Marvel's Civil War Series: a Whole New World?

It is often said that history is written by the winners. In the case of the latest Marvel mini-series entitled Civil War, I'm curious how history will be perceived within that universe following this epic course of events. The conflict depicted is similar to conflicts that we as a nation have faced in our history. And in the course of this series we see the topic at hand draw the lines of conflict as narrowly as we saw in our own Civil War - arguably even more narrow. I will warn you that in the following paragraphs I will be summarizing the events of this series and offering my opinions on the outcome. So if you have not read this series and plan to, you may want to hold off on reading this article.

The catalyst to this series is the coincidental timing of two events: the discussion by congress to create a Super-Human Registration Act, and a horrifying accident involving an overly-powerful villain vs. a team of under-trained heroes. The accident results in the villain flexing his abilities and, in doing so, creates a catastrophic explosion that kills 600 civilians including several grade-school children. The result is a nationwide scrutiny of the heroes handling the matter (as they were mostly teens and were fighting crime while taping a super-hero reality show) that pushes the Registration Act to be signed in a matter of days when it otherwise would have been discussed and bounced around for years.

In the Civil War series, heroes become divided over this issue. To up the ante, the Act requires anyone with abilities to register or be sent to prison. The contraversial nature of both what the Act requires and the severity of the alternative cause great rifts among long-time alliances and friends. Some prime examples of this include Read Richards (Mr. Fantastic) and his wife Susan (Invisible Woman) and most notably Iron Man and Captain America. Iron Man, though he had previously been meeting with Congress to stop the Act, opts to head the effort to enforce it. Meanwhile Captain America, arguably one of the most patriotic super-heroes ever, sees the Act as a gross civil rights violation and staunchly opposes it. His opposition galvanizes many of those who share his position to form a rebellion. Spider-man who had become close friends with Iron Man recently agrees to side with him and even reveals his identity to the world as a gesture of good faith. But about halfway through the series, Spidey's growing doubts about his choice push him to switch sides.

The struggle eventually results in a full-on head to head between all those for the Act and all those opposed - and it takes place in the Big Apple. The battle comes to a climax when it seems clear that the rebellion is poised to win and Captain America has Iron Man checkmated. But, a move that could only be believable coming from Cap, he is startled to the reality that surrounds them - the distruction that they are causing to the neighborhoods they are supposed to be protecting - and he surrenders. With that, the war is over and the Super-Human Registration Act has held fast.

Personally, I felt defeated when I read the final issue of Civil War. The storyline was incredibly well thought out and involved amazing writing and coordination among the writers involved in all of the tie-ins. I haven't picked up a new comic in a number of years, but after being turned on to the Road to War tie-ins I was instantly hooked for the long haul. From the beginning I found myself sympathizing with the rebels; the Act clearly seemed like a breach in civil rights and I could not see it holding water. But to reach the end of this series and have the rebels defeated and the enforcers taking things to yet another level (e.g., 50-states initiative, S.H.I.E.L.D. oversight on all activities), I don't necessarily feel let down but I am surprised. I doubt that this will truly be the end of this issue. If anything, ending the mini-series as such was brilliant on Marvel's part. This could ensure a riveted audience for some time to come (myself included). But to have the victors to this chapter in history be the bearers of change (and not necessarily the good kind) points out that the tides shift with the force that is strongest and persists and not necessarily the one that is right.