This one-shot is a direct link to the linewide Civil War event. It digs deeper into the origins of the Illuminati group, which we learn was formed by Iron Man, and tells the story via flashbacks.

He gathered them together to unite against common threats, and did so a long time ago–in the wake of the Kree-Skrull War.

We then get the full story of Hulk’s exile and proceed up to the Superhuman Registration Act. Reed and Tony want to encourage the super-communities to comply, while the rest of the group strongly disagrees. They quit the Illuminati in protest.

And so here we are, ready to start the Civil War event.