This interview is spoiler-free.

Joe and Anthony Russo won deserved acclaim for their handling ofCaptain America: The Winter Soldier.

Joe:The ambition of it.

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So one, we felt that was compelling.

So it seemed like all those things lined up and the idea ofCivil Warwas just too rich.

Joe:Absolutely, yes.

And then you have a conversation about how practical those things are.

Getting each character was really just by force of will.

Hes very off-balance, emotionally, in the film.

And he was excited about that.

So we had to close that deal, which was not insignificant.

Its unprecedented, what him and Sony managed to do.

Then the next step was getting Ant-Man, and then we had everyone we wanted.

Did you have any contingencies for if those characters were unavailable?

Joe:Its painful for them to make those deals.

Weve woven them into the DNA of the story in a way that makes them inextricable.

The whole thing would fall apart without those characters.

Anthony:Yeah, Steve drives us through the story.

He takes us through all the major turning points.

Its his personal story that gives the structure to the larger narrative.

That was our spine through the movie, we really built everybody else out from Steve.

They have this very binary objective that the rest of the Avengers line up around.

We knew that there was going to be an intensity there, and were big fans of balanced storylines.

They could be lighter and more whimsical.

And thats Spider-Man and Ant-Man.

Joe:Plus a major part of Caps identity is as a patriarch.

Were you looking to transfer that into this movie?

Joe:Its certainly about regulation and culpability.

Can you go where you where you want, can you use power at will?

This movie is very much about that in a way that correlates to the world that we live in.

But I think on a large scale the issues we were going after were culpability and responsibility.

Government control vs. individual freedom and what do you prioritise and why.

People make those choices for very emotional reasons.

And did you expect the audience to be on Steves side in this fight?

Or if you did choose a side, maybe someone close to you chose the opposite one.

We stayed very focused on balancing those two characters and their conflict through the story.

It just seemed like the most exciting version.

Me and Anthony turned our heads to one another and said alright, were done.

Joe and Anthony Russo, thank you very much.

Captain America: Civil Waris in UK cinemas tomorrow.