Right now, comics fans the world over are being asked by their non-comics-fans friends what this whole Civil War thing is about, and why the normally chummy Iron Man and Captain America are going to be slugging it out in the next Marvel movie. The answer, I believe, is a sigh of frustration and bitterness around 98% of the time this question is asked. Not because comics fans are annoyed at the question, but because remembering the Civil War storyline from the comics is a sore spot for a lot of us. For one thing, summarizing the event, which actually spanned multiple series and mini-series is like trying to give an accurate account of the current X-Men movies timeline. There’s just so much going on that tying it all together in a coherent, easy to understand package can be a daunting task. But more than that, Civil War also saw numerous beloved Marvel characters do an abrupt, unmotivated about-face into mustache-twirling evil, and make bad decisions that had to be written out of continuity with even worse decisions. Looking at you One More Day.
But for those looking for a quick and easy way to explain the whole Civil War kerfuffle will probably appreciate this new video from Noah Sterling, which breaks down what Civil War was in the comics about as well as one possibly could. Of course, those looking to get some inside info on the upcoming movie version may be disappointed, since Captain America: Civil War apparently only bears loose resemblance to the comics version. And I mean, thank God for that. Still, the video should come in extremely handy for giving some context to the upcoming blockbuster, so have a look for yourself below if you need to get caught up.