38

We all know Tony was the arrogant one among the Avengers from the very start. He was always about himself, considered himself above all, etc. Cap, on the other hand, is the ideal man, he carries his traits with him from before he became Captain America, humbleness, modesty, leadership and what not.

My question is that in The Avengers, Cap started the argument with Tony starting with "big man in a suit of armour, take that off, what are you?" All Tony did was reply, and it was Cap who stated "Let's go a few rounds!" to which Thor laughs.

Why is Cap angered so easily and why did he lose his temper? He normally is a peace-loving guy who is always against war. Cap turned a normal SHIELD discussion into a Tony Stark criticism.

3
  • 3
  • 3
    I think you've been misunderstanding Stark, a lot
    – Vishwa
    Oct 9, 2018 at 4:21
  • @Vishwa Indeed; OP's description of Stark fits much more closely with his personality and thought process pre-Iron Man (2008) than with the Iron Man in The Avengers (and especially later on).
    – TylerH
    Oct 9, 2018 at 18:57

2 Answers 2

71

Partially it's the various team members ego rubbing up against the grain but more importantly at this point the camera moves away from the team arguing to focus on Loki's staff which is glowing more intensely.

Indeed, the whole shot turns upside down to indicate that something is seriously amiss.

enter image description here

From the script

     As the "team" argues, they don't realize the BLUE GEM on Loki's
      scepter is glowing brightly.

We know that unleashing the Hulk was Loki's plan all along which is why he was captured so easily so it seems likely that, in addition to the natural tension, this is being emphasised by Loki through the scepter.

6
  • 18
    Are you implying that Cap got triggered & lost his temper because he was mind controlled by the mind stone inside the sceptre? If it is the case, I think you should make it more explicit in your answer Oct 9, 2018 at 1:54
  • 2
    I see that a normal discussion turned into a heated one all of a sudden and that's exactly when the above mentioned scene comes in ! Oct 9, 2018 at 5:39
  • 14
    @KharoBangdo: Not the answerer, but it's not mind control per se. It can just be a mood modifier - subtle but present. There are precedents here in other movies, though they are more blatant/explicit. The clearest example I can think of is how the One Ring instigates Frodo's paranoia about others wanting to take it from him (and it also seemingly having a hand in the angry group debate in Rivendell where everyone starts bickering - it influenced the mood). The Ring does not control Frodo, it merely nudges him, but the repeated exposure does make it hard for him to retain a level head.
    – Flater
    Oct 9, 2018 at 6:39
  • 4
    @KharoBangdo suggestion is a 2nd level spell, but dominate person is 5th.
    – Hong Ooi
    Oct 9, 2018 at 11:13
  • 5
    @Flater - A real-world example could also be an irritating noise just beyond the range of hearing. They can make someone unreasonably uncomfortable/grumpy without knowing why.
    – Bobson
    Oct 9, 2018 at 18:13
13

Captain America takes protecting people very seriously. We see plenty of examples of this; but to him, keeping other people safe is almost always a top priority.

In the scene in question, he perceives Tony as making light of a situation that could harm many innocent people.

Tony (Talking about Bruce Banner losing control): Why shouldn't the guy let off a little steam?

Steve: You know damn well why; back off!

It is Tony's "let off a little steam" line that triggers Cap. He sees that Tony isn't taking the possible thread of Hulk transforming seriously, when he knows how dangerous it is.

In addition to this, the dialog takes place in a larger context of high tension all around... everyone on the team is on-edge. Captain America is not immune from getting his nerves rattled like anyone else.

2
  • @Gendolkari I appreciate the fact that you highlighted this.Stark used a pointy thing as a joke on Bruce banner, so this initially triggered Cap. But I feel that it all escalated for them and others due to mind stone inside Loki's sceptre. Oct 9, 2018 at 6:28
  • 1
    Yes, I agree that the other answer is correct; I had forgotten about this part until after answering, and then I came across that other question about the scepter during this scene.
    – GendoIkari
    Oct 9, 2018 at 13:34

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .