Reprints Civil War #1 and Civil War Front Line #1

Overview

Experience CIVIL WAR and its major tie-ins from CIVIL WAR: FRONT LINE and FANTASTIC FOUR in chronological order! Reporters Sally Floyd and Ben Urich begin to unravel the truth behind the biggest conflagration in the Marvel Universe, while the lone survivor of the team that caused the Stamford tragedy has been found…and placed under arrest! Also, one member of the FF lies hospitalized and another member of the team is secretly helping the opposition! Collecting CIVIL WAR: FRONT LINE (Embedded/Accused) #5, FANTASTIC FOUR #538 and CIVIL WAR #3.

Overview

A death! A funeral! A betrayal! And a team reborn as the war takes a deadly turn!

Issue Summary

‘Thor?’ gasps Sam Wilson a.k.a. the Falcon at the sudden arrival of his former Avengers teammate. Thor’s mighty hammer unleashes a massive blast of lightning, and over a dozen super being stand in the pouring rain. It’s raining. HARD. The mysterious Daredevil, Nathan “Cable” Summers of the X-Men and a possible horrible future and the beautiful Tandy Bowen a.k.a. Dagger stand close to Thor, and the Falcon asks him what he is doing. Thor seems to ignore the Falcon and everyone else until Dagger asks him where he has been – as everyone thought he was dead. ‘No, Dagger…that would be you!’ Thor exclaims, hurling his mighty hammer amidst the four heroes, sending them toppling.

Drenched, Dagger pulls herself up from the ground, exclaiming that something is wrong, that they have to get out of here – ‘This is really, really wrong!’ Thor’s hammer is returned to him, and the Asgardian calls everyone ‘Wretches’ and tells them that they are not going anywhere. With that, he slams his hammer onto the ground, sending concrete flying upwards, and toppling Luke Cage and the Young Avengers – Hulkling, the new Hawkeye, the new Patriot and Cassie “Stature” Lang.

Nearby, inside a badly damaged building, protected from the rain but not each other, the iconic heroes Captain America a.k.a. Steve Rogers and Iron Man a.k.a. Tony Stark, long-time friends separated by a very big difference of opinion stand, ready to face off against each other again. Iron Man tells Cap to not get up, as he doesn’t want to hit him again, what with Cap’s jaw practically hanging off and all. Tony tells Steven to surrender and he will get him medical attention from the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents outside.

Uniform torn, battered and bruised, Captain America gets to his feet and exclaims ‘You really think I’m going down to some pampered punk like you?’ Iron Man radios to his allies, telling them to activate their audio-ports…’This is going to hurt!’ he exclaims letting loose some sonic power in his armor, Captain America screams. The glass behind him shatters, and outside, Captain America’s allies fall to the ground, clutching their heads.

Protected, Susan Storm-Richards a.k.a. the Invisible Woman declares that this is horrible, that she can’t even look. Her husband, Reed Richards a.k.a. Mr. Fantastic assures Sue that he doesn’t like it either, and points out that this way there is no broken bones. Reed turns to Thor and tells him to stand down, as the S.H.I.E.L.D. clean up squad can handle things from here.

Back in the building, Iron Man admits that Captain America is tough, as this sonic frequency puts the human brain in shut-down – but Captain America is still trying to get up. Preparing a repulsor ray, Iron Man apologizes to Cap, but assures him that he will try to make it quick. ‘Just close your eyes and you’ll wake up in out super hero detention center…’

But before Iron Man can act, his armor’s alarm system alerts him to a non-human attack, and at that very moment Olympian Hercules busts into the building carrying a tanker of some sort – which explodes, sending Captain America flying into open space, and switches off Iron Man’s sonic attack.

The anti-registration-act super heroes get to their feet and engage the pro-registration-act super heroes in battle once more. Bill Foster a.k.a. Goliath increases his mass to take on his old friend, and the man he got his powers from, Henry Pym a.k.a. Yellowjacket. Daredevil smashes Peter Parker a.k.a. Spider-Man, while the Vision blasts his “brother” Simon Williams a.k.a. Wonder Man and the Hulkling takes on Ben Grimm, alias “Thing”.

Suddenly, the ground opens up and Hercules bursts through, holding Iron Man above his head and shouting for the Falcon to see to Captain America, as they need to get him out of here. The Falcon speeds towards his former crime-fighting partner, exclaiming that he is halfway there, and swooping down and gathering Cap before concrete lands on him. Sam calls out to Cable, telling him that he wants him to interface his mind with Cloak’s and activate a teleport, calling out to everyone else to gather round and hitch a ride home.

On the roof of a building, several S.H.I.E.L.D. agents open fire on Goliath. ‘You’re kidding, right?’ Bill mutters before throwing a truck at them, then turning to Thor he exclaims ‘Get ready for the shortest comeback in history, Thor!’ But before Goliath can act on his words, Thor mumbles ‘I don’t think so’ and sends a powerful blast of lightning straight through Goliath’s stomach – and out the other side.

‘My God…’ Dagger whispers as she and the other heroes watch the giant Bill Foster fall to the ground. ‘Thor just killed Goliath!’ Tandy exclaims as S.H.I.E.L.D. agents swarm over his oversized form. Falcon orders his allies to fall back and regroup, that they have to get out of here or they are all going down. ‘You are all going down!’ Thor shouts, more lightning bursting from his hammer ready to pour down on Captain America and his allies – until it gets blocked by a force field. An invisible force field.

‘Huh?’ exclaims Daredevil as he and the other anti-registration heroes wonder what is going on. ‘Get out of here! NOW!’ shouts the Invisible Woman, her powers protecting those she has at some point called friends. Patriot asks about their wounded and downed, exclaiming that they cannot leave them behind. Cable is tending to the unconscious Cloak and tells Patriot that he is welcome to stay if it makes him feel better, and ordering everyone else to fall in tight, as they are only going to get one shot at this. ‘Susan. Thank you’ The Falcon remarks, before he, Captain America and the others are all teleported away thanks to Cable and Cloak.

Mr. Fantastic looks at a very angry Thor and exclaims ‘Shut down code “Richard Wagner Eighteen-Thirteen to Eighteen Thirty-Three”’. Thor then stands motionless. ‘What the Hell happened, Reed?’ Yellowjacket shouts furiously. ‘I thought you gave him some kind of directives! You said he’d be just like the old Thor would!’ Mr. Fantastic ignores Pym, and calls out to his wife, telling her that she has got to believe – Susan turns back as she walks away and interrupts her husband, ‘Don’t even speak to me. Don’t say a damn word!’ she exclaims.

Ms. Marvel, Wonder Man, She-Hulk, Tigra, Radioactive Man, Doc Samson, Spider-Man and Iron Man all stand around Goliath’s body, and Spider-Man exclaims ‘I thought you said you knew what you were doing, Tony! I thought we were doing this so no one else got hurt!’

Nearby, the Watcher…watches.

Soon, at Avengers Tower, medical personnel tend to the wound pro-registration-act heroes, while Mr. Fantastic examines “Thor”. Spider-Man, Yellowjacket and his partner Janet Van Dyne a.k.a. the Wasp stand and watch. Peter asks Henry if he is all right, to which Pym replies that he is not okay, for he just watched a new superhuman that he helped create blow a hole through one of his oldest friends. ‘Do you really think I’m so remote – so detached – that this wouldn’t have some kind of impact on me?

Jan turns to Peter and apologizes for Hank’s outburst, but Peter tells Janet that it is okay, and that to be honest everyone is a little freaked out. ‘This isn’t exactly what any of us signed up for’. Wide-eyed, Hank exclaims that he still cannot believe that they cloned a god. He asks Janet and Peter if they knew Tony had been holding onto that strand of Thor’s hair since the first meeting of the Avengers. ‘What kind of a man combs his furniture for hair follicles and skin cells?’ Pym asks. ‘A guy with a lot of foresight, I guess’ Jan replies.

Pym remarks that he cannot understand why their Thor-clone killed a man – ‘Is he missing a conscience?’ Hank asks if they need to fuse him with a Donald Blake, or a Jake Olsen to have him function properly. Peter looks at the emotionless Thor-clone staring back at him, and rather frightened, Spider-Man turns to Yellowjacket and asks him if he ever wonders if they picked the right side.

Meanwhile…at the “Secret Avengers” Headquarters the lovely Dr. Jane Foster and other medical personnel tend to Captain America and the others who have just returned from battle. The heroes who have returned to the “Secret Avengers” headquarters are joined by former Avengers Bonita Juarez a.k.a. the powerful Firebird, Miguel Santos a.k.a. Living Lightning and Triathlon. Monica “Pulsar” Rambeau and the Machine Man, also former Avengers and current members of Nextwave are present, along with the heroic and handsome Kyle Richmond a.k.a. the Defenders’ Nighthawk. Rounding out the new arrivals are former New Warriors (that were not killed in Stamford) Vance “Justice” Astrovik, Silhouette and Debrii.

‘Appeal for amnesty?’ Cap exclaims as Dr. Foster tends to him. ‘Are you insane?’ he asks, pointing out that they just picked up another twenty supporters – and Iron Man’s allies are disappearing by the hour! ‘So what?’ Nighthawk asks, reminding everyone that Goliath is dead and half of their allies have been thrown into this “Number Forty Two” complex, the big S.H.I.E.L.D. penitentiary that Reed Richards was building.

‘And you’re willing to let them get away with that, Kyle?’ Cap asks. Cable comes to Nighthawk’s defense, remarking that the way he sees it, the pro-registration side can do whatever they like now that they have got Thor on their side. Cap informs everyone that it wasn’t Thor, but one of those “Frankenstein’s Monsters” that they have been growing for their super hero army. ‘You really think Thor would have murdered Bill Foster?’

Dagger, and the recovered Cloak, watch on as the Kate Bishop alias the new Hawkeye tells Cap to hold still so she and Jane can finish, when suddenly Nighthawk, Cable and Stature begin to leave the room. Kyle declares that Bill was dead the second he thought he was bigger than the law. Luke Cage suddenly exclaims ‘What you gonna do, Kyle? Pull on those nice little jackboots and smack whoever they tell you to smack? Supper heroes are supposed to be volunteers!’

‘No, we’re supposed to be the good guys, Cage!’ Kyle replies with determination. Kate Bishop turns to Cassie Lang. Cassie looks at her teammate and says that she is sorry, but that she doesn’t want to end up in that super-jail like Wiccan. ‘I want to fight villains – not cops and other super heroes!’ Captain America tells his allies to let the three of them go if their freedom means so little to them, before declaring that it is time they ditched this base for a new one.

Outside, Kyle, Nathan and Cassie are unaware that they are being watched, and Kyle tells Cassie that Captain America is just another old man scared of the future. ‘Won’t be happy until the whole damn team’s dead!’

Later, Goliath’s funeral takes place in New Jersey – where it is raining also. Cranes have lowered Bill Foster’s giant body into an enormous grave. Sheltered by umbrellas, those who have come to pay their respects surround the grave. Happy Hogan remarks to Tony Stark that this is a Hell of s send-off, given the circumstances. Tony reminds his good friend that Goliath was a super hero and saved a lot of lives over the years, which is something that they cannot forget – no matter how bad this gets.

Happy points out that it is a shame no one was able to shrink him down to size, and wonders how much his family had to shell out to pay for the thirty-eight burial plots. Tony replies that Bill’s family didn’t have to pay a thing, he took care of all of that, it was the least he could do….given the circumstances. Happy senses someone approaching them from behind, and seeing who is, he whispers to Stark ‘Heads up, boss!’

Tony turns and sees Miriam Sharpe, one of the super hero registration acts most adamant supporters. Tony greets Miriam, who quickly tells him that she is not here to give him a hard time, as she knows he has lost a lot of support in the super hero community, so she just came by to say her piece: ‘Goliath knew what he was doing. He was breaking a law designed to save people’s lives!’ Miriam points out that if Goliath had gone legitimate then he would still be alive, and tells Tony that this is no more his fault than a cop could be blamed for shooting a punk who pulls a gun on him.

Tony is about to say something else, but Miriam interrupts him again, handing Tony something she wanted to give him – her son Damien’s favorite toy since he was three years old…Tony holds in his hand an Iron Man action figure. ‘Just to remind you why you’re dong this!’ Miriam exclaims. Nearby, Peter Parker stands with his wife, Mary Jane and his loving Aunt May. Susan Storm-Richards and her younger brother Johnny a.k.a. the Human Torch stand together and Reed stands with Doc Samson as he remarks ‘Is it just me or is Peter Parker acting very suspiciously?’

Later…

My darling Reed…
I know Johnny’s out of the hospital and the family’s back together again. I know I should be happy, but I’m not. I’m so ASHAMED of you right now, and ashamed of myself for supporting your fascistic plans. I hate what I’ve become, and that’s what I’m joining Cap’s Secret Avengers team.

Susan kisses her children while they sleep. She places the letter on Reed’s beside table, and shields herself from the pouring rain as she takes her suitcases and meets her brother outside by his car. Inside the Baxter Building, a sadden Thing watches his two friends leave.

Later again, at Avengers Tower. Reed, Tony and Jan march past various S.H.I.E.L.D. guards and Tony asks how many of their allies they are losing. ‘More than we can afford’ Reed replies, before adding that a couple of Cap’s people are talking about coming over, but the balance has definitely tipped in the Secret Avengers favor after the tragedy with Goliath. Jan asks if they can bring forward this Fifty State Initiative thing, ‘Wouldn’t these new heroes be able to get things under control again?’ Reed explains that they are still at least a month away from being ready, so they need to move fast and they need people with experience in super human combat.

‘You mean this latest iteration of the Thunderbolt’s you’ve assembled?’ Janet asks. Tony explains that after what went down it is the only course of action left. Reed reminds his allies that the new Thunderbolt’s involvement is strictly temporary, just to capture Captain America’s team, and they will all go back to jail immediately afterwards. Reed adds that each and everyone one of them will be chipped and tagged, and their every movement monitored by microscopic nanobots.

As a door opens revealing the new Thunderbolts to the Wasp, Jan smiles and remarks that they don’t exactly look thrilled about the prospect of teaming up with the Avengers. ‘That’s because they’re not nice people’ Tony remarks as the New Thunderbolts stare back…Venom! Songbird! Taskmaster! Bullseye! Lady Deathstrike! Jack O’Lantern! Jester! 

Overview

The battle lines are drawn as the conflict between the Super Hero Registration Initiative and the Underground Resistance fighters explodes in a live fire fight as the future of the Marvel Universe is decided! But before the dust settles, a familiar figure will emerge from a strike of lightning to change the odds--and the sides! Witness teams and families torn apart as the Civil War touches all and the momentous events of last issue changes the world as our heroes understand it!

Issue Summary

Washington D.C.:
“Soak it up, Peter,” says Tony Stark as he puts his arm on the unmasked Spider-Man’s shoulder, “You’re bigger than Elvis now.”

The photographers snap away and the reporters rush up to the stage to ask Peter Parker their shock-inspired questions.

Wakanda:
Rain falls on the nation of Wakanda. Standing on the outskirts of his city, the King T’Challa asks Reed Richards if he really unmasked Spider-Man on television. No, says Reed, as the rain soaks his hair. Parker volunteered, because Iron Man explained the gravity of the situation. Confidence in super-humans is at an all-time low. Stark’s plan for a new beginning is the only thing the heroes have left.

A super police force that covers all fifty states, asks the perplexed Black Panther. They want him to come to the United States and help hunt down any super heroes who disagree with it? T’Challa declines the request. Wakanda does not like it when America interferes with their affairs, so he can only assume that the feeling will be reciprocated. Actually, says Reed, the president requested Black Panther’s support personally. T’Challa tells Reed that he is afraid the president will be disappointed. Now, how is Johnny Storm? Is the Human Torch recovering well?

Reed admits that he hasn’t checked up on Johnny in a day or two, but Sue has barely left his bedside. If anything was wrong, Reed is sure he would have heard. Reed then looks around at the beautiful landscape around him and comments that he loves it out here. He loves the high-tech jungle. It is so eerie standing among the trees without birds and insects. Reed always meant to ask, does the eco-system adapt itself or does the Panther manipulate if artificially?

“Word of advice, Reed,” says T’Challa, “Call Susan.”

Meanwhile:
The newspapers don’t miss a beat. Captain America’s “Secret Avengers” make the front page as they end a new Sinister Six plot.

Greenwich Village:
At the home of the mystic, Dr. Strange, Yellowjacket and Wasp wait in the foyer of the arcane building. Wong, Strange’s manservant, stands at the bottom of the winding steps to the top level, blocking the two access. He tells the heroes that he is sorry, but the master would not consider supporting Tony Stark’s plans. In fact, Strange has gone in seclusion in his arctic lodge in the hope that he might resolve the differences between the pro-side and anti-side by fasting for forty nights. Yellowjacket tells Wong that Strange knows where to find him if he changes his mind. Wasp looks down at her watch and, in annoyance, says that it seems her watch always stops when she is in this stupid house.

Meanwhile:
Tony Stark’s promise to stop the Super-Rebels makes the front cover of papers, though reporters wonder how many heroes are on Stark’s new team.

Xavier Institute:
On the grounds of the school, Emma Frost sits with Tony Stark, dressed in a spiffy white suit and black shirt, with a book in her lap. Tony pours a glass of lemonade for him and Miss Frost, and flirts with her. He thinks this is the first time he and her have been alone since Marrakech. Does Cyclops know about that little arrangement he and her used to have when neither of them was dating? Cyclops knows everything, replies Emma coolly. Since Scott cannot hide anything from her telepathic mind, it is only fair that she shares everything and keeps no secrets from him.

“My,” says Stark, “You really have changed.”

As children run by, playing soccer, and a Sentinel stands guard, Tony tells Emma that she must know why he is there. Is there any point in verbalizing anymore? Not especially, replies Emma. The X-Men had a meeting last night and decided that helping Tony hunt down these anti-registration rebels would be a violation of everything the X-Men believe in.

Even with ninety percent public backing, asks Tony. Even with her boyfriend so keen on getting in the good favor of the White House again?

Emma retorts back that perhaps the X-Men know how it feels to be persecuted, while Tony fights the good fight. Tony tells Emma to ask the moms and dads in Stamford if they think Captain America is still fighting the good fight. A bit offended, Emma asks Tony if he really is going to blackmail her with genocide. Does he want to compare notes?

Emma then casts a telepathic illusion of the ruins of Genosha, littered with charred skeletal remains of sixteen million mutants. Where were the Avengers when Genosha died, Iron Man, asks Emma. “Where were you when our babies were burning?”

Tony gets up and tells Emma that he though she was supposed to be looking out for the best interest of her students. Is it really wise to put them on a collision course with the American government?

Emma tells Tony that she doesn’t want a fight. The X-Men are perfectly happy to remain on this little reservation the government has made for them. All the X-Men ask is that they are left alone and in return, the team won’t join forces with Tony’s star-spangled friend. Your choice, Mister Stark, says Emma.

Tony leaves the mansion grounds to his limo at the front gate. Happy Hogan waits for him and asks if the X-Men are joining their side. Afraid not, replies Tony. However, they are not joining Captain America either, which means the pro-side still has a huge advantage in terms of actual numbers. Tony thinks they should go ahead with the containment as planned. He wants the anti-side neutralized before he goes public with the Fifty-State Initiative.

Suddenly, a voice from the bushes calls out to Iron Man. Bishop emerges from the shadows and asks Tony if he can speak to him.

Elsewhere:
Four men sit at a booth at a restaurant. Captain America, with brown hair and a mustache, introduces himself as Brett Hendrick. He is a security supervisor at a shopping mall in Queens. Next to him, Hercules, who now wears clothes and glasses, introduces himself as Victor Tegler. He is an I.T. consultant for a major international finance corporation. Daredevil, with glasses, a vest, and red hair, introduces himself as Cooper Peyton. He is an engineer from Long Island.

Goliath, however, sits in a suit with glasses and looks down at his card. What kind of name is Rockwell Dodsworth, asks Bill. And how the hell does he end up as a community outreach worker. He told Fury he wanted to be something cool, like an actor or racecar driver. Does Cap think Fury could get him another identity?

No, says Cap to Goliath. They have to take what Fury offers them. Besides, the secret I.D. is just a place for them to go to ground when they aren’t doing important stuff. Daredevil tells his teammates that he is getting used to this secret identity stuff. He is trying to come up with new favorite foods, movies and bands. What about Spider-Man, Goliath asks. Do they think Tony Stark really talked him into taking off his mask like that?

Daredevil tells Goliath that it is a great move, strategically. No one has guarded his real name more than Spider-Man. It sends a powerful message for all the costumes still riding the fence. Hercules notices that Cap is quiet, and asks him if he is ok. Cap tells the group that he is thinking about an appointment he had ten minutes ago with a kid from the “Make a Wish Foundation.” He told the kid he’d play baseball in his backyard with him for a while, but he is sure the backyard is crawling with Cape-Killers. It is the little things that the pro-side has stolen from them with this registration garbage. It’s the little things that make them who they are.

Suddenly, a device in Goliath’s pocket rings. He checks the call and discovers that a petrochemical plant is on fire over by the Hudson. Base says that three or four hundred people trapped inside. Cloak and Dagger are coming to teleport them down. Cap gets up and gives the waitress her money, telling her to keep the change.

The four rush into the nearby alley and take off their clothes to reveal their uniforms underneath. Goliath thinks about the emergency distress calls and the idea of sneaking into an ally to change into costume – he hates to say it, but he is starting to enjoy this.

New York Presbyterian Hospital:
A doctor and a nurse converse at the nurse’s station. The doctor tells the nurse that she doesn’t think it is cool that Captain America’s side is still fighting crime. What she thinks would be cool is if Cap stopped breaking the law. The nurse tells Darlene that she is sure the people in that hijacked plane are grateful that Cap’s Secret Avengers are still around.

Suddenly, another doctor is shocked to see the injured Johnny Storm walking on crutches down the hall. She tells Storm that he can’t be out of bed. He has to sleep. The weary Johnny asks the women if anyone has seen his sister.

Geffen-Meyer Chemicals:
Cloak and Dagger teleport in the Secret Avengers team to the burning chemical factory. As the heroes look around, Cap asks how many workers did the report say were trapped. Three or four hundred, replies their ally, Cable. However, something is wrong. He is getting nothing over his info-net in terms of panic signals. Suddenly, Cable stops talking. What’s wrong, asks Luke Cage.

Cable looks down at the rubble and sees a sign for Geffen-Meyer Chemicals – a division of Stark Industries.

An alarmed Cable calls out to his allies that it is a trap. They need to get out of there!

Suddenly, a barrage of darts hits into the backs of Cloak and Wiccan, knocking both men out.

“Of course it was a trap,” says Iron Man, “How else were we going to get you all in one place?”

The Secret Avengers turn to see Iron Man, the three remaining members of the Fantastic Four, She-Hulk, Ms. Marvel, Doc Samson, the Thunderbolts, Yellowjacket, Wasp, Wonder Man, Tigra, Black Widow and Spider-Man.

Hulkling checks on the unconscious Wiccan and demands to know what has happened to him and Cloak. Spider-Man tells the kid that it is just a tranquilizer to make sure no one is teleported away. He then contacts Sky-bird One and asks if they have the anti-side in their sights.

Above in helicopters, snipers are prepared and have the heroes in their sight. They are ready when Spider-Man is.

S.H.I.E.L.D. Hellicarrier:
Director Hill calls all airborne agents and tells them that they are only there in a support capacity. They should hold their fire and await further orders.

Geffen-Meyer Chemicals:
Iron Man approaches Captain America, who asks Tony if his paymasters are going soft. Iron Man tells Cap that he hasn’t come to arrest them. He talked S.H.I.E.L.D. into offering final amnesty. You mean a surrender, asks Cap. Thanks, says Cap, but he’d rather take his chances.

Spider-Man speaks up and tells the “big man” that the only people who win when heroes are fighting each other are the bad guys. This goes against every principle Cap believed in. Angry, Cap snaps back and tells Spider-Man not to talk to him about principles. He saw that little stunt he played on television. Is Mary Jane happy about the Sandman having her zip code now?

Iron Man lifts up his faceplate and tells Cap that he knows he is angry since this is an enormous change from the way they used to work, but they aren’t living in 1945 anymore. The public doesn’t want masks and secret identities. They want to feel safe when heroes are around and there is no other way to win back the public’s respect. Cap has known Tony for half his adult life. He knows Tony wouldn’t back this up unless he believed in it with all his heart. They don’t want to fight Cap. He just needs to give Tony a chance to explain his twenty-first century overhaul.

Iron Man extends his hand and Cap looks at it. He then looks up at the choppers in the sky, and then grasps Tony’s hand, telling him that he has five minutes. Five minutes is all I need, says Iron Man. Invisible Woman and Mach-IV smile at each other, and Spider-Man is glad that “wing-tips” agreed to listen. Didn’t Spider-Man tell them all that this would work out?

Iron Man and Captain America end their handshake and Tony notices something on his hand: it is a small device.

Suddenly, Tony’s armor goes on the fritz and he screams in pain. Captain America punches him and tells him that it is an electron-scrambler developed by Nick Fury’s tech team in case Iron Man ever went over to the other side. Cap then bashes Tony with his shield and tells him that he shouldn’t have attacked Wiccan and Cloak.

Goliath grows to massive proportions the ground underneath the pro-side, sending Wonder Man and Radioactive Man flying. Yellowjacket grows to match Goliath’s size, but Wasp asks him to not do it. He doesn’t have to grow to take down Goliath.

A battle rages, however Stature grows and kicks the taller Atlas in the face. Ms. Marvel goes after Luke Cage, and Cable spars with Radioactive Man. Hercules battles Wonder Man. Yellowjacket puts Goliath in a headlock and tells the man that he thought he was supposed to be smart.

Director Hill calls the sky support and reminds them not to get involved. “Codename Lightning” is up next. They should wait and hold fire until Iron Man gives the go-ahead.

Below, Thing punches Hulkling, telling him he doesn’t want to fight. Why can’t these guys do as told? Behind the two, Spider-Man takes on Patriot.

Cap throws his shield at Spider-Man, who swiftly dodges it. He tells Cap to be careful, as he can take an eye out with that thing, like these poor guys. Spider-Man than catches the shield with his mechanical arms and uses it to hit away Daredevil and Vision.

Spider-Man then waves bye as he literally disappears. Confused, Patriot asks where Spider-Man went. Cap explains that Spider-Man is wearing a new suit designed by Stark. It is bulletproof, can glide, and has a stealth-mode.

Not to mention that “butt-kicking” button, says Spider-Man as he reappears in front of Cap and bashes him with his own shield.

Nearby, the motionless Iron Man tells his suit to reroute power systems and reboot. The suit complies, and Iron Man is back online. He immediately flies towards Cap. Capt punches Spider-Man away, but does not notice Iron Man. Doc Samson has Hercules in a headlock, but Hercules sees Iron Man heading towards Cap and warns his leader.

It is too late. Iron Man slams Cap through a concrete wall. The tattered Cap, however, gets up and tries to attack Iron Man, but Tony tells him that he is wasting his time. He punches Cap in the face and tells him that his armor has recorded Cap’s every punch. It knows what move Cap will make next.

Iron Man then hits Cap with a dangerous punch, sending blood, sweat and costume into the air.

Enraged, Hercules throws Samson away and tells the filthy traitors to get away. Iron Man is killing Captain America! With ease, he pummels She-Hulk and Spider-Man away and tells Captain America that he is coming.

S.H.I.E.L.D. Hellicarrier:
An agent tells Director Hill that five hundred more Cape-Killers are surrounding the perimeter. They are awaiting orders. Hill tells the man to put the Cape Killers on standby. “Codename Lightning” has first pass at this.

Geffen-Meyer Chemicals:
Suddenly, a bolt of lightning crashes down and blasts Hercules off the ground and into the air. Hawkeye, Luke Cage and Cloak stop dead in their tracks in confusion, but a barrage of lighting bolts blasts them too.

Cable and Daredevil look up into the sky. “My god…” says Daredevil.

Up above, Thor stands triumphant, wielding Mjolnir.