Captain America: Civil War ‘love story’ between male characters

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Director Joe Russo says the upcoming blockbuster focuses on the two character’s love for each other.

Captain America: Civil War is actually a love story, according to director Joe Russo.

Steve Rodgers and Bucky Barnes are at the heart of what Russo explicitly called a love story – however, he almost certainly means a fraternal one.

Captain America: Civil War ‘love story’ between male characters

“These are two guys who grew up together, and so they have that same emotional connection to each other as brothers would, and even more so because Bucky was all Steve had growing up,” he told Empire.

Russo went on to say that the film’s characters are “emotionally invested in the storytelling,” with Rodgers and Barnes relationship framing the plot.

Sebastian Stan – who plays Barnes – echoed Russo’s statement, but was keen to stress that the character’s are not lovers.

“I think it’s easy and generalising it to say that they’re lovers, when you’re forgetting that one has a lot of guilt because he swore to be the protector of the other, the father figure or older brother so to speak, and then left him behind.”

“It’s brotherhood to me.”

A Marvel film that wasn’t scared to shy away from LGBT themes was the recent smash hit Deadpool – in which the character is described as pansexual.

After the success of the film, fans have been promised even more sexually explicit content in the sequel – with star Ryan Reynolds saying he would be happy for the character to have a boyfriend.

“That would be great,” Ryan Reynolds said. “I certainly wouldn’t be the guy standing in the way of that.

“I love that about Deadpool. I love that he can break any boundary.

Captain America: Civil War ‘love story’ between male characters

“In the future, I hope we get to do that more,” added the star – who recently defended naming his daughter James.

Captain America: Civil War will be released April 29 in the UK.