Secret Invasion #1 — Nick Peron

Nov 9

Nov 9 Secret Invasion #1

Secret Invasion continues from Secret Invasion: Prologue #1….

“A wave of destruction. Nothingness. And out of nothingness will you outstretch your hand and take in that which needs you. Only then will the doors to the heavens open for you and your brothers.” - The Book of Worlds, Passage of the 11

Years Ago…

On the empty world of Skrullos, a group of Skrull soldiers locate Veranke, a devout priestess who has spent years in exile. They report to her that her prophecy, that the Skrull throne world would be destroyed, has come to pass. Realizing that she has spoken the truth this whole time, they are now ready to let her follow. She is pleased and tells them what needs to be done…[1]

Now

Iron Man (Tony Stark) has called a meeting with Mister Fantastic (Reed Richards) and Hank Pym (aka Yellowjacket) and reveals a shocking discovery. While the New Avengers were in Japan, they have discovered that Elektra, the leader of the Hand, had been replaced with a Skrull spy.[2] Unfortunately, he has no idea how long this has been going on. Worse, the Skrulls have somehow made their shapeshifting undetectable so he can’t tell if Reed or Hank are the real deal, or more Skrull infiltrators.[3]

Meanwhile, aboard the Peak satellite, SWORD is welcoming agents from SHIELD who have come to learn more about Earth’s intergalactic first line of defense system. SWORD leader Abigale Brand is in awe over meeting Timothy “Dum Dum” Dugan, a long standing SHIELD operative.[4] That’s when the proximity alarm goes off, alerting them that an alien craft is about to enter Earth’s atmosphere. The scanner detect that it is a Skrull transport ship and that it is heading toward the Savage Land in Antarctica.

Back on Earth, Iron Man and his comrades are examining the Skrull corpse that was posing as Elektra. They discover that this Skrull was able to replicate her appearance down to the molecular level making her undetectable from mutant powers, magic, and technology. As Reed plans to go back to the Baxter Building to go over his files on the Skrulls, Tony gets a call from Maria Hill who alerts him of the Skrull ship arriving in the Savage Land. Suiting up, Stark tells Reed and Hank to keep working and that he’ll be in touch once he knows more about the situation. As he flies away from their secret meeting place, Iron Man contacts Avengers Tower and learns that only Spider-Woman (Jessica Drew) and Jarvis are present. He tells her about the ship aand says he’s on his way so they can investigate things. After exchanging a silent glance with Jarvis, Jessica makes quick phone call.[5]

She has contacted Luke Cage who is at the penthouse that serves as the secret hideout for the outlaw New Avengers. She passes along what Tony herd and Luke calls the rest of his team — Ronin (Clint Barton), Spider-Man (Peter Parker), Wolverine (Logan), Iron Fist (Danny Rand), and Echo (Maya Lopez) — to get ready to move. He then makes another call to ask a friend for a favor.

At Avengers Tower, the Black Widow (Natasha Romanov) is preparing a Quinjet to take her team, the so-called Mighty Avengers, to the Savage Land. That’s when the New Avengers teleport on the landing strip with help from Cloak (Tyron Johnson). They quickly incapacitate the Widow and steal the Quinjet so they can get to Antarctica first. Iron Man and the rest of his team — Ms. Marvel (Carol Danvers), Wonder Man (Simon Williams), Ares, and the Sentry (Bob Reynolds) — arrive but are too late to stop Cage’s group from escaping in their stolen ship.

As they reach their destination, Spider-Man points out the obvious: What if they are walking into a trap. Luke really hopes that it is, because he is tired of the paranoia they have all had since they discovered the Skrulls were operating on Earth. That’s when their ship is snatched out of the air by a brontosaurus, before it is attacked by a tyrannosaurus rex. This causes their ship to crash in the Savage Land jungles. Once they get out of the junked ship, they begin searching for the Skrull ship and Spider-Man suggests the enlist the aid of Ka-Zar (Kevin Plunder), given his stewardship of the Savage Land.

They soon come upon the base of the Savage Land Mutates, the scene of the New Avengers first mission together.[6] However, they manage to find the ship on their own. But, before they can open it up, they are confronted by Iron Man’s Avengers team. Tony orders them to stand down as they are under arrest. However, Luke refuses to do anything which leads to a tense moment as both Avenger factions prepare for a fight with one another.[7]

As Luke Cage begins trying to pry open the main hatch into the Skrull ship a rapid succession of events happen all at once. First, aboard the Peak, Dum Dum Dugan (actually a Skrull spy) mutters “he loves you”, and then the entire space station explodes. Those in the command deck of the SWORD station are saved from the vacuum of space thanks to protective environmental fields that form around them. Meanwhile, Jarvis scans a device into the Avengers computer, which infects it with an alien virus. This immediately begins to affect Iron Man’s armor, causing it to short out. It also causes the SHIELD helicarrier to shut down, sending it falling towards Manhattan. This computer virus then spreads across the globe, shutting down all Stark owned factories, satellites, and defense systems built using Tony’s technology. This leaves the Earth virtually defenseless against the coming invasion.

At the Raft, SHIELD agents are checking the cells to make sure the prisoners there are still secure.[8] The same situation happens at the Cube, a prison specifically for aliens who have been captured on Earth. As the facility falls into chaos, Marvel Boy (Noh-Varr) decides that it is time for him to leave.[9] While at Thunderbolts Mountain, in Colorado, Norman Osborn is lecturing his teammates — Moonstone (Karla Sofen), Songbird (Melissa Gold), and Swordsman (Andreas Von Strucker) — over their purpose. That’s when the computers short out. Seconds later, the facility is attacked by the Skrull that has been posing as Captain Marvel.[10]

At the Baxter Building, a Skrull slips inside disguised as a tourist until they get to the elevators that lead up to the private quarters of the Fantastic Four. Taking on the form of the Invisible Woman (Sue Richards), this spy walks past the Human Torch (Johnny Storm, the real Sue’s brother) and Sue’s children Franklin and Valeria without saying a word. Suspecting some kind of trouble, Johnny follows after her. The impostor goes to Reed’s lab and activates the Negative Zone portal, swallowing up the upper floors of the Baxter Building and everyone inside.[11]

Back in the Savage Land, Iron Man has gone into a seizure due to the fact that his body is biologically linked to his armor.[12] While his allies race to his side, Luke’s team thinks this is some kind of trick. However, their conflict is cut short when the people inside the Skrull ship emerge. They are all younger versions of various heroes and villains including the Beast (Hank McCoy), Captain America (Steve Rogers), the Invisible Girl (Sue Storm), Iron Man (Tony Stark), Jewel (Jessica Jones), Mockingbird (Bobbi Morse), Ms. Marvel (Carol Danvers), Phoenix (Jean Grey), the Scarlet Witch (Wanda Maximoff), a teenaged Spider-Man (Peter Parker), Thor, the White Queen (Emma Frost), Wonder Man (Simon Williams), and Wolverine (Logan). Apparently, they were all kidnapped by the Skrulls and recently escaped, leaving the question: Which of these heroes are the genuine article and who are secretly Skrulls in disguise?[13]

Meanwhile, in Earth orbit, Abigale Brand sends out a distress signal as she and her crew only have ten minutes of breathable air and need immediate rescue. Her call is cut short as she witnesses a massive Skrull armada coming from the direction of the Moon.

Back on Earth, Mister Fantastic has unlocked the secret behind the Skrulls new untraceable shapeshifting powers. When he tries to tell Hank Pym about this discovery, Hank pulls out an alien weapon and blasts Reed. This causes Richard’s to lose control of his pliable form. As it turns out, Hank Pym was also a Skrull impostor. Losing the disguise, “Pym” gives the same refrain other Skrulls have made when revealing themselves: That he loves them.

… Secret Invasion continues in Mighty Avengers #12.

Recurring Characters

Skrulls (Veranke, “Yellowjacket”, “Dum Dum Dugan”, “Edwin Jarvis”, “Captain Marvel”, “Invisible Woman”, “Elektra” (corpse)), Mighty Avengers (Iron Man, Ms. Marvel, Wonder Man, Black Widow, ”Spider-Woman”, Ares, Sentry), New Avengers (Ronin, Luke Cage, Spider-Man, Wolverine, Iron Fist, Echo), Fantastic Four (Mister Fantastic, Human Torch), Cloak, SHIELD (Maria Hill), SWORD (Abigale Brand), Marvel Boy, Thunderbolts (Norman Osborn, Moonstone, Songbird, Swordsman), Franklin Richards, Valeria Richards, Roberta, Skrull prisoners (“Beast”, “Captain America”, “Hawkeye”, “Invisible Woman”, “Iron Man”, “Jewel”, “Power Man”, “Mockingbird”, “Ms. Marvel”, “Phoenix”, “Scarlet Witch”, “Thor”, “Vision”, “White Queen”, “Wonder Man”, “Wolverine”)

Continuity Notes

As seen in New Avengers #40, Veranke’s religious prophesies were not tolerated by Emperor Dorrek VII, and he had her exiled to Skrullos. The Skrull throne world, as she predicted was destroyed by Galactus back in Fantastic Four #257.
The New Avengers made this discovery in New Avengers #31. While returning to America, “Spider-Woman” stole it in issue #32 and handed it over to Stark in Mighty Avengers #7, believing he’d be the best person to investigate. As to when Elektra was swapped out with a Skrull, see Mighty Avengers #16.
Tony’s worries proved warranted as we’ll learn later this issue that Hank Pym was replaced by a Skrull spy. For more on that see Mighty Avengers #15.
This Dum Dum is actually another Skrull spy as we learn later this issue. Secret Invasion Prologue #1 reveals that Dugan was swapped out shortly after the events of Captain America (vol. 5) #25.
This glance is a clue that both “Jessica” and “Jarvis” are Skrull spies. Spider-Woman is Veranke in disguise, but the Jarvis Skrull has not been named. Vernake replaced the real Spider-Woman circa Giant-Size Spider-Woman #1, while Jarvis was swapped out prior to New Avengers #1. This was revealed in New Avengers #42. “Spider-Woman” is confirmed to be a Skrull in Secret Invasion #3.
When the New Avengers first formed, they were tracking Sauron (Kyle Lykos) who was one of many prisoners broken out of the Raft super-max prison in New York. Lykos had fled to the Savage Land where the New Avengers uncovered that he and the Mutates were helping a rogue SHIELD unit illegally mine Vibranium, as seen in New Avengers #1-5. New Avengers #41 reveals that those “rogue” SHIELD agents were yet more Skrull infiltrators.
In Civil War #2, the Super Human Registration Act (SHRA) was passed, requiring all heroes to register with the government. This led to a division in the community, with one half supporting the new law, and the other half against it. Luke Cage’s team is against, while Tony Stark’s is for. After the end of the initial conflict in Civil War #7, Luke’s team became outlaws. This law will remain on the books until Siege #4.
One of the SHIELD guards is surprised to hear that Doctor Doom is a prisoner on the Raft. Doom was captured by the Mighty Avengers after one of his “Venom Bombs” was dropped on New York, as seen in Mighty Avengers #6-11. He will remain here until he is freed by Norman Osborn in Dark Avengers #1.
Noh-Varr has been imprisoned in the Cube since the events of Marvel Boy (vol. 2) #1-6.
At the time of this story, Mar-Vell had been dead for years as seen in Marvel Graphic Novel #1. The Skrull started posing as a time displaced version of Mar-Vell from the past who was pulled forward in time in Civil War: The Return #1. “Mar-Vell” discovered he was actually a Skrull named Khn’nr in Captain Marvel (vol. 5) #4-5.
We’ll learn that this infiltrator is Lyja, the Skrull who was once married to Johnny Storm. See Secret Invasion: Fantastic Four #1-3 for those details and what becomes of the FF during this event.
At the time of this story, Tony’s body was altered by the Extremis process, which made his Iron Man armor a part of his body. See Iron Man (vol. 4) #1-6.
The characters that emerge from the ship all appear in earlier incarnations of the characters. We’ll learn in Secret Invasion #5 that everyone aboard the ship are Skrull impostors. That said, they are posing as specific characters because they are either dead at the time of this story, or had undergone a great deal of change. Let’s break it all down so you can follow along:
- “The Beast” appears in his original blue furred form that the real Hank McCoy had on and off starting in Amazing Adventures #15. At the time of this story, the real Beast had undergone a secondary mutation that gave him a more feline appearance, as seen in New X-Men #114.
- Captain America (Steve Rogers) was believed to have died prior to this story when he was gunned down by an assassin in Captain America (vol. 5) #25. In reality, the real Steve Rogers was shot with a chronal bullet that has him trapped in a time loop. He will be freed from this prison in Captain America: Reborn #1-6.
- Hawkeye (aka Clint Barton), which is supposed to raise doubts that Ronin being the real Barton or not. This is because Clint (while Hawkeye) was killed (Avengers #502), resurrected (New Avengers #26), and later adopted the Ronin (New Avengers #27).
- Invisible Girl is depicted in her original Fantastic Four costume circa Fantastic Four #2. This is implying that she was taken prior to when she started calling herself the Invisible Woman (Fantastic Four #284).
- Iron Man: This Iron Man is depicted wearing his “classic” red and gold armor that was first introduced in Iron Man #85.
- Jewel: Jessica Jones appears here in her original superhero persona. As told in Alias #22-23, Jessica didn’t do very well as a superhero and gave it up to become a private investigator. The appearance of Jewel implies that this is a version of Jessica Jones who had not married Luke Cage (New Avengers Annual #1) or gave birth to their child Dani Cage (The Pulse #13).
- Power Man, aka Luke Cage, appears in his original costume (tiara and all) that he first sported in Luke Cage: Hero for Hire #1. It is a look that Luke hasn’t really had since Power Man and Iron Fist #125. This is implying much of the same things about the real Luke Cage as they do of Jessica Jones.
- Mockingbird: Was believed to have been killed during a battle with Mephisto in Avengers West Coast #100. Although this Mockingbird is a Skrull, we’ll discover that Bobbi Morse was actually one of the earliest heroes to be replaced by the Skrulls when she is freed in Secret Invasion #8. New Avengers: The Reunion #2 reveals that she was swapped out back in Avengers West Coast #91 and it was her Skrull impostor who died in her place.
- Ms. Marvel (Carol Danvers): Is depicted in her original Ms. Marvel costume which she wore between Ms. Marvel #1 and 20.
- Phoenix (Jean Grey): Appears here in the costume first worn by the Phoenix Force, who posed as Jean from Uncanny X-Men #101-137. The Phoenix died and Jean was later recovered in Fantastic Four #286. The real Jean had, on occasion, wore this costume later on since her return. At the time of this story, Jean was dead at the hands of Xorn in New X-Men #150. Jean will remain among the deceased until she is brought back to life in Phoenix Resurrection: The Return of Jean Grey #1-5.
- the Scarlet Witch (Wanda Maximoff): Appears in one of her early costumes that she wore in the Avengers. At the time of this story, the real Wanda Maximoff had suffered two serious and violent mental breakdowns in Avengers #500-503 and House of M #1-8. She has been living in Transia with no memory of her past since New Avengers #25. She won’t have her memory restored until Avengers: The Children’s Crusade #5.
- A teenaged Spider-Man (Peter Parker): While he doesn’t look much different than the real Spider-Man. This Skrull impostor’s costume has some of the unique flourishes that by original Spider-Man artist Steve Ditko circa Amazing Fantasy #15.
- Thor: At the time of this story, the real Thor had died along with the rest of the Asgardians in Thor (vol. 2) #80-85. He has just recently been resurrected in Thor (vol. 3) #1 and recreated Asgard on Earth in the town of Broxton, Oklahoma.
- The White Queen (Emma Frost): Appears in the seductive outfits that harken back to her days as a member of the evil Hellfire Club, circa Uncanny X-Men #129. The real Emma Frost has been more or less reformed since Uncanny X-Men #314.
- Wonder Man (Simon Williams): Appears here in his “Safari” look that he first wore circa Avengers #167.
- Lastly, we have Wolverine, who is depicted wearing his original costume from his first appearance in Incredible Hulk #180-181. It has less pronounced “ears” on the hood, as well as whisker lines drawn around the mouth opening. Yes, it looks really dumb.

Topical References

Both “Spider-Woman” and Luke are depicted as having “flip” style cell phones that were popular when this story was originally published in 2008. They have since fallen out of common use thanks to the advent of smart phones. As such, their depiction here should be considered topical.
One of the tourists visiting the Baxter Building is wearing a “Colbert ‘08” campaign t-shirt. During the 2008 Federal Election, comedian Stephen Colbert — host of the Colbert Report — was running a joke campaign for President running on an exaggerated conservative platform. Marvel got involved by putting references to his campaign in various Marvel books that were published at the time. This should be considered a topical reference as it is a dated reference.