In this series we spotlight comic book stories that are likely best left forgotten. Here is an archive of past installments.
Today, we take a look at an odd plot development during Marvel's Civil War...
In Civil War #6 (by Mark Millar, Steve McNiven and Dexter Vines), Sue Richards goes to Namor to try to get him to aide Captain America's side, who are against Superhuman Registration, in Marvel's Civil War against Iron Man's side, who are pro-Superhuman Registration.
He seems uninterested, but in Civil War #7 (by Millar, McNiven and Vines), Namor shows up with the cavalry...
That was the entirety of how the main series handled the Atlantean involvement, but the spin-off series, Civil War: Frontline, did a whole lot more with the concept, going much further into why Namor decided to get involved.
It began in Civil War: Frontline #3 (by Paul Jenkins, Lee Weeks and Rob Campanella), when we discover that there are Atlantean sleeper agents in the United States...
In Civil War: Frontline #6 (by Paul Jenkins, Lee Weeks and Sandu Florea), we see that there are a lot of sleeper agents there...
In Civil War: Frontline #7 (by Paul Jenkins, Ramon Bachs and John Lucas), Norman Osborn meets with someone who helps him block the nanobots in his blood that are controlling him...
And later in the issue (in a story by Paul Jenkins and Lee Weeks), we see Norman Osborn attack the Atlanteans...
In Civil War: Frontline #8 (by Paul Jenkins, Lee Weeks and Nelson), the Atlantean ambassador is here when suddenly...
In Civil War: Frontline #10, reporter Sally Floyd discovers who the traitor was who gave Norman Osborn the vial earlier in the story...
Anyhow, the whole thing leads to the Atlanteans joining the fight in Civil War #7, as you saw before.
Go to the next page to see who the traitor was and why they did what they did...
In Civil War: Frontline #11 (by Paul Jenkins, Ramon Bachs and Jorge Lucas), Sally Floyd and Ben Urich go to visit Tony Stark...
Okay, so there's so many weird things here.
1. Iron Man ordered an assassination attempt to provoke a war so that it would turn sentiment against the Anti-Registration crowd?
2. Iron Man provoked the war to make money to help fund Avengers Initiative?
3. Sally Floyd is cool with this?
4. Sally Floyd and Ben Urich aren't going to report this?
5. Tony Stark is going to start to cry after the confrontation?
I don't believe anyone has referenced this story since, which is probably for the best.
Frontline had a couple of other notably out there plots (involving Captain America and Speedball). I'll probably address them someday soon, so I'd appreciate y'all keeping the discussion here to just this plot.
If you have a suggestion for another comic book plot that is probably best forgotten, drop me a line at bcronin@comicbookresources.com