Brian Michael Bendis and David Marquez's Civil War II was Marvel's ambitious return to the concept of a superhero war. This time pitting Iron Man against Captain Marvel, the series bought in a broader cast of characters and set the series against the real world ideological divide concerning safety versus freedom.

Here is a break down of the complete event as well as the ramifications that still echo throughout the Marvel Universe four years later.

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Civil War II Background

Thanos and War Machine in Civil War II

Bendis and Marquez began planting the seeds for this conflict months in advance in the pages of The Invincible Iron Man. The story was pitched as an ideological battle wherein both sides would be justified and readers could align themselves with the side they thought was right. The tension built with the inaugural Civil War II #0 which would introduce the new Inhuman Ulysses, a young man affected by the Terrigen cloud which granted him the ability to see future events. The buildup would spread to Tom Taylor and Marcio Takara's All-New Wolverine, as well as Ms. Marvel by G. Willow Wilson and Takeshi Miyazawa and Ultimates by Al Ewing and Kenneth Rocafort. There would be many tie-in books like these, but the crux of the story is told in the pages of the main series.

A Free Comic Book Day special would propel the story further as it featured a group of heroes, led by Captain Marvel, intercepting Thanos based on a vision from Ulysses. The ensuing battle thwarted Thanos' plans to take the Cosmic Cube but there were casualties among the heroes. She-Hulk was badly injured and fell into a coma and War Machine was killed. This officially marked the beginning of the second Civil War.

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Civil War II

The death of Rhodey kicked things off, firmly placing Iron Man and Captain Marvel on opposing sides. Tony abhorred the thought of criminalizing people before they could commit a crime, while Carol insisted that these visions of future threats needed to be used to save innocent lives. Tony also blamed Carol for leading Rhodey to his death, even though he showed up to that battle unannounced. Regardless, this lead to Tony kidnapping Ulysses and studying him only to discover that his visions were algorithmic and did not predict the future, just the most likely future outcomes. Carol was set in her ways though and after one of Ulysses' visions led to Hawkeye murdering Bruce Banner, there was no turning back.

Tony gathered a coalition of heroes to confront Carol and those who sided with her. After freeing an innocent woman Ulysses predicted would be a Hydra operative, the two sides clashed in their first full scale battle. Heroes from the Guardians of the Galaxy, the X-Men and Inhumans, joined the battle between the Avengers, which was halted when Ulysses projected an image of Spider-Man killing Captain America. Captain Marvel and her team prepared to take Miles in, but Doctor Strange teleported Miles and the rest of Tony's team away.

Visions such as this led heroes like Black Panther to leave Carol's side, but the majority of her team believed in her mission. Those that stood against her, however, were resolute in their beliefs and were prepared to fight her to keep innocent people safe. It wouldn't come to that, though, as the final battle was a one-on-one matchup between Captain Marvel and Iron Man, that ended when Captain Marvel hit Tony, shattering his armor and knocking him unconscious.

Fallout

Captain Marvel beats Iron Man

The final battle resulted in Captain Marvel inflicting a near-fatal wound on Iron Man, placing him in a coma (which would last until the 2017 Marvel Legacy one-shot). Riri Williams and Doctor Doom would both wear armor, taking Tony's place as Ironheart and the Infamous Iron Man respectively. This also led to the appearance of AI Tony Stark, which aided Ironheart as she navigated her new role in the world. Ulysses would then be revealed to have been evolving throughout the entire event until his powers finally elevated his consciousness beyond the human realm. He would take his place among the cosmic entities, leaving Earth for good. Meanwhile the fractured heroes wouldn't be the same. The death of the Hulk and her physical trauma from Thanos left She-Hulk in a stronger, angrier form, more akin to her savage She-Hulk identity. This series also laid the groundwork for the return of Hulk in Immortal Hulk by Al Ewing and Joe Bennett.

Some of the biggest changes came from the younger heroes. Disillusioned with the older heroes they once looked up too, Miles, Ms. Marvel, and Nova left the Avengers and formed their own superhero team, the Champions. This, along with the loss of Iron Man, would drastically alter the Avengers roster and lead to a whole new lineup for the team. The vision of Miles would eventually play out in Nick Spencer and Steve McNiven's Secret Empire as he confronted Captain America on the Capitol building's steps. As for Carol, even with the loss of Ulysses, she was seen by the United States government as an asset and was given near unlimited resources to help her keep the planet safe.

While it changed the course of the Marvel Universe, it also changed the depth of many of the characters. It allowed the older characters to embrace new versions of themselves and it allowed the younger characters to strike out new territory altogether. Civil War II has left it's indelible mark on the Marvel Universe, and four years later, it's still shaping the course of events.

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