You have to love it when a friend tells you a potential theory behind Civil War, and it actually makes sense. Over at Your Mom’s Basement, the indubitable Ash Aiwase explains it all:
Miriam Sharpe is Loki.
The easiest thing to point to is the t-shirt solicitation in Previews that Rich Johnston picked up a few weeks ago in Lying in the Gutters (see: “The Invisible Creature”).
This t-shirt is visible in Previews and showcases a recolored version of this cover where the background is red and those diagonal slashes (look at the big version) are a lot clearer and look an awful lot like someone’s horned helmet.
This is a stretch, yes, but Sherlock Holmes can work off of induction and so can I.
So let’s delve into the text, shall we?
We first see Miriam Sharpe in Civil War 1 where she plays an inversion of the Cindy Sheehan role at the funeral for the Stamford dead (60 of which were kids). She spits in Iron Man’s face and blames him for the death of her son Damien regardless of the fact that Iron Man had nothing to do with the Stamfield event. Millar loves his Antichrist stories, right? That name isn’t incidental.
Next time we see her, it’s in Civil War 2, where’s she’s rallied forces and become an advocate of the Pro-Registration Movement. She’s there at the press conference where Spider Man, acting as Stark’s protege, unmasks to the public.
After that, she’s in Civil War 4 at Goliath’s funeral. Stark is having doubts as to the righteousness of his crusade, and Sharpe gives Stark an Iron Man toy that her son Damien used to treasure. This act reaffirms his resolve even though his misguided actions (the cloning of Thor!) resulted in the death of a member of the superhero community.
And today (or next week)? In Civil War 6? (What’s up with the apparent appearance of the Scarlet Witch on pages 13, 14, and 16? That, I believe, is a “red” herring) Read the dialogue with Sharpe on page 17:
“I really want to thank you for all of this. Not just the money, I mean, all the work you’ve done to push my big idea.”
Who better than Loki, in human guise, to trick earth’s mightiest heroes into fighting amongst themselves? Before Civil War, the Registration Act was seen as something already being debated among politicians - certainly, the Act wasn’t her idea.
Tony Stark, however, has a history of being manipulated by outside forces - alcohol, Justin Hammer, Obediah Stane, Immortus…
Who’s idea was it to use earth’s mightiest villains to track down earth’s mightiest heroes?
It makes too much sense. Loki’s the one pulling the strings behind Civil War.
I have to admit, if this isn’t the conclusion of Civil War, then it probably should be…
January 5th, 2007 at 10:20 am
Sounds good, but then that would make “Civil War” actually “Acts of Vendeance 2″.
January 5th, 2007 at 10:23 am
No, it would make it Ultimates 2.1
January 5th, 2007 at 10:41 am
I’d much rather see Peter Parker wake up and turn to Mary Jane (who’s getting out of the shower, thus making it a MAX title, though…) and say: “Damn, that was one hell of a dream I just had. I mean Jarvis even tried to hook up with Aunt May! How whacked is that?” Failing that, sure Loki it is.
January 5th, 2007 at 10:42 am
It’d make it a giant cop out.
Of course at this point, the characters are written so horribly that you need that.
January 5th, 2007 at 10:43 am
Millar has stated it’s not Loki.
January 5th, 2007 at 10:58 am
Yeah, Rich, but I think at this point even you realize Millar is a pathological liar.
January 5th, 2007 at 11:07 am
it does make sense not sure if i like it though. the scarlet witch like person is the firebird chick from beyond i believe.
January 5th, 2007 at 11:09 am
If it is Loki… jeez. Recycling Ultimates ideas is just sad.
January 5th, 2007 at 11:16 am
The villain of Civil War is a fine point permanent marker manufactured by Sanford. Miriam Sharpe is clearly an anagram for “I am Mr. Sharpie”.
January 5th, 2007 at 11:18 am
…and the “Acts of Vengeance” masterminds were the un-illuminati. I mean, they ALMOST match up…
Doom = Reed
Magneto = Xavier
Mandarin = Iron Man
How Kingpin, the Red Skull and the Wizard match up with Black Bolt, Dr. Strange, and Namor is over my head, though.
January 5th, 2007 at 11:23 am
Millar’s always stated that it’s Iron Man and Cap making the decisions that tear the superhero community apart, and he’s right - it’s not Sharpe making these decisions, it’s Iron Man.
She’s just there to provide him a nudge and some contact anytime he has a moment of doubt.
Conveniently.
Like a Trickster God handing you just enough rope to hang yourself.
January 5th, 2007 at 11:43 am
The only thing keeping me from buying in on this is the concept that Millar has some shame. I just can’t imagine he’s going to trot Loki again, after hinging Ultimates 2 on the Trickster God. Or that everyone at Marvel would sign off …
Then again, there needs to be something supernormal going on to explain all these horrible characterizations, right?
All I know is there’s one issue left, and Millar’s got a lot a ’splainin’ to do …
January 5th, 2007 at 12:03 pm
A good friend of mine has seen the script for issue 7 and there isn’t any mention of Loki at all. As for how this whole mess clears itself up, look to the end of Watchmen, but replace ‘fake alien’ with ‘rampaging hulk and his army from space.’
January 5th, 2007 at 12:13 pm
Weren’t they just babbling about how Mephisto was going to be the villain to watch in 07
January 5th, 2007 at 12:24 pm
“How Kingpin, the Red Skull and the Wizard match up with Black Bolt, Dr. Strange, and Namor is over my head, though.”
Easy, Dr. Strange is a Wizard and Red Skull and Namor are both WWII vets.
As for Black Bolt and Kingpin, er… Well… They are both married… And… Oh, forget it!
Anyway, could be the Hate Monger (or any of a thousand super-villians) instead of Loki. I hope it is…
Best,
Hunter (Pedro Bouça)
January 5th, 2007 at 12:29 pm
If Civil War does end with “rampaging hulk and his army from space”, it will go down in my book as one of the worst crossovers ever. You can’t end a crossover by starting another one just because you can’t figure out how to end it.
January 5th, 2007 at 1:15 pm
Maybe it’s “Cloki”, the secret CLONE of Loki?
January 5th, 2007 at 1:18 pm
This is a Legends rip-off, it’s not Loki. The woman is clearly manipulating people (just as Godfrey did in Legends), but it’s someone else pulling the strings.
In Legends it was Darkseid, so this is probably Mephisto.
January 5th, 2007 at 1:46 pm
“You can’t end a crossover by starting another one just because you can’t figure out how to end it.”
Since DC has been doing that for the past two years, I disagree.
January 5th, 2007 at 1:47 pm
This does not mean I approve of such tactics, however. What it does mean is that the readers as a whole seem willing to tolerate it.
January 5th, 2007 at 2:00 pm
“As for Black Bolt and Kingpin, er… Well… They are both married… And… Oh, forget it!”
Black Bolt is King of the Inhumans.
Kingpin is…. well, KINGpin.
January 5th, 2007 at 2:14 pm
Mordo would have been a better match for Strange. Maybe he and Loki were feding that week.
Maybe I’ve just got it backwards. Doom’s also a mystic, so Doom = Strange and Wizard = Reed.
January 5th, 2007 at 2:18 pm
“the scarlet witch like person is the firebird chick from beyond i believe.”
I figured it was a lookalike from some book I wasn’t reading, but they even stick her right next to the Vision in one panel.
Red herring. Or Easter egg. Something like that.
January 5th, 2007 at 2:24 pm
Someone said something manipulative, and since Loki is the only person in the universe would ever do that, it must be him!
January 5th, 2007 at 2:32 pm
To believe it is Loki would mean that you beleive that Millar had an actually plotted story for the entire arc - instead of just making this crap up as he goes along.
January 5th, 2007 at 2:32 pm
Yeah, but don’t forget - it was Joss Whedon who came up with the ending and tied it all together.
January 5th, 2007 at 2:35 pm
Why does it have to be Loki? A middle aged Mom can’t contrive the means to getting what she wants from a bunch of superheroes? I’m thinking the final book will be about how Tony and Reed convince Cap he’s on the wrong side.
January 5th, 2007 at 2:53 pm
but dont froget that they had 4 differnt possible endings!
Story arcs that can edn so many differnt ways mean piss poor writing…too many loose thread, dropped plot lines, extraneous parts, etc. Joe said it himslef “We managed to put together a bunch of the best solutions…” http://www.newsarama.com/JoeFridays/JoeFridays33.html
It is a cobble job. And that never works
January 5th, 2007 at 2:54 pm
“Maybe it’s “Cloki”, the secret CLONE of Loki? ”
Art Clokey?
January 5th, 2007 at 3:07 pm
“Gumby is DEAD.”
“It’s time for CLAYMORE.”
January 5th, 2007 at 3:49 pm
I was really hoping that Coyle would bring out the Millar loyalists with the “pathological liar” line.
January 5th, 2007 at 4:01 pm
It’s not Loki, it’s Mephisto people.
Mephisto is Marvel’s devil.
The girl’s t-stirt features horns. The devil has horns.
The kid’s name was Damion, the son of the devil.
Millar, as it was pointed out, likes anti-christ stories.
I want credit for this, cause I’m the only one that figured this out months ago. I told you then it was a rip-off of Legends and it’ll turn out I was right.
And, sorry Dan, but Infinite Crisis had an actual ending.
January 5th, 2007 at 4:07 pm
So did House of M. Starting another crossover immediately after the current one ends is one thing, using the current crossover to lauch the next one something entirely different…
January 5th, 2007 at 4:15 pm
Yeah, the Mephisto thing’s looking pretty solid now.
I thought the whole point of this story was that it was the first big Marvel or DC superhero epic where there wasn’t a bad guy behind the scenes, where it was just people reacting to the situation in human ways and extreme good and evil not factoring in.
Nothing says that like THE DEVIL.
January 5th, 2007 at 4:33 pm
I thought it was a foregone conclusion when issue one dropped and Thor’s hammer was playing such a big role in the build up, that Loki would somehow be involved.
There’s going to be some kinda Deus Ex Machina at the end. Otherwise, why the occasional focus on Strange and The Watcher?
January 5th, 2007 at 4:39 pm
Also, Iron Man’s prison “42″ could be connected to Mephisto.
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/42_(number)
The number of months the Beast will hold dominion over the Earth (Revelation 13:5).
Just a thought.
January 5th, 2007 at 6:14 pm
“I was really hoping that Coyle would bring out the Millar loyalists with the “pathological liar” line.”
No, but Horenstein’s “Dan’s criticizing DC” signal watch was in perfect working order.
And OMAC Project swiped from Legends first, albeit only one plot point.
January 5th, 2007 at 8:37 pm
Tsk, tsk, tsk Dan. Don’t get upset with me because I notice you’re Zombie hotline.
“Yes comissioner? Someone is saying something negative about Marvel and Civil War? I’ll immediately start slamming DC. Bucky, to the Excelsior mobile.”
January 5th, 2007 at 8:54 pm
Matt D,
To be fair, the entire concept was devoid of reality. Even if Captain America defeats Iron-Man and Shield, that doesn’t alter laws in the United States. The President amd Congress aren’t going to change their minds because of it.
Now if the Devil is influencing the government and Captain America defeats him, then at least their would be a plausible reason for the law to change.
At this point, I’m just waiting to see what type of excuse will be used once Marvel pushes the big reboot button.
January 5th, 2007 at 9:50 pm
Let’s all make sure David Horenstein gets his proper credit for first guessing the Mephisto ending for Civil War. Hate not to do that. Tell you what I’ll go you one better than credit, I’ll pay for a full “cobble job” for you at the local asian massage emporium. But that’s not all, I’ll hereafter refer to any plot twist featuring Mephisto as David Horenstein’s Patented Mephisto Cobble Job Finale.
Is this sufficient credit yet? Okay how about I throw in free shipping and a free stick-up-yer-ass remover. Could come in handy, no?
And I want credit for guessing the ending to Marvel Wizard of OZ treasury edition special.
January 5th, 2007 at 10:02 pm
The Devil/Loki manipulating American Law makes this like the 400th time some super villian has undermined the United States Gov’t.
Secretary Rusk turned out to be Red Skull. Bastion was secretly Nimrod. And there was a Skrull running for President just after Heroes Reborn…
In the Marvel U. that kind of all happened one after the other too.
January 5th, 2007 at 10:16 pm
Er, Civil War #5-6 were pretty weaksauce, David. I liked Front Line #10.
January 5th, 2007 at 11:37 pm
Del gorky,
I’ll keep this brief, cause I’m pretty much fed up with this zombie nonsense.
You need to learn when people aren’t being serious, are just being playful, and stop being a complete a-hole and taking everything so seriously.
Obviously, I don’t expect anything. It wasn’t something to be taken seriously.
But, that really wasn’t the point. I said something negative about Marvel. They’re a pretty big corporation, yet somehow their feelings get hurt very easily.
BTW, Joe Q. kills kittens and uses their blood for ink in Civil War.
January 6th, 2007 at 12:32 am
This past issue of the Illuminati #1 (the mini-series), makes me think that Iron Man et al on the side of registration are Skrulls.
January 6th, 2007 at 12:53 am
Sigh. And again, why does it have to be a super-villain? WHY?! The only way a super-villain being behind it all would be cool is if the pro side wins and it’s a last page revelation for the future of Marvel. That’s the ONLY way it could possibly be cool. The reality is that there’s only one possible way to end this crapshoot that makes any logical sense whatsoever and that ain’t with Cap’s side winning. We’ve been walking around assuming it would be a super-villain or something else which would solve the problem and everything would be fine. Yet we’re ignoring everything Marvel has shown us. We’re in denial. Dan Slott’s new mini is supposed to be DARK. It’s called the INITIATIVE. The Thunderbolts are an all-star team of villains for hunting heroes. Spider-Man is going black. The winning side of this is pretty clear folks. We just don’t want to face the fact that Marvel has chosen to throw their line in the toilet. You’re looking for Loki or Mephisto? Maybe they’re there. Maybe they’re influencing Captain America. Who knows? Just don’t pretend like things are going back to the status quo come March. They won’t be alright. Not until something green comes back to take care of business.
January 6th, 2007 at 12:31 pm
It’s already Acts of Vengeance 2, and like most sequels, it’s not as good as the original (not the least of which is the fact that people like Reed Richards who were vehemently opposed to the registration act in AoV are supporting it now). I’ve been saying that Miriam Sharpe was behind the whole thing since the first funeral. If she’s not and there’s no mind control involved, then this story has no idea where it should be going.
She might be Loki, and that’d make a lot of sense. I kind of hope she’s actually Modok, though. For ridiculousness’s sake.
January 6th, 2007 at 2:23 pm
Wait…there is no reboot button coming up…I mean, so many upcoming titles hindge on this being for realz….or am i being naive?
January 6th, 2007 at 5:13 pm
I think HATE MONGER infiltrated the US Government at one point.
January 7th, 2007 at 2:40 pm
I don’t know, having the analog for a 9/11 widow be the Devil in human form?. Millar’s writing this, not Ann Coulter.
January 7th, 2007 at 9:46 pm
If you, David Horenstein, had really done any reading on this blog or newsarama, you would know I’m anything but a Marvel Zombie. An a-hole, yes, guilty as charged. But don’t act like I’m the one who takes this all too seriously. I believe that would be the blog poster demanding credit for being first to “figure out” the ending to a crossover event. Or repeatedly posting to respond to any mention of his name or actually discussing what the US govt. would do in response to blah blah blah.
Clearly I’m the one playing around or did you take the free shipping and stick-up-yer-ass remover offer seriously? Or are you just angry because you don’t like receiving the old “cobble job”? Maybe “happy ending” is more your style?
January 7th, 2007 at 11:33 pm
You guys just need to stop fighting amongst yourselves. That’s what Mephisto WANTS. Also, I hate to mention this because I maintain my “no supervillain” stance, but I was just reading the latest trade of Fantastic Four from the Marvel Knights run and it had the newly resurrected Nicholas Scratch being recruited by Mephisto who told him “the drums of battle are sounding”. Now that was probably leading into a future storyline from Aguirre-Sacasa but you never know…
January 8th, 2007 at 9:54 am
If it is Mephisto sad that the sorry state Dr. Strange has been in that he could dtect his presence. But then again he didnt realize that Wanda had been abusing the magics or completely forgot about Chaos magic though he used it multiple times himself (he feared the dark path it use would lead him down)
It think it is Mephisto because that would be a big enough plot hole for typical marvel fare.