The Marvel Universe is changing. In the wake of a tragedy, Capitol Hill proposes the Super Hero Registration Act, requiring all costumed heroes to unmask themselves before the government. Divided, the nation's greatest champions must each decide how to react. Lines will be dawn. Alliances will be broken. Civil War is upon us.
This is what is happening in Civil War so far.In Civil War #1, the New Warriors battle a group of villains in Stamford, Connecticut while filming a reality television show. One of the villains, Nitro, explodes, destroying a local school and the surrounding neighborhood and killing all of the New Warriors, except Speedball.
The "Stamford Incident" turns public opinion against superheroes, giving momentum to the Superhuman Registration Act, a government movement to register super-powered beings as members of the government. Angry civilians have attacked a number of superheroes, including Johnny Storm, the Human Torch.
S.H.I.E.L.D. Director Maria Hill attempts to recruit Captain America for a strikeforce created to track down and convince superhumans in violation of the act to join. When Captain America refuses, S.H.I.E.L.D. agents attack him (notably before the act goes into effect), but he escapes. However, Iron Man supports the act and mobilizes many of the registered superhumans, including Mister Fantastic and Spider-Man, who unmasks himself to the world press in Civil War #2, to find and redeem the anti-registration heroes.
Captain America, now a fugitive, forms an underground resistance, seeking out friends as allies. Captain America's team, which the press dubbed "Secret Avengers", includes Cable, Falcon, and Iron Fist (posing as Daredevil). In subsequent issues, they rescue other heroes from S.H.I.E.L.D., such as Luke Cage in New Avengers #22 and the Young Avengers in Civil War #2. Former S.H.I.E.L.D. Director Nick Fury, who remains a fugitive, aids the operations of the Secret Avengers.
In Civil War #3, the anti-registration heroes race to a reported emergency at a petrochemical plant, but Cable realizes too late that it is a trap. Unfortunately, Cloak and Wiccan cannot teleport their allies away, because the pro-registration heroes tranquilize them on arrival. Iron Man claims his side doesn't want a fight, but has made a very large show of force and has the Secret Avengers surrounded. Taking advantage of Iron Man's claim that he wants to talk, Captain America hits him with an electronic destabilizer provided by Nick Fury for just such a situation. The battle erupts, with Spider-Man keeping Cap occupied until Iron Man recovers and then charges in. While Iron Man viciously beats Captain America, Hercules attempts to save the Captain. However, a massive bolt of lightning strikes him, and an instant later, lightning bolts strike many other anti-registration heroes. Thor then appears standing above the fray, hammer raised, on Iron Man's side.
Marvel have repeatedly confirmed that a character will die 'with a big hole blown through them' in Civil War issue 4, described as 'One of Marvel's Biggest Characters', which can be taken either literally as a 'tall' character, or else as one of their most major characters. In Cable/Deadpool #31 Cable claimed that Thor had just killed one of his oldest friends, implying that the death will be one of Captain America's 'Secret Avengers'. The Marvel.com boards have posted a thread with a poll where fans are guessing which of Cap's Secret Avengers will die. Leading the poll are the Falcon, Goliath, and Hercules.
Confirmed proponents of registration
-Active enforcers
Black Widow
Doc Samson
Iron Man
Mr. Fantastic
She-Hulk
Spider-Man
Tigra
Thor
Wasp
Yellowjacket
-Registered heroes
-Great Lakes Champions
Big Bertha
Doorman
Flatman
Mr. Immortal
Squirrel Girl and Tippy Toe
Hellcat
Human Torch
Sentry
Thor Girl
Two-Gun Kid
-Government trainers
Ms. Marvel
Wonder Man
-Heroes "In Training"
Araña
-Government enforcers
Bishop
Deadpool
Heroes for Hire
Black Cat
Colleen Wing
Humbug
Misty Knight
Orka
Otis
Paladin
Shang Chi
Tarantula
Vienna
Micromax
Marvel Boy
Sabra
-S.H.I.E.L.D.
Agent 13
Dum-Dum Dugan
Maria Hill
Gabriel Jones
Agent Jamie Madrox - a duplicate of Multiple Man created years ago who joined S.H.I.E.L.D.
Eric Marshall
Agent Owen
-The Superhuman Restraint Unit
Abrams, who led the first assault on Nitro
-Thunderbolts
Atlas
Baron Zemo
Blizzard
Fixer
Joystick
Mach-IV
Radioactive Man
Smuggler
Songbird
Swordsman
-Thunderbolts detainees and recruits
Ajaxis
Aqueduct
Blacklash
Bloodstrike
Batroc the Leaper
Beetle's first three armors, now operated by three college students.
Boomerang
Bushmaster
Death Adder
Doctor Octopus
Eel
Iron Maiden
Killer Shrike
King Cobra
Machete
Mongoose
Overmind
Ox
Porcupine
Primus
Quicksand
Rattler
Red Ronin
Scarecrow
Silk Fever
Slyde
Smiling Tiger
Snake Marston
Tatterdemalions
Texas Twister
Unicorn
Vermin
Whiplash
Whirlwind
Zaran
Psionex
Asylum
Coronary
Mathemanic
Pretty Persuasions
-The U-Foes
Ironclad
Vapor
Vector
X-Ray
-The Wrecking Crew
Bulldozer
Piledriver
Thunderball
The Wrecker
-Major government supporters
President George W. Bush (Civil War ..1)
Dallas Riordan
Henry Peter Gyrich
Val Cooper
-Major civilian supporters
Happy Hogan
J. Jonah Jameson
Miriam Sharpe
Sprite
-Confirmed opponents of registration
-The Secret Avengers
Cable
Luke Cage
Captain America
Cloak and Dagger
Falcon
Jane Foster
Nick Fury
Goliath
Hercules
Iron Fist (posing as Daredevil)
Nighthawk
Night Nurse
Spider-Woman
Ultra Girl
-Young Avengers
Hulkling
Hawkeye
Patriot
Speed
Stature
Vision
Wiccan
-Underground resistance
Gladiatrix
Battlestar
Solo
Typeface
Network
-Un-Registered heroes
Aegis
Debrii
Jessica Jones
Moon Knight
Justice
Punisher
Quicksilver
Rage
Runaways
Karolina Dean
Molly Hayes
Victor Mancha
Nico Minoru
Old Lace
Chase Stein
Xavin
Slapstick
Stingray
Thunderclap
Timeslip
-Registered opponents
-The 198
Arachne
Invisible Woman
John Jameson (Man Wolf)
X-Factor Investigations
Jamie Madrox (Multiple Man)
Layla Miller
M
Rictor
Siryn
Strong Guy
Wolfsbane
X-Force
Domino
Shatterstar
-Major civilian opponents
Neil Crawford
Sally Floyd
Yancy Street Gang
Foreign opponents
Black Bolt
Namor
Expatriates
Doctor Strange
Jessica Jones
The Thing
Retiring
Firestar
-Apprehended opponents
Battlestar
Coldblood
Digitek
Gladiatrix
Lectronn
Lightbright
Living Mummy
Neil Crawford
Network
Phone Ranger
Prodigy
Prowler
Sally Floyd
Shroud
Silverclaw
Solo
Speedball
Typeface
Wildstreak
-Apprehended villains
Bloodshed
Equinox
Flag-Smasher
Ghost Maker
Goldbug
Grim Reaper
Grindhouse
Kogar
Lizard
Mandarin's Avatars
Ancestor
Foundry
Lich
Sickle
Warfist
Ruby Thursday
Shadow Slasher
Shocker
Shockwave
Trapster
The Vulture
Confirmed neutrals
Though these individuals have announced their rejection to the Superhuman Registration Act, they have refused to actively support any side.
Black Panther
Doctor Strange
Thing
Ben Urich
The X-Men:
Archangel
Beast
Colossus
Cyclops
Emma Frost
Iceman
Shadowcat
Wolverine
Deaths
Inciting incident casualties
Approximately 800 residents of Stamford, Connecticut, including about 60 children
Cobalt Man
Coldheart
John Fernandez (New Warriors' camera operator)
Microbe
Namorita
Night Thrasher
Speedfreek
The Road to Civil War (7 issues)
Amazing Spider-Man #529-531 "Mr. Parker goes to Washington"
Civil War: Opening Shot Sketchbook (one-shot)
Fantastic Four #536-537 "The Hammer Falls"
New Avengers: The Illuminati (one-shot)
Civil War (85 issues)
Civil War (seven-issue miniseries)
Civil War: Battle Damage Report (one-shot)
Civil War: Choosing Sides (one-shot)
Civil War Files (one-shot)
Civil War: Front Line (eleven-issue miniseries)
Civil War: X-Men (four-issue miniseries)
Civil War: War Crimes (one-shot)
Civil War: Young Avengers & Runaways (four-issue miniseries)
Amazing Spider-Man #532-539: "The War at Home"
Black Panther (4th series) #18, 23-25
Cable/Deadpool #30-32
Captain America #22-24: "The Drums of War"
Daily Bugle: Civil War Edition (one-shot newspaper)
Fantastic Four #538-543
Heroes for Hire (2nd series) #1-3
Iron Man (4th series) #13-14
Marvel Spotlight #6: Millar/McNiven
Ms. Marvel #6-8: "Battle Lines"
New Avengers #21-25: "New Avengers: Disassembled"
The Punisher War Journal (2nd series) #1-3
She-Hulk (2nd series) #8
Thunderbolts #103-105
Wolverine #42-48: "Vendetta"
X-Factor #8-9
Spider-Man Unmasked
Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #11-14
Sensational Spider-Man #28-35
Casualties of War (6 Issues)
Blade v3 #5
Winter Soldier: Winter Kills (one-shot)
Iron Man/Captain America Special (one-shot)
Moon Knight v4 #7-8, 10
New titles
The Irredeemable Ant-Man
Heroes for Hire v3
The Punisher War Journal v2
Spider-Woman
Omega Flight
Mighty Avengers
Untitled 'Thor' title by J. Michael Straczynski pencelled by Oliver Coipel
Untitled Dan Slott project
Untitled Mark Millar/Bryan Hitch project