Civil War #6 — Nick Peron

Oct 17

Oct 17 Civil War #6

Civil War, Part 6

Civil War continues from Punisher: War Journal (vol. 2) #2….

Following the passage of the Super Human Registration Act (SHRA), a new law that requires superhumans to register with the government, the superhero community has been torn in half. One side, the so-called Secret Avengers led by Captain America (Steve Rogers), are fighting against registration while the other, led by Iron Man (Tony Stark) are in support.[1]

At a SHIELD base in Arizona, Director Maria Hill shows Hank Pym the progress that they are making with the first manufactured team for the 50-State Initiative.[2] Each member of this group, which they are calling the Champions, are themed after various Greek gods.[3][4] They then go over the other teams that are ready to be deployed.[5] That’s when a SHIELD agent comes to Pym and tells him that they are having an issue with one of the Champion recruits and need his assistance.

Back on the east coast, Iron Man (Tony Stark) is checking in on Mister Fantastic (Reed Richards) who is hard at work trying to get their clone of Thor operational again. While they couldn’t do anything to stop him from killing Goliath (Bill Foster), Richards is confident that he won’t use lethal force when they deploy him again.[6] Tony reports that thanks to the probability map devised by Reed, crime is at its lowest in decades. They have also talked to the President of the United States about granting any immunities for anti-registration heroes after the war is over. Reed wanted this specifically for his wife and brother-in-law, the Invisible Woman (Sue Richards) and Human Torch (Johnny Storm), and are allowed to grant immunity to 10 others as well.[7]

Meanwhile, Captain America’s side of the war have reluctantly enlisted the aid of the Punisher (Frank Castle), as they need his skills to infiltrate the Baxter Building to steal data on Prison 42, the facility in the Negative Zone that arrested superheroes have been incarcerated.[8] As Frank hacks into the computers, he tells Steve that even with this data they have no way of accessing the Negative Zone portals to get there. Steve tells him not to worry about that as he is already working on it.[9]

At the same time, the Invisible Woman has been dispatched to Atlantis to try and get support from King Namor the Sub-Mariner, and the armies of Atlantis. [10] Namor expresses his disinterest in getting involved, saying that the death of his cousin Namorita in the inciting incident that sparked the civil war will be dealt with privately. Namor knows that Sue was sent to him because of their past history together, and when Sue denies that she is interested in him, he tells her that he can feel her heartbeat and it is giving her away.[11]

Back at the Secret Avengers safehouse, Captain America gets a situational update about their numbers. Luke Cage tells them that the Black Panther (T’Challa) and Storm (Ororo Munroe) are joining their cause to avenge Bill Foster.[12] However, they haven’t been able to get the X-Men to budge on their non-involvement and they have been unable to contact Doctor Strange.[13][14] Luke is also happy to see that Spider-Man (Peter Parker) is back on his feet and is back to wearing his classic red-and-blue costume again.[15]

Soon, everyone is sitting down to go over the plans to raid Prison 42, thanks in part to the data stolen by the Punisher. Cap tells Spider-Man that he can sit out the mission while he is still healing, but Peter insists on going along to atone for siding with Iron Man at the start of the war. Diamondback (Rachel Leighton) then addresses the issue of their numbers and calls in the villains known as Goldbug and the Plunderer. They want to join up with Captain America because they don’t like what Tony Stark is doing either. However, before Steve can say anything about this, the Punisher mows them down with twin uzis, as killing criminals is his whole thing.[16] This angers Captain America who begins beating on the Punisher. Surprisingly, Frank Castle refuses to fight back against Cap, prompting Steve to stay his hand. He then orders the others to destroy the Punishers guns and toss him out of there. As the others wonder why Frank wouldn’t hit Cap, Spider-Man suggests that Steve and Frank have a lot in common having both fought in wars, with different results. Steve refutes this, reminding everyone that Frank Castle is insane.[17]

Later, Tony stark and Reed Richards are in Stamford, Connecticut for the unveiling of a new memorial park to commemorate the people who died in the recent disaster. Tony is thanked by Miriam Sharpe, a woman whose son was killed in the explosion and she once again thanks Tony for siding with the Super Human Registration Act and everything he is doing to make America a safer place. While in the arctic, Doctor (Stephen) Strange continues his meditation with no food and very little water. He is visited by Uatu, the Watcher, who asks Strange what his position is on the civil war. Stephen tells Uatu that as Earth’s Sorcerer Supreme, he has a higher duty and can’t get involved in the conflict. When asked what side he supports, Stephen will only say whatever side is best for humanity and will spill the least amount of blood in the battle ahead.

At dawn the next day, the Secret Avengers break into Ryke’s Island and use the portal there to get to Prison 42 in the Negative Zone. Although they avoided setting off any alarms, Spider-Man’s spider-sense begins going haywire once they are on the other side of the portal. This is because they have walked into another trap sprung by Iron Man who has an entire army of pro-registration heroes at his side. However, Captain America anticipated this move, as he knew that Tigra was a mole within his organization. He then explains that she wasn’t the only spy among them. In fact, the man they all think is Yellowjacket, is actually the Young Avenger known as Hulkling (Teddy Altman) using his Skrull born shape-shifting powers. He managed to swap out the real Hank Pym during his recent trip to Arizona.

Reed Richards is horrified by this deception because Hulkling fully mimicked Hank’s biology to bypass the retinal and voice scans and free the other prisoners. In fact, Teddy did just that and a number of captured heroes emerge from their cells and join Captain America’s side.[18] Confident that he is going to win, Cap warns Iron Man’s team that this is going to hurt.[19]

… Civil War continues in Civil War: Front Line #10.

Recurring Characters

Secret Avengers (Captain America, Battlestar, Black Crow, Black Panther, Luke Cage, Cloak, Coldblood, Dagger, “Daredevil”, Diamondback, Falcon, Firebird, Gladiatrix, Hercules, Human Torch, Invisible Woman, Lectronn, Lightbright, Living Lightning, Living Mummy, Machine Man, Network, Prodigy, Prowler, Punisher, Monica Rambeau, the Shroud, Solo, Spider-Man, “Spider-Woman”, Storm, Stringray, Tigra, Typeface, Young Avengers (Patriot, Hulkling, Wiccan, Hawkeye, Vision)), Pro-Registration Heroes (Iron Man, Bishop, Arana, Black Widow, Doc Samson, Mister Fantastic, Nighthawk, Ms. Marvel, Sabra, Sentry, She-Hulk, Stature, Thunderbolts (Blizzard, Bullseye, Fixer, Lady Deathstrike, Mach-IV, Radioactive Man, Songbird, Taskmaster, Venom ), the Wasp, Wonder Man,“Yellowjacket”), Champions (Artemis, Hephaestus, Hercules, Hermes), Doctor Strange, Sub-Mariner, Watcher, Goldbug, Plunderer, SHIELD (Maria Hill), Miriam Sharpe, Thor clone, Atlanteans

Continuity Notes

The SHRA is in the process of being enacted after the so-called Stamford Disaster that happened Civil War #1. This law will pass later this issue and remain in force until Siege #4.
The 50-State Initiative is a bold plan to create government run superhero teams in every American state. See Civil War: The Initiative #1 and Avengers: The Initiative #1. Most of the Champions seen here will rename themselves and their team, calling themselves the Order, as seen in The Order (vol. 2) #1. The Champions are named after the Champions of Los Angeles, a short lived superhero team that operated from Champions #1-17 before disbanding in Spectacular Spider-Man #17-18.
“Hank” isn’t concerned about one of the Champions being named after Hercules, saying that he never took issue with all of the people who have called themselves Goliath over the years. Pym has operated under the Goliath moniker every now again, the first time being Avengers #28. Others have since used the name, including Clint Barton (aka Hawkeye in Avengers #63), Bill Foster (aka Black Goliath, and Giant-Man, in Thing (vol. 2) #1), and Erik Josten (aka Atlas, in Iron Man Annual #7)
The man who appears to be Hank Pym in this story is actually a Skrull impostor named Criti Noll. Noll took the place of the real Pym prior to House of M #1, as told in Mighty Avengers #15. This is ahead of a planned invasion of Earth that will take place in Secret Invasion #1-8.
The 50-State Initiative teams that are mentioned here include:
- “those Mormon heroes” in Utah. While the team goes unnamed here, they are later identified as “The Call” in Avengers: The Initiative #17. Who ended up on that team, as of this writing, has yet to be detailed.
- The Spaceknights in Chicago. The Spaceknights are named after a group of of cyborg warriors who were created by the people of Galador to defend themselves against the Dire Wraths, as seen in ROM #1. This team apparently has no affiliation with the original Spaceknights. As of this writing, who ended up on that team has not been detailed either.
- Force Works in Iowa. They are named after the team that succeeded the Avengers West Coast when they disbanded in Avengers West Coast #102. They were active from Force Works #1-22. Any association between this iteration and the original Force Works and who ended up on that team is also unrevealed at this time.
As seen in Civil War #3-4, the pro-registration side had cloned Thor and when this impostor was deployed he killed Bill Foster. They had cloned Thor because, at the time of this story, the thunder god had died following the events of Thor (vol. 2) #80-85. He will be resurrected in Thor (vol. 3) #1. As of this writing (October, 2024), Bill Foster is still considered among the deceased.
While Sue initially supported the SHRA, she had a change of heart after seeing Bill Foster get killed. She and her brother have been part of Captain America’s resistance since last issue.
Prison 42 was first opened in Civil War: Front Line #5 to house those arrested for violating the SHRA. The reason why Frank Castle has the necessary equipment to infiltrate the Baxter Building is because he now has mission support from Stuart Clarke, who has access to various pieces of supervillain technology. See Punisher War Journal (vol. 2) #1.
Captain America will get the necessary means to access the Negative Zone portal from Baron Zemo, who is working both sides of the Civil War in order to amass an army to fight the Grandmaster. See Thunderbolts #103-105.
The Sub-Mariner has had romantic interest in Sue since Fantastic Four #4. This has been mostly unrequited, particularly after Sue married Reed Richards in Fantastic Four Annual #3.
Namor’s cousin Namorita was killed in the Stamford Disaster explosion in Civil War #1. His personal quest for justice against Nitro (the villain responsible) and the surface world in general is chronicled in Wolverine (vol. 3) #42-48 and Civil War: Front Line #1-11. He will ultimately assist Captain America in the final battle against Iron Man, as we’ll see next issue.
The Black Panther initially decided not to get involved in Civil War #3. However, the death of Bill Foster and Storm being attacked during a state visit, they decided to join Cap’s side. See Black Panther (vol. 4) #22-25.
Also seen in Civil War #3, Iron Man’s side unsuccessfully attempted to recruit both the X-Men and Doctor Strange to their side. Emma Frost turned down Stark because the X-Men had decided to take a neutral stance in the conflict, particularly since they are still dealing with the fall out from the mutant population being nearly wiped out in Decimation: House of M - The Day After #1. Doctor Strange likewise is taking a neutral stance, having retreated to the Arctic to meditate on the situation, as we’ll see later this issue.
At the time of this story, Peter Parker was given a new high tech suit designed by Tony Stark in Amazing Spider-Man #529. Although he sided with pro-registration in Civil War #2, Peter eventually became disillusioned, as seen in Amazing Spider-Man #532-534. He defected in Amazing Spider-Man #535 and Civil War #5, and was severely injured in his escape.
The woman here who appears to be Spider-Woman is another Skrull spy, this one named Veranke, as we’ll learn in Secret Invasion #3. Per New Avengers #42, she took the place of the real Jessica Drew circa Giant-Size Spider-Woman #1. Speaking of impostors, the Machine Man depicted in this story is also an impostor as explained in Marvel Comics #1001. He took the place of the real Machine Man between X-51 #12 and Nextwave #1. As of this writing, it is unknown why he has done so.
Goldbug was seemingly killed here and, as of this writing he is still considered among the deceased. Someone else purchased the Goldbug identity from the Hobgoblin, as seen in Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 5) #6. While it appears that the Plunderer was killed here, Parnival Plunder sent an impostor to the meeting just in case something like this happened, we’ll learn that he cheated death in Marvel Comics Presents (vol. 2) #5-7.
There is quite a bit of Frank Castle lore tossed around here that requires further clarification. Let’s break it down:
- Spider-Man states here that the Punisher fought in the Vietnam War. That Frank Castle fought in this war was first specifically cited in Amazing Spider-Man #174. At the time, that story and others were written it was as though Vietnam happened prior to and early on in the Modern Age. However, as the Sliding Timescale has bumped the Modern Age forward in time, it has become increasingly impossible to explain characters involvement in the Vietnam War without prematurely aging them, Frank Castle being one of the characters affected. In a rare retcon, History of the Marvel Universe #2 has updated Frank Castle’s origins, stating that he fought in the Sin-Cong Conflict, a fictional war that only exists in the Marvel Universe that just so happened to take place in and around Vietnam.
- As far as Frank Castle being insane goes, while many stories have hinted that Castle was a violent killer the primary reason given for his vigilante activities was the murder of his family at the hands of the mob, as originally told in Marvel Super Action #1. However, as we’ll later learn in Punisher (vol. 13) #1-12, Frank had been groomed by the Hand into being a killer from a very young age to make him the ideal host for the Beast, the demonic entity that they worship.
- The reason why Frank won’t hit Captain America is because he idolized Steve Rogers. As we’ll learn in Punisher: War Journal (vol. 2) #3, he refused to hit back against a soldier who posed as Rogers when Frank was in basic training. This was prior to the events of Avengers #4, when Steve Rogers was freed from decades in suspended animation.
A number of the freed prisoners were depicted as being captured in the various Civil War crossover issues. They include:
- Wiccan was captured during the fight between Iron Man and Cap’s forces in Civil War #4.
- Black Crow, Cloak and Dagger, were nabbed thanks to a tips given to Tony Stark by the Kingpin in Civil War: War Crimes #1.
- Prodigy was one of the earliest arrests after making the poor decision of trying to pick a fight with Iron Man while drunk shortly after the SHRA passed into law, as seen in Civil War: Front Line #1.
- Gladiatrix was depicted as being captured in Amazing Spider-Man #535.
- Typeface, Battlestar, Network, and Solo were part of the Anti-Registration Underground who were busted before they could join up with Cap’s team, as seen in Civil War: Front Line #3-4.
- Lectron and Lightbright were captured by Iron Man and Spider-Man in Civil War: Front Line #5. The Living Mummy and Coldblood were depicted as prisoners in that same issue, being transported to Prison 42 alongside Speedball.
- The Shroud was apprehended trying to help Spider-Woman (Julia Carpenter) flee to Canada with her daughter, as seen in Ms. Marvel (vol. 2) #6-8.
- The Prowler was apprehended by Ms. Marvel in Ms. Marvel (vol. 2) #7.
Additionally, the man dressed as Daredevil in this story is not Matt Murdock. In fact, it’s Danny Rand (aka Iron Fist) disguised as Daredevil, as will be explained in Civil War: Choosing Sides #1. Previously, Matt Murdock was dealing with the fall out of having his true identity revealed in Daredevil (vol. 2) #32. In fact, Murdock was jailed at the time of the Civil War event, as seen in Daredevil (vol. 2) #81-87. He was captured last issue.