The Marvel universe was dramatically altered by the events of Mark Millar and Steve McNiven's Civil War, which introduced the divisive Superhuman Registration Act following a devastating accident that tore the superhuman community apart and guided Marvel's next few years of storylines.
While almost all of Marvel's huge roster of characters was involved, there were a few heroes and villains who were changed in ways that would alter their characters and the dynamics of the Marvel universe for years to come. We'll take a further look at a few of these main characters and their new status quo at the end of Marvel's superhuman Civil War.
10 Speedball Became Penance And Joined With The Thunderbolts
While Robbie Baldwin/Speedball wasn't a big part of the superhuman divide that played out in the pages of Civil War, it was his actions alongside the New Warriors that resulted in the deaths of hundreds of innocents during what became known as the Stamford Incident.
While the rest of the New Warriors were killed, Speedball actually survived due to his powers and was arrested and tried, though he was shot on his way to the hearing. Baldwin's powers began to mutate, and he signed the SRA to begin working with the Thunderbolts as the pain-powered Penance in order to atone for the deaths he caused as Speedball.
9 Mister Fantastic Almost Lost His Family Due To His Pro-Registration Actions
Reed Richards was one of the key players during Civil War as his public status as the leader of the Fantastic Four and one of the smartest men on the planet made him a figurehead of the SRA when he began working for the pro-registration forces.
Richards' many ideas alongside other members of Civil War's pro-registration brain trust helped steer the many decisions made during the conflict that included the creation of the demented Thor clone Ragnarok and the creation of the Negative Zone Prison known as Project 42, though it almost cost him his marriage and family.
8 Hank Pym Became One Of The Leaders Of The 50-State Initiative
As one of the founding Avengers, Hank Pym has a long history in the Marvel universe that included many costumed identities, though he spent most of Civil War in his Yellowjacket identity on the Pro-Registration side alongside Reed Richards and Tony Stark/Iron Man.
Pym helped develop many of the ideas at play during the superhuman Civil War, which included plans for the 50-State Initiative that attempted to put a superhero team in each state while also setting up a training facility for registered young heroes. Pym's actions would later be revealed as manipulations by a Skrull infiltrator preparing the world for the Secret Invasion.
7 Invisible Woman Joined The Secret Avengers And Left The Fantastic Four
While Reed Richards wholeheartedly endorsed the SRA, Susan Storm-Richards/Invisible Woman wasn't as confident, as she was initially distracted by an attack on her brother Johnny Storm/Human Torch after the Stamford Incident turned public opinion on the heroes.
She initially chose to fight alongside her husband, but she turned on them after Ragnarok killed Bill Foster/Goliath and later joined the Secret Avengers with her brother. Following the Civil War, Reed and Sue left the Fantastic Four and took time off to work on their marriage while Black Panther and Storm took their place on the team.
6 Spider-Man Revealed His Secret Identity And Fought On Both Sides Of The War
Peter Parker/Spider-Man arguably suffered the most due to his participation in the superhuman Civil War, as his new relationship with Tony Stark inspired him to join the pro-registration side and sign the SRA. However, he was also convinced by Iron Man to unmask publicly in favor of the SRA, revealing to the world for the first time that Peter Parker was Spider-Man.
This obviously had a number of terrible consequences that led to Spider-Man turning on his former mentor and joining with Captain America and the Secret Avengers in the final battle. Unfortunately, his now-public identity led to the near-death of his Aunt May and his dark deal with the devil that erased his marriage during the "One More Day" event.
5 The Punisher Was Inspired By Steve Rogers' Death To Carry On His Legacy
No one really expected Frank Castle/The Punisher to join in the superhuman Civil War, though a desperate Captain America asked him to join the Secret Avengers in order to help steal plans for the Negative Zone prison. Unfortunately, Castle's nature led him to murder a pair of criminals looking to join the resistance, and he was kicked off the team by Captain America.
Following Steve Rogers' fate in the finale of Civil War, Castle found his discarded mask and redesigned his Punisher costume to honor his hero Captain America, though he eventually gave it up when Bucky Barnes debuted as the new Sentinel of Liberty.
4 Luke Cage Formed His Own Team Of New Avengers To Operate In Secret
When the Superhuman Registration Act was first announced, Luke Cage made his decision to fight against the pro-registration forces, though he feared for his new family with the superpowered Jessica Jones so he sent them to Canada to avoid the problems while he joined with Captain America's team of Secret Avengers.
Luke Cage played a big role on the team, though after the Civil War ended, he gathered together the now-illegal and wanted heroes together as the New Avengers to continue working to save the world on their terms while government-sanctioned teams like the Mighty Avengers and Thunderbolts were tasked with hunting them down.
3 Norman Osborn Was Placed In Charge Of The New Thunderbolts Program
Baron Zemo and his Thunderbolts played a huge role in the superhuman Civil War, as his army of captured super-villains were used as reinforcements in the final battle that served to launch the government's new Thunderbolts program.
However, Baron Zemo's leadership role was given to the "reformed" criminal Norman Osborn/Green Goblin, who organized his own team of supervillains to work for the government and hunt down unregistered superhumans that would set the character up for his large roles in the Secret Invasion, Dark Reigh, and Seige events.
2 Captain America Was Killed After Surrendering In The Final Battle With Iron Man
Steve Rogers was the main opponent of the SRA during the Civil War event, and he was the driving force behind the Secret Avengers that formed as the anti-registration forces against Iron Man and the brain trust of the Initiative.
While Captain America was poised to take the victory in the final battle, he decided to surrender to authorities after witnessing what their fight had done to the city. Rogers was arrested and set to testify in a series of hearings, though he was assassinated on the steps of the New York Federal Courthouse in the shocking fallout of Civil War.
1 Iron Man Became The Director Of S.H.I.E.L.D. After His Side Won The Civil War
Tony Stark was heavily influenced by the Stamford Incident, who saw it as a moment of clarity that called for further accountability of powerful heroes which led to his endorsement of the SRA which saw him become the leader of the pro-registration side.
While Iron Man almost lost the final battle with Captain America his side ultimately won the political Civil War. Tony Stark was given a new position with the government and became the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., though this was short-lived thanks to the ongoing struggles with the SRA and the ensuing Secret Invasion.