8 Things to Remember Before You See Captain America: Civil War

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has become mind-bogglingly complex. Even if you have seen all 12 movies (and are planning on seeing the 13th, Captain America: Civil War), there's a good chance your brain has let go of some plot details in favor of more pressing memories, like where you put your keys. Now that the new movie is finally coming out, it's time to remember a few things from Avengers: Age of Ultron and Captain America: The Winter Soldier. There are direct references to past events during Civil War, and you'll want to know what's going on. Here's a brief refresher — you'll be glad you read it — and once you're done, check out what we know about the upcoming Avengers movies, Infinity War Parts I and II!

01
The Sokovia Disaster
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The Sokovia Disaster

Ultron's evil plan involves separating the Eastern European country of Sokovia from the face of the Earth, then dropping it back down. The impact would cause mass extinction, so the Avengers thwart his plan. While they manage to save the world, there is a huge amount of collateral damage, as in, the city is completely destroyed.

02
Quicksilver Is Dead
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Quicksilver Is Dead

Ah, Quicksilver, we barely knew ye. The speedster sacrifices himself during the battle of Sokovia, saving Hawkeye and a civilian boy. Quicksilver's twin sister, Wanda (aka Scarlet Witch), takes his death especially hard, given that they are each other's only family.

03
Brock Rumlow/Crossbones Is Still Out There
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Brock Rumlow/Crossbones Is Still Out There

The last time we see Brock Rumlow is in 2014's Captain America: Winter Soldier, but you'll need to remember him because he makes an appearance. He's the former leader of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s counterterrorism S.T.R.I.K.E. team and is revealed to be a double agent, working for Hydra. He ends up with major wounds in the big battle at the end of the movie, and you see the aftermath in Civil War.

04
Vision Is the New Guy
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Vision Is the New Guy

We all know Captain America, Iron Man, and Black Widow, but Vision is still pretty new. Tony Stark and Bruce Banner accidentally create Vision in Avengers: Age of Ultron, and he joins the team at the end of the movie. He's a highly intelligent android who has a romantic spark with Scarlet Witch.

05
Sharon
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Sharon

Sharon is briefly introduced in Captain America: The Winter Soldier when Nick Fury assigns her to keep an eye on Captain America. She lives right next to him and initially poses as a nurse named Kate, but when Nick is attacked in Cap's apartment, she reveals that she's been working undercover for S.H.I.E.L.D.

06
Thor Is Out
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Thor Is Out

There's a weird scene in Avengers: Age of Ultron when Thor leaves his team of Avengers to basically take a bath in a cave. There, he has some crazy hallucinations of Asgard being destroyed while Heimdall (Idris Elba) seizes dream-Thor by the neck. He also gets a glimpse of the Infinity Stones, which will come into play later.

Once Thor helps the Avengers defeat Ultron, he takes off to figure out what his vision meant and if his home planet is in trouble. Seeing as the next Thor movie is subtitled Ragnarok and according to Marvel's president that "means essentially the end of all things," it doesn't look good.

07
The Avengers Team Has Been Renovated
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The Avengers Team Has Been Renovated

Thor isn't the only one who takes a leave of absence from the team; Hawkeye retires, Iron Man hangs up his suit for a quiet life with Pepper (though clearly he's still a major part of Civil War), and Hulk disappears, leaving behind his budding romance with Black Widow.

Aside from Vision, new "official" members of the team include Scarlet Witch, the Falcon, and War Machine.

08
S.H.I.E.L.D. Is a Mess
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S.H.I.E.L.D. Is a Mess

Back in Captain America: Winter Soldier, S.H.I.E.L.D. is all but destroyed when all their secured files are uploaded to the internet, exposing them to the public. Nick Fury briefly revives the organization to get with the battle in Sokovia in Age of Ultron, but they're still not back in fully operatational again.