Top 10 Marvel Comics Events Of All Time

3. Civil War (2006)

Why it was good: For most of Marvel’s history, fights between heroes were almost always caused by misunderstandings or mind control. This was different — an actual philosophical difference about what the future of costumed heroics should entail, and how accountable the super hero community should be to governments and regular people. It began with a literal bang and eventually grew to envelop almost everyone. There was certainly a bit of straight fanboy appeal to the whole thing too, seeing hero fight hero, but it made you think more than many events, even if the writing by Mark Millar tended to shade one side as more “correct” than the other. Artist Steve McNiven wasn’t a huge name when he got the call for this series, but he was by the end of it.

Why it didn’t rank higher: Civil War wasn’t completely free of standard event foolishness, including some smart people doing some not so smart things. A clone of Thor? I can’t believe anyone ever thought that was a good idea, either in-story or creatively. Not everyone agrees with me, but I found the ending to be anticlimactic as well. Captain America’s anti-registration side fights the good fight for the whole series, and then Cap just decides the price is too high and gives up. Totally in-character, for sure, but not a thrilling way to finish something as hyped as this was.

How it had lasting effects: An argument could be made that the Marvel Universe has never really gotten over Civil War. It’s certainly coloring current events in Marvel Comics, at least in the idea that big groups of heroes are willing to battle each other for what they think is right (like the Avengers are about to do/are doing with the Illuminati). The regular citizens of the main Marvel Earth definitely trust the heroes less as a result, though that idea hasn’t always been followed up on consistently. Cap “died” in the midst of the story’s conclusion, but he’s since gotten better and then got old, because comics! Jokes aside, the fact that we keep hearing that Civil War might end up as a subtitle for a future Captain America or Avengers film also is proof of its enduring popularity.