Civil War #7: Review

Additional inking by John Dell and Tim Townsend. Cap’s side: Captain America, Falcon, Daredevil, Luke Cage, Spider-Man, Invisible Woman, Human Torch, Patriot, Hulkling, Wiccan, Hawkeye (Kate Bishop), Vision, Solo, Black Panther, Cloak and Dagger, Hercules, Gladiatrix, Black Crow, Punisher, the Sub-Mariner. Iron Man’s side: Iron Man, Mr. Fantastic, Thor Clone, The Thing, Spider-Woman, Nighthawk, Doc Samson, She-Hulk, Radioactive Man, Wonder Man, Bullseye, Taskmaster, Venom (Mac Gargan), Lady Deathstrike, Bishop, Ms. Marvel, Sentry, Stature, Blizzard, Captain Marvel (Khn'nr). Others: Black Widow, Wasp, Armadillo, Texas Twister, Red Wolf, Shooting Star, Firebird, Phantom Rider, Yellowjacket, U.S.Agent, Beta Ray Bill, Talisman, Dr. Strange. Cameo by President George W. Bush. Hercules’ final words to the Thor clone are a parody of Lloyd Bentsen’s comeback to Dan Quayle at the 1988 Vice-Presidential debate. The events of this story lead directly to the “Death of Captain America” arc and the new title AVENGERS: THE INITIATIVE. The series inspired a February 2008 issue of WHAT IF? with the stories, “What If Captain America Led All the Heroes Against Registration?” and “What If Iron Man Lost the Civil War?”

FALLEN SON: THE DEATH OF CAPTAIN AMERICA (IRON MAN - ACCEPTANCE) #5 Cap's funeral. Tony Stark chokes up when trying to give a eulogy, and Sam Wilson takes over. (Falcon registered to attend, and he won't be part of New Avengers. The Young Avengers must have registered now as well.) The casket contains a fake corpse. Later Iron Man, Wasp and Yellowjacket take the real 1 to the Arctic where they meet Namor and drop it in the ocean. CIVIL WAR: FRONT LINE #11 (15:3-24) Ben Urich and Sally Floyd confront Tony Stark with their evidence that he incited the Civil War and set Green Goblin to incite the trouble with Atlantis purely to increase public support for Registration and the Initiative. (Stark was the traitor who changed Norman Osborn's nanites.) He also used foreknowledge of planned events to make money on the stock market, as Ben had discovered earlier. But this money was spent on helping those affected by the War. They say they're not going to publish the story because they don't want to jeopardise the good Stark is doing. (Afterwards Sally even refers to Tony as a hero.)

FALLEN SON: THE DEATH OF CAPTAIN AMERICA (WOLVERINE - DENIAL) #1 (This series doesn't say it belongs to Civil War, but is usually considered part of it.) Wolverine suspects Cap isn't really dead. After Winter Soldier refuses to help, Logan and Daredevil (now Matt Murdock again) sneak into the SHIELD helicarrier under a cloaking spell by Dr Strange to look for Steve's body. They find captive Crossbones who can't tell them anything useful. DD leaves because the spell is wearing off. But Wolvie finds the body and confirms it's Cap. Iron Man confronts him, but lets him go to tell the New Avengers that Steve is indeed dead. FALLEN SON: THE DEATH OF CAPTAIN AMERICA (AVENGERS - ANGER) #2 Iron Man detects Logan's invasion of the Helicarrier. Wolverine returns to the New Avengers and takes his anger out on Spider-Man. The Mighty Avengers fight Tiger Shark and his sea monsters, until Sub-Mariner arrives and takes them into custody. He argues with the Avengers over territorial jurisdiction. FALLEN SON: THE DEATH OF CAPTAIN AMERICA (CAPTAIN AMERICA - BARGAINING) #3 Hawkeye (Clint Barton) makes Iron Man prove Steve's dead. Then he accepts the job as the new Cap, and they go to arrest Young Avengers Patriot and Hawkeye (Kate Bishop). While IM is disabled with by Kate's EMP arrow, the YAers express their disapproval at the new Cap. Clint lets them go and hands the uniform and shield back to Stark. For the moment he heeds Tony's orders not to join the New Avengers. FALLEN SON: THE DEATH OF CAPTAIN AMERICA (SPIDER-MAN - DEPRESSION) #4 Spider-Man mourns Cap by visiting the graves of his parents and Uncle Ben and the George Washington Bridge where Gwen Stacy died. Wolverine accompanies him and they talk about death.

FANTASTIC FOUR #543 (bannered as CW: Epilogue) We see a review of FF history as Reed persuades Sue to return to the team and their marriage. They announce to their team/family that they're taking a leave of absence to mend their marriage. Meanwhile their places will be taken by Black Panther and Storm. CAPTAIN AMERICA v5 #25 (5-32) (bannered as CW: Epilogue) BP is still in New York organising the rebuilding of the Wakandan embassy. Steve Rogers goes to trial, but sniper Crossbones shoots him on orders from Red Skull. Under Faustus' control Sharon Carter secretly shoots Steve from close range. (We'll later learn this is a special gun [using tech acquired from Dr Doom in #23] which sends Cap's consciousness through time.) She doesn't know what she's done and contacts Fury who sends Winter Soldier after Crossbones. Bucky captures the assassin but has to leave him for Capekillers. cap dies. Faustus causes Sharon to remember shooting him. CIVIL WAR: THE CONFESSION #1 Tony Stark, now Director of SHIELD, mourns over Cap's body. He thinks back over the War and doubts it was worth it. CIVIL WAR: THE INITIATIVE #1 Iron Man reviews progress in setting up the Initiative teams (including the Mighty Avengers, the revised Thunderbolts and Canada's Omega Flight). Ms Marvel tries to convince Spider-Woman to switch sides, strangely claiming that Cap isn't dead but hidden in the Raft prison. But the Skrull imposter will stay with the underground New Avengers.

Epilogues (the last few pages of this issue themselves concern the aftermath):-

Immediately after the fight:- CAPTAIN AMERICA v5 #25 (4-5:2) A TV report on Cap's surrender. AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #538 (17-23) Media reports that the War is over. Peter Parker gets home and the assassin shoots at him. Warned by his spider-sense Peter dodges and pushes MJ out of the way, but Aunt May gets hit. (This storyline then progresses into Back In Black, One More Day and Brand New Day.) CIVIL WAR: FRONT LINE #11 (6-15:2) Sally quits her paper The Alternative to work on the story with Ben. They interview Cap in prison. He apologises for letting the War cause so much death and destruction. He realises now he could have done more to try to come to some agreement with the other side. Amgry Sally says that's part of the reason why she's come to see that some sort of Registration is necessary. They set up an online newspaper Frontlines.

CIVIL WAR #7 (8-22:3) The rest of the fight near the Baxter Building. BLACK PANTHER v4 #25 (7-23) Another view of the battle, including SHIELD trying to stop the evacuation of the Wakandan embassy. Storm opposes them, but then has to fight the Thor clone, until Hercules takes him on. The embassy is destroyed. CIVIL WAR: FRONT LINE #11 (1-5) Another view of the battle. Ben Urich and Sally Floyd view the results, including dead Typeface. AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #538 (3-16) Another view of the battle. At the end Spider-Man is among the missing, and Kingpin's assassin is still watching MJ and Aunt May.

Most of the tie-ins this time are epilogues to the series. But some occur during the fight in New York after the escape from the Negative Zone prison:- BLACK PANTHER v4 #25 (5-6) BP contacts his embassy telling them to evacuate to Wakanda. It must be near the Baxter Building because Cloak's teleportation of the combatants ends nearby. CIVIL WAR: FRONT LINE #10/1 (9-14) Ben Urich meets Sally Floyd and they dodge some of the fighting. As they compare notes Ben says he's worked out the real reason for the Civil War. CIVIL WAR: THE RETURN #1/1 With his Negative Zone prison empty, warden Captain Marvel flies to join the fight on Earth.

Punisher won't use Cap's mask as part of his sort-of Captain America uniform in Punisher War Journal #6-11. But he'll give the mask to Winter Soldier in #11. The Initiative teams we see are the Mighty Avengers for New York (Black Widow, Iron Man, Ms Marvel, Sentry, Wasp, Wonder Man - not yet including Ares) and the Rangers for Texas (Firebird, Phantom Rider, Red Wolf, Shooting Star and Texas Twister from the original version of this team plus Armadillo - not yet including Living Lightning). US Agent and Beta Ray Bill (with Talisman) are seen being inducted into Canada's Omega Flight. US Agent *did* join, but the series was cancelled before the latter 2 appeared. Spider-Man is shown having changed to his black costume (in Amazing Spider-Man #539 after Aunt may gets shot). Tony Stark has Maria Hill as his Deputy Director, but he seems to be rubbing her nose in it. This may be the 1st place where it is explained that Prison Number 42 in the Negative Zone was no 42 out of 100 ideas compiled by Tony Stark, Reed Richards and Henry Pym, Cleaning up SHIELD is no 43. Theses 100 ideas for improving the world will continue to play a part in Fantastic Four.

The extra heroes joining the Registration side with the Thor clone are Captain Marvel and members of the Intiative team Champions who will be the 1st team called the Order. Captain Marvel appeared through a time-warp and was put in charge of the Negative Zone prison (CW: The Return). He'll go on to star in the 2008 Captain Marvel mini-series. Then Secret Invasion will reveal he's really a Skrull imposter. None of the Champions are named here, but from last issue we have Hercules (who won't be in the Order) plus the ones who will be called Heavy, Maul and Pierce. New for this issue are a swordswoman based on Athena (who will be called Avona), Corona (based on Helios) and 2 robots called Bannerman Brown & Green. Plus there are several others who have not been seen before or since. Most of the Champions won't last beyond #1 of The Order. Thing (returns from Paris by Fantasti-car and) joins the fight trying to protect bystanders.

Quite a few of last issue's combatants aren't shown this time. I don't see Storm, although Black Panther is featured. The spy Tigra is missing. As are several other females from Iron Man's team:- Arana, Black Widow, Sabra and Wasp. Fixer, Mach-IV and Songbird of Thunderbolts don't make the cut. And just over half of the characters released from the prison aren't here, the exceptions being Battlestar, Black Crow, Cloak, Dagger, Daredevil (Danny Rand), Gladiatrix, Solo and Wiccan. Teleporting out of prison via Cloak was actually Plan B. Captain America expected SHIELD to close the Ryker's Island portal the Resistance came in by, but he had Black Panther trying to open the portal to the Baxter Building. But SHIELD blocked his move. Dagger was with him, ready to alert her partner Cloak to do the honours instead. Bullseye and Taskmaster join Lady Deathstrike and Venom in beating on Cap. What makes Sub-Mariner bring his Atlanteans into the fight? Last issue he told Sue Richards that he was going to keep out of it. Probably his mind was changed by the anti-Atlantis actions taken by the US government as reported in CW: Front Line #10/1 (following Green Goblin attacking their ambassador in previous issues).