The US Government initiates the Superhuman Registration Act (SHRA). All Superhumans must register with the government or become fugities. Benefit of registration: government training, the government tells you who the "bad guys" are, government pays for collatoral damage, a chance to work for SHIELD and get payed, expose your secret identity, shiny superhuman ID card, and you're at the beck-and-call of the government. Every mutant has a choice, now. Iron Man sees no recourse but to join the government. If not then become a fugitive and loose the backing of the American people, who already mistrust superhumans/mutants/magic-users/aliens. Spider-Man follows Iron Man's lead and unmasks on TV, immediately jeopardizing MJ and Aunt May. The Fantastic Four begin to shatter as Johnny is beat up outside a nightclub, and put in coma. Reed Richards (The Dick as I like to call him) sides with Iron Man (The A'hole) but Sue and The Thing think otherwise. The Thing likes neither choice and moves to France to wait for things to cool down, and Sue leaves The Dick but stays with Johnny. Dr. Strange tells Iron Man to go screw and never bother him again, so Iron man makes him exempt (thus raising my opinion of Dr. Strange). Captain America is offered a job with SHIELD but refuses, so they try to kill him (try being the operative word).
The non-Registration Act side of things is backed by Captain America, forming the "Secret Avengers," who feels this impinges on the freedoms provided by the constitution and endangers everyone who gives up their identity. All the superheroes begin to go one way or another. At the zero hour of Registration Iron Man leads a special forces SHIELD group, called the "Cape Killers". They then go around nabbing up anyone who didn't register, with little regard for the civilians around. Many civilians begin to defend the fugitive superheroes muddying the waters even more. Any fugitive that is not killed is given a chance to join the SHRA or be imprisoned in the Negative Zone, through a special portal The Dick has created in the Baxter Building (think Guantanomo Bay). The real Nick Fury, still in hiding, sets up several hidden safe houses for the Secret Avengers.
The supervillians are practically given free reign to do what they want because the "Good Guys" are busy, but Captain A starts capturing real bad guys again, and even liberates prison transports of superheroes to fill his ranks. A false alarm traps Captain A and friends when a clone of Thor, with a copy of the Hammer, kills Bill Foster. This becomes a turning point, where many in the resistance turn themselves in, and some supporters of the SHRA loose faith. Supporters like Spider-Man who, after seeing the Negative Zone, defects to the Secret Avengers and is nearly killed, saved only by The Punisher. Guess whose side he's on.
Of lighter note is J. Jonah Jameson (JJJ). Upon hearing of Spideys unmasking realizes he's been paying Peter to take pictures of himself. This is fraud and wants to sue for $3,000,000. His son has been dating a lawyer (remember his stupid ass from Spider-Man 2?), Jennifer Walters, none other than She-Hulk, who happens to back the SHRA. JJJ still hates mutants but gets over it when she offers to help bring his lawsuit against Peter. Not until later, from an outside source, does She-Hulk find out what Iron Man did to her cousin, The Hulk. Iron Man anticipates her betrayal and injects her with nanites that rob her of her strength and transformation (I told you he was an A'hole).
Wolverine not caring about either side wants to know why no one is looking for Nitro, the mo'fo' who started is shite. He begins to hunt and tracks him down on the west coast, but not before Iron Man and the Cape Killers have go at him. The eventually let him go and he tracks Nitro to Namor, who is hunting him as well. Namor's cousin was killed in Stamford and had sleeper-agents moving about the country hunting Nitro, but Wolvie captured him first. Wolvie interrogates Nitro, learns what he needs, and gives Nitro to Namor, a fate worse than death. When Nitro destroyed Stamford he was hopped up on a power enhancing drug (like Zorn/Margento's Kick) and couldn't control himself. Wolvie heads for the drug manufacturor to find out they have ties with a Haliburton like company that rebuilds areas from superhuman collatoral damage. Very Profitable. So the CEO's of both companies devised a plan to get a drug out on the streets to make superhero/villian battles more destructive, thus earnig more contract money. Wolvie doesn't like any of this a kills all the heads of the companies involved. If only it were that easy in RL, uh, Real Life.
After a whole lot of other plot points happen the Secret Avengers do a prison break on the Negative Zone, amass a new army and fight it out with Iron Man and SHIELD. Backed by Namor, Captain America is about to beat Iron Man when he realizes how much damage he's done to the people around him he swore to protect, and surrenders. The US president grants amnesty to all rebels who register, however Captain A is arrested. Iron Man is made director of SHIELD and starts the 50-State Initiative. Many who still don't want to register either leave the country or stay underground, like Spidey, whom the Kingpin puts a hit out on. The Fantastic Four take a breather and Black Panther and Storm, recently married, run the F4 gig. And Nova returns home to see the world changed and leaves instead of registering.
Oh Yeah, one other thing. CAPTAIN AMERICA IS FUCKING ASSASSINATED. Boom, just like that. This whole story is a fantastic political alegory. This leads on to other things like Spidey's "Back In Black" scenario, X-Men's "Endangered Species" and "Messiah CompleX", and most entertainingly, World War Hulk. This is as far as I intend to bring this recap so you'll have to hunt down all the other issues yourselves. Sorry, I just can't do everything.
And this is why I like Marvel now. I haven't been more impressed with a story in a long time than a crossover that touched on something like 75 issues over the summer and fall of 2006. BTW, here's an amusing employee blog from Marvel. One last thing, I forgot to warn everyone: Spoiler Warning ahead. There, see you next broadcast.
6 comments:
Awesome recap. I mean, that had a ton of depth too it. But i think it really emphasizes the true reality here: you can't convert awesome comic storytelling to book format. I mean, the pictures tell 1,456 words each in addition to what you have written. I truly respected this series, and while i only visited t he series when it was in my series i was reading, every now and then i would pick it up at the store and quickly read through the F4 or Avengers or Iron Man comics. What happened to tony stark. Stupid man in a suit is all he is. Messin with people's mutation and getting the governement all involved. And, really, everytime i read this story line, i just remember Magneto's line from XMEN "I've heard these arguments before" God i hope they make a X4. I mean, X3 wasn't great - they really tried for the Phoenix trilogy there stuffed in with the mutant registration stuff, but the end where Magento is playing chess and the pawn, just slightly.. twitches. That's great. Also the link with Xavier and him transferring his mind to the shell of a body across the world. Eh. "Myra"
Sadly, I'm not as familiar with the Pheonix Trilogy, and for that matter, The Stepford Cuckoos seem important but I don't quite get them either. They should have worked better in the movie, and not just bump off characters because the studio doesn't want to pay their salary. If you make it, they will come. Just pay these people, you'll make your money back if the story is good.
When the fake Magneto killed Jean Gray the story shot ahead 150 years to show a new Phoenix Egg hatching. Sadly, I'm more familiar with the movies so I tend to loose it when they show us the full pantheon of mutants in the comcis, are they're all running around in the four (4) different titles. I do like the Ultimate X-Men, though.
The Civil War really hit when I came home because my time in Iraq was spent discussing the issues of personal freedom over government enforced security. And suddenly, here is a series of Marvel comics dealing with the same issue and the consequences of going too far. The status Quo didn't return, and the Marvel Universe is still affected. I love the fact that some titles ended, and other titles begin because of The Initiative. Soo, I understand, Cable & Dead Pool will end to make way for just a Cable title like in the past. Good Times.
Wait...there was a third Xmen? Hrm, i dont remember that. I know they made the first one, and i certainly recall the second one, but – nope, i dont remember them making a third one. My memory ends at the second one, i guess.
Odd.
Not knowing is knowledge enough.
If I was to have a favorite character in a movie that shouldn't be remembered it would have to be Magneto's special mutant, Shotgun-Boy.
Call each other.
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