Secret Invasion #8 — Nick Peron

Nov 9

Nov 9 Secret Invasion #8

Secret Invasion continues from Secret Invasion: Home Invasion #8….

The Earth has been invaded by the Skrulls leading to one final battle between the alien invaders and Earth’s superhumans in Central Park.[1] With the battle turning in favor of Earth, the Skrulls activated their last ditch weapon: The Wasp (Janet Van Dyne). Earlier, she was tricked into accepting a power upgrade that included a hidden doomsday weapon to be used in the event the Skrulls started losing.[2] This causes Jan to grow to giant-size as power builds up inside her to reach critical mass. The flowing energy also incapacitates the other heroes. In order to save the others, Thor makes the grim decision to create a vortex to send Janet away before she blows up, seemingly sending her to her doom.[3]

The last Skrull left standing is Veranke, the leader of the invasion. As she sees victory plucked from her grasp, Earth’s champions turn to her, seeking bloody retribution for what just happened. Realizing this is her end, she begins repeating “he loves me”. As Wolverine (Logan) gets in for the kill, he is denied when Norman Osborn shoots Veranke in the head.[4] This is captured by a news helicopter and soon becomes seen all over the world. Osborn then orders his Thunderbolts to find any surviving Skrulls and get them. Iron Man (who had to leave the battle to get an older suit of armor), returns and tells everyone who can fly to help him take down the last of the Skrull warships over the city before they can escape.[5]

While dealing with the ships in Earth’s orbit, Iron Man soon campe across a startling discovery aboard one of the Skrull vessel. Bringing it down to Central Park he opened it up, revealing to everyone that it was a prisoner ship containing all of those who were replaced by Skrulls.[6] As everyone is welcoming back the real Spider-Woman (Jessica Jones) and Yellowjacket (Hank Pym), Jessica Jones notices that Edwin Jarvis — the Avengers butler — is among the abductees. This horrifies her because this means she had left her daughter, Dani, with a Skrull. Ms. Marvel (Carol Danvers) helps Jessica and Luke Cage get back to Avengers Tower. Unfortunately, they arrive too late, as the Skrull posing as Jarvis has absconded with the baby.[7]

Meanwhile, back at Central Park, Dum Dum and Valentina try to reunite with Nick Fury. But Fury and his Secret Warriors teleport away without a word.[8] While, Ronin (Clint Barton) is shocked to discover that his wife, Mockingbird (Bobbi Morse) is also among the prisoners.[9] Meanwhile, Mister Fantastic (Reed Richards) is reunited with his wife, the Invisible Woman (Sue Richards). That’s when Sue remembers that the children are in danger. That’s when they notice that the upper floors of the Baxter Building have been swallowed up in a Negative Zone portal. When they arrive, they are relieved to see that the Human Torch (Sue’s brother Johnny Storm) and the Thing (Ben Grimm) were able to keep their children Franklin and Valeria safe. As the two children are colouring, Johnny and Ben are fighting over the right way to shut down the portal.[10] Reed tells everyone to step outside and after shutting down the portal, he activates the building repair system that restores the upper floors of the Baxter Building in seconds.

By this time, Iron Man tries to talk to Thor and settle their differences. However, the Asgardian stops Tony, reminding him that he violated his trust and will not serve under any team that Stark tries to form.[11] Thor reminds Tony that he has come to hate what Stark has become and believes that a lot of the blame for the Skrull invasion will fittingly land on his shoulders. With that Thor takes off and as Tony looks up, he sees Captain America (James Barnes) wordlessly departing as well.

Not far away, the military has arrived to take the surviving Skrulls into custody. Watching them go, Hulkling (Teddy Altman) of the Young Avengers can’t understand why his people invaded the Earth, considering the fact that they had dozens of planets under their rule already.[12] That’s when one of the Skrulls tells Teddy that their empire had been shattered and this was their last resort to find a new home.[13]

In the aftermath of the battle, the President of the United States get a report of what went down with someone that was there. The President decides that Tony Stark was unfit to protect the world from the invasion and wants to appoint the man giving him the report instead.[14] When asked if they are becoming the next Director of SHIELD, the President tells him that SHIELD is no longer a viable organization.[15] The President then holds a press conference to announce Tony Stark’s successor, Norman Osborn! Osborn will be given full control of SHIELD, the Avengers, the Initiative, and the Thunderbolts. Osborn, addressing the media, assures that there will be a full investigation to determine how Tony Stark’s technology was so easily compromised by the Skrull invaders.[16] When Maria Hill goes to visit Stark at the Stark Enterprises Westchester Facility, he is just finding out from the news and is caught off guard.

Later, Norman Osborn is in Avengers Tower and heads to the lower levels for a meeting. Gathered there are Doctor (Victor Von) Doom, Emma Frost, the Hood (Parker Robbins), Loki, and the Sub-Mariner (Namor). He thanks them for coming to meet with him and tells them that a new day is upon them and wants them to hear how things are going to go from here on.[17]

… Secret Invasion continues in New Avengers #47.

Recurring Characters

New Avengers (Ronin, Luke Cage, Spider-Man, Wolverine, Iron Fist, Echo), Mighty Avengers (Iron Man, Ms. Marvel, Wasp, Black Widow, Wonder Man, Ares), Skrulls (Veranke), Fantastic Four (Mister Fantastic, Invisible Woman, Human Torch, Thing), Hood’s Gang (The Hood, Madame Masque, Blood Brother, Crossfire, Griffen, the Wizard, Wrecking Crew (Wrecker, Piledriver, Thunderball)), Initiative (Constrictor, Crusader, Red 9. Sunstreak), Secret Warriors (Nick Fury, Quake, Druid, Hellfire, Slingshot, Stonewall), Thunderbolts (Norman Osborn, Moonstone, Bullseye, Penance, Songbird), Young Avengers (Hulking, Wiccan, Hawkeye), Captain America, Thor, Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Marvel Boy, Elektra, Valentina Allegra de la Fontaine, Edwin Jarvis, Mockingbird, Spider-Woman, Yellowjacket, Franklin Richards, Valeria Richards, Hydra agents, the Watcher, the Cabal (Doctor Doom, Emma Frost, Loki, Sub-Mariner), SHIELD (Maria Hill)

Continuity Notes

This is literally the last 7 issues of this series, try to keep up.
As we learned last issue, this “power upgrade” was given to Janet by a Skrull posing as Hank Pym back in Mighty Avengers #6.
The Wasp doesn’t actually die as a result of this, but is shunted into the Microverse. She will remain there until she is discovered and rescued in Avengers (vol. 4) #31-34.
Despite being shot in the head, Veranke somehow survives and is kept prisoner for a few years. She is later released from prison by the Kingpin in Spider-Woman (vol. 7) #18-19.
The reason why Iron Man had to go get an older suit (last issue) is because all of the world’s Starktech had been compromised with a Skrull computer virus back in Secret Invasion #1.
There were many notable people who were replaced with Skrulls prior to the invasion of Earth. The ones we see here:
- Spider-Woman: Jessica Drew is the biggest abductee since she was replaced with Veranke. This was revealed in Secret Invasion #3. As per New Avengers #42, this swap took place in Giant-Size Spider-Woman #1.
- Yellowjacket: Hank Pym, was revealed to have been replaced by the Skrull known as Criti Noll in Secret Invasion #1. Noll took his place in Mighty Avengers #15. This happened prior to House of M #1.
- Elektra Natchios was replaced by a Skrull named Pagon, as we learned in New Avengers #31. Her capture was depicted in Mighty Avengers #16, which places her abducted prior to the events of New Avengers #1.
- Edwin Jarvis, the Avengers dutiful butler was revealed to have been replaced in Secret Invasion #1. As per New Avengers #42, he was taken prior to New Avengers #1 as well.
- SHIELD agents Dum Dum Dugan, and Valentina de la Fontaine, were also captured and replaced as seen in Secret Invasion Prologue #1. This happened sometime around the events of Captain America (vol. 5) #25.
- The Invisible Woman was captured and replaced by Lyja, as seen in Secret Invasion: Fantastic Four #1.
- Mockingbird: Bobbi Morse, per New Avengers: The Reunion #2, was one of the earliest abductees, taken during the events of Avengers West Coast #91. However, her impostor died in Avengers West Coast #100.
- Various SHIELD and Hydra agents. They were captured to plant Skrull spies within the two agencies, starting in New Avengers #5, as explained in New Avengers #41 and Mighty Avengers #16.
Dani Cage was left in the care of the Skrull posing as Jarvis last issue. They will rescue Dani from the Skrull in New Avengers #48-49.
This is because Fury is still an outlaw on the run after it was discovered that he staged an illegal coup in Latveria circa Secret War #1-5.
Bobbi asks Clint what he is wearing, this is in reference to the Ronin costume he just recently started wearing in New Avengers #27. Bobbi disappeared years prior and wouldn’t have known about this change.
For more on what happened to Johnny, Ben, Franklin, and Valeria, see Secret Invasion: Fantastic Four #1-3.
The reason why Thor is pissed at Iron Man is a little complicated: During a period in which Thor was dead (which happened in Thor (vol. 2) #85), Tony Stark used his DNA to create a clone during the superhero civil war and it murdered Bill Foster (as seen in Civil War #3-4). Shortly after Thor was resurrected in Thor (vol. 3) #1, he had an encounter with Stark in issue #3 of that series and expressed his disappointment and anger over what Tony had done. The rift between Iron Man and Thor will remain until Invincible Iron Man #20-24.
Hulkling is the son of the Kree Captain Marvel (Mar-Vell) and Skrull princess Anelle, as revealed in Young Avengers #9-12.
The Skrull empire had been decimated by the Annihilation Wave from the Negative Zone, as seen in Annihilation #1-6. Per New Avengers #45, this led the Skrulls to follow Veranke’s religious prophesies and try to invade Earth.
At the time of this story, Tony Stark had taken on the role of Director of SHIELD back in New Avengers #25.
SHIELD will be replaced with HAMMER, created by Norman Osborn. It will remain SHIELD’s replacement until Siege #4. SHIELD itself will be reinstated in Battle Scars #1.
Osborn will use this as a witch hunt to go after Tony Stark. See Invincible Iron Man #8-19.
This group is identified as the Cabal. For more on this meeting see Secret Invasion: Dark Reign #1.

Topical References

When complaining about their stuff being destroyed, Sue Richards tells Franklin that they can go on a shopping spree at FAO Schwarz. This should be considered a topical reference as this is a real world business.
While the President of the United States is not fully depicted in this story, the fact that his hand is a darker skin tone is implying that this is Barrack Obama, who had just recently been elected the President when this comic was first published in 2009. This should be considered a topical reference as Obama is not longer in this role after serving two terms in 2015.