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 internationally ratified legal documents that provide regulation and frame-working for the military/law enforcement deployment of enhanced individuals, particularly the Avengers. The document was established by the United Nations and ratified by the governments of 117 states, notably the United Kingdom, Austria, Germany, Russia, Italy, France, Sokovia, Wakanda, and the United States of America.

Thaddeus Ross describes the Accords as a "middle point" between the Avengers' desire to secure world peace and the world governments' concerns over the destructive repercussions of their interference.

Battle of Sokovia
The Battle of Sokovia was a major battle between the Avengers and Ultron with his sentries in Sokovia. Believing humans themselves were the greatest threat to Earth, Ultron planned to commit global genocide against them by using a machine able to lift a large part of Novi Grad skyward and crash it into the ground, causing global extinction in a way that a meteor could. However, the actions of the Avengers neutralized the threat of Ultron before he could succeed in his plan. This battle ended the Ultron Offensive.

Disdain Against the "Gifted"
Before the Ultron Offensive, at least one Senator held the Avengers responsible for the destruction in the Chitauri Invasion.

Some blamed the Avengers for their personal losses during that battle, as it was revealed when Audrey Eastman plotted an assassination attempt on Jessica Jones with her husband as her reluctant partner from years of planning after Audrey's mother was killed during the invasion. After seeing the Avengers credited as heroes on the news, she grew a deep hatred towards "gifted people" and vowed revenge if she ever crossed one. Jones herself often used the fear of "gifted people" to her advantage when she needed an extra push for a case.

After the Ultron Offensive, public perception for not only the Avengers, but for all people with superpowers, had worsened. Many citizens seem scared, angry at people with powers and even going as far as threatening to expose them and often refer to them as freaks. The Inhuman Outbreak only fuelled this bigotry, as newly-emerged Inhumans often had little control over the powers they had just been granted, resulting in several instances of a panicking Inhuman accidentally wreaking havoc and destroying portions of their city. After Lash's attack, President Ellis publicly announced the Advanced Threat Containment Unit to handle incidents involving these Inhumans.

A paramilitary group calling themselves "Watchdogs" developed and targeted Inhumans and facilities dedicated to helping them, escalating their internet rhetoric to full-fledged action. One team of Watchdogs destroyed an Advanced Threat Containment Unit facility and killed all personnel inside with a Nitramene bomb. Despite there being no Inhuman Avengers, Watchdog Alpha justified this atrocity using the Battle of Sokovia and specifically named the Avengers.

Lagos Catastrophe
During an operation in Lagos, the Avengers were unable to prevent fighting with mercenaries led by Crossbones from spilling out into the streets. No civilians were injured while Avengers fought the mercenaries, but Crossbones activated a suicide bomb, intending to kill Captain America, which would have resulted in collateral damage. Scarlet Witch was able to contain the blast and move it away from the ground, but she inadvertently moved it too close to a building containing a number of Wakandan relief workers, resulting in the deaths of dozens of innocent people.

Approaching Captain America
"If we sign this, we surrender the right to choose."

- Captain America to Iron Man

After the events in Sokovia and Lagos, the international community demanded greater accountability and oversight for the Avengers due to the collateral damage resulting in civilian deaths and heavy financial costs during their operations. Thaddeus Ross, now serving as U.S. Secretary of State, approached Captain America to present him with the Sokovia Accords, explaining that there is a disagreement between whether the Avengers should be considered heroes or vigilantes.

He considered them dangers, viewing them as a group of U.S.-based superhumans conducting global operations unilaterally without any government oversight, and explained that the "unlimited" power with which they have operated could no longer be tolerated by the international community. 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 didn't 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.

Aftermath
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.

Regulations
The currently known regulations established by the Sokovia Accords include:
 * The Avengers will no longer be a private organization, and will now be operating under the supervision of the United Nations.
 * The Avengers and any other enhanced individual will no longer have authorization to cross international boundaries at any time they wish.
 * Superheroes must be given clearance by a goverment before taking action.
 * If any enhanced individual takes action unauthorized or not sign the accords, they will be arrested.

Key Players
Supporters
 * Team Iron Man
 * Tony Stark (Iron Man), Avenger
 * Vision, Avenger
 * James Rhodes (War Machine), Avenger
 * Natasha Romanoff (Black Widow), Avenger
 * T'Challa (Black Panther), King of Wakanda
 * Peter Parker (Spider-Man)

Opponents
 * Team Captain America
 * Steve Rogers (Captain America), leader of the Avenger
 * Sam Wilson (Falcon), Avenger
 * Bucky Barnes (Winter Soldier)
 * Wanda Maximoff (Scarlet Witch), Avenger
 * Clint Barton (Hawkeye), ex-Avenger
 * Scott Lang (Ant-Man)
 * Sharon Carter, CIA agent, ex-S.H.I.E.L.D. agent
 * S.H.I.E.L.D.
 * Phil Coulson, director of S.H.I.E.L.D.
 * Daisy Johnson (Skye), Inhuman agent and leader of the Secret Warriors

Trivia

 * The Sokovia Accords are a version of the Superhuman Registration Act, an United States law that required all superhumans to reveal their secret identities and disclose their powers for regulation.