This article contains spoilers for Ms. Marvel episode 4.

Captain America: Civil War unleashed the Sokovia Accords upon the MCU - and Ms. Marvel episode 4 subtly reveals they're still in force. At first the world welcomed the Avengers as Earth's Mightiest Heroes. As the years passed, however, the damage associated with superhero adventures began to increase - as did the body count. Avengers: Age of Ultron was a catastrophe, with a rampaging Hulk unleashed on Johannesburg shortly before the destruction of Sokovia. This led to the passing of the Sokovia Accords.

The Sokovia Accords were predominantly concerned with managing the Avengers, but additional clauses concerned the actions of street-level superheroes, enhanced individuals, and vigilantes. They tore the superhero community apart, with Steve Rogers and Tony Stark taking different sides - and soon coming to blows. Unfortunately, the Avengers' schism - seen in Captain America: Civil War - left Earth vulnerable at the worst possible time. When Thanos arrived, seeking the power of the Infinity Stones, Earth's heroes were divided - and they were defeated. The Avengers put matters right in the end, but viewers have wondered whether the Sokovia Accords are still in force in the aftermath of Avengers: Endgame.

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Ms. Marvel episode 4 strongly suggests they are indeed still in force - and that they are tied to the organization known as Damage Control. Introduced in Spider-Man: Homecoming, the Department of Damage Control was established in the aftermath of the Battle of New York to help with the cleanup. It's now becoming clear it has expanded, however, with Damage Control now running its own Supermax prison. Damage Control's remit now seems to involve policing superhumans in the U.S., meaning it has most likely taken responsibility for implementing the Sokovia Accords in the States.

Ms Marvel Department of Damage Control Supermax Prison

Marvel appears to have changed its approach with Phase 4, largely because of the massive number of films and TV shows they're producing. Phases 1 through 3 are collectively known as "The Infinity Saga," because there is a single narrative thread running through the films. But now there are multiple narrative threads, with the growing MCU multiverse serving as the most visible example. If Damage Control is indeed now enforcing the Sokovia Accords, then they serve as another - running from Black Widow (set in the aftermath of the Sokovia Accords, through to Spider-Man: No Way Home, into Ms. Marvel, and then on into She-Hulk (the D.O.D.C. Supermax prison can be seen in the She-Hulk trailer).

There's actually a disturbing connection between Damage Control and the comic book version of the Sokovia Accords, the Super-Human Registration Act. In the comics, the SHRA was triggered after a disastrous battle between a group of teenage vigilantes and the supervillain Nitro, who released a nuclear-style blast that caused massive loss of life in the town of Stamford. Wolverine eventually learned Nitro had been amped up by a street drug called Mutant Growth Hormone, which he'd actually been given by Marvel's Damage Control. The company had moved from clearing up superhero battles to triggering them, a dark way of getting themselves more business. It is, therefore, concerning that Ms. Marvel episode 4 showed Damage Control now using the Stark drones they confiscated from Peter Parker in Spider-Man: No Way Home. Captain America: Civil War introducing the Sokovia Accords could have unleashed a very dangerous force in the MCU's Phase 4.

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New episodes of Ms. Marvel release Wednesdays on Disney+.

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