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In Civil War II opposing factions of superheroes lead by Captain Marvel and Iron Man battle in an allegory about determinism versus free will.

Iron Man will again be front and center — but this time, his main opposition will come from Carol Danvers, aka Captain Marvel.

“There’s a reason that Carol is a part of the opposition forces. It not only speaks to her character, but her new role in the Marvel universe,” Alonso said of one of Marvel’s most popular female characters. “She’s the leader of Alpha Flight, which is Earth’s first line of defense from all incursions. As of today, she is a very powerful authoritative figure in the Marvel universe.”

While aligning the release of Civil War II with the forthcoming Captain America movie is intentional, Alonso said, he knows that new readers will dive into a Marvel universe that doesn’t mirror the movies, given recent changes to the mantles of some of Marvel’s top heroes.

“The way we look at it, we’re telling a movie that may come out in 10, 15 or 20 years. We’re telling the best stories we can,” Alonso said. “We’ve got an unlimited special-effects budget. We have tons of latitude creatively to bend, break and have fun and get people talking at the comic-book stores and beyond. We don’t feel that pressure (to match the movies). We’re just having fun telling great stories.”

Part of the new Marvel comic-book universe is a world that strives for diversity, including a black Captain America, a female Thor and a Hulk who is Asian. That, however, hasn’t come without controversy. Marvel has been criticized in media and social media for the lack of creative diversity behind its recent popular hip-hop covers. Alonso has heard the criticism and said that even before such complaints went viral, Marvel was working to diversify both the content within its pages and its roster of creative talent.

Alonso emphasized that Marvel’s core titles, such as Iron Man and The Amazing Spider-Man, have never been stronger, and that he is excited for the new influx of talent entering Marvel’s doors.

“It’s not every day you get a National Book Award-winning writer as energized as you do in Ta-Nehisi Coates,” Alonso said. Black Panther “is going to be a game-changing book, as T’Challa prepares to become a household (name). We’re going to have an amazing comic book on the stands by an incredibly talented and passionate writer.”