New Avengers #43

March 22, 2024 Nick Peron

This story continues from New Avengers #41 and takes place during the events of Secret Invasion #3…

During a fight in the Savage Land between the Avengers and Skrull impostors, Spider-Man (Peter Parker) finds himself separated from the main battle.[2] He is found in the jungle by Ka-Zar and Shanna the She-Devil who tell him how the Skrulls were the ones who were poaching Vibranium in the Savage Land months earlier.[3] That’s when they are interrupted by someone who is the spitting image of Captain America.

Peter can’t believe that this is the real Captain America, because he saw Steve Rogers get assassinated on live television.[4] They suspect that this man is actually a Skrull. “Cap” however, refuses to stand around and debate the matter as he wants to get back to the United States as quickly as possible. When the others move to stop him, he fights back. To their amazement, this man fights just as well as the real Captain America. He is able to hold his own against Spider-Man, Ka-Zar, Shanna, and Zabu the sabretooth tiger.

When it looks like their leader is going to fall in battle, the Savage Land residents in Ka-Zar’s party fire poisoned darts at this Captain America who then collapses to the ground. To everyone’s horror he shifts back to his true form — that of a Skrull — while proclaiming he is the real Captain America.

That’s when Shanna grabs Spider-Man in a headlock long enough for Ka-Zar to scratch him with a dart. While this isn’t enough to kill him, it has a numbing effect on his body. When Parker doesn’t change, the two Savage Land natives are convinced that he is not a Skrull after all.

As the Skrull begins to die, his mind drifts back to how he ended up here….

Several Months Ago…

The Skrull who would go on to pose as Captain America was once a soldier named Pitt’o Nili. He was selected by Queen Veranke herself to be part of the planned invasion of Earth.[4] She asks him if her human form disgusts him because he will have to take a similar appearance for the rest of his life. Pitt’o doesn’t respond to this. When asked why he would do this, Nili explains that his entire family is dead. After affirming he is aware that he will never assume his true form and never remember who he is, Veranke and the other Skrulls in the room all bow down to Pitt’o Nili to honor him for his sacrifice.

Soon, Pitt’o Nili undergoes the process to not only transform into the form of Captain America, but to take on his personality and memories. While is physical transformation is complete, Pitt’o’s true persona is not submerged and freaks out when he realizes that he now looks human.

Later, Pitt’o Nili is taken to one of the Skrull’s telepaths to finalize the memory alteration to make him believe he is Captain America. Veranke and her followers are curious how the process works and so they are placed in a psychic rapport so they can witness the creation of false memories. Using the Skrulls records from a time when the Avengers and Fantastic Four were in Skrull space, they choose that moment to create false memories about how Captain America was captured and replaced by a Skrull spy.[6]

After the false memories are implanted, the other Skrulls asks Veranke what the purpose of using their own people into thinking they are kidnapped heroes from Earth. Veranke explains that in order to defeat the Earthlings they need to defeat them both inside and out. Humans have a spirit that makes them defy even the most impossible odds. By dashing any hope and making them mistrust one another is the key to victory. She adds that in the unlikely event that they lose the coming war, the humans will be marked by it forever.

The phony Captain America is then placed aboard a ship with other Skrulls who have been tricked into thinking they are captured heroes from Earth. They are then allowed to break free and commandeer the ship. While trying to pilot it back to Earth, it suffers damage and begins to crash in the Savage Land….

Now

Ka-Zar and Shanna have been trying to interrogate the fake Captain America this whole time. When he doesn’t give any answers, Shanna kills him with a spear. This upsets Spider-Man, but they remind him that they are at war for the fate of planet Earth. That’s when they hear gunshots coming from a nearby citadel. They decide to head that way, with Spider-Man complaining about how crappy this day is turning out to be.

Recurring Characters

Spider-Man, Ka-Zar, Shanna the She-Devil, “Captain America”, (in flashback) Veranke

Continuity Notes

This issue’s cover pays homage to Avengers Annual #2.
Spidey got separated from the others in New Avengers #41. For more on how the brawl in the Savage Land is going see Secret Invasion #1-3.
This happened in New Avengers #3-6, although at the time the New Avengers thought they were rogue SHIELD agents. The truth was revealed in issue #41 (again).
Captain America did indeed get shot in Captain America (vol. 5) #25. However, it didn’t actually kill him. It was a chronal bullet that caused him to relive his life in a constant loop. He will be freed from this purgatory in Captain America: Reborn #1-6.
Here, Veranke appears in the form of Jessica Drew, aka Spider-Woman. As we learned in New Avengers #42, she has been posing as Jessica since Giant-Size Spider-Woman #1.
The Skrull telepath uses the incident from Avengers Annual #14 and Fantastic Four Annual #19. She references a Skrull named Zybak unleashing a hyper-wave bomb during this incident. Zybak did so to rob the Skrulls of their natural shapeshifting abilities. This was later undone in Silver Surfer (vol. 3) #27.

Secret Invasion Reading Order