" Fear Itself " began as a proposed Captain America/Thor crossover by Matt Fraction . The storyline was first announced by then-Marvel Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada , Vice President Executive Editor Tom Brevoort and Vice President and X-Men group editor Axel Alonso in a December 21 , 2010 press conference at Midtown Comics Times Square . Quesada explained that like the 2006 storyline " Civil War " , the storyline of " Fear Itself " was inspired by the real world , in particular the perceived malaise and fear evoked by late 2000s events such as terror alerts , oil spills , the Great Recession and partisan politics . Explains Quesada : " The climate in the world today was certainly the inspiration for this as we started to think about the bigger stories for the Marvel Universe , " Marvel editor in chief Joe Quesada said at a press conference at Midtown Comics in Manhattan . " You will absolutely see the real world inject itself into this story because it 's undeniable that there 's a certain something in the air right now … we tend to tap into that whether consciously or unconsciously and it effects sic all our stories . " The storyline 's title is a reference to a famous quote by Franklin D. Roosevelt : " So , first of all , let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself — nameless , unreasoning , unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance " , as indicated by the use of a portion that quote as part of the soundtrack of the trailer presented during the Midtown press conference . The story 's antagonist is the Serpent , an Asgardian being who sows doubt and fear among the superheroes of the Marvel Comics Universe , as illustrated by early promotional images for the event , which depict Spider-Man , Hulk , Captain America , Cyclops , Thor , and Iron Man coming face to face with their worst nightmares . During this conflict , which is referred to among the characters as the Serpent 's War , the Serpent is revealed to be Cul , Odin 's brother , who assumed the throne of Asgard following the death of their father . Born at the dawn of time , Cul was subsequently banished and imprisoned by Odin following Cul 's corrupt rule , and a prophecy by Yggdrasil that cost Odin his right eye , and which revealed that Cul 's madness could only be cured by the death of Odin 's son
oil spills
Deepwater Horizon oil spill
Fear Itself (comics)