Captain America: Civil War Prelude

Captain America: Civil War Prelude is a 4-issue comic mini-series set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It is set before the events of Captain America: Civil War.

Part 1-2
When the Mandarin strikes at the United States with a series of deadly terror attacks, Iron Man must take action! But can Tony Stark handle the pressure when he has his own demons to face?

Part 3-4
Captain America encounters an assassin named the Winter Soldier, he joins forces with Black Widow and Falcon to uncover a deep seated conspiracy in their very midst! It's spy versus spy as the fate of the country hangs in the balance!

Part 1: 'Iron Man 3 Adaptation'
In Bern, during new year's eve of 1999-2000, Tony Stark is approached by Aldrich Killian to join A.I.M., a private think tank for Advanced Idea Mechanics. Stark promises to meet him on the roof later, but he actually follows Maya Hansen to her hotel room. Dr. Hansen shows Tony a project called Extremis, a formula which is capable of repairing damaged cells by recoding DNA. The formula is however glitched, causing to blow up the injected plant. Before leaving the hotel room, Stark writes a code improving the formula and almost repairing the glitch, leaving it on a note to find by a sleeping Dr. Hansen.

Closing in to Christmas in 2012, Tony is building the Mark XLII armor, while being awake for 72 hours. He then sees a news item about a terrorist attack in Kuwait organized by the Mandarin, leader of the terrorist organization the Ten Rings. He meets with James Rhodes at Neptune's Net, who explains why he got the new code name Iron Patriot and expresses his concerns about Tony. Due to the events of the Battle of New York, Stark gains a severe panic attack and runs out of the restaurant.

At Stark Industries, Pepper Potts meets with Killian, who wants her to invest in his organization but is turned down by Potts. Happy Hogan who became the new security guard of Stark Industries decides to follow Eric Savin, the right hand of Killian. Eventually ending up at a Chinese Theatre, where Savin seems to sell drugs to a junkie. Happy gets into a fight with Savin and damages him, but Savin his wound heals immediately. The fight is prematurely ended by an explosion coming from the junkie, sending Happy to the hospital. The explosion is later claimed by the Mandarin, followed by a angered Tony who challenges the Mandarin on live television and names his home adres.

Fearing Stark won't make it to the end of the night, Dr. Hansen goes to Tony Stark's Mansion, hoping to extract information for making the Extremis completely stable. While talking to Stark a missile fired by a helicopter explodes into the building, Tony manages to save Potts by sending her the Mark XLII armor. He orders Pepper to take Dr. Hansen outside the building, when both Potts and Hansen are safely outside, the Mark XLII flies back into the collapsing mansion.

Part 2: 'Iron Man 3 Adaptation'
Now wearing the Mark XLII armor, Iron Man falls into the sea together with his mansion. With Stark passed out in his armor, J.A.R.V.I.S. brings him to Rose Hill in Tennessee, a flightplan planned earlier based on Tony's investigation on the Mandarin his attacks. With the armor out of power it crashes into Rose Hill, waking up Stark who brings the armor to a nearby barn. With Rhodes login for national securtiy contracters, Tony is able to see some old video footage from A.I.M. involving the Extremis project. The video shows a human test subject who blows up because of the injection of the Extremis. Stark tracks the Mandarin to his location in Malibu and goes after him, thinking A.I.M. sold the Extremis technology to the Mandarin.

Using some homemade weapons, Stark is able to take out the security and finds Trevor Slattery, who reveals to be an actor playing the Mandarin and states that Killian is his boss. Savin is able to take Tony by surprise and locks him up in the basement. Dr. Hansen, who also works for Killian explains to Stark she just wants a fix for the Extremis, thinking Stark was able to stabilize it. Killian shows that Potts has been taken and injected by the Extremis. Now regretting her actions, Dr. Hansen threatens Killian and wants him to release Stark, but Killian simply shoots her and then leaves the basement. Meanwhile the Mark XLII has been recharging and is now commanded by Stark to fly back to him. With the armor, he is able to defeat the guards and finds Rhodes, who explains that his armor has been stolen after being ambushed by Savin.

While flying with Air Force One, the President gets taken by Savin using the Iron Patriot Armor. Savin puts President Matthew Ellis in the Patriot armor which is under control by A.I.M. and is send of the plane. Savin stays behind and detonades a bomb, letting the surviving passengers fall out of the plane. Iron Man, who boarded the plane just before the detonation, kills Savin and rescues the falling passengers. He then flies into a truck and falls into pieces, revealing it was an empty Mark XLII armor remotely controlled by Tony.

The President is held at an oil tanker, planned to be burned alive on live television while hopelessly hanging in the Patriot Armor. Killian hopes this way to trigger investments for his Extremis project. The boat is fully guarded with Extremis Soldiers and Potts is held prisoner as well. Tony uses the House Party Protocol, sending all his remaining Iron Man armors to engage the Extremis soldiers, while Rhodes secures the President. Released from her imprisonment during the battle, Potts is able to kill Killian. All the remaining Iron Man armors are then set to self destruct, using the Clean Slate Protocol as commanded by Tony Stark.

Afterwords Stark is able to reverse the effects of the Extremis in Potts her system and has had an operation for himself to remove the shrapnel at his heart, therefore no longer needing an Arc Reactor in his chest.

Part 3: 'Captain America: The Winter Soldier Adaptation'
In Washington, D.C. Sam Wilson is running a lap at the Washington monument, when he is rapidly passed by Steve Rogers. After running their laps they talk a bit until Natasha Romanoff comes to pick up Rogers.

Together with the STRIKE team led by Brock Rumlow, Captain America and Black Widow are send to the Lemurian Star a ship with a satellite launch platform, which has been taken by Georges Batroc and his men. The crew of the ship are being held as hostages, with Jasper Sitwell among them. The STRIKE team rescues the hostages while Captain America goes after Batroc. Meanwhile the Black Widow has a secretive mission of her own, extracting information from the ship's computer, but is caught by Captain America.

At S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters the Triskelion, Nick Fury shows Captain America the three Helicarriers of Project Insight. However Captain America disapproves the project and leaves. Fury tries to access the Lemurian Star's satellite launch file, which was extracted by the Black Widow, but is rejected by the software security on the authority of Fury himself. Concerned he then tries to stall Project Insight via Alexander Pierce.

When driving downtown, Fury gets attacked by the Winter Soldier and his car is blasted upside down, but Fury is able to escape using the Mouse Hole technology trough the roof of his car and the road. Captain America then finds Fury sitting in his living room, while talking, Fury gets shot by the Winter Soldier. Greatly wounded, Fury hands Captain America the satellite launch file on USB and tells him to trust no one. Secretly assigned as Captain America his neighbor, Agent 13 enters the room and takes care of Fury. Captain America then goes in pursuit of the Winter Soldier but loses him when his own shield is thrown against him.

Maria Hill, Captain America and the Black Widow are standing at Nick Fury his hospital bed who appears to be dead. When leaving the room, Captain America is ordered back to S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters. Before leaving he hides the USB in a vending machine. At the Triskelion he is questioned by Pierce about the reason why Fury was in his house but Captain America doesn't give him any information and leaves. Going down by the elevator, he is joined by Rumlow and the rest of the STRIKE team who try to restrain him. Captain America fights them and eventually jumps trough the elevator glass and gets away, having entire S.H.I.E.L.D. after him. Back at the vending machine he finds Black Widow with the USB stick, together they find out the USB is protected by some sort of AI, they trace the source and travel to Camp Lehigh the same location as where Rogers was trained. They find a hidden office with old servers, when they activate it, Arnim Zola appears on the screen.

Part 4: 'Captain America: The Winter Soldier Adaptation'
Zola explains he was recruited by S.H.I.E.L.D. and that his brain has been stored on databanks, he also explains that because of him, HYDRA grew within the organization, secretly feeding crisis to seed fear. He then tells he wrote an algorithm for Project Insight, but while talking he called in a missile to bomb his location. Captain America quickly takes the Black Widow and himself under his shield for cover and they survive the blast. They travel to Wilson his house for a save place to get some rest, they explain the situation and Wilson offers his help. Knowing Sitwell was on the Lemurian Star and thinking he is working with Pierce, the three of them go after Sitwell. After some encouragement Sitwell explains that Zola's algorithm is a program that reads people's past and evaluates who could be a threat to HYDRA, then with Insight is launched the helicarriers can take them out in a short time.

Captain America, Falcon and Black Widow take Sitwell with them, hoping to bypass the security and stop Project Insight. While driving on the highway they get attacked by the Winter Soldier and Sitwell is taken and thrown away for a bus. During a fight with Captain America, the Winter Soldier loses his mask and Captain America recognizes him as his best friend Bucky Barnes. After an explosion, the Winter Soldier leaves the battle and Captain America, Falcon and Black Widow gets taken in by STRIKE. During transport one of the guards takes the others out, and their rescuer reveals herself as Maria Hill. The four of them meet with Fury, who faked his death, and they start a plan to stop Project Insight. Meanwhile deep within the Ideal Federal Savings Bank, the Winter Soldier starts to remember his past, but Pierce orders the scientists to wipe Barnes his memories and start over.

At the Triskelion, Captain America reveals on the intercom that S.H.I.E.L.D. has been taken over by HYDRA, stating that Pierce, STRIKE and the Insight teams are all HYDRA. He also informs the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents of HYDRA's plan and asks the agents to stop them. Fury and Black Widow get to Pierce and leak the secrets of S.H.I.E.L.D. to the internet. The Falcon flies to the Alpha and Bravo helicarriers and manages to change the server chips. Meanwhile Captain America fights with the Winter Soldier and is only just on time to change the last chip on the Charlie helicarrier. On the Triskelion, Pierce is able to take out the World Security Council and Fury shoots Pierce in respond. Captain America orders Hill to fire and the three helicarriers start to shoot each other. While the helicarriers destroy each other, Captain America is able to bring some memories back to the Winter Soldier just before falling unconscious in the water. The Winter Soldier then saves him from drowning and leaves.

In the aftermath Rumlow is pulled out from the debris and brought to a hospital, Agent 13 joins the CIA, Hill is hired by Stark Industries and Fury goes after remaining HYDRA members. While Captain America, joined by Falcon, decides to go after the Winter Soldier.

Characters

 * Tony Stark/Iron Man
 * Maya Hansen
 * Happy Hogan
 * Aldrich Killian
 * Trevor Slattery
 * Matthew Ellis
 * James Rhodes
 * Pepper Potts
 * Eric Savin
 * Jack Taggart
 * Steve Rogers/Captain America
 * Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow
 * Sam Wilson/Falcon
 * Nick Fury
 * Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier
 * Jasper Sitwell
 * Brock Rumlow
 * Georges Batroc
 * Alexander Pierce
 * Sharon Carter
 * Arnim Zola

Locations

 * Bern, Switzerland
 * Malibu, California
 * Tony Stark's Mansion
 * Neptune's Net
 * Los Angeles, California
 * Stark Industries Headquarters
 * Cedar-Sinai Hospital
 * Rose Hill, Tennessee
 * Washington, D.C.
 * Triskelion
 * Ideal Federal Savings Bank
 * New Jersey
 * Camp Lehigh
 * Bethesda

Items

 * Arc Reactor
 * Iron Man Armor: Mark V
 * Iron Man Armor: Mark VI
 * Iron Man Armor: Mark VII
 * War Machine Armor: Mark II
 * Iron Man Armor: Mark XLII
 * Iron Man Mark XLII Telepresence Headset
 * Extremis
 * Captain America's Shield
 * Captain America's Uniform
 * Mouse Hole
 * Photostatic Veil
 * EXO-7 Falcon

Vehicles

 * Air Force One
 * Lemurian Star
 * Helicarrier
 * Quinjet

Organizations

 * A.I.M.
 * Stark Industries
 * S.H.I.E.L.D.
 * HYDRA
 * World Security Council

Events

 * Hijacking and Retaking of the Lemurian Star