This article is not about the Captain America movie, of course. It’s about the huge Marvel event published between May 2006 and February 2007. Written by Mark Millar and penciled by Steve McNiven, Civil War is one of the most famous events of the 2000s. It changed a lot, for a short period of time.
Everything started during a televised raid of a house by the New Warriors. Their goal was to apprehend villains that had recently escaped from prison. When Nitro let off a massive explosion that killed the majority of the New Warriors and the children at a nearby elementary school, something had to change.
The U.S. Government proposed the Superhuman Registration Act, intending to register all super-powered beings as living weapons of mass destruction and requiring all costumed heroes to unmask themselves before the government and subject themselves to federally mandated standards.
Heroes had to choose between rallying behind either Iron Man’s pro-registration forces or Captain America’s opposition. The Civil War began.
What to read before Civil War?
Like all the huge events in the Marvel Universe, there’s a main series Civil War and a LOT of tie-ins. That said, even before the event really started, there were comics leading to it.
All those (except New Warriors) have been collected in one volume called Civil War: The Road To Civil War.
- New Warriors: Reality Check — [optional] A six-issue miniseries that features the team as the stars of a reality TV show, the ones who are involved in the destruction that leads to the civil war.
- Amazing Spider-Man (1999) #529
- New Avengers: Illuminati (2006)
- Amazing Spider-Man (1999) #530
- Amazing Spider-Man (1999) #531
- Fantastic Four #536 and #537
Marvel’s Civil War Reading Order:
The Civil War event was so huge, that a lot of other series were involved. Naturally, you can start with the main series and then read the rest. That said, you are probably here for more developed reading order. But first, some more precision:
- Almost everything with The X-Men is pretty much optional here, they stay mostly neutral in the conflict. The Wolverine’s story is more connected to the rest, but it’s still not indispensable.
- Spider-man is the heart of the story, so it’s important to follow the Amazing Spider-man, the others Spider-man series are not important at all.
- Everything Black Panther is also relatively peripheral and mostly optional.
- Civil War: Front Line is messy, but it’s mostly complementary to the rest.
Marvel’s Civil War Reading Order: The Collected editions
- The Road to Civil War
Collects New Avengers: Illuminati & Amazing Spider-Man #529-531. - Civil War
Collects Civil War #1-7, plus extras.
- The Amazing Spider-Man: Civil War
Collects Amazing Spider-Man #532-538. - Civil War: Front Line vol. 1
Collects Civil War: Front Line #1-6. - Civil War: Front Line vol. 2
Collects Civil War: Front Line #7-11. - Iron Man: Civil War
Collects Captain America #22-24, Iron-Man #13-14, and Iron Man/Captain America Special. - New Avengers: Civil War
Collects New Avengers (2004) #21-25. - Captain America: Civil War
Collects Captain America (2004) #22-24 and the Winter Soldier: Winter Kills one-shot. - Wolverine: Civil War
Collects Wolverine #42-48. - Fantastic Four: Civil War
Collects Fantastic Four #538-543.
- Civil War: Marvel Universe
Collects Winter Soldier: Winter Kills, Civil War: Choosing Sides, Civil War: The Return and She-Hulk #8 - Ms. Marvel: Civil War
Collects Ms. Marvel #6-10 & Ms. Marvel Special. - Civil War: Punisher War Journal
Collects Punisher War Journal #1-4. - Civil War: Heroes for Hire/Thunderbolts
Collects Heroes for Hire #1-5, Thunderbolts #101-105. - Civil War: War Crimes
Collects Civil War: War Crimes and Underworld #1-5. - Civil War: X-Men
Collects Civil War: X-Men #1-4. - Civil War: X-Men Universe
Collects Cable & Deadpool #30-32, X-Factor #8-9. - Civil War: Young Avengers & Runaways
Collects Civil War: Young Avengers & Runaways #1-4. - Black Panther: Civil War
Collects Black Panther #19-25. - Civil War Companion
Collects Civil War Files, Civil War: Battle Damage Report, Marvel Spotlight: Mark Miller/Steve McNiven, Marvel Spotlight: Civil War Aftermath and Daily Bugle: Civil War Special Edition. - Civil War: Peter Parker, Spider-Man
Collects Sensational Spider-Man #28-34.
Marvel’s Civil War Reading Order: Issue By Issue
- Civil War #1
- She-Hulk (vol. 2) #8
- Wolverine (vol. 3) #42
- New Avengers (vol. 4) #21
- Amazing Spider-Man (vol.1) #532
- Civil War: Front Line #1
- Civil War #2
- Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 1) #533
- Civil War: Front Line #2
- She-Hulk (vol. 2) #9
- New Avengers (vol. 4) #22
- Thunderbolts (vol. 3) #103
- X-Factor (vol. 2) #8-9
- The Sensational Spider-Man #28-31
- Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #11-13
- Civil War: Young Avengers & Runaways #1-4
- Fantastic Four #538
- Black Panther #18
- Civil War: Front Line #3
- Thunderbolts (vol. 3) #104
- Heroes for Hire #1
- Cable & Deadpool #30
- Civil War: Front Line #4-5
- Wolverine (vol. 3) #43-45 — can be read here or a little bit after.
- Black Panther #19-20
- Civil War #3-4
- Civil War: Front Line #6
- Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 1) #534
- Captain America #22-23
- Iron Man (vol. 4) #13
- Civil War: Front Line #7
- Fantastic Four #539
- New Avengers (vol. 4) #23-24
- Cable & Deadpool #31-32
- Black Panther #21-22
- Ms. Marvel (vol. 2) #6-8
- Civil War: X-Men #1-4
- Heroes for Hire #2-3
- Wolverine (vol. 4) #46-47
- Civil War: The Return
- Iron Man/Captain America: Casualties of War
- Civil War: Choosing Sides
- Black Panther #23
- Captain America #24
- Civil War: Front Line #8
- Wolverine (vol. 4) #48
- Fantastic Four #540
- Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 1) #535
- Civil War #5
- New Avengers (vol. 4) #25
- Punisher War Journal (vol. 2) #1
- Fantastic Four #541
- Civil War: War Crimes #1
- Civil War: Front Line #9
- Moon Knight #7 – #10
- Fantastic Four #542
- Amazing Spider-Man (vol. 1) #536
- Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #14-16
- Sensational Spider-Man #32-34
- Iron Man (vol. 4) #14
- Winter Solider: Winter Kills #1
- Blade (vol. 3) #5
- Punisher War Journal (vol. 2) #2
- Amazing Spider-Man #537
- Black Panther #24
- Civil War #6
- Civil War: Front Line #10
- Punisher War Journal (vol. 2) #3
- Civil War #7
- Amazing Spider-Man #538
- Civil War: Front Line #11
- Black Panther #25
The post-Civil War Marvel Universe
- Amazing Spider-Man #539
- Civil War: The Initiative #1
- Iron Man: Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. #15
- Mighty Avengers #1
- Captain America #25
- Civil War: The Confession #1
- Civil War: Fallen Son – The Death of Captain America #1-5
- Fantastic Four #543-544
- Avengers: The Initiative #1
- Penance: Relentless 1-5
– Civil War: Front Line is also complete collected in Civil War: Front Line TP from 2016
For people who search the tie-ins in other collections:
– Spider-Man #532-538 is also collected in Spider-Man by J. Michael Straczynski Book 5
– Captain America #22-24 and the Winter Soldier: Winter Kills is also collected in Captain America: The Death of Captain America Complete Collection
Punisher: War Journal #1-4 collected in Punisher Matt Fraction Complete Collection Vol. 1
Can it be done like it was with Fear Itself and make the essential reading bold?