"Civil War" Promo Art

Most slugfests between superheroes are sparked by a misunderstanding but soon a fervent ideological rift will develop between the heroes of the Marvel Universe. This schism will pit hero against hero in the pages of Marvel Comics' "Civil War" a seven issue mini-series beginning in May by Mark Millar and Steve McNiven that will rock the Marvel U to its core. CBR News spoke with Marvel Editor in Chief Joe Quesada for the low down on Marvel's next big event.

Stories like "House of M" and "Decimation" have helped set the stage for "Civil War," which has been planned for quite some time. "We had this intricate road map for where we've been headed with the Marvel U for some time now," Quesada told CBR News. "As I've mentioned in the past, there are some genies that I felt had to be put back in the bottle and many of these plans involved facilitating those plans.

"'Civil War' came out of our many creative summits that we have over the course of a year," Quesada continued. "Our creative summits are the highlight of the year for me because it's when we get together as a group and plan the universe. The meetings are always lively and great fun and that's where stuff like 'MCW' comes into fruition."

The ideological conflict at the root of "Civil War" will split the heroes of the Marvel Universe into warring factions. "Currently, we are just talking about focusing on two major factions though there most likely could be more, but for clarity sake, the two major ones are what we need to focus on in the actual 'MCW' title," Quesada explained. "There will be many situations where you'll see team mate vs. team mate."

The bigger Marvel characters like the New Avengers and the X-men won't be the only ones affected by the outbreak of "Civil War." "If we do our jobs right, it will affect most of the Marvel U in one way or another," Quesada said. "Obviously it won't really affect the cosmic characters but almost everyone who is situated on earth and in the States."

"New Avengers: Illuminati" Cover

Quesada reiterated what editor Tom Brevoort told CBR News, that the villains of the Marvel U will also play a role in "Civil War." Marvel's EIC chose to remain mum though on the specifics of the various super criminals' involvement in "Civil War."

"MCW" may also mark the debut of some new Marvel characters. When asked whether readers can expect to see new heroes or villains in "Civil War," Quesada cryptically replied, "Yes, in a way."

"Civil War" is a clash that will embroil heroes, villains and operatives of the Marvel Universe's premier spy agency. "SHIELD will be right at the heart of it from the very beginning," Quesada said.

New York City may be the heart of the Marvel Universe, but it is just one of many locales readers will be visiting in the pages of "MCW." "Currently we're talking about taking readers across the country. We will leave for other nations as well but the bulk of the action is situated primarily in the States. There is of course an international reaction to all of this, but stay tuned."

"Civil War" and its related titles will be structured similarly to "House of M" with an eye towards keeping the overall story as reader friendly as possible. "This is a great time in comics today with many new fans looking to jump on board, it's crucial that we make sure that as well as being exciting, our product has to remain accessible as well," Quesada stated.

Many details about "Civil War" are starting to come out while "Planet Hulk," another huge Marvel story set for next year, remains shrouded in mystery. Quesada offered another enigmatic clue on how these two projects are related. "They are both separate and related," he explained. "I know that sounds like a weird answer, but that's the only way I can describe it."

Quesada promises that "Civil War" will be a thought-provoking tale that will leave a huge mark on the Marvel Universe. "What's the point of telling the story if it doesn't change the status quo?" he said. "I think fans will dig where we're going with this in the long run!"

And now you can discuss this on the CBR Marvel Universe Forum.