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Civil War (comics)

"Civil War"
Cover of Civil War 7 (Jan 2007). Art by Steven McNiven.
Publisher	Marvel Comics
Publication date	July 2006 – January 2007
[show]Title(s)
Main character(s)	Iron Man Captain America Spider-Man Fantastic Four Marvel Universe
Creative team
Writer(s)	Mark Millar
Penciller(s)	Steve McNiven
Inker(s)	Dexter Vines
Colorist(s)	Morry Hollowell
Civil War	ISBN 0-7851-2179-X

Civil War is a 2006–2007 Marvel Comics crossover story line built around a seven-issue limited series of the same name written by Mark Millar and penciled by Steve McNiven, which ran through various other titles published by Marvel at the time. The story line builds upon the events that developed in previous Marvel crossovers, particularly Avengers Disassembled, House of M, and Decimation. The tagline for the series is, "Whose Side Are You On?"^[1]
The plot of the series follows a framework story line in which the U.S. government passes a Superhero Registration Act ostensibly designed to have super powered individuals act under official regulation, somewhat akin to law enforcement. However, superheroes opposed to the act, led by Captain America, find themselves in conflict with those supporting the act, led by Iron Man, with Spider-Man caught in the middle; the X-Men take a neutral stance. The superheroes in support of the law, such as Iron Man, Dr. Reed Richards, and Ms. Marvel, become increasingly authoritarian. In the aftermath of the war, Captain America surrenders and is imprisoned. The conflict between freedom and security is an underlying theme in the story line, with real-life events and discussions, such as the U.S. government's increased surveillance of its citizens, serving as a backdrop for the events in Civil War.^[2][3] A sequel, Civil War II, debuted in June 2016.
The series received polarized reviews but was a commercial success. The series is the basis for the Marvel Studios film Captain America: Civil War, which likewise features Captain America and Iron Man in opposition to each other.