It’s Captain America 3! But it also feels like Avengers 3! (Or “Avengers 2.5” as some put it.) And it’s kind of Iron Man 4? Oh, and it introduces a brand new version of Spider-Man! And it’s the first-ever appearance of Black Panther in live-action!

That’s a hell of a lot of things for one superhero movie to have on its shoulders, and a good reason to think any movie attempting to do so would be an overstuffed mess. After all, the genre is littered with disjointed movies that feel like they are juggling too many storylines, too many subplots, and too many heroes and/or villains to do justice to all of them properly. Which makes it all the more impressive that 10 years after it opened – on May 6, 2016 – Captain America: Civil War remains such a shining example of both superhero movies in general, and of the MCU overall, given it so easily could have collapsed under the weight of all it was tackling.

It also was a testament to the power of the MCU’s long-term storytelling, because its emotional weight rested on us caring about the fracturing of friendships and team bonds we’d been following for several years at this point – and helps reinforce why Warner Bros. execs were wise to move Batman v. Superman off this same date when the two were playing release date chicken for a time, given that movie had two characters battling who’d never met before.

Let’s dive into some of the elements that continue to make Captain America: Civil War work so well 10 years after it debuted.

It Doesn’t Forget It’s a Captain America Story

“What if this panel sends us somewhere we don’t think we should go? What if there’s somewhere we need to go and they don’t let us?” -Steve Rogers

In the build-up to Civil War opening, as we learned the details of the movie and who was in it, many asked the obvious question of why this was a Captain America-titled movie at all. After all, it was putting Iron Man in as a primary character and there sure were a hell of a lot of Avengers in it too. Which is true, to be sure, but at the same time, Cap remains the core character of this movie. It’s his strong pushback against signing the Sokovia Accords – the UN-sanctioned legal document that would control the Avengers’ actions – that sets into motion the film’s big Avengers rift.

And on top of that, the events and characters of the excellent second Cap movie, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, are so crucial to the narrative. First and foremost is the Winter Soldier himself, Bucky, with Steve’s efforts to help his old friend escape the authorities, after he becomes hunted for a crime he didn’t commit, only escalating the situation around the Accords and the concern over superheroes run amok.

Also, everything that Cap went through regarding S.H.I.E.L.D.’s duplicitous nature in The Winter Soldier clearly weighs on him here. In that film, he was wary of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s Project Insight plan from the start and was proven right when it turned out this was all part of a decades-long manipulation by Hydra from within. Given that, it’s quite understandable Steve would then be especially concerned about what the real agenda is of those outside the team trying to tell the Avengers who is or isn’t the right person to save.

And while not as centered as they were in the leaner The Winter Soldier, Sam and Natasha’s close bonds with Steve also continue to loom large – Sam through his staunch loyalty and partnership with Cap, and Natasha by providing another tough source of conflict, because she is on the other side of the Accords debate.

Now to be fair, there is one element of The Winter Soldier that doesn’t really work in Civil War and in fact feels like the weakest aspect of the film, which is bringing back Sharon Carter and trying to aim towards the Steve/Sharon romance from the comics. Unfortunately, the decision to have her reveal she’s related to Peggy, the woman depicted in the MCU as the love of Steve’s life – right on the heels of Peggy’s death, no less! – just makes it all feel weird and off.

But hey, at least it gave us that funny beat of Sam and Bucky smiling at their mutual friend getting that one-time only kiss in!

A King Arrives

“In my culture, death is not the end.” -T’Challa

It’ll forever be a tragedy that Chadwick Boseman died so young. And then there’s the fact that we’ll never get to see all the fantastic performances he doubtlessly would have provided in all sorts of roles. And if you’re focusing on the MCU specifically, it’s a shame he only got to star in one Black Panther movie, given how rightfully beloved he made that character and how clear it was he’d be a central figure moving forward. But Civil War provided him with an excellent debut, which served as the perfect launching point for what Ryan Coogler would so audaciously accomplish when he made Black Panther with Boseman.

In Civil War, T’Challa feels fully formed from the moment we meet him, with Boseman imbuing him with the innate strength and dignity that both the actor and character would come to represent. And T’Challa is no mere peripheral character in Civil War. He has an arc of his own, as we see him grapple with the death of his father and become hyper-focused on tracking down the man responsible, who he first believes to be Bucky, but is in fact Helmut Zemo. However, in the end T’Challa ultimately decides he won’t go down the same dark path of vengeance he sees both Zemo and now Tony Stark are on. He not only stops himself from killing Zemo when he finds him, he then prevents Zemo from taking his own life.

His final words to Zemo, “The living are not done with you yet,” has a stirring double meaning. On one hand, Zemo will now have to face the legal consequences for his actions, including causing the explosion that killed T’Challa’s father. But there’s also the more hopeful meaning, which is that maybe there is something worth saving somewhere in this terribly damaged man, even after the tremendous personal loss he’s caused T’Challa.

And speaking of the guy T’Challa offers surprising yet poignant grace to…

A Stellar Villain

“It took me two days until I found their bodies, my father still holding my wife and son in his arms. And the Avengers? They went home.” -Helmut Zemo

Okay, sure, Avengers: Infinity War would go on to end with Thanos killing off half the universe – a villainous “accomplishment” that will be difficult to ever outdo (ball’s in your court, Dr. Doom) – but Civil War still stands out as the first MCU movie where the bad guy wins. His failed suicide attempt aside, Zemo is able to succeed in pretty much everything he set out to do, as he destroys the Avengers by manipulating events to pit them against each other, rather than attempt his own foolhardy attack on them.

The third act of the movie plays on expectations in a really clever way too, as Tony’s arrival at the old Hydra base in Siberia seems to signal an uplifting truce is here between him and Steve, as they and Bucky get ready to face the larger group of other Hydra-brainwashed Winter Soldiers Zemo’s been trying to find the whole movie… only for it to turn out Zemo has killed all of those soldiers already while they were in stasis. He was never going to risk giving these fractured heroes a common enemy to unite against. Instead, he just wanted to get them in the same isolated place to show Tony the proof of a once-brainwashed Bucky killing Tony’s parents and let Tony’s anger and pain take its course. This all works like a charm, as Steve barely saves Bucky’s life from Tony’s attack, only doing so by damaging Tony’s armor enough to incapacitate him, leaving his former teammate screaming in rage as he and Bucky leave together.

He may lack any superpowers or high-tech weaponry or armor, but motivated by understandable grief over losing his entire family in an Avengers battle, and incredibly ruthless and clever in his approach, Zemo is unlike any threat the Avengers ever faced onscreen. And by the end of the movie, he’s been their undoing. And no, that doesn’t last forever, but it’s still damn impressive.

Well done, Zemo! Perhaps one day you’ll return and, I dunno, do a meme-worthy dance?!

Everyone Gets Their Moment

“Are you incapable of letting go of your ego for one goddamn second?” -Natasha Romanoff

With a cast this big, there’s no way to give everyone their own major storyline, and yet it’s still impressive how pretty much every character gets a notable, signature moment, whether emotional or action-oriented, and in some cases includes small yet significant elements to continue on for the future.

Captain America: Civil War is the movie that gives us the true set-up of a Vision and Wanda romance, showing the attraction and ongoing interplay between them. It gives Clint a great moment after he’s been locked up in the floating prison known as the Raft, as he angrily confronts Tony on his actions. It’s where Scott Lang becomes Giant-Man for the first time. Where Rhodey is partially paralyzed and must ponder what that means for his future (let’s just just try to forget Secret Invasion). There’s even a quick moment where Wanda violently flings Natasha away during the big superhero airport fight and chastises a surprised Clint for going easy on his friend that gives us an early hint that perhaps Wanda’s got some darker tendencies within her…

And what’s especially nice is the movie doesn’t force these kinds of beats in. It overcomes the awkwardness other franchise movies – including some within the MCU – can sometimes have when An Important Thing for the Future is introduced with a big spotlight on it. Instead, these moments feel earned and organic to the characters and the situations they’re in.

And that includes that Peter Parker kid we meet here. Tom Holland is really only in the movie for a few minutes, total, but his introduction scene with Robert Downey, Jr. instantly establishes why he’s continued to be such a perfect fit for the role. And Peter gets just enough of a spotlight in the airport showdown to show off his Spidey prowess, yet still come off as the young novice this version of the character was at the time.

Avengers! Assem…! Wait, no, ARGUE!

“He wanted to make a difference, I suppose. We won’t know because we dropped a building on him while we were kicking ass.” –Tony Stark

Civil War has some very cool action set pieces, including the aforementioned superhero airport brawl, the final Steve and Bucky vs. Tony fight, Hawkeye and Wanda taking on Vision to get her out of Avengers Headquarters, and the extended multi-location sequence with Bucky and Steve attempting to escape capture, which leads to T’Challa’s reveal as the Black Panther and the ensuing tunnel chase. But it’s worth noting that some of the best and most compelling scenes in Civil War are having the Avengers verbally battle one another.

The scene in which the team first debates whether or not they should sign the Accords is a real stand-out in this regard, as pretty much every member present gets to express their viewpoint – including Vision sharing his theory about the “Causality” of the Avengers existence bringing about increasingly dangerous challengers, Steve worrying the Accords simply shift blame when something goes wrong, and Natasha feeling signing the Accords is needed to win the public’s trust back following multiple public setbacks.

This isn’t the last time the film’s core conflict is given such compelling arguments, including a great scene between just Steve and Tony that finds Steve briefly considering signing the Accords, only for things to get worse as they face-off over Wanda’s treatment in the wake of the accidental deaths she caused that’s led to the Accords being pushed forward. Without either guy holding a star-spangled shield or wearing high-tech armor, it’s incredibly gripping thanks to how well-written and well-acted it is – fueled by the time we’ve already spent with these characters through the years and how it’s cemented our investment in their oh-so different yet equally passionate point of views. By the time these two are bitterly physically battling each other in Siberia at the end, it feels legitimately heartbreaking.

You know Captain America: Civil War had an impact, because 10 years later, fans will still debate about whether they’re Team Cap or Team Iron Man. But what’s awesome about the movie is it continually gives you reasons to understand why these characters genuinely believe the path they’ve chosen is the right course of action, even if you’d side with the other guy.