Sokovia Accords

"You operated with unlimited power and no supervision; that's something the world can no longer tolerate."

- 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 of Great Britain, Austria, Germany, Russia, Italy, France, Northern Ireland and the United States of America.

Battle of Sokovia
The Ultron Offensive 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"
Since 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.

Others blamed the Avengers for their personal losses in the Chitauri Invasion 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.

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

- Captain America to Iron Man

Five years after the hunt for the Hulk, Thaddeus Ross was serving as the U.S Secretary of State. After the events in Sokovia, as the nations of the world sought to impose greater accountability on super-heroes including the Avengers, Ross approached Captain America to present him with a copy of the Sokovia Accords explaining that there is a disagreement between whether the Avengers should be considered heroes or vigilantes and that the "unlimited" power with which they have operated could no longer be tolerated.