Civil War (comics)

"Civil War" is a 2006–07 Marvel Comics crossover event. The storyline consists of an eponymous seven-issue limited series, written by Mark Millar and penciled by Steve McNiven, and various tie-in books. The storyline builds upon previous Marvel storylines, particularly "Avengers Disassembled", "House of M", and "Decimation". The series' tagline is "Whose Side Are You On?".

Civil War explores the conflict between freedom and security against a backdrop of real-life events and discussions, such as the U.S. government's increased surveillance of its citizens in response to the 9/11 attacks. The plot revolves around the U.S. government passing a Superhero Registration Act to ostensibly have super-powered individuals act under official regulation, akin to law enforcement. Superheroes opposing the act, led by Captain America, find themselves in conflict with its supporters, led by Iron Man. Spider-Man is caught in the middle, while the X-Men remain neutral for mutantkind's survival. The superheroes supporting the law, including Mister Fantastic and Ms. Marvel, become increasingly authoritarian.

The series polarized critics and fans, but was a commercial success. A sequel, Civil War II, debuted in June 2016. The 2016 Marvel Cinematic Universe film Captain America: Civil War loosely adapted the storyline.

The Superhero Registration Act introduced in Civil War requires any United States resident with superhuman abilities to register with the federal government as a "human weapon of mass destruction". They must also reveal their true identity to authorities, and undergo training. Those who register may work for S.H.I.E.L.D., earning a salary and benefits, like other American civil servants.

Mark Millar, writer for the story, has said:

I opted instead for making the superhero dilemma something a little different. People thought they were dangerous, but they did not want a ban. What they wanted was superheroes paid by the federal government like cops and open to the same kind of scrutiny. It was the perfect solution and nobody, as far as I'm aware, has done this before.

Marvel announced in August 2006 that some issues of the main Civil War series would be pushed back several months to accommodate artist Steve McNiven. The schedule had issue #4 being released one month late, in September, while issue #5 was released two months later, in November. Furthermore, various tie-in books, including the Civil War: Front Line miniseries, were delayed to avoid spoiling plot developments.

In late November 2006, Marvel announced another delay. Civil War #6, originally scheduled for December 20, was pushed back two weeks and released on January 4. Unlike the previous instance, only The Punisher War Journal #2 was delayed. In a final act of rescheduling, Civil War #7 was pushed back two weeks (from January 17 to January 31), and then pushed back again until February 21.