It has been a fine year already for Marvel universe anniversaries. For example, 2026 marks the 25th anniversary of Alias, and Marvel is honoring it with a return to the series via Alias: Red Band, a five-issue miniseries, in March. Now, another five-issue limited series has been announced, and it could have some thrilling revelations to make regarding one of Marvel’s most divisive in-universe events, one that literally forced characters to take a firm political stance and duke it out with those on the opposing side: Civil War.
This May, Civil War: Unmasked is set to be a follow-up to the original Civil War event’s 20th anniversary. A lot has happened in the Marvel universe since Civil War, to be fair, but this should be an entertaining glimpse at some secrets or insights that were not gleaned the first time around, and it’ll be neat to see if Civil War: Unmasked will satisfyingly come full circle.
Civil War is Being Revisited
Civil War: Unmasked comes from writer Christos Gage and artist Edgar Salazar. The intriguing part of where it sits in the event’s timeline, though, is that it takes place before, during, and after.
This should allow for some exciting perspectives and result in climactic fallouts when all is said and done. In particular, it could create ripple effects that retcon or deviate from the lore fans know, or perhaps simply provide a deeper, more meaningful assessment of why certain characters chose the side they did, and how that decision affected them thereafter.
Will Civil War: Unmasked Rewrite Lore?
As described by Marvel, “each issue of CIVIL WAR: UNMASKED spotlights unseen stories of some of the era’s key players: Iron Man, Spider-Man, Goliath, Tigra, and Captain America.” These characters alone are fantastic choices, even if some of them were already featured quite prominently in the original series, and it will be fun to see how Civil War: Unmasked extrapolates on the Civil War lore that has already been established.
Moreover, Civil War: Unmasked has the potential to weave some paramount Marvel discoveries or reveals into its narrative fabric, and it’s even teased that “the sagas will be packed with twists and surprises, including ones that will impact present-day storytelling.”
It begins with an urgent mission from Bishop that takes Tony Stark into the DAYS OF FUTURE PAST timeline, where the revelation of the apocalyptic future changes everything Tony thought he knew about the consequences of the Superhuman Registration Act.
Civil War: Unmasked #1 is scheduled to be released on May 6, 2026.
