Captain America: Civil War is about to introduce a major disagreement among the heroes of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but Marvel Comics is already on to the sequel.
In the movies, the Sokovia Accords are going to have the Avengers and their friends split right down the middle in Captain America: Civil War. Comic book readers have already seen Team Cap and Team Iron Man go at it — albeit for a slightly different reason — so they’re getting set for a second superhero schism when Civil War II arrives this summer.
The opening chapter of the sequel will release on May 7. That’s Free Comic Book Day, when comic book publishers release a number of free comics to get people out to comic book stores and other retailers. Marvel has been using it as a springboard for their biggest stories for several years, and Civil War II will follow that same plan.
To drum up additional interest, Marvel has releases a series of teaser images like the one you can see above. With a tagline of “Choose Your Side” (similar to the “Whose Side Are You On?” mantra used by the original series a decade ago), these teasers show a variety of superheroes, some of whom have clearly made a choice while others leave the question of loyalty hanging.
So what do we know about Civil War II so far? Here’s a quick rundown.
The issue is different
Forget the Registration Act. In fact, it’s possible Civil War II has nothing to do with governments and oversight at all, but is a matter strictly within the superhero community.
Here’s a snippet from the official synopsis from Marvel:
"A mysterious new Marvel character comes to the attention of the world, one who has the power to calculate the outcome of future events with a high degree of accuracy. This predictive power divides the Marvel heroes on how best to capitalize on this aggregated information."
More than one person has noted the similarity of that premise to Minority Report, and smart money says Civil War II will explore some similar thematic ground — especially since the clock is ticking, with the mystery character predicting that a hero will cause massive destruction in just 72 hours.
It’s Team Iron Man vs. Team Cap — but a different Cap
Anyone upset that Tony Stark was on the “wrong” side of Civil War should be happy this time around. Iron Man is leading the team that believes “the punishment can’t come before the crime,” and current Captain America Sam Wilson appears to be one of his teammates.
That leaves Captain Marvel, Carol Danvers, heading up the faction of heroes looking “to profile future crimes and attacks before they occur.” Naturally, Marvel is saying that neither side is “correct” and that it hopes fans will be evenly split. Time will tell if writer Brian Michael Bendis and artist David Marquez can pull off that tricky balancing act.
Someone is going to die (but not Spider-Man)
The New York Daily News released a fascinating behind the scenes account of the Marvel editorial retreat that shaped Civil War II. That article revealed that Spider-Man and Human Torch were both considered as the hero who would cause the predicted incident of destruction, though the assembled talent eventually decided to pass on them.
Instead, it sounds like some hero is going to die at the hands of another one. Place your bets now.
We might know a few people on each side
The cover to Civil War II #1 shows Captain America and Star-Lord on Team Iron Man with Spider-Man and She-Hulk on Team Cap. One of the teaser images has shown Ms. Marvel tearing up a picture of Captain Marvel, so we can reasonably assume she stands with Iron Man.
Other than that, it’s an open question of who might fall on either side of this new conflict, and debating it will be a big part of the fun for comic book fans over the next few months.