Secret Invasion #3 — Nick Peron

Nov 9

Nov 9 Secret Invasion #3

Secret Invasion continues from New Avengers #41…

The Skrulls have invaded the Earth and crippled its defenses using an alien computer virus. This has shut down the SHIELD helicarrier, which managed to splash down somewhere in the Bermuda Triangle.[1] Deputy Director Maria Hill is informed that the helicarrier is inoperative and orders everyone up to the flight deck. there they are greeted by a Skrull who has been posing as Edwin Jarvis, the Avengers long time butler. He tells the SHIELD agents that he has come to accept their full surrender.[2]

Meanwhile, Thunderbolts Mountain has been attacked by a Skrull named Khn’nr, who has been posing as the original Captain Marvel for months.[3] After incapacitating the team — Moonstone (Karla Sofen), Songbird (Melissa Gold), Swordsman (Andreas Von Strucker), and Venom (Mac Gargan) — Thunderbolts director Norman Osborn decides to reason with their attacker and invites him to sit down and have a drink to discuss why he has attacked his office.

While at Camp Hammond, the staff and recruits of the Initiative are trying to figure out what has happened, as their facility has been shut down by the same virus that has affected SHIELD. That’s when Yellowjacket — the head of the Initiative, and also secretly a Skrull impostor — comes and tells the recruits that the moment they have all been training for has arrived.[4]

In Times Square, an army of Super-Skrulls have attacked the city and only the Young Avengers — Patriot (Eli Bradley), Hulkling (Teddy Altman), Wiccan (Billy Kaplan), Hawkeye (Kate Bishop), the Vision (Jonas), and Speed (Tommy Shepherd) — are there to protect all the bystanders that are in harms way. Since Hulkling is part of Skrull royalty, he tries to reason with the invaders, but they attack him.[5] The Young Avengers quickly find themselves out of their depth until the Initiative arrives and joins the battle. Watching from the sidelines is a newscrew who begins recording this history making battle.

In the Savage Land, the New and Mighty Avengers had come to investigate a Skrull ship that contained a crew of prisoners allegedly abducted from Earth over the years. When a random dinosaur attack caused everyone to scattered, the three groups have been wandering the jungles trying to figure out who is real and who is a Skrull impostor.[6] Among those is Spider-Woman (Jessica Drew) and Echo (Maya Lopez), who find each other. Maya tries to convince Jessica that she isn’t a Skrull. But, Drew already knows that because she has been an impostor this whole time.[7] This deception gets her close enough to Echo to incapacitate her.

“Spider-Woman” then finds Iron Man (Tony Stark) in an abandoned Mutate base. He has been struggling against the Skrull computer virus that has infected his armor while building a replacement suit. “Jessica” then tells Tony that she succeeded in his mission, saying that he is a Skrull spy named Kr’Ali and the architect of humanity’s downfall. She rewards him with a kiss from her, the Queen of the Skrulls. However, Tony refuses to accept this, but “Jessica” points out that they needed someone in a position of power to fracture the superhero community enough for them to suceed in their invasion plot.[6] Suddenly, Tony isn’t so sure who he really is.

Back in New York, the gathered heroes begin to fall, starting with Stature of the Initiative. Then, the Vision gets his head blown off, followed by the death of Proton.[9] The Super-Skrulls begin to cheer their victories when suddenly, the ground begins to shake. One of the Skrulls then explodes, raining done gore. When the invaders turn and look to see who is responsible for this attack, they come face to face with Nick Fury and his Secret Warriors: Quake (Daisy Johnson), Druid (Jonathan Druid), Hellfire (J.T. James), Phobos (Alex Aaron), Slingshot (Yo-Yo Rodriguez) and Stonewall (Jerry Sledge)![10]

… Secret Invasion continues in Secret Invasion: Who Do You Trust? #1.

Recurring Characters

Skrulls (“Spider-Woman”, “Yellowjacket”, “Edwin Jarvis”, “Captain Marvel”), SHIELD (Maria Hill), Thunderbolts (Norman Osborn, Moonstone, Songbird, Swordsman, Venom), The Initiative (Gauntlet, Taskmaster, Annex, Batwing, Crusader, Diamondback, Geiger, Gorilla Girl, Prodigy, Proton, Melee, Red 9, Stature, Sunstreak), Young Avengers (Patriot, Hulkling, Wiccan, Hawkeye, Speed, Vision), Iron Man, Echo, Secret Warriors (Nick Fury, Quake, Druid, Hellfire, Phobos, Slingshot, Stonewall)

Continuity Notes

The Skrulls launched their invasion, including the computer virus infection in Secret Invasion #1. How the SHIELD helicarrier (which was previously depicted as being over Manhattan) managed to splash down in the Bermuda Triangle some 1220 KM away is never clearly explained. I guess you’ll have to suspend your disbelief.
As revealed in New Avengers #42, Jarvis was swapped out by a Skrull impostor sometime prior to New Avengers #1.
Khn’nr first appeared in Civil War: The Return #1, conditioned to believe that he was the real Captain Marvel (Mar-Vell) who was pulled forward in time. He discovered he was a Skrull in Captain Marvel (vol. 6) #4-5. He attacked the Thunderbolts in issue #1. For more on what happens next, check out Thunderbolts #122-123.
We learned that Hank Pym was replaced with a Skrull in Secret Invasion #1. The real Pym was swapped out with a Skrull in Mighty Avengers #15. The reason why “Pym” has sent the Initiative into New York so he can utilize all of the Negative Zone portals at the Camp Hammond and all the 50-State Initiative bases as part of a scorched earth back-up in case the Skrulls start losing the war. See Avengers: The Initiative #14-19.
As revealed in Young Avengers #9-12, Teddy is the son of the original Captain Marvel and Skrull Princess Anelle. He was secreted to Earth due to his mixed Kree/Skrull heritage. For more on the Young Avengers rescue efforts in Manhattan, see Secret Invasion: Runaways/Young Avengers #1-3 and Secret Invasion: Home Invasion #2-3.
The two Avengers teams have been aware that the Skrulls were up to something in New Avengers #31 and Mighty Avengers #7, respectively. They were lured to the Savage Land and have been fighting there over the last two issues.
The woman who appears to be Spider-Woman is actually the leader of the Skrull invasion, Veranke. In New Avengers #42, it is revealed that she took the place of the real Jessica Drew in Giant-Size Spider-Woman #1.
Veranke is implying that Tony is a spy due to his support of the divisive Super Human Registration Act (Civil War #1-7) and his recent appointment as the new Director of SHIELD in New Avengers #25. As we’ll figure out next issue, Tony is absolutely not a Skrull spy. If anything, he was unwittingly manipulated into these positions.
The Vision’s apparent death was not as fatal as it appears, he’ll be back on his feet by Secret Invasion #5. Proton on the other hand, remains among the deceased as of this writing (November, 2024).
How Nick Fury became aware of the Skrull invasion and recruited the Secret Warriors is detailed in Mighty Avengers #12-13, and 18.

Topical References

One of the billboards in Times Square has a campaign sign for comedian Stephen Colbert’s 2008 Presidential campaign. This was a mock campaign during the time when Colbert was the host of the Colbert Report, a news comedy show where the comedian skewered right wing media. He ran this joke campaign during the 2008 US election that led to Barack Obama becoming the President. Marvel Comics got in on the joke, putting his campaign signs in various comics they published around that time. This should be considered a topical reference as this is now a dated reference.