A History of Spider-Man's Role in Marvel's Civil War Comics

Possible SPOILERS ahead!

With Spider-Man returning to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, let's take an in-depth look at what his role was in the original Civil War comic book arc (which is serving as the basis for Captain America: Civil War), how he impacted that storyline, and what this may mean for the future.

Humble Beginnings

Before Civil War began in the Marvel comic book universe, Peter Parker had finally taken his place among the Avengers. For nearly all of his superhero career, Spider-Man had worked on his own. Adverse to groups in general, Peter never found himself a “team player” -- whenever he had worked together with other heroes, he was quick to make this point known. One example was an early adventure (taking place in the comic series Avengers, issues #314 to 318 respectively) in which Spidey followed the Avengers into space, defeated the current Guardians of the Galaxy foe, Nebula, and then when he was offered membership, declined, stating that it was a bit too over his head. Another example was in the first issue of his solo series, Amazing Spider-Man #1, in which Spidey encounters the Fantastic Four and demands membership, only to be told that the gig doesn’t come with a paycheck, and so he declines.

Many years later, though, Spider-Man finally found himself on a newer incarnation of the team, alongside other heroes such as Wolverine, Spider-Woman, and Luke Cage. During this time, Peter, along with his wife Mary Jane and Aunt May, began working directly for Tony Stark as his right hand man. It was around this tenure that ruminations of a “Superhero Registration Act” began to murmur among the ranks of the United States Congress. Iron Man, realizing that some bad juju was beginning to form, tried nipping it in the bud by taking Peter along with him to Washington, D.C. in an attempt to talk some sense into the politicians. As well as making Peter his number two, he also redesigned Spidey’s costume, which many dub the “Iron Spider” suit. The suit not only looked closer to Iron Man’s armor, it also gave Peter a slew of new powers such as internet access, the ability to fly, and three mechanical legs that shot from his back (why they didn’t give him four to fit in with the spider-motif is beyond me).

When Peter and Tony arrive, Spidey decides to take the stand in costume, and does his best to convince the bigwigs of their potential mistake. Shocking to no one, it doesn’t go that well, as Peter’s testimony isn’t admissible unless he gives his real name. Defeated, the two leave and begin to make preparations for the possible passing of the Superhero Registration Act, which happens sooner than expected thanks to a group of inexperienced heroes, named the New Warriors, inadvertently causing the destruction of a school in Stanford, Connecticut.

Whose Side Are You On?

When Civil War began, there was no one who had more to lose than Spider-Man. Many heroes at this time held public identities and Spidey was one of the only ones who had about a zillion enemies who were chomping at the bit to learn who was under the mask. With Captain America fighting against the Registration Act, Tony continued to keep Peter under his wing as he rallied his own band of heroes to push through a program that would see them work directly for the U.S. government. Stark, early in the series, takes Peter to the side and convinces him that revealing his secret identity to the public would work wonders for the cause.

After some soul-searching and some consulting with his family, Peter decides that it’s time to reveal himself to the world, calls a press conference, and reveals that he is Spider-Man. The world gasps, the Anti-Registration heroes group takes a heavy blow, and Google literally breaks as everyone tries to figure out who Peter Parker is. The Pro-Registration heroes, along with Peter and Tony, continue to hunt down super villains, as well as the heroes who refuse to register themselves with the government. In one of the first of many giant showdowns between the two factions, Iron Man unleashes a clone of Thor that goes haywire and murders Black Goliath, a hero on the Anti-Registration side of things. Horrified at what has transpired, thinking they had everything under control, Peter takes his family underground, slaps Stark upside the head, and begins to hightail it to safer pastures. Unfortunately, Iron Man’s side of things went a tad more nefarious than it had originally seemed, as he unleashed a cadre of super villains under his control to reel Spider-Man back in. After a heavy beating, Spidey is saved by the Punisher (of all people), brought to Captain America, loses his Iron Spider duds, and decides to join with the Anti-Registration side of things.

All Together Now

In a last ditch attempt to set things right, Captain America and Spider-Man take what’s left of the resistance and attempt to free the heroes that were captured by Stark and Co. As they release everyone, the Pro-Registration side and the Anti-Registration side come to blows in a gigantic slugfest over the skyline of New York City. In arguably one of the coolest Spider-Man scenes of all time, Peter begins dismantling heroes and villains alike, eliciting a state of awe from everyone around him. Ultimately though, the Anti-Registration side loses, as Cap begins to realize that you can’t punch out a law, and surrenders himself to the government. Spidey, along with a good chunk of his team, decides to continue to work underground in secret. Peter even wears his old black costume in order to reflect the dire severity of his current situation.

For awhile, the Marvel Universe is changed, and heroes who are registered become the top dogs, while heroes who are not are forced to fight with villains, avoid the law, and take on a much larger population of Pro-Reg backers. Much like everything in comics though, this status was only temporary, and Spider-Man eventually found himself regaining his secret identity and losing his marriage thanks to a weird spell created by Dr. Strange and the shenanigans of Satan (don’t ask).

Ultimately, its still not confirmed as to how much of a role Spidey will in fact have in Captain America: Civil War, and which of the events from the comic will happen, but it’s quite something to see that this is all really coming together, and Spider-Man will be swinging alongside the Avengers in the next few years.

spider-man-captain-america-civil-war — Image via Marvel

For more on Captain America: Civil War be sure to take a look at some of our recent coverage provided at the following links:

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A History of Spider-Man's Role in the 'Civil War' Comics