Better Decision Making – Accords Debate

A/N: I am adding Hawkeye into this scene, mostly because I needed more voices for the debate and felt that he'd be best candidate for what I wanted to do. My ideas of better debate come from the two part series on Youtube entitled 'Why the Sokovia Accords are a Great Idea' and 'Why the Sokovia Accords are a Terrible Idea' respectively by MCU exchange (well worth a watch, but make sure to watch both parts for a balanced view); reading the information on the Accords from the MCU Wikipedia page, the comics and general being in this fandom and reading the comment sections (not something I'd recommend unless you're as keen on debate as I am). I have by no means included every argument out there, but I do feel that most of the best points both for and against were completely missed in the film.

Further point…I am anti accords. I've tried my best to make this as balanced as I can, but I have a feeling that some of my prejudice shows. I feel the best argument in favour of the accords is the ramifications and oversight; the rest I feel are rather weak.

Whilst Steve tried to focus on reading the thick pile of paperwork that was the Sokovia Accords, the debate continued in the background. It was rather distracting.

"Secretary Ross has a congressional medal of honour," Rhodey was saying. "Which is one more than you have."

"Wait, isn't Ross the one behind that whole fiasco with the Hulk and Abomination?" Natasha asked. She was certain Bruce had mentioned something about being hunted down by Ross's team.

"Yeah he was…spent ages trying to kill Banner, then let him out of captivity to take down Abomination," Clint said, sitting up in his chair.

"That's beside the point," Rhodey said, waving a hand impatiently. "117 countries signed this…117 countries. Are you all really going to sweep that aside and say 'no that's cool, we got this?"

"What about the other 78 countries?" Steve asked, considering this. "If we sign this, that's 78 countries we can't help."

"Besides, this is the UN," Sam added, chipping in. "Their response time's measured in weeks, not hours. How many situations that we've saved would have ended in catastrophe if we'd had to wait around for permission?"

"Yeah, New York would be rubble for starters," Clint chipped in. "Or blown to hell…didn't the government try to nuke it?"

"In fairness, that was the World Security Council," Steve corrected, not looking up from his reading of the Accords.

"I have an equation," Vision interrupted.

"This'll clear everything up," Sam said sarcastically, resisting the urge to roll his eyes.

"In the eight years since Mr Stark announced himself as Iron Man, the number of known enhanced persons has grown exponentially. And, during the same period, the number of potentially world ending events has risen at a commensurate rate."

"Are you saying it's our fault?" Steve asked, glancing up from his reading of the accords again.

"I'm saying there may be a causality," Vision continued calmly. "Our very strength invites challenge. Challenge incites conflict. And conflict…breeds catastrophe."

"How would being sanctioned by the UN change that?" Sam asked, frowning at the AI.

"For starters, we'd be invited into conflicts," Rhodey argued, looking at the other man stubbornly. "There'd be sanctioned people in place to clean up our messes."

"Could create an arms race though," Clint murmured, looking concerned. "78 countries didn't sign…what's to stop them making their own avengers?"

"I do not like the idea of North Korea having their own elite team of avengers," Wanda put in.

"You're forgetting the potential we have to cause a war if we don't get UN approval," Rhodey stated. "We may be a private organisation, but the world sees us as American. You do realise that we could cause a war if things go south?"

"Tony," Natasha said, deciding that the debate wasn't go anywhere fast. "You're being non-characteristically non-hyperverbal."

"It's because he's already made up his mind," Steve said, looking at his friend.

"Boy you know me so well," Tony said, getting up from his slouched position on the sofa to get himself a coffee, muttering as he did so about running a bed and breakfast for bikers, before setting his phone up to the image of Charles Spencer.

"Oh, that's Charles Spencer by the way," he said, pointing at the image projected by his Stark-phone. "He's a great kid. Computer engineering degree, 3.6 GPA, had a floor level gig at Intel planned for the fall. But first, he wanted to put a few miles on his soul before he parked it behind a desk. See the world. Maybe be of service. Charlie didn't want to go to Vegas or Fort Lauderdale, which is what I would do. He didn't go to Paris or Amsterdam, which sounds fun. He decided to spend his summer building sustainable housing for the poor. Guess where: Sokovia." The billionaire paused, guilt clear on his face. "He wanted to make a difference I suppose. I mean, we won't know because we dropped a building on him while we were kicking ass.

"There's no decision-making process here," Tony continued, taking a long sip of coffee. "We need to be put in check! Whatever form that takes I'm game. If we can't accept limitations, if we're boundary-less we're no better than the bad guys."

"Tony, if someone dies on your watch, you don't give up," Steve said, trying to keep his tone gentle and understanding.

"Who said we're giving up?" Tony asked defensively.

"We are if we're not taking responsibility for our actions. This document just shifts the blame."

"Steve, that's dangerously arrogant," Rhodey said, shaking his head. "We can't just do what we like and not accept ramifications. Oversight is something that we must agree to. This is the United Nations…it's not the World Security Council. It's not SHIELD, it's not Hydra…"

"Are we sure it's not Hydra?" Sam asked, cutting in. "I mean, they infiltrated SHIELD, are we certain they didn't infiltrate the UN whilst they were at it?"

"Even if it's not been compromised, it's run by people with agendas, and agendas change," Steve said, putting the Accords document down.

"That's good!" Tony said firmly. "That's why I'm here. When I realised what my weapons were capable of in the wrong hands, I shut it down and stopped manufacturing."

"Tony, you chose to do that," Steve said quietly. "This takes away our right to choose. What if this panel sends us somewhere we don't think we should go. What if there's somewhere we think we need to go, and they don't let us?"

Sighing, Tony glanced at the accords.

"If we don't do this now, it will be done to us later," he said.

"All right," Sam said, raising his hands in mock surrender. "Just answer me one question…who in this room would ignore a potentially world ending situation just because the UN says so?"

No one moved a muscle. Each and every person in the room, excluding Vision, had already acted against orders at one point or another because it was the right thing to do.

"Right, so if we sign that thing, we're lying through our teeth," Sam said, crossing his arms defiantly. "I ain't a liar Stark."

"Maybe Tony's right," Natasha said quietly. Tony turned to look at her, clearly very surprised. "If we keep one hand on the wheel, we can still steer. If we take it off, we have no power to change the direction."

"Natasha, I disagree," Steve said. "If we sign this now, we lose all power to change it later. We should work to amend it before we sign."

"We have made some very public mistakes," Natasha said, looking Steve in the eye. "We need to win their trust back."

"Maybe, but signing this isn't the way forward," Steve said passionately. "Maybe we do need oversight, but not in this way."

Carefully, he flipped through the document to the most troubling page in the contract.

"All enhanced individuals with innate powers who agree to sign the Accords must wear tracking bracelets at all times," Steve read, voice clearly unhappy. "If an enhanced individual takes unauthorised action or obstructs the actions of those acting in accordance with the accords, they will be arrested. Enhanced individuals who break the law, violate the Accords or are otherwise deemed to be a threat to the general public may be detained indefinitely without trial."

He glanced around at the room, taking in their faces.

"Almost every one of us has admitted that they would act against the Accords if the situation called for it," Steve said. "This document isn't about facing the consequences, it's about control."

"How long until they'd LoJack us like a bunch of common criminals?" Sam asked, looking distinctly unimpressed with the few lines Steve had read out.

"What's the alternative?" Tony asked. "If we don't sign this now, we will be forced to later. That won't be pretty."

"I'm not saying it's impossible," Steve said. "But there'd need to be safeguards…amendments."

"Serious amendments," Sam agreed. "Like keeping our basic human rights."

"Threat to the general public…" Wanda said quietly. There were several members of their team, both present and absent, that could be considered dangerous enough to warrant immediate incarceration. Herself, the Hulk…

"That means Bruce," Natasha murmured, reaching the same decision. Her mind was made up…there was no way she could sign away Banner's freedom in the hopes that they may be able to change it later.

"You're all missing an option," Clint chipped in, after being silent for a while. "We all retire, until such a time as these Accords are amended to mean oversight, not control. There may still be a middle ground."

"I can't be hearing this right," Rhodey said, shaking his head. "This is the UN, guys. It's so arrogant to believe that we can change their minds just be 'retiring.'"

"I'm not signing a document when I know I won't hold up my end of the bargain," Steve said firmly. "This way, we stand a chance of making this document something we can all sign happily, without breaking up the team."

Natasha, Sam, Wanda and Clint nodded along. Tony seemed a little uncertain, and Vision was unreadable. Only Rhodey seemed at all unhappy.

"Fine," Tony said, sighing. He could accept this middle ground if it meant he'd have everyone sign, rather than just less than half, as it was currently looking. "If we still gain oversight, I can live with it."

"So, we're all in agreement," Clint said, though not everyone was in happy agreement.

"Let's just hope some crisis doesn't turn up until all this is sorted," Sam muttered.

At that moment, Steve's phone buzzed with a single message.

She passed in her sleep

"I've got to go," Steve said, standing and abruptly leaving the room.

A/N: so there we have it. Hopefully I've managed to balance both sides of the argument fairly well. Let me know if there are any arguments for either side I've missed, as I can be persuaded to rewrite and put them in if you argue it well enough Also, I'm British…anyone happy to pick up on slang I use that isn't used in America would be hugely appreciated. (I tried my best, but am fairly certain there're probably bits that aren't quite right.)

This fic will be part of a series titled 'Better Decision Making.' I already have a lengthy list I've gleaned from watching the film a fair few times (probably too many, but hey! It's likely my favourite.) The instalments will probably vary quite a lot in length, depending on how much I want to change. But anyway, if you have any ideas for things that any character and/or team could have done better, let me know…though, I am trying to avoid decisions that were only wrong with the benefit of hindsight. Try to keep the reasoning to things the characters would have known at the time

Finally, the comment section. I believe that debate is healthy, but any name calling, swearing or abuse will not be tolerated, and I won't hesitate to delete comments or block you if you break this rule. Ye be warned

Disclaimer: some of this is a direct copy of lines in the movie. Steve's reading of the Accords document was taken off the MCU wiki page.