Real-World Issues Come to the Marvel Universe With 'Civil War II'
Marvel's latest comic book event pits superhero against superhero.
— -- When Marvel released the first "Civil War" series in May 2006, the conflicts between its superheroes over questions of civil liberties and surveillance felt eerily relevant to a country divided in the Bush era.
Ten years later, fresh off a blockbuster hit influenced by the themes of the first series, our heroes (including a new Spiderman, Miles Morales, and a new Miss Marvel, Kamala Khan) are back together in one book, battling over issues of accountability and responsibility familiar to the Obama era.
With "Civil War II," whose first issue hit newsstands Wednesday, the emergence of a new character that appears to be able to see the future has Marvel’s heroes wondering; can they stop disaster in its tracks? A difference of opinion quickly emerges over whether this character's power should be put to use -- pitting self-described 'futurist' Tony Stark (also known as Iron Man) against Carol Danvers (Captain Marvel).
By the end of the first issue, this conflict has violent -- and tragic -- consequences for one of Marvel's biggest heroes, pushing an already skeptical Iron Man to the brink.
"It really is an idea of protecting the future or fighting for the future and the Marvel universe really finds itself really ripped in half, very similar to the way they were in the movie ["Captain America: Civil War"] and the original 'Civil War,'" says the series' author Brian Michael Bendis.
If this sounds relevant to today's political landscape, it's not by accident. "It was something that resonated with all our writers at our big writers summit," Marvel's chief creative officer Joe Quesada tells ABC News. "It's not just sort of predicting what somebody might do, but it's also looking at groups of people and judging them by saying 'well, you know, this groups of people will probably do these kinds of things' and I think a lot of that resonates with today, with the politics of today."
For the creative team behind the series, giving heft to both viewpoints in the conflict is an important part of what makes "Civil War II" live up to its name. And with many more issues to go, Bendis thinks readers shouldn't expect to pick a side just yet.
"We kind of upped the stakes from the original 'Civil War.' In a couple of issues from now, people who think they're on Team Tony [Iron Man] may find themselves more on Team Carol [Captain Marvel] and vice versa," he says.
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