4TEAM IRON MAN: HYPOCRITES AND ACCOMPLICES
By: Colm Glover
On everyone's minds is the recent Sokovia Accords and the brutal controversy that came up and divided the Avengers and even the world. Iron Man (Tony Stark), War Machine (James Rhodes), Black Widow (Natasha Romanoff) and the Vision were among those Avengers who signed the Accords. Captain America (Steve Rogers), Falcon (Sam Wilson), Scarlet Witch (Wanda Maximoff), Hawkeye (Clint Barton), Winter Soldier (James Barnes) and Ant-Man (Scott Lang) were among those who did not sign the Sokovia Accords due to a disagreement. The signers of the Accords went to apprehend the team of former Avengers who violated the newly-made rules.
The facts stated above are completely indisputable no matter which side of the conflict you supported. However, there were a few facts that the public and the authorities have overlooked. Iron Man's team consisted of two other individuals that were not mentioned above: Black Panther and Spider-Man.
The Black Panther is a mantle passed down through the Wakanda Royal Line, with the current holder being the newly-crowned King T'Challa. Both he and his recently deceased father, King T'Chaka, fully supported the Sokovia Accords along with their entire nation. Or so it appeared.
King T'Challa joined Iron Man's team and was able to "keep up". He fought and held his own against the former Avengers who violated the Sokovia Accords. Although it hasn't ever been stated outright, this evidence proves that the Black Panther can indeed be considered an "enhanced individual". This means that he possesses superhuman capabilities, either through his own biology or through highly advanced technology. And yet, no one has seen King T'Challa sign the Accords.
According to the Sokovia Accords, "Any enhanced individuals who do not sign will not be permitted to take part in any police, military, or espionage activities, or to participate in any national or international conflict, even in their own country. Neither will they be allowed to participate in any active missions taken by any law enforcement/military/intelligence organizations (i.e. S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Avengers)."
The Black Panther participated in the Avengers' mission to apprehend the former Avengers even though he himself did not sign the Sokovia Accords. This is a violation of said Accords, even though he and his nation appeared to fully support them at the official signing. While he is the king of Wakanda and therefore must participate in his own country's government, Wakanda is one of the countries that support the Sokovia Accords and is part of the United Nations, so the fact that he has violated the Accords is indisputable. He is the head of a state, and therefore a grey area, meaning that the Sokovia Accords do still need some refining.
What isn't a grey area is the second individual that was mentioned. Spider-Man. He also displays superhuman capabilities and was recruited by Iron Man himself to help capture the renegade Avengers. We can therefore reasonably assume that Spider-Man is also an "enhanced individual". He, too, has never signed the Sokovia Accords and yet he participated in an Avengers' mission – even personally recruited by someone who had signed the Sokovia Accords. In the case of Iron Man, this technicality proves that the Accords still need some refining. As for Spider-Man, he can be considered a renegade "Avenger" himself – not only has he not signed the Accords and participated in an Avengers' mission, but he also engages in vigilante activities in New York daily. As a violator of the Accords, Spider-Man can reasonably be considered an international criminal and must be brought in immediately to either sign and comply with the Sokovia Accords (including revealing his identity to the United Nations and providing fingerprint/DNA samples and wearing a tracking bracelet at all times) or be imprisoned with the very renegade Avengers that he helped to capture.