Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans set for ‘Captain America: Civil War’

There’s a conflict brewing in “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” and it doesn’t involve megalomaniac robots. After reaching a peace with their structure and roles on the superhero fighting team, Tony Stark/Iron Man and Steve Rogers/Captain America have begun to clash ideologically.

The stoic Steve, still reeling from revelations of widespread corruption in “The Winter Soldier,” is starting to question the precepts he’s followed blindly for so long. Tony, meanwhile, is drifting toward the desire for order and control.

“Morality hits Tony, humanity hits Tony. All of a sudden he feels responsible,” said Chris Evans, who plays Rogers for the fourth time in the billion dollar Marvel franchise.

“Neither one of them are blindly convicted. It’s blurry, and that’s what makes it great. No one’s right, no one’s wrong,” Evans said in a recent joint interview with Robert Downey Jr., back for a fifth turn as Stark.

“It’s going to make it even harder for them to come to an agreement, which I’m really excited about,” Downey said.

While the seeds of a fight are scattered throughout “Ultron,” the second gathering of the “Avengers” on the big screen out May 1, it’s also setting the stage for next year’s “Captain America: Civil War.” Plot details are sparse, but any casual comics fan knows that “Civil War” is where the “Avengers” fracture, divided down lines set by Tony and Steve.

It’s also the only upcoming Marvel film for which Downey and Evans have been confirmed.

“It’s like a marriage,” Evans said. “We love each other, but it’s explosive. You’re working toward the same goal, but you have very different approaches to it.”

Added Downey: “I’m really stoked to see when we have more stuff to actually do together besides like act like we’re about to have a fight one day.”

“Ultron” isn’t even in domestic theaters yet, but pre-production is already underway on a summer shoot for “Civil War,” with “Winter Soldier” directors Joe and Anthony Russo at the helm. In the big business of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, there’s no waiting to see how “Ultron” performs before greenlighting future projects.