Mighty Avengers #12 — Nick Peron

Jun 13

Jun 13 Mighty Avengers #12

Secret Invasion continues from Secret Invasion #1…

Several Months Ago…[2]

Nick Fury’s illegal coup of Latveria has been exposed following an attack of superpowered villains under the control of Lucia Von Bardas. Wolverine is furious that Fury messed with his head when he made all those involved forget about their covert mission.[3] He attacks “Fury” only to discover that this was nothing more than a highly advanced Life Model Decoy. Speaking through the LMD from a secret bunker, Fury tells them that he is going underground and this will be the last time they will hear from him. He warns them that events are unfolding that will justify why he carried out this mission. After delivering this ominous message, Fury closes off communications and flees the safe house.

One Month Later

Nick Fury has been laying low in Mexico. One day a blond haired woman barges into his hotel room, prompting him to pull his concealed gun. The woman takes off her wig, revealing that it is Countessa Valentina de la Fontaine in disguise herself. She tells him that since he went AWOL, everyone in SHIELD who was close to him — except for Dum Dum Dugan — has been suspended indefinitely. She suggests that she and Fury retire and live happily ever after, saying history will be kind to his legacy. Nick doesn’t answer her and the two have a romantic evening together.

In the morning, Valentina wakes up and tells Fury that she’s going to get something in bed. When he offers to join her, she tells him to wait, saying she wants to serve him breakfast in bed. However, moments after she is gone, Nick gets dressed and uses a cloaking device to make himself invisible to the naked eye. He then follows the Countess into a nearby alleyway. There she meets with someone there. She tells him that it will take a week before she gains enough confidence to get SHIELD access codes from Fury. This is too much time for their Queen, but the “Countess” insists that she has to take her time.

With the meeting over, the impostor returns to the hotel room and finds Fury waiting for her in a chair with his gun drawn. He gives her one chance to explain who she really is. The phony insists that she is Valentina, he shoots her in the head. As the woman falls to the ground she resumes her true form, that of a Skrull! Going to the roof and using his cloaking device again, Nick is unsurprised when the men “Valentina” was talking to show up and find her body in the room. They speak in an alien language, further confirming that the Skrulls are up to something.

Two Weeks Later

Newly appointed SHIELD Director Maria Hill wakes up to find Nick Fury in her quarters hacking her computer. As he gets the information he needs, he suggests that her sudden appointment for the role was by design. He also gives her a cryptic warning not to trust the people right in front of her face. He suggests that she create about a dozen Life Model Decoys of herself to send in whenever she gets an itch at the back of her neck that something isn’t right. He also warns her that if she does something that is against the planet’s best interest he will be back to eliminate her. Fury then makes a daring escape by leaping out the window and using a air gliding suit to fly away. Hill raises the alarm and a SHIELD unit is scrambled to try and capture Fury.

However, moments later, the master spy disappears without a trace, much to Maria’s frustration. When she reports what happened and is asked what Nick was doing in her room and what he took, Maria decides to keep silent.

Two Months Later

Nick Fury arranges a meeting with Spider-Woman (Jessica Drew) who is upset that Fury left her high and dry after assigning her to work as double agent to spy on Hydra for him. His recent status of a fugitive has gotten her sidelined as a result. Fury tells her to grovel and assigned to SHIELD again. It will be a low level position but it will get her an in where she can keep an eye on things for him. He tells Jessica that Skrulls may have infiltrated the spy agency and, although he is unsure if Spider-Woman has been replaced herself, he asks that she be his eyes and ears on this and to be wary of things that seem off. She agrees to do this and asks Fury what he will be doing in the meantime. Nick tells her that he is going to put all his skills to the test by trying to find out the depths of this conspiracy.[4] Back at his hide out, Fury has placed pictures of various superhumans and begins the long task of figuring out who has been replaced with Skrulls.[5]

… Secret Invasion continues in New Avengers #40.

Recurring Characters

Nick Fury, SHIELD (Maria Hill, Daisy Johnson, “Countess de la Fontaine”), the Thing, Spider-Man, Wolverine, Mister Fantastic, Daredevil, Captain America

Continuity Notes

This cover pays homage to Jack Kirby’s iconic cover to Avengers #4.
This flashback begins at the end of Secret War #1-5, when it was revealed that Fury had tricked a number of heroes into staging an illegal coup of Latveria.
Wolverine is pissed off here because he has a long history of having his mind tampered with dating back to when he was experimented upon by the Weapon X Program, making him forget much of his past. See Marvel Comics Presents #72-84.
As seen in New Avengers #14-15, Fury had Jessica become a mole within Hydra to spy on them while they spy on SHIELD. She kicked off this ruse in Giant-Size Spider-Woman #2, when Hydra an offered to restore her lost powers. What Fury doesn’t know (and we’ll have explained in New Avengers #42) is that Spider-Woman was swapped out with a Skrull impostor during this surgery.
Of all the heroes, a few are circled in red signifying that Fury thinks they are Skrulls. They include Wolverine, the Sentry, Hulking and Doctor Strange. All of these guesses are wrong except for Hulkling, however we’ve always known he was a half-Skrull since Young Avengers #9-12. Regardless, Hulkling is not in league with the Skrull invaders. All of this is played out in the Secret Invasion event (See below).