Synopsis / Summary / Plot
Civil War II: Choosing Sides #5 Synopsis by
Rob Johnson
Story 1:- Alpha Flight
Alpha Flight (Aurora, Puck and Sasquatch, with Wendy Kawasaki running things from Control) are in Michigan to arrest Excavator (Ricky Calusky) because the Inhuman Ulysses has predicted he will murder his father Piledriver to gain his power. But he won't be able to control the power and will explode killing loads of bystanders. Piledriver can't believe it.
They go for a chat with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. He knows about their situation:- Working for the international (even intergalactic) Alpha Flight Space Program who have access to the predictions of the Inhuman Ulysses. And Canada has a representative Philippe Beaulieu on the Board of Governors. But he's concerned about the Civil War that's brewing, and even more so about arresting people for crimes they haven't committed yet. But he trusts their judgement. As they leave the PM says "Until we meet again" to Aurora.
Later Trudeau is working out in a gym (emptied for the occasion) when Iron Man turns up. It seems he and Tony Stark have a weekly sparring session here together. When he removes his armour Tony shows signs of having been in a fight already. Justin commiserates over the death of James Rhodes.
As they fight Tony tries to persuade the PM to stop Alpha Flight working for Captain Marvel, and even to pass on what they know about her operation. Justin says he doesn't agree with either side in this disagreement, and Tony doesn't decide Canadian policy. They agree to disagree.
And Aurora is outside the gym weeping.
Story 2:- Colleen Wing
Misty Knight has been hired by STAKE to help Howling Commandos Jasper Sitwell and Man-Thing bring in an aged wizard who calls himself a Huntstalker, with the supernatural ability to track anyone with a power. Apparently he's vital for the future of STAKE.
Suddenly their van is attacked by a sword-wielding motorcyclist who Misty recognises as her ex-partner Colleen Wing. (They were known as the Daughters of the Dragon, and were also sometimes part of Heroes For Hire. But they parted on bad terms.)
Man-Thing smashes his way up onto the roof to fight Wing. But he gets cut in half by a street sign. (Don't worry, he'll knit back together.)
Colleen drops into the van and confronts Misty. After bitching at each other, Colleen explains she needs Huntstalker to find a missing little girl. Knight lets her take him.
Later she gets told off by (the LMD) Dum Dum Dugan, boss of the Commandos. She takes responsibility for the whole thing.
Story 3:- Nick Fury Jr in Post Prologue part 5
Nick Fury Jr is presumed dead as he tracks down the leader of a rogue SHIELD faction who tried to kill him. Last issue he sneaked into SHIELD base Ogma (and was nearly caught by Black Widow) and got hold of info that has now led him here to abandoned base Kratos.
He finds the leader who turns out to be the original Nick Fury, his father. Except that Fury is dead, and this 1 is an LMD. That's how he survived being shot in the head in #3. (The LMD removes his eyepatch to reveal a hole through his skull.)
In #1 Maria Hill told Nick that Ulysses predicted a danger to SHIELD from Hydra and sent him on a mission to stop it. But his team tried to kill him, claiming that it was prophesied that Fury must die to save SHIELD. The LMD now shows Fury a recording of Ulysses' actual prophesy which says that Fury will die on his next mission, but SHIELD will be destroyed if he doesn't go on it.
The LMD now explains that the enemy was never Hydra but his own SHIELD faction (which Nick had already worked out) who want to 'reform' SHIELD by violence.
But Nick buries the LMD in the ruins of the base (apparently with 1 well-aimed kick to a support column). So a Fury did die to save SHIELD.
But we've still got 1 more episode to go ...