During a televised raid of a house containing select villains that had recently escaped from the super villain facility at Ryker's Island prison during a massive breakout, the escaped villain Nitro let off a massive explosion that killed the majority of the New Warriors, as well as the children at a nearby elementary school. In the wake of the tragedy, the U.S. Government proposed the Superhuman Registration Act, intending to register all super-powered beings as living weapons of mass destruction and requiring all costumed heroes to unmask themselves before the government and subject themselves to federally mandated standards.
This event triggered negative public opinion against the super-heroes, resulting in the assault of Human Torch (Johnny Storm) by a mob and the request by S.H.I.E.L.D. for Captain America to become part of the enforcement of super heroes to register. When Cap refused, S.H.I.E.L.D. Director Maria Hill ordered S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Anti-Superhuman Response Unit to tranquilize him, but Rogers escaped and went underground.
When the super-heroes met to discuss the best course of action, Uatu the Watcher appeared. As Watchers only appear to monitor key events throughout history, it was noted that his presence did not bode well for the heroes.
In a secret meeting with the President, Iron Man suggested that the President proceed and push the registration act while he, Mr. Fantastic, and Yellowjacket vowed to bring Captain America to the ground.
The Superhero Registration Act became law. Some of the first unregistered heroes to be captured were the Young Avengers. Captain America and the Falcon were undercover, and with the help of Wiccan were able to rescue the Young Avengers and rendezvous to their base. The Young Avengers were recruited into the Resistance.
At a press conference in Washington D.C., Iron Man gave a speech introducing Spider-Man to the podium. Spider-Man then talked about how over the past years, he had kept his identity a secret, then talked about the registration act and how it gives superheroes a choice: to continue the trend Captain America advocates and have people with powers completely unchecked, or that superheroes can go legitimate and earn back a little public interest. To demonstrate his support of the Act, Spider-Man unmasked himself and revealed to the world that he was Peter Parker.
Iron Man traveled to the X-Men Mansion, asking Emma Frost if the X-Men would sign the registration act and join his side. Miss Frost explained to Stark that the X-Men would not sign the registration act because they viewed hunting down other heroes would violate everything they stood for explaining that they know what it's like to fight the good fight while being persecuted. Frost said that as long as the pro-registration side left the X-Men alone, they would not join Captain America's resistance. While Stark left the mansion, he was approached by Bishop, who asked for a word with Iron Man.
As Captain America, Hercules, Daredevil, and Goliath were discussing their new secret identities, they received news of a petrochemical plant fire with three or four hundred workers trapped inside. Uniting the Secret Avengers, they headed to the plant only for to discover that it was a trap set by Iron Man. Iron Man gave Captain America one last chance to register, offering a chance to explain things. Captain America answered by striking the first blow and disabling Iron Man's armor. A battle ensued, ending with Iron Man savagely beating Captain America, and the apparent return of the long-absent thunder god Thor lashing out against Captain America's Secret Avengers. As the Secret Avengers attempt to escape, Thor used his hammer to subdue them, blasting a hole through Goliath’s chest when he was attacked. Thor continued his assault until the Invisible Women uses her powers to protect the Secret Avengers and allow them to escape. The Thor that had just killed Goliath was revealed to be a clone, who had been engineered to serve the government. His hammer was a mechanical weapon. His violent murder of Goliath was an unforeseen error in his programming.
The death of Goliath opened the eyes of many and put things in a different perspective, causing several members to leave both sides for the other. The Pro-Registration side ended up losing more members than anticipated, causing operations to be put in action faster than planned. Iron Man assembled a new group of Thunderbolts in order to hunt down the Secret Avengers, consisting of several very brutal villains.
Eventually, the resistance mounted an attack against the pro-registration's holding facility in the Negative Zone, releasing the prisoners. The fighting between many of Earth's heroes led to the middle of Times Square. At the climax of the battle, as Cap was about to deliver a finishing blow to Iron Man, he was tackled by several emergency workers. Realizing the damage the war was doing to the city and its civilian population, Captain America unmasked and surrendered. Before his arraignment, Cap was shot multiple times on the steps of a Federal Courthouse and killed.
Civil War #1
The following is quoted from the recap page of Civil War #2:
Hoping to boost their ratings, four New Warriors - young super heroes and reality television stars - attempt to apprehend a quartet of villains holed up in Stamford, Connecticut. When confronted, the explosive Nitro employs his self-detonation ability, blowing the heroes and a large chunk of Stamford into oblivion. This entire incident is caught on tape.
Casualties number in the hundreds.
In response to this tragedy, public sentiment is turning against super heroes. Johnny Storm, the Human Torch, is attacked outside a nightclub and is beaten into a coma. Advocate Miriam Sharpe, who lost her son in the Stamford Disaster, calls for reform in the way super heroes conduct their affairs. On Capitol Hill, a Superhuman Registration Act is debated which would require all those possessing paranormal abilities to register with the government, divulging their true identities to the authorities and submitting to training and sanctioning in the manner of federal agents.
Some heroes, such as Iron Man, see this as a natural evolution of the role of superhumans in society, and a reasonable request. Others, embodied by Captain America, take umbrage at this assault on their civil liberties.
When Captain America is called upon to hunt down his fellow heroes who are in defiance of the Registration Act, he chooses to go AWOL, becoming a public enemy in the process.
In a closed-door meeting with the President and his Cabinet, Iron Man, Mr. Fantastic and Yellowjacket vow to bring Cap to the ground.
Civil War: Front Line #1
Being a supplement to the main series, we won't go into too much detail, but the first issue of Front Line did reveal one very important thing: Speedball did not die. Originally assumed to be a victim of his own reckless behavior, Speedball is instead powerless and in the custody of the authorities. He is arrested on charges related to the Stamford incident.
Civil War #2
The second issue of Civil War shifts scenes rapidly. We see that Captain America and his growing ranks are apprehending mass numbers of villains - fifteen inside of seventy-two hours. Meanwhile, public sentiment is slowly shifting in favor of the heroes who choose to publicly commit to the recently passed Superhuman Registration Act.
The mood of the series shifts as the new law takes effect. Reed Richards is tasked with a project known as "42" which is a codename for a massive prison to hold those (both hero and villain) in violation of the Registration Act. Patriot, of the Young Avengers, is one of the first heroes to be hunted by federal agents. In pursuit of this teenager, the government also apprehends the entire roster of the Young Avengers.
The scene shifts to Daredevil and Luke Cage, opponents of the Act, who are monitoring the situation. Back at the transport, Captain America and the Falcon spring their trap, freeing their young counterparts and escaping capture. They lead their comrades to an abandoned S.H.I.E.L.D. bunker, on permanent load from the underground Nick Fury. This sequence also shows Cable, Cloak and Dagger (and perhaps Hercules) on the side of the resistance. Dagger alerts the assembled heroes that Tony Stark's press conference is about to start (which has been highlighted in Amazing Spider-Man and Front Line).
Though not directly shown in this issue, Stark does confirm his identity as Iron Man to the public in this conference. Spider-Man then arrives on stage in his traditional costume. With the words, "I'm not wearing my old mask because I'm ashamed of what I do. I'm proud of who I am, and I'm here right now to prove it," Spider-Man takes his mask off in front of dozens and dozens of cameras.
He reveals his identity by saying, "My name is Peter Parker, and I've been Spider-Man since I was fifteen years old. Any questions?" J. Jonah Jameson passes out on the floor.
Civil War #3 through #5
So here's the thing... as much as we want to slave away over detailed issue summaries, we (and Marvel) want you to read this story. There is a reason that it's the biggest selling title in many years and there's a reason it's getting accolades from a large number of fans. We'll give you the basic information for each issue but... read the series. Starting with issue #3, we're going to be leaving out some big details.
Issue #3 saw the first major conflict in the series. Captain America (Steve Rogers), responding to an emergency call, leads his team to a chemical plant. The call turns out to be an ambush as Iron Man (Tony Stark) attempts to shut down Cap's rebellion. When Tony Stark gives Rogers the chance to surrender, Rogers responds with a device that disables the Iron Man armor. A massive battle erupts. Stark gets his suit back online and begins to savagely beat Captain America. The entire hero vs. hero conflict is interrupted as lightning crashes through the scene. Thor has returned.
The return of Thor seems to turn the tides of battle, but what was supposed to be a quick victory turned deadly. As Iron Man attempted to disable the rebellion with a sonic weapon, Thor kills a hero in battle. Both sides are stunned. Captain America's side escapes with the help of Sue Richards and Cloak.
Thor is seemingly on a rampage until he collapses when Reed Richards utters a phrase. Sue Richards and Johnny Storm leave Reed's side, looking for Captain America, while Ben Grimm leaves the nation. Spider-Man begins to doubt his allegiance while several heroes leave Captain America's ranks believing the fight just isn't worth it. Rogers' ranks gain more heroes than they lose. Tony Stark and Reed Richards, worried that the balance of power will shift (despite having Thor, or something resembling him) turn to their next solution: The Thunderbolts.
The team has been revised and revamped with the help of the former team. Its roster now includes villains such as Bullseye, Venom and more. The Civil War series is just beginning to ramp up.
Civil War #5 saw a couple major events including the Thunderbolts springing into action and the Punisher's role in the battle. Spider-Man finally decides whose side he's on and his choice could prove to be a fatal one. This issue was more of a deterioration of the stand-off between the two sides rather than one filled with surprises. The next issue should be a big one as the Michael Turner cover features Namor.
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