Ms. Marvel (vol. 2) #6
Battle Lines
Civil War continues from Civil War: Front Line #5…
Following the Stamford Disaster, which saw citizens (especially children) killed in a superhuman conflict, the United States government has passed the Super Human Registration Act (SHRA). This law requires heroes to register with the government or else they will be arrested.[1] Since the law was passed, Ms. Marvel (Carol Danvers), has come out in support and enforce it.
Presently, she is leading a SHIELD team of Cape-Killers in apprehending the Prowler (aka Hobie Brown), for being an unregistered superhero. Brown finds it insane that they are trying to arrest him for helping people out and fights back. Unfortunately, the Prowler’s street level crime-fighting tech is no match for the energy powers of Ms. Marvel and he is quickly incapacitated and taken into custody.[2]
The next morning, Carol has a strange dream where there are people standing over her talking about some kind of medical treatment. However, she cannot get a clear idea of what is happening.[3] Carol is woken from this dream by Wonder Man (aka Simon Williams) banging on her door. When she finally answers he tells her that they are already 15 minutes late for their meeting at Avengers Tower. When they arrive only Arachne (aka Spider-Woman, aka Julia Carpenter) is the only one there because their leader, Iron Man (Tony Stark) is running late as well. Tony finally arrives while Julia and Carol catch up on old times.[4]
Tony gets right down to business telling them that Captain America (Steve Rogers)’s defiance of the SHRA has encouraged other heroes to break the law. He commends Carol for taking down the Prowler the night before and then goes on to their assignments for the day. He wants Arachne to take in the Shroud (Maximillian Coleridge) while Carol and Simon are ordered to bring in the young hero known as Araña (Aña Corazón). Tony expresses his concerns over Araña as reports indicate that she might be a teenager and she might think she is exempt from the law. They are ordered to give Araña a chance to register before taking enforcement action.
After dismissing them, Stark then asks Carol to speak in private. When they are alone he asks her if she has heard from Captain America. Carol was dreading this moment since Tony first called her a few days ago looking for him. That was the same day that Danvers returned home to her apartment and found Steve waiting for her. She told him that she was registering with the government because that was the law, even if Steve thinks it is unjust. Seeing that he didn’t have an ally in her, Steve left without another word. Recalling this encounter now, Carol tells Tony that she doesn’t know where Cap might be. Tony understands her position and sends her to complete her mission. When she joins up with Simon he notices that there is something wrong, but Carol tells him to forget about it as they have a mission to complete.
Meanwhile, at Ryker’s Island penitentiary, Hobie Brown is taken to an interrogation room. When a SHIELD agent enters to question him, Hobie says that the only people he wants to see and talk with right now are his wife and his lawyer. The agent is curious to know how Hobie was able to know about the fact that they were about to raid his apartment. He wants to know who tipped him off. The agent has an idea and shows Hobie a picture of their suspect. Brown tries to deny knowing her until the SHIELD agent threatens to have his wife arrested as well. Not wanting this to happen, Hobie relents and confirms that Arachne was the one who tipped him off.
At that very moment, Arachne has gone to Max Coleridge’s penthouse apartment to warn him that SHIELD is after him as well. As it turns out, Julia and Max are in a romantic relationship. She tells them that Tony Stark is more interested in capturing Captain America so it was easy for her to give them false intel. Still, she needs Max to flee before they find him. However, the Shroud refuses to do so and wants to stay and fight the SHRA. That’s when SHIELD Cape Killers come barging into the apartment. Max tries to convince them that Julia was merely trying to inform him of his rights. Arachne however wants to prevent his capture. Coleridge tells her that her daughter’s safety is more important but Julia attacks the SHIELD agents with her psi-webs anyway. With the Cape Killers entangled in the webbing, both Arachne and the Shroud flee the penthouse as fugitives from the law.
Meanwhile, Ms. Marvel and Wonder Man have been crisscrossing all over Brooklyn trying to find Araña. When this turns up nothing, they decide to take a break and go to the local Chicken Cow restaurant to get something to eat.[5] Changing into their civilian clothes, the pair enters the restaurant and give their orders to a bored cashier. Little do they know that this cashier is Aña Corazón, the teen they’ve been looking for. That’s when some armed men burst into the place to try and rob it. Aña doesn’t want to do anything but also can’t let innocent people get hurt so she slips out of sight and wills her spider carapace to form around her while she changes into Araña. However, when she gets up from behind the counter she sees that Ms. Marvel and Wonder Man have already dealt with the robbers.
… Civil War continues in Civil War: X-Men #2.
Recurring Characters
Ms. Marvel, Wonder Man, Arachne, Prowler, the Shroud, SHIELD, Araña, (in flashback) Captain America
Continuity Notes
The Stamford Disaster happened in Civil War #1, resulting in the SHRA being passed into law in issue #3 of that series. This law will remain on the books until Siege #4.
The Prowler will remain in SHIELD custody until the anti-registration heroes stage a break out at Prison 42 in Civil War #6.
Carol is experiencing the memories of Cru, an alien being she fought in Ms. Marvel (vol. 2) #1-3. In the aftermath of the battle Cru was seemingly destroyed, but became linked to Carol. This will be explained in Ms. Marvel (vol. 2) #21.
Here, Julia tells Carol that she has changed her codename to Arachne because there are so many other women who call themselves Spider-Woman and it has gotten confusing. She is referring to Jessica Drew (the original, who has used that name since Marvel Two-in-One #29), Charlotte Witter (the third, who usurped the name in Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 2) #5), and Mattie Franklin (the most recent at the time of this story, she also took on the name in the same issue that Witter was using it).
The Chicken Cow mascot looks suspiciously like Chtylok, a creature that lives in the Savage Land that is part chicken, part cow and revered by the Fall People as a god. See Sensational Spider-Man #13-15, to see that I shit you not.
Civil War Reading Order
Road to Civil War: Amazing Spider-Man #529, 530, 531, Fantastic Four #536, 537, New Avengers: Illuminati #1
Main Event: Civil War #1, She-Hulk (vol. 2) #8, Wolverine (vol. 3) #42, Amazing Spider-Man #532, Civil War: Front Line #1
Civil War #2, Thunderbolts #103, Civil War: Front Line #2, X-Factor (vol. 3) #8, New Avengers #21, Wolverine (vol. 3) #43, Amazing Spider-Man #533, Fantastic Four #538, Civil War: Front Line #3, Thunderbolts #104, Civil War: X-Men #1
Civil War #3, Cable & Deadpool #30, Civil War: Young Avengers & Runaways #1, Civil War: Front Line #4, X-Factor (vol. 3) #9, New Avengers #22, Wolverine (vol. 3) #44, Amazing Spider-Man #534, Fantastic Four #539, Civil War: Front Line #5, Ms. Marvel (vol. 2) #6, Civil War: X-Men #2, Heroes for Hire (vol. 2) #1, New Avengers #23, Wolverine (vol. 3) #45, Civil War: Young Avengers & Runaways #2, Cable & Deadpool #31, Ms. Marvel (vol. 2) #7, Civil War: X-Men #3
Civil War #4, Wolverine (vol. 3) #46, Heroes for Hire (vol. 2) #2, Civil War: Young Avengers & Runaways #3, Civil War: Front Line #6, Captain America (vol. 5) #22, Cable & Deadpool #32, Amazing Spider-Man #535, Civil War: Choosing Sides #1, Fantastic Four #540, Civil War: Front Line #7, Civil War: X-Men #4, Ms. Marvel (vol. 2) #8, Wolverine (vol. 3) #47, Heroes for Hire (vol. 2) #3, Captain America (vol. 5) #23, New Avengers #24
Civil War #5, Civil War: Young Avengers & Runaways #4, Iron Man (vol. 4) #13, New Avengers #25, Punisher: War Journal (vol. 2) #1, Civil War: Front Line #8, Amazing Spider-Man #536, Black Panther (vol. 4) #22, Captain America (vol. 5) #24, Civil War: War Crimes #1, Civil War: Front Line #9, Iron Man (vol. 4) #14, Fantastic Four #541, Black Panther (vol. 4) #23, Punisher: War Journal (vol. 2) #2
Civil War #6, Civil War: Front Line #10, Amazing Spider-Man #537, Fantastic Four #542, Civil War: The Return #1, Punisher: War Journal (vol. 2) #3, Black Panther (vol. 4) #24
Civil War #7, Amazing Spider-Man #538, Civil War: Front Line #11, Black Panther (vol. 4) #25, Civil War: The Initiative #1, Iron Man: Director of SHIELD #15, Mighty Avengers #1, Captain America (vol. 5) #25, Civil War: The Confession #1, Fallen Son: The Death of Captain America #1, 2, 3, 4, 5, Fantastic Four #543-544, Avengers: The Initiative #1
