Marvel’s Captain America may be a popular and patriotic paragon of purity and perseverance, but he’s quite capable of making some awful decisions, especially during the controversial Civil War event. Steve Rogers’ methods during the conflict were quite unpopular with some Marvel fans, so much so that the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Captain America: Civil War drastically changed the entire narrative. But in regards to comics, one can look to Luke Cage to see exactly how a superhero should react in times of crisis.
In the wake of a superhero battle culminating in the destruction of a school (and the tragic deaths of hundreds of children), the Superhuman Registration Act is passed in the United States, imposing strict restrictions on all superpowered individuals. Not all superheroes agree with these laws, and thus begins Marvel’s Civil War event, in which heroes fight one another, villains are tasked with apprehending lawbreakers, and the entire metahuman community is thrown into chaos. Both Luke Cage and Captain America have very different reactions to the legislation.
Captain America rather infamously is confronted by several SHIELD agents (led by Maria Hill), and eventually battles the group, officially going on the run underground. Luke Cage opposes the Superhuman Registration Act just as much as Steve Rogers, but he protests in a markedly different way. “I’m going to go inside and sit in my home,” he says to a crowd. He has no plans to accost or attack anyone – he only wants to be left alone. “We’re supposed to be allowed to do that, right?”
Luke Cage wants to prove that the law is demonstrably unjust, and he gets his wish. Just outside his home, a squad of officers (dubbed “capekillers”) wait patiently with weapons in hand, waiting for the exact moment when the law goes into effect. As soon as it does, a fight begins…but true to his word, Luke Cage does not attack until he is attacked first. Captain America later comes to Cage’s rescue, but while the multiple SHIELD agents were somewhat justified in attacking Steve Rogers, Luke Cage deserved to have peace in his own home – he didn’t even want to use his powers at all – and was denied even that basic right.
Luke Cage knew from the very first exactly why the SRA was illegal and immoral. This is perhaps the controversy regarding Civil War: the SRA is demonstrably unconstitutional, yet plenty of heroes champion its existence anyway. Captain America fought tooth and nail, but sometimes, the best way to fight is not to fight; Luke Cage showed the entire Superhuman Registration Act was wrong simply by sitting in his chair.
