Synopsis / Summary / Plot
In the wake of the murder of Goliath (Bill Foster) during the confrontation over the Superhuman Registration Act, Iron Man and Captain America meet in the ruins of Avengers Mansion to see if there can be a peaceful resolution to the civil war. Both men are distraught over the tragic turn taken by recent events and with effort manage to put away their recriminations and settle down to talk. Iron Man reminds Cap of how they have always gotten along, even when they were on opposite sides, as in the Armor Wars (IRON MAN #228); Cap asks Tony to remove his faceplate so he can talk to a person. Tony starts with a reminiscence of the first time they fought, when Iron Man thought Cap was the villain Chameleon in disguise (TALES OF SUSPENSE #58) and recalls how then they could settle things with a simple apology. Tony asks why Steve is so adamant in his opposition to the Registration Act, pointing out that they agreed on the basic idea when dealing with the Young Avengers and their need for training (YOUNG AVENGERS #7). Tony then argues that if Spider-Man had been trained, Gwen Stacy might not have died; Steve responds that the reason Gwen died was because the Green Goblin knew Spidey’s identity—and the same thing happened to White Tiger and USAgent, the murder of their loved ones by enemies who learned their real names. He dismisses Tony’s insistence that all identities will be known only to the authorities, pointing out that databases can be hacked and political changes can turn the government against heroes, as happened to Cap when he became Nomad and The Captain. Tony responds with the event that began the controversy: the disaster at Stamford (CIVIL WAR #1); it happened because some young heroes did something stupid—and it could have happened to anyone, no matter how experienced. Tony recalls the time he fought Machine Man while drunk (IRON MAN #168) and nearly killed some bystanders, who were saved ironically by the enemy he was fighting. Cap had to rescue Tony once himself (IRON MAN #172). To Tony this is an issue of accountability—and the heroes cannot be trusted to continue to police themselves, as they did when Hank beat Jan. But Cap is concerned about false accusations: it has happened to both Iron Man (IRON MAN #124) and Cap (CAPTAIN AMERICA #169-170). Tony accuses Steve of using his iconic status to recruit supporters to his cause; Steve responds that Tony has a history of manipulating others into doing what he wants, as he did during Operation Galactic Storm (AVENGERS #347) and the Armor Wars (IRON MAN #227-228). Tony reveals the government’s plan called Operation Wideawake: using an army of Sentinels to hunt down superhumans. The violence is escalating and Tony doesn’t know how to stop it. Steve advises him to oppose the Act, but Tony reminds him that the cause is bigger than Tony: if Iron Man switched sides, he would merely be replaced by Reed Richards or Hank Pym. If Cap joined the opposition, however, his faction would collapse. A disgusted Cap turns to leave and Tony grabs his shoulder. Cap reacts with anger so Tony strips down to his Extremis undergarment and the two fight. They recall the time Cap taught Tony some basic martial arts moves (IRON MAN #125) and the battle echoes that friendlier contest. After a brief mix-up, the two dust themselves off, and, realizing that nothing will be resolved, go their separate ways, as they recall the parting after the friendlier fight and their assurance of mutual support.