Plot summary
Iron Man shows his support for the Superhuman Registration Act by agreeing to be interviewed by Ben Urich, while making the proposal for Sally Floyd to investigate the anti-registration faction, right after she has an awkward interview with Spider-Man. [1] Afterwards, Peter Parker reveals his identity as Spider-Man on a press conference. [2]
Sally meets a group of unregistered heroes at a warehouse. They all wonder at the reasons for being persecuted. Later, Thunderclap is battling Bantam, the latter being pro-registration and determined to bring Thunderclap in. Bantam is knocked into a gas tank and killed in the following explosion, leaving a shocked Thunderclap behind. She-Hulk tries to help Robbie Baldwin aka Speedball negotiate a deal to get him out of jail. Robbie doesn't want to formally admit fault in any way. Meanwhile, a pet store owner is revealed to be a member of an Atlantean sleeper cell. [3]
Sally Floyd meets the unregistered heroes again, but their meeting is cut short when Iron Man and his troops storm in to apprehend the heroes. Sally manages to get away before being seen. Meanwhile, Ben Urich is following a lead which turns out to be trap set by the Green Goblin, Norman Osborn, who threatens him. Robbie Baldwin is attacked in prison, which causes his dormant powers to restart. He is then visited by his mother, who cuts all ties with him. [4]
Ben Urich investigates the Green Goblin, who should be in prison. Meanwhile, Speedball is transferred to "Negative Zone Prison Alpha" along with other unregistered heroes and villains. [5]
Ben Urich is quitting his job at the Daily Bugle, after his encounter with the Green Goblin is doubted. He agrees to do one last assignment, accompanying the pro-reg heroes to a fight against Captain America's anti-registration group. Ben is shocked when Thor (actually a cloned cyborg version created by the pro-registration faction) kills Goliath, and is further disturbed by the use of super villains in the conflict. Speedball agrees to speak at a public hearing, but is shot by a man in the crowd. The Atlantean sleeper agent meets up with several armed comrades, but doesn't noticed he is trailed by Wonder Man. [6]
In Robbie Baldwin's ambulance, his powers spontaneously manifest again as he goes into shock, blowing the ambulance's engine and causing it to crash. The police finds the Atlantean sleeper agents, all dead, along with an unconscious Wonder Man. After waking, he claims that the Green Goblin is responsible. [7]
Ben Urich's technology expert friend Dan believes that Tony Stark may be manipulating the events of the Civil War to make money. Sally Floyd is covertly escorted to the meeting place of Captain America's forces. A later peace conference with Atlanteans goes badly when Norman Osborn attacks the visitors. He claims he was under control of an outside force. [8]
Sally Floyd meets up with Captain America to interview him and declares that he is misguided in his view of the Civil War. Ben and Peter Parker hack into the computers of Tony Stark's accounting firm to discover that Tony Stark has used inside information to manipulate the stock market for personal gain. Reed Richards confirms that the nanites in Osborn's blood that were supposed to keep him in check were altered. Richard concludes that there is a traitor and Tony Stark admits that there is and he has known it all along. Speedball is used as a hostage during a prison break, but the plan fails when he regains his powers. Norman Osborn is interrogated by two homicide detectives but before they can get anything out of him, a shadowy figure arrives with a document that makes Osborn's case a matter of National Security. [9]
Ben Urich finally resigns from the Daily Bugle because he knows they won't print what he's discovered. The newly released Speedball meets with a costume maker, who says he can see it used for no means less than torture. Robbie (Speedball) reveals it is for himself and assumes his new identity as Penance. [10]
During the final battle of the pro- and anti-registration forces, several people are killed. Some days later, Sally Floyd and Ben Urich visit Captain America aboard The Raft. Both have quit their jobs. He expresses regret he didn't try for peaceful discussions earlier. Floyd derides him for his lack of knowledge of current American culture. The two reporters decide to form a news outlet called 'Frontlines'. They meet with Iron Man. The duo believe that he has orchestrated much of the preceding events for the purposes of registration, because he believed the alternative would be far worse. Angered, Iron Man kicks them out of his office. [11]
