Sokovia Accords

"The Sokovia Accords. Approved by 117 countries, it states that the Avengers shall no longer be a private organization. Instead, they'll operate under the supervision of a United Nations panel, only when and if that panel deems it necessary."

- Thaddeus Ross to the Avengers

The Sokovia Accords are a set of legal documents designed to regulate the activities of enhanced individuals, specifically those who work for either government agencies such as S.H.I.E.L.D. or for private organizations such as the Avengers.

Established by the United Nations and ratified by 117 nations, the accords serve as a "middle point" between the Avengers' desire to secure world peace and the international community's concern over the repercussions of the Avengers' actions.

Approaching the Avengers
"For the past four years, you've operated with unlimited power and no supervision. That's an arrangement the governments of the world can no longer tolerate."

- Thaddeus Ross to the Avengers

In 2016, a devastating terrorist attack in Lagos, Nigeria resulted in the deaths of twenty-six people, eleven of the victims being relief workers from the African nation of Wakanda. The attack, which was deemed a public relations disaster, prompted the international community to call on the United Nations to create a system of accountability.

One month after the attack, Thaddeus Ross, who had been recently appointed by President Matthew Ellis, approached the Avengers and stated that public opinion was increasingly divided, with many viewing them as heroes and others viewing them as vigilantes.

He presented archive footage from New York, Washington D.C., Sokovia and Lagos, all showing destruction and civilians fleeing for their lives to justify governmental oversight for the Avengers, telling them that they have to retire if they did not comply, before leaving to allow them to discuss it among themselves.

Impact on S.H.I.E.L.D.
"I'm here because the President sent me. The Sokovia Accords are the law of the land now and he's concerned you might have some undocumented "assets" working for you."

- Glenn Talbot to Phil Coulson

Since the end of the HYDRA Uprising the US intelligence agency S.H.I.E.L.D. officially didn't exist anymore. However, it continued to secretly operate as the black ops division of President Matthew Ellis's administration. When the Accords were ratified by the US Government, the President sent Brigadier General Glenn Talbot to speak with S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Director Phil Coulson about registering all of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s "undocumented enhanced assets", mainly the Inhuman operatives, because that was required by the Accords. Talbot and Coulson had a discussion about the rightfulness of the Accords themselves, compared to the Index of Superhumans once used by S.H.I.E.L.D. and eventually regretted. However, Talbot revealed to the President the location of the Playground. Under the leadership of a new director, Jeffrey Mace, S.H.I.E.L.D. accepted the Accords, therefore becoming legal again.

Questioning Effectivity
According to a newspaper clipping several months after the defeat of Hive, Quake's vigilantism made some people question the effectivity of the Accords in actual implementation of the measures.

The Watchdogs, with the help of Senator Ellen Nadeer, got the list from the Accords of several Inhumans around the world and their locations. They caused blackouts in major cities around the world, and one of the Watchdogs presented himself as an Inhuman to the world in order to incite anti-Inhuman bigotry, claiming that more blackouts would occur if the registration of Inhumans did not stop. Other Watchdogs members used the blackout in order to kill 17 registered Inhumans.

Regulations
"How does this registration thing work? You put us on a list then what?" "Well, we collect fingerprints, DNA samples. We run a power analysis to categorize your threat level which is also used to determine health risks." "Fine, I'll register, sign me up."

- Lincoln Campbell and Glenn Talbot

The currently known regulations established by the Sokovia Accords include: For the purposes of the Accords, an "enhanced individual" is defined as any person, human or otherwise, with superhuman capabilities. This includes individuals whose powers are an innate function of their biology as well as individuals who utilize highly advanced technology to grant themselves superhuman capabilities.
 * The Avengers will no longer be a private organization and will operate under the supervision of the United Nations.
 * Any enhanced individuals who agree to sign must register with the United Nations and provide biometric data such as fingerprints and DNA samples.
 * Those with innate powers must submit to a power analysis, which will categorize their threat level and determine potential health risks.
 * Any enhanced individuals who do not sign will not be allowed to participate in any national or international conflict nor may participate in missions undertaken by the Avengers, S.H.I.E.L.D., or any other intelligence organization.
 * Enhanced individuals, including members of the Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, will no longer have the authorization to cross international boundaries at any time they wish.
 * They must be given clearance by either a nation's government or the United Nations subcommittee before taking any action in that country, either on their own or as a part of an organization.
 * If an enhanced individual takes unauthorized action or obstructs the actions of those acting in accordance with the Accords, they will be arrested.
 * Enhanced individuals who break the law, violate the Accords or are otherwise deemed to be a threat to the general public may be detained indefinitely without trial.
 * All enhanced individuals with innate powers who agree to sign the Accords must wear tracking bracelets at all times.
 * The creation of any and all artificial intelligence is strictly prohibited.

However, individuals with advanced prostheses do not seem to be considered "enhanced", even if their prostheses give them capabilities beyond those of ordinary humans.

All non-enhanced individuals are subject to the same conditions as enhanced individuals, with Black Widow being required to sign so she could continue serving on the Avengers and Hawkeye being incarcerated after violating the Accords.

Key Players
Ratifying Nations
 * Austria
 * France
 * Germany
 * Italy
 * Russia
 * Sokovia
 * United Kingdom
 * United States of America
 * Wakanda
 * People's Republic of China
 * 108 other nations

Supporters
 * International Community
 * Matthew Ellis, President of the United States of America
 * Thaddeus Ross, United States Secretary of State
 * T'Chaka †, former king of Wakanda
 * Brigadier General Glenn Talbot, head of the ATCU
 * Everett Ross, commander of the Joint Counter Terrorist Centre
 * Phil Coulson, former Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.
 * Jeffrey Mace †, Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.
 * Ellen Nadeer †, United States Senator
 * Known enhanced individuals who signed
 * Tony Stark (Iron Man), ex-Avenger
 * Vision, ex-Avenger
 * James Rhodes (War Machine), ex-Avenger
 * Natasha Romanoff (Black Widow), ex-Avenger (currently a fugitive after aiding in the escape of Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes)
 * Inhumans
 * Elena Rodriguez (Yo-yo), S.H.I.E.L.D. agent and former member of the Secret Warriors
 * JT James (Hellfire) (currently in S.H.I.E.L.D. custody after being revealed as a member of the Watchdogs terrorist group)
 * At least 17 other Inhumans
 * Other
 * T'Chaka †, former king of Wakanda (killed during Avengers ratification)
 * T'Challa (Black Panther), king of Wakanda
 * Lincoln Campbell †, Inhuman, S.H.I.E.L.D. agent and former member of the Secret Warriors (planned to sign the Accords, but died before he could)
 * Daisy Johnson (Quake), Inhuman, S.H.I.E.L.D. agent and former leader of the Secret Warriors (previously violated the Accords, pardoned after re-joining S.H.I.E.L.D.)

Opponents
 * Supporters of Captain America
 * Steve Rogers (Captain America), former leader of the Avengers
 * Sam Wilson (Falcon), ex-Avenger
 * James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes (Winter Soldier) (currently in cryostasis)
 * Wanda Maximoff (Scarlet Witch), ex-Avenger
 * Clint Barton (Hawkeye), ex-Avenger
 * Scott Lang (Ant-Man)
 * Sharon Carter, CIA agent and ex-S.H.I.E.L.D. agent (secretly worked with Steve Rogers)
 * Aida, Life-Model Decoy, an android personally designed by Holden Radcliffe. According to Mace, her existence violates the Accords, given Ultron's history.

Trivia

 * The Sokovia Accords are a version of the Superhuman Registration Act from the  comic series. The Act is a piece of legislation that required all enhanced individuals to reveal their secret identities and disclose their powers for regulation.
 * The newspaper clipping regarding Quake and her vigilante activities erroneously refers to the accords as the "Sokovian Accords".