Civil War is of the most controversial crossover events ever in the mainline Earth-616 Marvel comic book universe. Interestingly, Marvel has revisited this event via Civil War: Unmasked, as well as its newest What If…? one-shot, which demonstrates that Marvel is also aware of how profoundly significant it’s been for the last 20 years of Marvel comics lore.
For instance, Peter Parker’s life would never be the same after first agreeing to Tony Stark’s Pro-Registration faction of Civil War’s Superhuman Registration Act and later swapping to Steve Rogers’ Anti-Registration faction. As for Steve Rogers himself, one recent comic book release briefly explored how differently the event might’ve looked if he had never been a part of it, suggesting that another iconic Avengers character would’ve taken his place and led a side in challenging Iron Man.
What If… Marvel’s Civil War Was Between Iron Man And Thor?
In What If…? Captain America #1, Steve wasn’t found encased in ice and thawed until 2099, rewriting his lore entirely and introducing him to a different era of heroes (though iconic Captain America supervillain Red Skull managed to survive until then, as well). Ironically, what happened to Marvel history in Steve’s absence is far more intriguing than what he experiences in his new, futuristic present-day.
WHAT IF… CAPTAIN AMERICA WAS REVIVED IN 2099?
CAPTAIN AMERICA’s time during World War II ended with him frozen in ice, out of commission for decades. In the 616, he was revived and joined with fellow heroes THE AVENGERS. But what if he missed the HEROIC AGE altogether? What evils would rise without the Sentinel of Liberty? Find out in this action-packed epic from Marc Guggenheim and X-MEN 2099 legend, Ron Lim!
It may only occupy the real estate of a single page, but the most compelling aspect of this one-shot is how it spends a page examining how differently Marvel lore might’ve looked if Steve hadn’t been revived when he traditionally was. The most unique revelation made is that Marvel’s Civil War event still occurred, only with Thor leading the Superhuman Registration Act’s Anti-Registration faction instead.
We Want To See This Side Of Marvel’s Divisive Crossover Event
Thor was dead during the events of the first Civil War, but he did play a big role as a cybernetic clone, created from a strand of Thor’s hair by Hank Pym, Reed Richards, and Stark, on Team Iron Man. The Thor clone ended up killing Goliath, enraging the real Thor when he eventually came back to life and returned to Earth to see the horrific condition it was in, what acts had been committed in his name, and how they had tampered with his genetic code.
Thor and Iron Man’s ensuing fight is all the proof we need that Thor would’ve assumed the role of the Anti-Registration team leader if Steve had still been entombed in ice, though that would also require him to have either survived the fall of Asgard during Ragnarok somehow or been resurrected before Civil War started. Of course, had Thor been around for Civil War in the first place, there probably wouldn’t have been a clone of him fighting on Iron Man’s side, and Goliath might’ve survived the epic Marvel event.
What If…? Captain America #1 is out now.
- First Appearance
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Captain America Comics
- Alias
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Steve Rogers, John Walker, Sam Wilson
- Alliance
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Avengers, Invaders, S.H.I.E.L.D., U.S. Army
- Race
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Human
- Franchise
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Marvel
Initially debuting in 1940, Captain America is the patriotically themed superhero who has shared the title with only a few individuals. Beginning with Steve Rogers, Captain America’s birth resulted from a frail man taking part in an experimental U.S. Army super-soldier trial, which imbued him with super-human abilities. The character is often depicted wielding a nigh unbreakable and aerodynamic shield made of vibranium that they use to defend and attack their foes.
