Introduction:
This was the first article I submitted to the Avengers Forever website which can be seen at this link: http://www.avengersforever.org/articles/article.asp
It was broken down ito three parts for space considerations in the AF site - but what I will place here will be the complete article in one.
Unless you are a reader of comic books - generally speaking, Marvel heroes and in particular, their 2006 summer event - Civil War, some things might look alien (or Greek) to you. In which case, I would say that this article was not written for you as an intended audience. But, if you are indeed a Marvel fan... well, sit back and enjoy.
Civil War - What if the Pro-side Wins?
We’re just starting to feel the heat in Marvel’s New Summer special for 2006, that being the event entitled “Civil War”, and already, many are wondering how our favorite heroes will survive this tragic battle. Rooted in the middle of this conflict, we find the New Avengers; with its most senior members split down the middle, as Iron-man shows all out support for the Super Heroes Registration Act – the bill which can be considered the catalyst to this event, and Captain America, who is very much against it.
How it all started:
In case a backgrounder is needed, let me just run down the basic facts. The government was mulling the passing of a bill that would have anyone with powers registering their identity. Naturally, this would entail many heroes, wearing masks, for the protection of anonymity, to shed their secret identities. Those who would wish to continue battling on the ‘side of good’ will have to be trained and then be a part of the Strategic Hazard Intervention, Espionage and Logistics Directorate (a.k.a. S.H.I.E.L.D.)
The reason behind the act may depend on who you’ll be talking to, but among other things, it lets the U.S. government have a database on these individuals (powers and whereabouts being two amongst the most obvious information in said database), and by having such a database, be able to effect control on these individuals. Should the need arise, they may be seen as potential resources for S.H.I.E.L.D. to tap – more so, in the capacity of helping police the actions and activities of any rogue individual.
Anthony Stark, former U.S. Secretary of Defense – that is, until he became ensnared in the events leading to the Avengers disassembling, knows of this bill, and better yet, knows how close this bill is to being passed. Any one regular person, who’s seen how the Hulk leaves a lot of damages in his wake – never mind if it was not started by him, would readily see a valid reason for passing said bill, in the hopes of having more teeth against these super-powered beings.
Tony Stark knew of these moves and by himself. begins a series of counter-moves to help bury the bill with too much debate – going so far as to stage an attack to himself by the Crimson Dynamo, while he and Peter Parker were at Washington, attending discussions of the committee assigned to handling said bill. Tony does a good job too – he may not change the pulse of a majority of congress towards defeating the bill, but at least, he helps make sure that those against the bill’s passage, have enough arguments to use… thus ensuring the bill’s getting buried in all the related issues it will affect – until a time comes when the bill’s challengers have sufficient numbers to bury said bill.
It is also noteworthy to mention that Spider-man likewise lays an impassioned argument for the heroes case, but is informed that unless he is willing to go on record – which means unmasking, his statements cannot officially be part of the hearing’s considerations. Naturally, Spiderman declines and allows Tony Stark to continue the arguments.
Some may argue that Tony’s tactics were devised on trickery – but he gets the job done and pats himself on the back. We might even say that the bill may end up being buried, since it does not have enough numbers (i.e. congressional support by votes) to pass said bill. Unfortunately, fate has other plans.
In what can only be described as a tragic turn of events, the New Warriors; while being cast on a reality-TV program, stumble upon the hideout of and proceed to try capturing several villains. One of these villains in particular; is Nitro – well known for his explosive abilities, who then strikes back, from an attack by Namorita, and in so doing, causes a school bus to explode and immolate a schoolyard full of kids. The kids never had a chance, and the nation bears witness to the tragic events - thanks in part to the reality TV’s broadcast.
Politicians, being servants of the public, know an outcry of rage is underway, and true enough, demonstrations against the New Warriors’ recklessness sprout up – and no one is speared as even well recognized hero-type celebrities like Johnny Storm, finds himself the focus of a crowd’s pent up rage. Suddenly, those vying to pass the Super-hero Registration act, see an opportunity – or they may even say, a vindication of their arguments, and those against cannot muster the numbers to go against the prioritization on this bill’s scheduled hearings.
Now, setting aside the question of how such a school bus’ tank (or two) full of gasoline can affect such a highly explosive radius (it could be Nitro plus the presence of the combustible substance, and the bus was parked right beside the school playground) we are left with the equally explosive situation for our heroes, who must now face an angry public, through the face of a grieving mother. Suddenly, it looks like a not too rosy future unless they submit to the registration, which seems (as far as everyone seems to be concerned) to be just going through the formalities before its passage into law.
I don’t need any crystal ball, to see the New Avengers – or at least, those remaining, in lieu of not leaving ‘in principle’ to supporting the rights of freedom, choice and whatever else one can think of as an issue against the bill’s passage, as being conscripted into S.H.I.E.L.D. and becoming said police force against the very same colleagues who don’t tow the ‘registration’ line… or other super powered beings who simply do not wish to follow the law and register. Some may refuse, of course – but therein lie the roads leading to retirement.
So some question begs to be answered…
Will an officially S.H.I.E.L.D. sanctioned Avengers be formed?
Will this turn out to be a more effective and efficient team?
Will this elite-powered unit be able to police the ranks?
Will they be an effective deterrent to a repeat of the school tragedy?
With the Civil War upon us, I’m sure these questions, and more, are at the back of many people’s minds. Assuming the pro-registration side gets it way, I’ve come up with a few angels to this scenario’s possible outcome.
S.H.I.E.L.D.
This quasi-military group is, perhaps, the free world’s best and most advanced elite force – answerable to the United Nations (U.N.), but – with a great ‘ball-and-chain’ anchor to the United States (U.S.) and its interests. I mention this, with obvious concern, that there has been no clear delineation of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s executive branch to show a more… international feel.
I mean, sure… there was Jimmy Woo (American-Chinese?), the Countess Fontaine (Italian?) and maybe even a sprinkle of other nationalities – but with Nick, Dum Dum, and even current acting Director Hill, all obviously American, and more so in the case of Hill – one who eagerly wants to preempt any move by the U.S. Congress about clamping down on masks; one really wonders just how international and therefore, ‘under the direction and jurisdiction of the United Nations, (U.N.) S.H.I.E.L.D. really is. I mean, if fiction tried to get closer to fact, wouldn’t S.H.I.E.L.D. be more beholden to the U.N. Security council?
I would posit that S.H.I.E.L.D. is still too closely connected to the U.S. rather than the U.N., hence putting heroes under S.H.I.E.L.D. control and jurisdiction really puts them under U.S. control and… well, you get the drift, right? Now some would say, so what? Isn’t it the U.S. that is pursuing this registration? So won’t S.H.I.E.L.D. be better suited to do this anyway? U.N. or U.S. jurisdiction not withstanding?
Fair enough – but any hero thinking they’ll get a fair deal, due to the mistaken consideration that it will be a U.N. call will be severely awakened to this difference of fact vs. rhetoric. It is obvious that at this point in time, the U.S. government of the Marvel Universe is being pushed by a great number of scared and angry people – and they want to wash their hands of this political nightmare. So they naturally, they would like to grab the quick fix idea, regardless of who gets trampled on.
To me, the U.N. jurisdiction is relatively false – and the U.S. government would rather sweep this problem under the rug A.S.A.P. After registration, what will happen to those who’ve registered but not joined S.H.I.E.L.D. enforcement? Will their liberties be curtailed? Will they be forced to live in communities?
It’s the ghost of Japanese concentration camps all over again – but this time, its not a particular ethnicity, nor is it, to the mutant’s surprise, a particular genome… or is it? After all, most of Marvel’s powered beings have had some alteration (hence mutation) in their D.N.A. What I’m driving at is that this will not be a sympathetic administration to the people with powers, and S.H.I.E.L.D. will reflect this.
Want proof? The arguments of – ‘people who drive should register and get a license’ is too simplistic a comparison. Not all drivers are afraid of retaliation by other drivers should their identity become known – risky as driving may be, its not always life-threatening.
Oh, how about star witnesses against crime lords and their syndicates? – Why was the witness protection program created by some federal agencies? Wasn’t there a clear and present threat to the lives of these witnesses? Think of this dangerous situation as multiplied b the number of 10 to 100 and one gets to see why many masks are reluctant to go public. See how bad Wilson Fisk made Matt Murdock suffer? Imagine how this can affect Peter Parker?
Nope. With arguments like ‘driving’, one wonders where logic went.
Getting back to S.H.I.E.L.D. - Despite it being one of the most advanced pseudo-military force in the world (or maybe because of it), there have been constant threats to this organization being undermined by sabotage, espionage and despots wanting to either control or kill off S.H.I.E.L.D. Not exactly the most secure establishment, it seems… when trusting to keep one’s identity a secret.
So long as information resides in S.H.I.E.L.D.’s database, and that information can command a price, it will remain vulnerable to copying, stealing and then possibly outright retaliation by forces who are deeply determined to get to know the hero’s identity – and by association, also target their loved ones.
Of course, if they’re lucky, an attack on S.H.I.E.L.D. may be rooted towards a rival’s wayward cause. I can easily name two – AIM and Hydra, and, I’m sure, there are others as well (Secret Empire, Sons of the Serpent, the Yellow Claw’s organization, the Mandarin, Doom – and there are just the terrestrial ones.) who may want S.H.I.E.L.D. destroyed as it is – imagine how desperate they can get when S.H.I.E.L.D. is now operated with a lot of super powered agents. So again, not too lucky – since its escalation time.
So S.H.I.E.L.D. is not safe, not by a long shot and lets face it. The only time S.H.I.E.L.D. seemingly got its act together was when Nick Fury was on top of the situation – yet the sustained survival by Hydra, near-coup of S.H.I.E.L.D. from their own Life Model Decoys (LMDs) years ago that got S.H.I.E.L.D. into trouble – all these happened, likewise, when Fury was in charge. So even he can’t seem to get things in control – he even had to recruit some heroes clandestinely to attack Latveria, since S.H.I.E.L.D. was getting too bureaucratic, and political. I’m not saying Fury was right, but S.H.I.E.L.D. may be getting too bloated for its own good..
To be fair, S.H.I.E.L.D. is a really large and tempting target for its enemies, so who can blame them? Anyone who can handle S.H.I.E.L.D. better than Fury is welcome to the headaches the position entails. Enter Agent Hill…
Maria Hill does not ‘yet’ show a maturity and readiness that a S.H.I.E.L.D. director may require. From what little I’ve seen, she’s headstrong, reactive and has got a large ego. She’s also got a seemingly narrower worldview than Nick (or his colleagues) and sees heroes as more a nuisance to her getting her job done. This – specially the ego thing, makes her really prone to mistakes – I mean, handling Cap the way she did, now that was a real blooper.
Though it may be argued that she started the current love-hate relationship with the Avengers as early as during the team’s chasing after Sauron by not wanting to share information and keeping the Avengers in the dark, as to whatever covert operations it had in the Savage Jungle. The Avengers used to think of S.H.I.E.L.D. as their ally; but now, that truism has been proven false, with the New Avengers, as Spider-man’s short arrest (to get information about the House of M from his mind) showed.
I could say she’s just venting her frustrations from how Iron-man dismissed her, and taking it out on the rest of the New Avengers, but that would assume that she’d be petty and one to have occasional needs for power trips and I’ll try to ignore that smug look on her face when Cap, decided not to inform the president that they were busy arguing instead of fighting off the entity called Michael (the collective).
All I can say is that darker days are ahead for our heroes’ relationship with S.H.I.E.LD., so long as Hill is situated on top. Nick’s old companions are likewise lame ducks, since his actions – by extension, seem to reflect on their ability and professionalism. Whether this assessment is valid or fair is beyond the point, Dum Dum Dugan, the Contessa Fontaine, Agent 13 and others will not be fully trusted due to their close ties with Fury or the New Avengers.
Hill’s ascension in S.H.I.E.L.D. may be due to the fact that she was never close to Fury, and her staying there will be dependent on how well she can convince others that she can do the job. So who can blame her for being a tad too eager in proactively wanting to round up some heroes? She has no love for these heroes; is willing to go the extra mile to prove her worth; and has S.H.I.E.L.D. to play around with. A dangerous mix, any way you look at it – and one that is directed at the heroes against registration.
If its any consolation to the anti-registration camp, Hill and Stark have not yet buried the hatched between them, and ironically – it may be Iron-man’s presence in the pro-group, who can keep Hill’s over-eagerness at bay. So Hill would want to peel off Tony’s Iron-man armor, but he is good at positioning himself close to the White House, once again. Her remark that she may soon be their (super-powered beings’) boss, notwithstanding – I would not be surprised to see Tony finding a way to make her report to him.
Next we look to the angle of the heroes themselves…
And how now, the Heroes…?
The Civil War is tragic because it pits heroes against heroes. More so, the tragedy, since the heroes who are fighting against the registration are seen and treated as fugitives – yet they have not done anything wrong, with the possible exception of going against the Super hero registration bill. One that goes against their right to privacy; and, by extension, the ability to protect their families, loved-ones and friends through said secrecy.
Lets face it, not everyone can afford a Baxter Building with all the gizmos to protect their living quarters – and even if they do, I know that the Fantastic Four have had their ‘privacy problems’ in the past, as certain villains have – on occasion, breached the security protocols of one of the world’s greatest minds (Reed Richards, in case you didn’t know). For that matter, many heroes are not multi-millionaires in their worst days, and billionaires in better days, like Tony either.
Many of our heroes may just even rent for living quarters – so if Reed or Tony find some problems with certain villains attacking them – or their friends, how should people like Cage, Peter Parker, Mathew Murdock protect their family and colleagues from villains who’d like to do them a world of hurt?
Even if they just hang up their union suits, these heroes will be forced to register. If - nay, rather, when this information falls into wrong hands, we’ll have repeats of deaths like Gwen Stacey (since this is one instance when the villain knew the hero’s identity, and struck by putting a loved-one to harm), and no one wants to go through that.
So this act, when put into law, will just make life more difficult for them. Imagine having a gun, but not being allowed to use it – then others, those with guns, themselves – not bothering to register, as they’ve no reason to follow the law, since they’re villains, well… they know who you are now. Thanks to the law… law abiding heroes register, others do not. But at least, these villains now have a clear target – that is, the hero who’s registered. Will someone tell these villains that they’re acting irresponsibly? Will they listen?
Registration will not solve the super-human acting irresponsibly angle. All it’ll do is to make less heroes available to handle the villains who wouldn’t care less. It’s the same argument of the pro-gun to the gun-less society. Ban guns, and the one’s left with guns, aside from the enforcers, will be the bad guys who wouldn’t care less.
Ban heroes, and S.H.I.E.L.D. will have their enforcers – but can they enforce the peace 24 x 7? It just takes a window of about 15 minutes or less, to commit a crime. To enforce this efficiently, will take the curbing of privacy being escalated even further? You start taking a person’s rights for granted, you start going down some slippery roads for the sake of peace. The Marvel Universe may simply become a super-powered version of Orwell’s 1984 and not too far off from Mark Gruenwald’s Squadron Supreme storyline.
So far, I’ve mentioned two reasons – safety and privacy, plus the fact that this may be turned into a form of suppression against a person’s freedom. Is it any surprise that Captain America (Steve Rogers) is against the passing of the act?
Cap’s always been the hero’s moral compass, and the obvious figure-head, if not actual leader of this struggle to prevent any wrong form happening. Many people will look to Steve as vindication for going against the act – turned law. Some argue that Lincoln stopped a war – those against it then were wrong, and if Lincoln did not stop this – how would the United States have survived?
But we forget to include why the South was thinking of separating back then. They wanted a status quo with their lifestyle – one that included having slaves. Ironic that the Lincoln viewpoint is being used to trample civil rights now, when civil rights was also an issue for Lincoln’s war.
How about the time America stood against Britain during Washington’s time? Were they wrong too? There is nothing black and white, when a majority insists on trampling the rights of a minority – even if the minority is imbued with super powers.
Lincoln was against suppression. Captain America is against suppression.
The Civil War is being fought because a bill, seemingly seen as a solution, is being passed by a congress that wants to proclaim to the public that they too see heroes as irresponsible and should be held accountable. Unfortunately, the tragedy involving the New Warriors proves that they, too, have a point.
We’ve seen the underlying reason from Tony Stark as a realist / futurist seeing the passage of the bill and his actions are more of an acceptance of reality - hence his siding with pro-registration. It is more a matter of convenience, sort of a ‘if you can’t beat them, join them’ kind of logic. Mind you, there is some good in the idea that heroes need training to not act irresponsible… and policing ranks have always been a necessity, since the fist day the Avengers were formed.
But… its one thing to go after villains, it’s another to trample the rights of an individual. By the way, who’s going to decide what the proper training should be? Training should not just be directed to skills and knowledge – but attitude. Have the wrong attitude, and you may just have a police force abusing their powers. So far, some may argue that Tony Stark is not exactly the paragon for morals, yet you can’t fault his decisions – one of which is, better we police them than leave it to strangers.
Tony may be doing this to lessen the damage a Registration act might have, when left to the hands of those overly eager to capture and control heroes. He may be trying to act as mediator – but others may also see his influence growing, and may have doubts to his actual reasons. Before we forget anything, remember this… politics is influence, and Tony Stark knows how to play the game as well as anyone else.
Tony the realist is trying to protect the heroes by trying to convince the public that the heroes are on their side – even it means, having to go the extra mile by registering.
Unfortunately, Tony is also not able to help everyone. Others may find out that Tony’s privileged life may not extend to theirs, and what happens then?
Remember also that these heroes are used to being proactive in their actions. Even Avengers could leave the mansion to explore a life outside of being a hero – registration may impart a few other restrictions, as the X-men and the rest of the remaining 198 seem to realize. With a high handed Maria Hill, calling the shots, and the fact that some of the people they’ll be hunting are possibly friends and colleagues in the days before registration – how long before these enforcers feel like rebelling?
If this happens, many enforcers will feel that the cause being fought by the other side may be the nobler one – in which case, the moral ground, as Sun Tsu would say, would be lost by one army. In reality, however, this moral high ground was lost as early as the time Hill forced Steve Rogers to arrest his colleagues, forcing him to bolt.
Now, if we’re to believe Sun Tsu, the army with the moral high ground will battle better and eventually win – so guess whose side I’ll be betting to win eventually? On the other side – we might as well have goose-steppers, because heroes without the moral will to act, one’s bogged down by bureaucratic infightings (as I’m sure Stark and Hill will be doing) will be too distracted and dispirited to do along protracted war.
Bear I mind that, Steve Rogers is the most influential heroic icon for leadership… and as we all know, that can’t be duplicated his influence by letting someone else wear the mantle of Cap. John Walker tried, and so have others… but they’re shadows compared to Steve. Is it any surprise that Tony and company want to capture Steve ASAP?
To finally answer the questions put forth earlier…
Will an officially S.H.I.E.L.D. sanctioned Avengers be formed and will they be more effective and efficient?
It will be folly for them not to from the Avengers – having the official Avengers on their side makes a strong case for the pro-registration side. The Avengers will bank on the history of the old team – and the fear and respect it may strike on others, never mind that this team is infinitely different in function (reason for being formed), if not form (members).
The new team, even if it has government and S.H.I.E.L.D. backing, can only operate as well as its leaders will allow. With Stark, Richards and Pym technology – they can have a huge advantage, weapon-wise and they definitely have the brains. I would even add the possibility that with Stark, they also have the smarts. With S.H.I.E.L.D.-backing, this group becomes more formidable – and they can be very efficient, but effectively stamping out a ‘rebellion’ will take a battle of hearts as well. I do not see that happening, specially with Steve Rogers on the other side.
So, efficient? Yes. Effective? No.
Will this elite-powered unit be able to police the ranks?
As I said earlier, they can’t be all around 24 x 7 – unless they start employing more draconian tactics to control their community. If they do, you can expect others to rise up against this form of brutality.
Want a better solution? Re-engineer Forge’s nullifier – I’m sure the egg heads can do this. But will they make it and use it? That depends on how desperate things can get. But if they do this act, then even the most jaded villain might find himself or herself now forming a third force (in case they can’t stand Cap), against Iron-man’s team.
Will they be an effective deterrent to a repeat of the school tragedy?
So long as a super-powered being roams the city or neighborhood – more so if this person is a villain, you can be assured of the possibility that tragedies may still come. Think about it… just like how some terrorists mingle their camps with the populace, like schools or hospitals, these villains may start getting prime real-estate close to sensitive targets.
All it takes is another eager S.H.I.E.L.D.-controlled, pro-registration ‘trained’ enforcer to make a mistake, and its back to square one. No one can say that this incident will not happen again. They may try mitigating such risks – starting with banning explosive materials, like school buses with filled gasoline tanks near a school’s play yard – but preventing villains from running to these schools? Good luck.
I remember those ‘What-if’ issues of old where we are gifted with an alternate to what happened – and what may have happened if things panned differently – normally, we see that eventually, no matter how bright the premise seemed, these what-ifs turned sour – and no matter how bleak the present seemed, it may have been much worse had this ‘what-if’ happened.
I guess, this Marvel Universe’s luck has been played out too long and now, and with the tragedy befalling the New Warriors, the current reality seems much bleaker than any possible ‘what-ifs’. Bear in mind that this scenario likewise plays out with the Mutant Registration found in all those apocalyptic futures in the X-men. So we are possibly seeing the future come to pass – no matter how wrong it may seem.
Then again, I can’t really say that – after all, these are all mere conjectures, as I am not Uatu the Watcher, and only the Watcher knows, and he’s not saying… yet.
This was the first article I submitted to the Avengers Forever website which can be seen at this link: http://www.avengersforever.org/articles/article.asp
It was broken down ito three parts for space considerations in the AF site - but what I will place here will be the complete article in one.
Unless you are a reader of comic books - generally speaking, Marvel heroes and in particular, their 2006 summer event - Civil War, some things might look alien (or Greek) to you. In which case, I would say that this article was not written for you as an intended audience. But, if you are indeed a Marvel fan... well, sit back and enjoy.
Civil War - What if the Pro-side Wins?
We’re just starting to feel the heat in Marvel’s New Summer special for 2006, that being the event entitled “Civil War”, and already, many are wondering how our favorite heroes will survive this tragic battle. Rooted in the middle of this conflict, we find the New Avengers; with its most senior members split down the middle, as Iron-man shows all out support for the Super Heroes Registration Act – the bill which can be considered the catalyst to this event, and Captain America, who is very much against it.
How it all started:
In case a backgrounder is needed, let me just run down the basic facts. The government was mulling the passing of a bill that would have anyone with powers registering their identity. Naturally, this would entail many heroes, wearing masks, for the protection of anonymity, to shed their secret identities. Those who would wish to continue battling on the ‘side of good’ will have to be trained and then be a part of the Strategic Hazard Intervention, Espionage and Logistics Directorate (a.k.a. S.H.I.E.L.D.)
The reason behind the act may depend on who you’ll be talking to, but among other things, it lets the U.S. government have a database on these individuals (powers and whereabouts being two amongst the most obvious information in said database), and by having such a database, be able to effect control on these individuals. Should the need arise, they may be seen as potential resources for S.H.I.E.L.D. to tap – more so, in the capacity of helping police the actions and activities of any rogue individual.
Anthony Stark, former U.S. Secretary of Defense – that is, until he became ensnared in the events leading to the Avengers disassembling, knows of this bill, and better yet, knows how close this bill is to being passed. Any one regular person, who’s seen how the Hulk leaves a lot of damages in his wake – never mind if it was not started by him, would readily see a valid reason for passing said bill, in the hopes of having more teeth against these super-powered beings.
Tony Stark knew of these moves and by himself. begins a series of counter-moves to help bury the bill with too much debate – going so far as to stage an attack to himself by the Crimson Dynamo, while he and Peter Parker were at Washington, attending discussions of the committee assigned to handling said bill. Tony does a good job too – he may not change the pulse of a majority of congress towards defeating the bill, but at least, he helps make sure that those against the bill’s passage, have enough arguments to use… thus ensuring the bill’s getting buried in all the related issues it will affect – until a time comes when the bill’s challengers have sufficient numbers to bury said bill.
It is also noteworthy to mention that Spider-man likewise lays an impassioned argument for the heroes case, but is informed that unless he is willing to go on record – which means unmasking, his statements cannot officially be part of the hearing’s considerations. Naturally, Spiderman declines and allows Tony Stark to continue the arguments.
Some may argue that Tony’s tactics were devised on trickery – but he gets the job done and pats himself on the back. We might even say that the bill may end up being buried, since it does not have enough numbers (i.e. congressional support by votes) to pass said bill. Unfortunately, fate has other plans.
In what can only be described as a tragic turn of events, the New Warriors; while being cast on a reality-TV program, stumble upon the hideout of and proceed to try capturing several villains. One of these villains in particular; is Nitro – well known for his explosive abilities, who then strikes back, from an attack by Namorita, and in so doing, causes a school bus to explode and immolate a schoolyard full of kids. The kids never had a chance, and the nation bears witness to the tragic events - thanks in part to the reality TV’s broadcast.
Politicians, being servants of the public, know an outcry of rage is underway, and true enough, demonstrations against the New Warriors’ recklessness sprout up – and no one is speared as even well recognized hero-type celebrities like Johnny Storm, finds himself the focus of a crowd’s pent up rage. Suddenly, those vying to pass the Super-hero Registration act, see an opportunity – or they may even say, a vindication of their arguments, and those against cannot muster the numbers to go against the prioritization on this bill’s scheduled hearings.
Now, setting aside the question of how such a school bus’ tank (or two) full of gasoline can affect such a highly explosive radius (it could be Nitro plus the presence of the combustible substance, and the bus was parked right beside the school playground) we are left with the equally explosive situation for our heroes, who must now face an angry public, through the face of a grieving mother. Suddenly, it looks like a not too rosy future unless they submit to the registration, which seems (as far as everyone seems to be concerned) to be just going through the formalities before its passage into law.
I don’t need any crystal ball, to see the New Avengers – or at least, those remaining, in lieu of not leaving ‘in principle’ to supporting the rights of freedom, choice and whatever else one can think of as an issue against the bill’s passage, as being conscripted into S.H.I.E.L.D. and becoming said police force against the very same colleagues who don’t tow the ‘registration’ line… or other super powered beings who simply do not wish to follow the law and register. Some may refuse, of course – but therein lie the roads leading to retirement.
So some question begs to be answered…
Will an officially S.H.I.E.L.D. sanctioned Avengers be formed?
Will this turn out to be a more effective and efficient team?
Will this elite-powered unit be able to police the ranks?
Will they be an effective deterrent to a repeat of the school tragedy?
With the Civil War upon us, I’m sure these questions, and more, are at the back of many people’s minds. Assuming the pro-registration side gets it way, I’ve come up with a few angels to this scenario’s possible outcome.
S.H.I.E.L.D.
This quasi-military group is, perhaps, the free world’s best and most advanced elite force – answerable to the United Nations (U.N.), but – with a great ‘ball-and-chain’ anchor to the United States (U.S.) and its interests. I mention this, with obvious concern, that there has been no clear delineation of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s executive branch to show a more… international feel.
I mean, sure… there was Jimmy Woo (American-Chinese?), the Countess Fontaine (Italian?) and maybe even a sprinkle of other nationalities – but with Nick, Dum Dum, and even current acting Director Hill, all obviously American, and more so in the case of Hill – one who eagerly wants to preempt any move by the U.S. Congress about clamping down on masks; one really wonders just how international and therefore, ‘under the direction and jurisdiction of the United Nations, (U.N.) S.H.I.E.L.D. really is. I mean, if fiction tried to get closer to fact, wouldn’t S.H.I.E.L.D. be more beholden to the U.N. Security council?
I would posit that S.H.I.E.L.D. is still too closely connected to the U.S. rather than the U.N., hence putting heroes under S.H.I.E.L.D. control and jurisdiction really puts them under U.S. control and… well, you get the drift, right? Now some would say, so what? Isn’t it the U.S. that is pursuing this registration? So won’t S.H.I.E.L.D. be better suited to do this anyway? U.N. or U.S. jurisdiction not withstanding?
Fair enough – but any hero thinking they’ll get a fair deal, due to the mistaken consideration that it will be a U.N. call will be severely awakened to this difference of fact vs. rhetoric. It is obvious that at this point in time, the U.S. government of the Marvel Universe is being pushed by a great number of scared and angry people – and they want to wash their hands of this political nightmare. So they naturally, they would like to grab the quick fix idea, regardless of who gets trampled on.
To me, the U.N. jurisdiction is relatively false – and the U.S. government would rather sweep this problem under the rug A.S.A.P. After registration, what will happen to those who’ve registered but not joined S.H.I.E.L.D. enforcement? Will their liberties be curtailed? Will they be forced to live in communities?
It’s the ghost of Japanese concentration camps all over again – but this time, its not a particular ethnicity, nor is it, to the mutant’s surprise, a particular genome… or is it? After all, most of Marvel’s powered beings have had some alteration (hence mutation) in their D.N.A. What I’m driving at is that this will not be a sympathetic administration to the people with powers, and S.H.I.E.L.D. will reflect this.
Want proof? The arguments of – ‘people who drive should register and get a license’ is too simplistic a comparison. Not all drivers are afraid of retaliation by other drivers should their identity become known – risky as driving may be, its not always life-threatening.
Oh, how about star witnesses against crime lords and their syndicates? – Why was the witness protection program created by some federal agencies? Wasn’t there a clear and present threat to the lives of these witnesses? Think of this dangerous situation as multiplied b the number of 10 to 100 and one gets to see why many masks are reluctant to go public. See how bad Wilson Fisk made Matt Murdock suffer? Imagine how this can affect Peter Parker?
Nope. With arguments like ‘driving’, one wonders where logic went.
Getting back to S.H.I.E.L.D. - Despite it being one of the most advanced pseudo-military force in the world (or maybe because of it), there have been constant threats to this organization being undermined by sabotage, espionage and despots wanting to either control or kill off S.H.I.E.L.D. Not exactly the most secure establishment, it seems… when trusting to keep one’s identity a secret.
So long as information resides in S.H.I.E.L.D.’s database, and that information can command a price, it will remain vulnerable to copying, stealing and then possibly outright retaliation by forces who are deeply determined to get to know the hero’s identity – and by association, also target their loved ones.
Of course, if they’re lucky, an attack on S.H.I.E.L.D. may be rooted towards a rival’s wayward cause. I can easily name two – AIM and Hydra, and, I’m sure, there are others as well (Secret Empire, Sons of the Serpent, the Yellow Claw’s organization, the Mandarin, Doom – and there are just the terrestrial ones.) who may want S.H.I.E.L.D. destroyed as it is – imagine how desperate they can get when S.H.I.E.L.D. is now operated with a lot of super powered agents. So again, not too lucky – since its escalation time.
So S.H.I.E.L.D. is not safe, not by a long shot and lets face it. The only time S.H.I.E.L.D. seemingly got its act together was when Nick Fury was on top of the situation – yet the sustained survival by Hydra, near-coup of S.H.I.E.L.D. from their own Life Model Decoys (LMDs) years ago that got S.H.I.E.L.D. into trouble – all these happened, likewise, when Fury was in charge. So even he can’t seem to get things in control – he even had to recruit some heroes clandestinely to attack Latveria, since S.H.I.E.L.D. was getting too bureaucratic, and political. I’m not saying Fury was right, but S.H.I.E.L.D. may be getting too bloated for its own good..
To be fair, S.H.I.E.L.D. is a really large and tempting target for its enemies, so who can blame them? Anyone who can handle S.H.I.E.L.D. better than Fury is welcome to the headaches the position entails. Enter Agent Hill…
Maria Hill does not ‘yet’ show a maturity and readiness that a S.H.I.E.L.D. director may require. From what little I’ve seen, she’s headstrong, reactive and has got a large ego. She’s also got a seemingly narrower worldview than Nick (or his colleagues) and sees heroes as more a nuisance to her getting her job done. This – specially the ego thing, makes her really prone to mistakes – I mean, handling Cap the way she did, now that was a real blooper.
Though it may be argued that she started the current love-hate relationship with the Avengers as early as during the team’s chasing after Sauron by not wanting to share information and keeping the Avengers in the dark, as to whatever covert operations it had in the Savage Jungle. The Avengers used to think of S.H.I.E.L.D. as their ally; but now, that truism has been proven false, with the New Avengers, as Spider-man’s short arrest (to get information about the House of M from his mind) showed.
I could say she’s just venting her frustrations from how Iron-man dismissed her, and taking it out on the rest of the New Avengers, but that would assume that she’d be petty and one to have occasional needs for power trips and I’ll try to ignore that smug look on her face when Cap, decided not to inform the president that they were busy arguing instead of fighting off the entity called Michael (the collective).
All I can say is that darker days are ahead for our heroes’ relationship with S.H.I.E.LD., so long as Hill is situated on top. Nick’s old companions are likewise lame ducks, since his actions – by extension, seem to reflect on their ability and professionalism. Whether this assessment is valid or fair is beyond the point, Dum Dum Dugan, the Contessa Fontaine, Agent 13 and others will not be fully trusted due to their close ties with Fury or the New Avengers.
Hill’s ascension in S.H.I.E.L.D. may be due to the fact that she was never close to Fury, and her staying there will be dependent on how well she can convince others that she can do the job. So who can blame her for being a tad too eager in proactively wanting to round up some heroes? She has no love for these heroes; is willing to go the extra mile to prove her worth; and has S.H.I.E.L.D. to play around with. A dangerous mix, any way you look at it – and one that is directed at the heroes against registration.
If its any consolation to the anti-registration camp, Hill and Stark have not yet buried the hatched between them, and ironically – it may be Iron-man’s presence in the pro-group, who can keep Hill’s over-eagerness at bay. So Hill would want to peel off Tony’s Iron-man armor, but he is good at positioning himself close to the White House, once again. Her remark that she may soon be their (super-powered beings’) boss, notwithstanding – I would not be surprised to see Tony finding a way to make her report to him.
Next we look to the angle of the heroes themselves…
And how now, the Heroes…?
The Civil War is tragic because it pits heroes against heroes. More so, the tragedy, since the heroes who are fighting against the registration are seen and treated as fugitives – yet they have not done anything wrong, with the possible exception of going against the Super hero registration bill. One that goes against their right to privacy; and, by extension, the ability to protect their families, loved-ones and friends through said secrecy.
Lets face it, not everyone can afford a Baxter Building with all the gizmos to protect their living quarters – and even if they do, I know that the Fantastic Four have had their ‘privacy problems’ in the past, as certain villains have – on occasion, breached the security protocols of one of the world’s greatest minds (Reed Richards, in case you didn’t know). For that matter, many heroes are not multi-millionaires in their worst days, and billionaires in better days, like Tony either.
Many of our heroes may just even rent for living quarters – so if Reed or Tony find some problems with certain villains attacking them – or their friends, how should people like Cage, Peter Parker, Mathew Murdock protect their family and colleagues from villains who’d like to do them a world of hurt?
Even if they just hang up their union suits, these heroes will be forced to register. If - nay, rather, when this information falls into wrong hands, we’ll have repeats of deaths like Gwen Stacey (since this is one instance when the villain knew the hero’s identity, and struck by putting a loved-one to harm), and no one wants to go through that.
So this act, when put into law, will just make life more difficult for them. Imagine having a gun, but not being allowed to use it – then others, those with guns, themselves – not bothering to register, as they’ve no reason to follow the law, since they’re villains, well… they know who you are now. Thanks to the law… law abiding heroes register, others do not. But at least, these villains now have a clear target – that is, the hero who’s registered. Will someone tell these villains that they’re acting irresponsibly? Will they listen?
Registration will not solve the super-human acting irresponsibly angle. All it’ll do is to make less heroes available to handle the villains who wouldn’t care less. It’s the same argument of the pro-gun to the gun-less society. Ban guns, and the one’s left with guns, aside from the enforcers, will be the bad guys who wouldn’t care less.
Ban heroes, and S.H.I.E.L.D. will have their enforcers – but can they enforce the peace 24 x 7? It just takes a window of about 15 minutes or less, to commit a crime. To enforce this efficiently, will take the curbing of privacy being escalated even further? You start taking a person’s rights for granted, you start going down some slippery roads for the sake of peace. The Marvel Universe may simply become a super-powered version of Orwell’s 1984 and not too far off from Mark Gruenwald’s Squadron Supreme storyline.
So far, I’ve mentioned two reasons – safety and privacy, plus the fact that this may be turned into a form of suppression against a person’s freedom. Is it any surprise that Captain America (Steve Rogers) is against the passing of the act?
Cap’s always been the hero’s moral compass, and the obvious figure-head, if not actual leader of this struggle to prevent any wrong form happening. Many people will look to Steve as vindication for going against the act – turned law. Some argue that Lincoln stopped a war – those against it then were wrong, and if Lincoln did not stop this – how would the United States have survived?
But we forget to include why the South was thinking of separating back then. They wanted a status quo with their lifestyle – one that included having slaves. Ironic that the Lincoln viewpoint is being used to trample civil rights now, when civil rights was also an issue for Lincoln’s war.
How about the time America stood against Britain during Washington’s time? Were they wrong too? There is nothing black and white, when a majority insists on trampling the rights of a minority – even if the minority is imbued with super powers.
Lincoln was against suppression. Captain America is against suppression.
The Civil War is being fought because a bill, seemingly seen as a solution, is being passed by a congress that wants to proclaim to the public that they too see heroes as irresponsible and should be held accountable. Unfortunately, the tragedy involving the New Warriors proves that they, too, have a point.
We’ve seen the underlying reason from Tony Stark as a realist / futurist seeing the passage of the bill and his actions are more of an acceptance of reality - hence his siding with pro-registration. It is more a matter of convenience, sort of a ‘if you can’t beat them, join them’ kind of logic. Mind you, there is some good in the idea that heroes need training to not act irresponsible… and policing ranks have always been a necessity, since the fist day the Avengers were formed.
But… its one thing to go after villains, it’s another to trample the rights of an individual. By the way, who’s going to decide what the proper training should be? Training should not just be directed to skills and knowledge – but attitude. Have the wrong attitude, and you may just have a police force abusing their powers. So far, some may argue that Tony Stark is not exactly the paragon for morals, yet you can’t fault his decisions – one of which is, better we police them than leave it to strangers.
Tony may be doing this to lessen the damage a Registration act might have, when left to the hands of those overly eager to capture and control heroes. He may be trying to act as mediator – but others may also see his influence growing, and may have doubts to his actual reasons. Before we forget anything, remember this… politics is influence, and Tony Stark knows how to play the game as well as anyone else.
Tony the realist is trying to protect the heroes by trying to convince the public that the heroes are on their side – even it means, having to go the extra mile by registering.
Unfortunately, Tony is also not able to help everyone. Others may find out that Tony’s privileged life may not extend to theirs, and what happens then?
Remember also that these heroes are used to being proactive in their actions. Even Avengers could leave the mansion to explore a life outside of being a hero – registration may impart a few other restrictions, as the X-men and the rest of the remaining 198 seem to realize. With a high handed Maria Hill, calling the shots, and the fact that some of the people they’ll be hunting are possibly friends and colleagues in the days before registration – how long before these enforcers feel like rebelling?
If this happens, many enforcers will feel that the cause being fought by the other side may be the nobler one – in which case, the moral ground, as Sun Tsu would say, would be lost by one army. In reality, however, this moral high ground was lost as early as the time Hill forced Steve Rogers to arrest his colleagues, forcing him to bolt.
Now, if we’re to believe Sun Tsu, the army with the moral high ground will battle better and eventually win – so guess whose side I’ll be betting to win eventually? On the other side – we might as well have goose-steppers, because heroes without the moral will to act, one’s bogged down by bureaucratic infightings (as I’m sure Stark and Hill will be doing) will be too distracted and dispirited to do along protracted war.
Bear I mind that, Steve Rogers is the most influential heroic icon for leadership… and as we all know, that can’t be duplicated his influence by letting someone else wear the mantle of Cap. John Walker tried, and so have others… but they’re shadows compared to Steve. Is it any surprise that Tony and company want to capture Steve ASAP?
To finally answer the questions put forth earlier…
Will an officially S.H.I.E.L.D. sanctioned Avengers be formed and will they be more effective and efficient?
It will be folly for them not to from the Avengers – having the official Avengers on their side makes a strong case for the pro-registration side. The Avengers will bank on the history of the old team – and the fear and respect it may strike on others, never mind that this team is infinitely different in function (reason for being formed), if not form (members).
The new team, even if it has government and S.H.I.E.L.D. backing, can only operate as well as its leaders will allow. With Stark, Richards and Pym technology – they can have a huge advantage, weapon-wise and they definitely have the brains. I would even add the possibility that with Stark, they also have the smarts. With S.H.I.E.L.D.-backing, this group becomes more formidable – and they can be very efficient, but effectively stamping out a ‘rebellion’ will take a battle of hearts as well. I do not see that happening, specially with Steve Rogers on the other side.
So, efficient? Yes. Effective? No.
Will this elite-powered unit be able to police the ranks?
As I said earlier, they can’t be all around 24 x 7 – unless they start employing more draconian tactics to control their community. If they do, you can expect others to rise up against this form of brutality.
Want a better solution? Re-engineer Forge’s nullifier – I’m sure the egg heads can do this. But will they make it and use it? That depends on how desperate things can get. But if they do this act, then even the most jaded villain might find himself or herself now forming a third force (in case they can’t stand Cap), against Iron-man’s team.
Will they be an effective deterrent to a repeat of the school tragedy?
So long as a super-powered being roams the city or neighborhood – more so if this person is a villain, you can be assured of the possibility that tragedies may still come. Think about it… just like how some terrorists mingle their camps with the populace, like schools or hospitals, these villains may start getting prime real-estate close to sensitive targets.
All it takes is another eager S.H.I.E.L.D.-controlled, pro-registration ‘trained’ enforcer to make a mistake, and its back to square one. No one can say that this incident will not happen again. They may try mitigating such risks – starting with banning explosive materials, like school buses with filled gasoline tanks near a school’s play yard – but preventing villains from running to these schools? Good luck.
I remember those ‘What-if’ issues of old where we are gifted with an alternate to what happened – and what may have happened if things panned differently – normally, we see that eventually, no matter how bright the premise seemed, these what-ifs turned sour – and no matter how bleak the present seemed, it may have been much worse had this ‘what-if’ happened.
I guess, this Marvel Universe’s luck has been played out too long and now, and with the tragedy befalling the New Warriors, the current reality seems much bleaker than any possible ‘what-ifs’. Bear in mind that this scenario likewise plays out with the Mutant Registration found in all those apocalyptic futures in the X-men. So we are possibly seeing the future come to pass – no matter how wrong it may seem.
Then again, I can’t really say that – after all, these are all mere conjectures, as I am not Uatu the Watcher, and only the Watcher knows, and he’s not saying… yet.
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