If Cap had surrendered Bucky to the authorities at the outset, the Avengers might still be friends. Of course, if he had, the movie would have been much shorter and a lot less interesting.
Sean P. Means writes The Cricket in daily blog form at http://www.sltrib.com/blogs/moviecricket. Follow him on Twitter @moviecricket. Email him at spmeans@sltrib.com.