Secret Invasion: Home Invasion #8

Nov 9

Nov 9 Secret Invasion: Home Invasion #8

Secret Invasion continues from Secret Invasion: Front Line #5 …

In the midst of the Skrull invasion of New York City, Kinsey Walden has been searching for her brother who had been replaced by a Skrull.[1] Armed with reverse engineered alien weapons, Kinsey tracked down where they have been keeping her brother with the help of Monica Rambeau and Sasquatch (Walter Langkowsi).[2]

Both seasoned heroes were injured during the fight and Kinsey is finally face to face with her brother. She is relieved to see him at first, and hugs him. When he tells her that they need to talk, the Skrulls that have accompanied him raise their weapons. Kinsey knocks them out with an energy blast before encasing herself and her brother in a force field so he can explain the situation without being attacked. That’s when more Skrulls, led by Lieutenant Kreeneer arrive and orders Hank to step away from him.

Hank walks out of the force field and tires to explain that his sister is no threat to them. That’s when Kinsey thinks this is another Skrull trick and that Hank is another impostor. However, he reveals that he is really her brother when he brings up a memory from their childhood. As it turns out, he was never a prisoner of the Skrulls, but working with them willingly. This horrifies Kinsey, who points out that the Skrulls have been destroying the city. Hank justifies it, saying that the violence was necessary in order to deal with those who opposed the Skrull occupation.

Hank fills in the blanks surrounding the weapons she has and what happened between him and the Skrulls. He confirms that he reverse engineered the wrist bands to become a superhero, calling himself the Greenwich Avenger. It was in that role that he was confronted by the Skrulls. He saw the aliens as a means of becoming an even bigger hero by gaining access to Skrull science and technology because he could make the world an even better place.

This horrifies Kinsey, who tells him how her best friend Ali and her mother were seriously hurt and that Ethan was killed, all by a Skrull that worse his face.[3] When she learns that the thing he has been building for the Skrulls is located in this building, Kinsey uses her powers to level it. Monica Rambeau was able to recover just in time to get Sasquatch to safety, but in the aftermath of the blast there is no sign of Kinsey or her brother.

The Walden siblings are now high above the city, so Kinsey can show her brother the destruction the Skrulls have caused. She doesn’t know what to do, and wonders if she should end both of their lives for what Hank has done. She is afraid of what might happen if she keeps her brothers betrayal a secret and what would happen if people found out. That’s when the Skrull ships start falling out of the sky. Following one of the ships to Central Park, Kinsey and her brother see that Earth’s heroes have won the final battle against the Skrulls and saved those who were captured and replaced.[4] Kinsey decides that she is going to tell everyone what her brother did so he faces punishment for his crimes. Exhausted after her whole ordeal, Kinsey collapses.

When Kinsey wakes up, there is no sign of her brother and she is in the hospital. She is greeted by Ali Starck’s mother, who tells her that while Ali is in critical condition, she is expected to survive her injuries. Sasquatch survived his ordeals but is still in a coma even though he is healing from his wounds twice as fast as a normal person.[5] Kinsey realizes that some things can’t be fixed following the war. Not the crippled, or the dead, not the way they used to be. Kinsey then looks over and sees one of her brother’s wrist bands laying on the table.[6]

… Secret Invasion continues in Secret Invasion #8.

Recurring Characters

Kinsey Walden, Skrulls, Monica Rambeau, Sasquatch, Nick Fury, Captain America, Spider-Man, Ms. Marvel, Madame Masque, Iron Man, Spider-Woman, Yellowjacket, Invisible Woman, Elektra, Dum Dum Dugan, SHIELD agents,

Continuity Notes

This story takes place during the Secret Invasion event. The primary tale is told in Secret Invasion #1-8, and the various crossover issues. See below for a full listing. Kinsey discovered her brother was replaced in Secret Invasion: Home Invasion #1.
Kinsey discovered her brother’s alien weapons, and teamed up with Sasquatch and Monica over the last three issues.
Ali’s mother was hurt in Secret Invasion: Home Front #1, while Ali herself was taken to a hospital when she was gravely wounded in issue #2. Ethan was killed in issue #6.
This scene is right from Secret Invasion #8. 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.
- SHIELD agents Dum Dum Dugan, was captured and replaced 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.
Sasquatch will recover no worse for wear and be back on his feet in Mighty Avengers #21.
The story ends implying that Kinsey is going to use the wristband to become a hero. However, as of this writing (November, 2024), Kinsey Walden hasn’t been seen again. The same can be said about her brother, so who knows if he faced justice for helping out the Skrulls.