A U.S. war with Japan? Only in ‘Captain America.'
In Walt Disney's latest Marvel movie (mild spoilers alerts), the U.S. is on the brink of war. Not with China, Russia or even North Korea — but with Japan.
Wait, Japan? Its closest security partner in Asia, one that depends on its security alliance with the U.S.? The in-universe explanation of the conflict in "Captain America: Brave New World" has to do with the discovery of a new element, adamantium, which Marvel fans will recognize as the indestructible metal bound to the skeleton of the "X-Men's" Wolverine. The U.S. and Japan both have designs on the valuable resource, with trust breaking down between the nations' leaders as they compete.
Given that the discovery is somewhere in the Indian Ocean (in the corpse of a celestial entity that was going to destroy the Earth in a previous movie, but that's not important right now), it's a head-scratcher as to how Japan, some 10,000 kilometers (6,200 miles) away, would be involved. Despite a global deal to ensure equitable distribution of the priceless metal being a central plot point, India and France are the only two other countries we see in the movie.
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