The American Civil War raged from 1861 to 1865, pitting brother against brother. What if early superheroes had inhabited this tumultuous era? Thanks to AI art, we can envision marquee comic book characters transported back to the days of division and conflict.

Midjourney renders Pop Art-style portraits of heroes donning Union blue or Confederate gray. Spiderman perches atop a cannon, mask seeming to gaze across Antietam’s hallowed grounds. The red, white and blue of Captain America’s uniform morphs into a striking rebel gray as he stands arms folded, wedged between history’s unfolding.

An alternate-reality Superman hovers above Gettysburg, cape now blood-red to match the tinting on his strong jawline. The sun gleams off his S-shield, each ray representing justice dawning after violence. Behind him, soldiers in blue and gray shake hands across the battlefield – could even the Man of Steel have healed this nation’s schism?

Wonder Woman wears not her usual star-spangled outfit, but a flowing blue gown as she nurses the wounded and weary. Black Panther, a time-displaced king, watches escaped slaves traverse the Underground Railroad under moonlight’s veil. The Hulk smashes cannonballs mid-air before they strike a defenseless town.

These sci-fi snapshots from Midjourney prompt us to ponder timeless questions of duty, honor, liberty and justice. They blend factual settings with fictional saviors to reexamine America’s defining moral struggle through a mythic lens.

Which side would these heroes have chosen? Could their powers have averted the bloodshed or shaped the peace? We can only speculate and imagine. But seeing pop culture icons inhabit hallowed historical settings reminds us that the virtues they represent are timeless. Perhaps their spirit can still inspire and unite.