Avengers #365
For an Empire Lost
A rogue group of Kree soldiers have come to Earth in order to destroy the planet as revenge for the Avengers involvement in the recent Kree/Shi’ar War.[1] After making their declaration of war, the Kree soldiers — led by Galen Kor — have launched their first strike on Shanxi Province in China, killing thousands and scorching the entire area.
Scrambling to find where the Kree are attacking form, the Avengers — Captain America, Black Widow, Hercules, Vision, the Black Knight, and Crystal — are scrambling to collate data and pinpoint their location. Their new ally, the Shi’ar warrior known as Deathcry, scoffs at their primitive technology. However, despite this the team is able to determine that the source of the attack is coming from a farm somewhere in Upstate New York. The Widow decides to send the Knight, Crystal, and Hercules along with Deathcry to investigate while the rest of the team calls in some reserves as back-up.
Meanwhile, the Kree are well aware of the Avengers efforts to track them and, under orders of Galen Kor, have allowed them to find their location. Dylon Cir thinks this plan is pure insanity and challenges Galen Kor’s leadership. For his trouble, Dylon is blasted by a Universal Weapon traditionally wielded by the Kree Empire’s Accusers. Galen Kor reminds Dylon Cir of all the people who died as a result of the Shi’ar Nega-Bomb as well as the death of their leader the Supreme Intelligence.[2] He also reminds him of the Kree way of life, an eye for an eye, and that what they do to Earth now is in retribution for the death and destruction caused to their own empire during the war.
Back at Avengers Headquarters, the Black Knight is preparing the Quinjet for flight when he is visited by Sersi. She wants to talk to him about their mental link, but Dane is still unhappy with being forced to become her Gann Josin. She suddenly goes mad over the fact she knows that he had a romantic tryst with Crystal recently. However, before she can harm Whitman, she reasserts control of her emotions and pleads with Dane to help her. Outside the Quinjet, Crystal takes the opportunity to ask Vision his advice on her marital problems with Quicksilver and her feelings for the Black Knight. The Vision doesn’t have much experience in this regard, but he points out that her feelings for Whitman will have negative consequences on her attempts to reconcile with Quicksilver. However, Crystal explains that after her last visit with her husband she doesn’t think things can be fixed. After Crystal leaves, Deathcry reveals that she had overheard everything. When Vision tells her that it is impolite to listen in on others conversations, she begins flirting with him, saying that she does a lot of impolite things and that she’ll show him if they get out of this mission alive.[3]
Five minutes later, the Avengers and Deathcry are in the air and heading to the location of the Kree rebels. Along the way, Deathcry makes it known that she doesn’t trust Crystal as her people, the Inhumans, were the product of Kree science.[4] Crystal assures her that her people’s origins have no bearing on the battle ahead. The Black Knight, meanwhile, is wondering if he made the right move killing the Supreme Intelligence given what’s going on. Outside, the Vision is following the Quinjet and is scanning the area. He is distracted by what Crystal said about being in love with the Black Knight and is wondering why this idea bothers him so much.
As they near the farm house, Galen Kor and his crew become aware of their approach and activate a tractor beam to draw something in from outer space. This also causes the Quinjet’s systems and the Vision to shut down, sending both crashing to the ground below. As the Avengers emerge from their wrecked craft, they suddenly see that the tractor beam has pulled a Nega-Bomb into Earth’s atmosphere. They are then ambushed by Galen Kor and his minions who blast the Avengers into unconsciousness. As they carry the defeated Avengers back to the farm house, Galen Kor tells his loyal soldiers that their moment of victory is at hand. As they walk away, they don’t notice the Vision’s hand bursting out from the ground…
Recurring Characters
Avengers (Captain America, Hercules, Vision, Black Knight, Black Widow, Sersi, Crystal), Magdalene, Deathcry, Lunatic Legion (Galen Kor, Talla Ron, Dylon Cir, Ept-Rass, Sig-Rass, Kona Lor)
Continuity Notes
This was during Operation: Galactic Storm. See Captain America #398-400, Avengers West Coast #80-82, Quasar #32-34, Wonder Man (vol. 2) #7-9, Avengers #345-347, Iron Man #278-279, and Thor #445-446.
The Supreme Intelligence was seemingly assassinated by the Black Knight in Avengers #374. However, Supremor faked his death and will turn up alive again in Imperial Guard #1-3.
The love triangle between the Black Knight, Crystal, and Sersi is a complex one.
Dane has been attracted to Crystal pretty much from the moment she joined the Avengers in issue #336.
Meanwhile, Sersi has been attracted to Dane, throwing herself at him since Avengers #350.
Sersi’s increasingly erratic behavior has been making her more aggressive about romancing Dane. It’s later revealed that she has been pushed over the edge by Proctor, the evil Dane Whitman of another reality who has gone all Incel after his Sersi dumped his possessive ass. See Avengers #374 for all the problematic facts about that.
The situation with Crystal is complicated as she is currently married to Quicksilver, dating back to Fantastic Four #150.
However, after being neglected by her husband, Crystal engaged in an illicit affair in Vision and the Scarlet Witch (vol. 2) #6-12.
Despite this infidelity, the pair have been trying to patch up their marriage since Fantastic Four Annual #21.
This was made much more difficult since Pietro joined X-Factor in X-Factor #71 and Crystal joined the Avengers in Avengers #336.
Pietro and Crystal recently tried to reconcile by going on a romantic retreat together in X-Factor #89. Unfortunately, a paparazzo put the doubts into Quicksilver’s mind that Crystal might be seeing another man, putting their reconciliation on ice.
However, never say never, since Crystal and Quicksilver will make another attempt to patch up their failing marriage following the conclusion of the Bloodties event that takes place in Avengers #368-369, X-Men (vol. 2) #26, Avengers West Coast #101, and Uncanny X-Men #307.
The Kree genetically modified early humans creating the Inhumans many thousands of years ago. See Thor #146-147.
Bonus Materials
This issue features a number of pin-ups in celebration of the Avengers 30th anniverary. They include: The current team roster (Sersi, Crystal, Captain America, Black Widow, Vision, Hercules, and the Black Knight), the Gatherers (Sloth, Tablua, Proctor, Anti-Vision, Cassandra, and Magdalene), the Black Panther, Arkon and Thundra, as well as the Avengers vs. the X-Men (featuring Captain America, Crystal, Hercules, Wolverine, and Colossus)