Registration will end up shooting the heroes in the foot.

Yup, and therein is the story.

At the same time, however, if Tony is aware that there is something rotten in SHIELD (not even Skrulls or anything; just that there's something bad going on that seeks to harm or undermine the heroes) it would make sense that he would push to become a big part of the movement that's looking to make the heroes register, so that he can fight from within. Essentially similar to what's going on with Tony and the New Avengers right now. Tony is seeking to arrest the New Avengers, but he's doing it to save them other forces within SHIELD that are, presumably, looking to do something worse with them (kill/replace them?).

This kinda brings something else to my mind. I mean, aside from Tony, there are around...what? Like twenty people who are aware that there's something going on with SHIELD (and HYDRA, etc.)? And some of those people are in the New Avengers right now. Since they share his knowledge (and knowledge is power and blah blah blah), maybe Tony is looking to bring the New Avengers in to turn them into his "power circle" of sorts. His "main" team, apart from the Mighty Avengers.

I suspect that things are going to get really bad as far as to who Iron Man can even trust with the full scope of what is potentially going on.

The thing is if Stark knew about the invasion in advance, then why didn't he just tell Captain America that before the whole Civil War shitstorm started?

Captain America: The greatest fucking leader of superheroes, ever. If Stark had gotten Cap on board about what's coming, Cap could've gotten most of the superhero ranks on board.

And what about Nick Fury? If Stark knows, you damn well bet Fury knows. And he would have told Cap about it.

I don't think Stark or Fury knew.

Well, maybe it would have meant showing his hand. At that point the skrulls would have attacked an absolutely ill-prepared superhero community.

Oh yeah, now that I think about it, let's see...who are the people who are aware that there's something going on? Let's see.

The "core" New Avengers, of course, the guys who were part of the team before the Civil War. So that's:

-Spider-Man
-Luke Cage
-Wolverine

And it stands to reason that they would tell their comrades, so that would be:

-Echo
-Ronin
-Dr. Strange
-Iron Fist

Tony used to be part of the New Avengers, same as Spider-Woman, and they know:

-Iron Man
-Spider-Woman

Captain America also knows, but he's dead so...heh. Who else? Carol Danvers might know something, she's kinda Tony's right hand woman and he hinted at some stuff in Mighty Avengers #1, so let's count her in just 'cause:

-Ms. Marvel

We don't really know whether or not Tony told the Mighty Avengers, so let's not count them in for now. Madame Hydra seems to know, as do Nick Fury and Bucky, so let's count them.

-Madame Hydra
-Nick Fury
-The Winter Soldier

I think Sharon Carter might know a thing or two from the Civil War arc in Captain America, but I can't recall at the moment. So let's say no for now. That's a total of thirteen people (that we know of) who are aware that there's something wrong with SHIELD and/or HYDRA. Of those thirteen, only eight (the New Avengers and Spider-Woman) seem to know that it's something to do with the Skrulls (until Wednesday, anyway, then all of the Illuminati will know).

María Hill is aware of a "covert faction" within SHIELD carrying out some illegal actions and stuff, but I don't think she knows (or cares) just how deep it goes. Either that or she's in on it. Oh, man, I really wouldn't like Hill to turn out to be a Skrull. She's kind of a cool character.

Yup, and therein is the story.

You know, this is a debate I've had with my comic book buddies. I try to think of it in real world terms. If Stamford had happened and heroes were real, I think that we would like to see registration. I may sound like a republican here, but I would like it if registration was justified through this storyline.

You know, this is a debate I've had with my comic book buddies. I try to think of it in real world terms. If Stamford had happened and heroes were real, I think that we would like to see registration. I may sound like a republican here, but I would like it if registration was justified through this storyline.

That's what it boils down to.

Are they going to redeem Stark in time for the movie?

And are we all playing into the whole Civil War thing again, by hoping registration fails/succeeds?

I think it'd be infinitely better if Stark was aware of something going on.. maybe not the full details, but at least a good idea or narrowing it down to a few scenarios.

The thing is if Stark knew about the invasion in advance, then why didn't he just tell Captain America that before the whole Civil War shitstorm started?

Captain America: The greatest fucking leader of superheroes, ever. If Stark had gotten Cap on board about what's coming, Cap could've gotten most of the superhero ranks on board.

And what about Nick Fury? If Stark knows, you damn well bet Fury knows. And he would have told Cap about it.

I don't think Stark or Fury knew.

Maybe he did tell Cap. Maybe Cap's not really dead...off the grid with Fury, perhaps?

I thought I remembered a page at the end of an issue with two people talking about a plan and how things were coming together in the Avengers Disassembled issues just before House of M...

At the time, I thought is was Loki and the Enchantress... It could have been the Skrulls though.

Does anyone remember which issue this was in?

I thought I remembered a page at the end of an issue with two people talking about a plan and how things were coming together in the Avengers Disassembled issues just before House of M...

At the time, I thought is was Loki and the Enchantress... It could have been the Skrulls though.

Does anyone remember which issue this was in?

Totally!! I think it happened during the aftermath issue of Disassembled. I noticed that also and thought it was odd.

That's what it boils down to.

Are they going to redeem Stark in time for the movie?

And are we all playing into the whole Civil War thing again, by hoping registration fails/succeeds?

I think it'd be infinitely better if Stark was aware of something going on.. maybe not the full details, but at least a good idea or narrowing it down to a few scenarios.

I dunno. To me I prefer if Stark was did what he did because he felt it was not only the right thing, but the only thing. Not because he had real knowledge of some kind of tangible threat that would require things to be the way they are now. I want to see him take point on this absolutely, but to have known specifically the nature of the threat (outside of it only being a matter of time before some hero made a terrible mistake than the public could no longer tolerate) would be too much. That's the core of the whole Illuminati thing. Trying to make things better but actually making them worse because they can't see the whole picture (Secret Wars II) or predict repercussions several steps down the line ala Illuminati #1.

I dunno. To me I prefer if Stark was did what he did because he felt it was not only the right thing, but the only thing. Not because he had real knowledge of some kind of tangible threat that would require things to be the way they are now. I want to see him take point on this absolutely, but to have known specifically the nature of the threat (outside of it only being a matter of time before some hero made a terrible mistake than the public could no longer tolerate) would be too much. That's the core of the whole Illuminati thing. Trying to make things better but actually making them worse because they can't see the whole picture (Secret Wars II) or predict repercussions several steps down the line ala Illuminati #1.

So, JR, any advanced intel on this or just swinging like the rest of us? I'm not begging for any info, just wondering if you've read anything yet.

So, JR, any advanced intel on this or just swinging like the rest of us? I'm not begging for any info, just wondering if you've read anything yet.

I'm totally swinging like everyone else. But I do try to think of the most logical things, the things that propel the story and characterization to the next area. I'm learning a lot about how to make a proper comic book story through these type of stories. Too bad I'm so lazy. I'd be dangerous if I ever got motivated.

I think there may be spoilers around online right now though so I'm probably going to lay low out of this thread. I advise others to do the same because if there are spoilers its only a matter of time before someone puts it out there. Its only like two days people. I don't want to know details about this important storyline from "some guy off the street."

I'm totally swinging like everyone else. But I do try to think of the most logical things, the things that propel the story and characterization to the next area. I'm learning a lot about how to make a proper comic book story through these type of stories. Too bad I'm so lazy. I'd be dangerous if I ever got motivated.

I think there may be spoilers around online right now though so I'm probably going to lay low out of this thread. I advise others to do the same because if there are spoilers its only a matter of time before someone puts it out there. Its only like two days people. I don't want to know details about this important storyline from "some guy off the street."

Totally, I agree. This is one of those stories I'm going right to the store for on Weds. and reading for myself. Like with Quasar 4, i wasn't interested in the story, but when I heard about the reveal at the end, I was interested. This though, I'm already sold, so I'll avoid the spoilers.

I dunno. To me I prefer if Stark was did what he did because he felt it was not only the right thing, but the only thing. Not because he had real knowledge of some kind of tangible threat that would require things to be the way they are now. I want to see him take point on this absolutely, but to have known specifically the nature of the threat (outside of it only being a matter of time before some hero made a terrible mistake than the public could no longer tolerate) would be too much. That's the core of the whole Illuminati thing. Trying to make things better but actually making them worse because they can't see the whole picture (Secret Wars II) or predict repercussions several steps down the line ala Illuminati #1.

It all depends on your perspective really.

They ditched the Hulk because his presence would swing things too heavily in the favor of either camp. So they put him away safely where they know they can find him if they needed to. The problem is (and keeping with the everything goes wrong when they organize thing) the ship went off course due to the wormhole.

It all depends on your perspective really.

They ditched the Hulk because his presence would swing things too heavily in the favor of either camp. So they put him away safely where they know they can find him if they needed to. The problem is (and keeping with the everything goes wrong when they organize thing) the ship went off course due to the wormhole.

First off, your sigs are amazing.

Secondly, yeah I guess I'm just hoping they can show it was all worth it. They need to be able to redeem themselves at some point.

First off, your sigs are amazing.

Secondly, yeah I guess I'm just hoping they can show it was all worth it. They need to be able to redeem themselves at some point.

I agree!!! Those are two of the nicest one's I've ever seen. I mean Pam Beasley's eyes you sicko's!:)

I agree!!! Those are two of the nicest one's I've ever seen. I mean Pam Beasley's eyes you sicko's!:)

Yeah, who is she anyway?

And I don't mean Pam.

You know, this is a debate I've had with my comic book buddies. I try to think of it in real world terms. If Stamford had happened and heroes were real, I think that we would like to see registration. I may sound like a republican here, but I would like it if registration was justified through this storyline.


I don't think it was the actual registration that bothered most people. I mean it was pushed hard by the government. I think Mr. Stark started to fall from good graces after he cloned gods and turned them into killers. When he put together a team of murderers/criminals in the Thunderbolts. Not to mention minor faux pas like having Spiderman attacked before he even unmasked. I'm not saying that supporting the registration is wrong, I'm just saying the underlying tatics are pure evil.

I don't think it was the actual registration that bothered most people. I mean it was pushed hard by the government. I think Mr. Stark started to fall from good graces after he cloned gods and turned them into killers. When he put together a team of murderers/criminals in the Thunderbolts. Not to mention minor faux pas like having Spiderman attacked before he even unmasked. I'm not saying that supporting the registration is wrong, I'm just saying the underlying tatics are pure evil.

Not if you look at it in real world terms. Granted, some of it got a little out of hand, but really I think it was the right thing to do.

Are these two new pages?

http://wizarduniverse.com/_images_/006249/NEWAVNILU005-8.jpg

http://wizarduniverse.com/_images_/006249/NEWAVNILU005-10.jpg

The site I saw the preview on originally didn't have these 2 pages, but looking at IGN now, they do.

If not, no big deal. :D

Ok, elsewhere people have speculated that Namor asks about Cap, because he wouldn't put it past Stark to steal the corpse or to have cloned it.

Ok, elsewhere people have speculated that Namor asks about Cap, because he wouldn't put it past Stark to steal the corpse or to have cloned it.

He cloned Thor. Why wouldn't he clone Cap? Isn't that how the Skull gave himself a young body, stealing Rogers's DNA?

REVIEWS:

Mostly spoiler free, but HEAVY hints, you could figure out who the Skrull is:

http://comicnewsi.com/reviews.php?catid=252&itemid=10654

This is the best issue of this series that I’ve read. I will go out on a limb and say that this is the best issue of the mini. It’s certainly the most rousing and action-packed. Like last week’s Ultimate Power #8, double page spreads fly like cheap ketchup of fast food french fries. But these spreads are accentuated by spot-on pacing and a general feeling of danger. Although this book is probably light on content (if I were to sit down and go page by page), it feels dense as all get out. And it’s really satisfying. Because we see Skrulls.

Writer Brian Michael Bendis really delivered. He didn’t hold back or hype up something that just gave a glimpse. The Skrulls show up in a HUGE way in this issue. In fact – although I’m not going to spell it out (because that could spoil it) – Bendis has really stuck to his word when giving teasers about what was coming with the Skrull Secret Invasion. True to his word, one of the Illuminati is a Skrull. You can figure it out if you go back and pay close attention to New Avengers: Illuminati #1. As soon as I saw Bendis quoted as saying that, I went back and tried it. It’s pretty easy. When the Illuminati are all aboard the Skrull ship, just carefully go thru scene by scene and see if anything doesn’t add up. Remember, it wouldn’t take much for a shape shifter to replace an Illuminati member. One of their appearances doesn’t add up. That’s the Skrull. Really, it’s just that easy. I’ve known the Skrull all along and now this issue confirms it.

The fact that Bendis made it so obvious without being heavy handed provides a serious sense of reader satisfaction. There are more than a few moments like that in this issue. I won’t spoil it, but there’s a part where Namor has a big opening and I was screaming, “Yeah, go for it Namor!” You know what? He went for it. It was just as good as I imagined.

There’s another small plot point barely addressed in this issue that I REALLY want to discuss right here. Let me say it as vague as possible – when people at Marvel said that those most likely to be Skrulls often had suspicious disappearances in their past, they weren’t throwing out empty clues. There is a page or two in this issue that screams “back from the dead.” Now I just want to see it followed up. I’m sitting here wondering if there are two versions of those characters out in the Marvel Universe, or if the characters in our current books really are Skrulls (one of the heroes in question even has a solo title!).

Jim Cheung does a solid job. Sometimes, in the past, I’ve been a bit disheartened by the fact that his heroes can often have the same face. Well if he heard me say that, he certainly put my advice to work. That’s no longer an issue. His characters are extremely distinctive this time around. Mark Morales provides super solid inks. Justin Ponsor colors a great issue, really making the Skrull costumes pop off the page. Cory Petit went to town with different dialogue fonts and colors, typically one of my most hated lettering abuses. But he actually made it look good in this issue, so kudos to the letterer.

It comes down to this: if you want to be in the right place at the right time to be with Secret Invasion from the opening shot, pick up this issue. It starts here, without a doubt.


SPOILER FREE REVIEW

IGN

New Avengers: Illuminati was always destined for a certain degree of
popularity. It has the phrase "New Avengers" in the title, after all.
However, in the wake of all the big Skrully announcements and
revelations, this series has taken on a new sense of importance. No
longer do readers sit back and enjoy Illuminati's modern look at
classic Marvel events. Now every page, panel, and word balloon is a
potential clue towards a central mystery. Who among the Illuminati is
really a Skrull?

It's not exactly a spoiler to say we receive an answer to that
question in this issue. Marvel has been touting the big revelation for
months. To say anymore would be to give away too much, however. I'll
just say that I was reasonably pleased with how the reveal played out
and move on. In a nice bit of synchronicity, issue #5 harkens back to
issue #1, where we saw the six heroes journey to the Skrull homeworld
in the wake of the classic Kree/Skrull War storyline. Little did they
know a new war has been brewing ever since.

To an extent, this issue suffers from the same flaw recent issues of
New Avengers have. Too many pages are wasted with the characters
spewing essentially the same Skrull-related banter we comic fans have
been bouncing around for months. I take solace in the fact that Black
Bolt can't talk, so at least there's one less character to spew the
same tired old "Who do you trust?" speech. There are also a few
instances of questionable continuity breaches, mainly with the current
status quos of Namor and Black Bolt. Did anyone at Marvel even read
Silent War?

Still, there's plenty to enjoy in this issue. Both Brians (Bendis and
Reed) have really started to gel as a team, to the point where it's no
longer apparent which writer contributed to which section of the book.
Even better is Jim Cheung's art. Cheung may have been largely
responsible for the series' long delays, but it's hard to deny the
finished product wasn't worth the wait. Cheung has improved greatly
since first making a splash with Young Avengers in 2005, and only his
slow speed is keeping him from joining the ranks of Marvel's best
artists.

I don't know if I'm pleased or saddened that we're enjoying so much
buildup to Marvel's big 2008 event. The big 2007 event isn't even over
yet. Regardless, this issue will help to relieve the itch of all those
burning Skrull-related questions. If that's not enough, then maybe you
should go to the doctor and have that looked at.

8.6 OVERALL
(out of 10 / not an average)

REVIEWS:

Mostly spoiler free, but HEAVY hints, you could figure out who the Skrull is:

http://comicnewsi.com/reviews.php?catid=252&itemid=10654

This is the best issue of this series that I’ve read. I will go out on a limb and say that this is the best issue of the mini. It’s certainly the most rousing and action-packed. Like last week’s Ultimate Power #8, double page spreads fly like cheap ketchup of fast food french fries. But these spreads are accentuated by spot-on pacing and a general feeling of danger. Although this book is probably light on content (if I were to sit down and go page by page), it feels dense as all get out. And it’s really satisfying. Because we see Skrulls.

Writer Brian Michael Bendis really delivered. He didn’t hold back or hype up something that just gave a glimpse. The Skrulls show up in a HUGE way in this issue. In fact – although I’m not going to spell it out (because that could spoil it) – Bendis has really stuck to his word when giving teasers about what was coming with the Skrull Secret Invasion. True to his word, one of the Illuminati is a Skrull. You can figure it out if you go back and pay close attention to New Avengers: Illuminati #1. As soon as I saw Bendis quoted as saying that, I went back and tried it. It’s pretty easy. When the Illuminati are all aboard the Skrull ship, just carefully go thru scene by scene and see if anything doesn’t add up. Remember, it wouldn’t take much for a shape shifter to replace an Illuminati member. One of their appearances doesn’t add up. That’s the Skrull. Really, it’s just that easy. I’ve known the Skrull all along and now this issue confirms it.

The fact that Bendis made it so obvious without being heavy handed provides a serious sense of reader satisfaction. There are more than a few moments like that in this issue. I won’t spoil it, but there’s a part where Namor has a big opening and I was screaming, “Yeah, go for it Namor!” You know what? He went for it. It was just as good as I imagined.

There’s another small plot point barely addressed in this issue that I REALLY want to discuss right here. Let me say it as vague as possible – when people at Marvel said that those most likely to be Skrulls often had suspicious disappearances in their past, they weren’t throwing out empty clues. There is a page or two in this issue that screams “back from the dead.” Now I just want to see it followed up. I’m sitting here wondering if there are two versions of those characters out in the Marvel Universe, or if the characters in our current books really are Skrulls (one of the heroes in question even has a solo title!).

Jim Cheung does a solid job. Sometimes, in the past, I’ve been a bit disheartened by the fact that his heroes can often have the same face. Well if he heard me say that, he certainly put my advice to work. That’s no longer an issue. His characters are extremely distinctive this time around. Mark Morales provides super solid inks. Justin Ponsor colors a great issue, really making the Skrull costumes pop off the page. Cory Petit went to town with different dialogue fonts and colors, typically one of my most hated lettering abuses. But he actually made it look good in this issue, so kudos to the letterer.

It comes down to this: if you want to be in the right place at the right time to be with Secret Invasion from the opening shot, pick up this issue. It starts here, without a doubt.


SPOILER FREE REVIEW

IGN

New Avengers: Illuminati was always destined for a certain degree of
popularity. It has the phrase "New Avengers" in the title, after all.
However, in the wake of all the big Skrully announcements and
revelations, this series has taken on a new sense of importance. No
longer do readers sit back and enjoy Illuminati's modern look at
classic Marvel events. Now every page, panel, and word balloon is a
potential clue towards a central mystery. Who among the Illuminati is
really a Skrull?

It's not exactly a spoiler to say we receive an answer to that
question in this issue. Marvel has been touting the big revelation for
months. To say anymore would be to give away too much, however. I'll
just say that I was reasonably pleased with how the reveal played out
and move on. In a nice bit of synchronicity, issue #5 harkens back to
issue #1, where we saw the six heroes journey to the Skrull homeworld
in the wake of the classic Kree/Skrull War storyline. Little did they
know a new war has been brewing ever since.

To an extent, this issue suffers from the same flaw recent issues of
New Avengers have. Too many pages are wasted with the characters
spewing essentially the same Skrull-related banter we comic fans have
been bouncing around for months. I take solace in the fact that Black
Bolt can't talk, so at least there's one less character to spew the
same tired old "Who do you trust?" speech. There are also a few
instances of questionable continuity breaches, mainly with the current
status quos of Namor and Black Bolt. Did anyone at Marvel even read
Silent War?

Still, there's plenty to enjoy in this issue. Both Brians (Bendis and
Reed) have really started to gel as a team, to the point where it's no
longer apparent which writer contributed to which section of the book.
Even better is Jim Cheung's art. Cheung may have been largely
responsible for the series' long delays, but it's hard to deny the
finished product wasn't worth the wait. Cheung has improved greatly
since first making a splash with Young Avengers in 2005, and only his
slow speed is keeping him from joining the ranks of Marvel's best
artists.

I don't know if I'm pleased or saddened that we're enjoying so much
buildup to Marvel's big 2008 event. The big 2007 event isn't even over
yet. Regardless, this issue will help to relieve the itch of all those
burning Skrull-related questions. If that's not enough, then maybe you
should go to the doctor and have that looked at.

8.6 OVERALL
(out of 10 / not an average)


Yeah, well, you still haven't told me who the jogging girl in your sig is, so til then, I refuse to discuss this with you! :lol:

Same here.

Same here.

Yep.

Yep.

AHhhhhhhhhhhhhhh....I can't hold it!! I am so freaking excited about this issue. The review was awesome, so it appears to be living up to my expectations for it. I beginning to feel Illumi-naughty. Okay, that was gay, but I'm totally excited.

So reading the first issue again, the comic shows the Illuminati saving every member of the group from their respective places.....except for Black Bolt who just appears.

Hmmmm.

So reading the first issue again, the comic shows the Illuminati saving every member of the group from their respective places.....except for Black Bolt who just appears.

Hmmmm.

You know, I was just doing the exact same thing and that's the only thing that I could find that was somewhat out of place. I read it three times looking for something and that's all that seems odd.

So reading the first issue again, the comic shows the Illuminati saving every member of the group from their respective places.....except for Black Bolt who just appears.

Hmmmm.

Also look real close at Namor, Sort of looks like they save him from a Water Tank almost. You don't see exactly where they save him from either.

So reading the first issue again, the comic shows the Illuminati saving every member of the group from their respective places.....except for Black Bolt who just appears.

Hmmmm.

You know, I just don't see Black Bolt as being an integral enough part of the MU to be a huge WOAH! He's a skrull!? moment.

Also, how could anyone duplicate his powers as we saw in Son of M and Planet Hulk?

You know, I just don't see Black Bolt as being an integral enough part of the MU to be a huge WOAH! He's a skrull!? moment.

Also, how could anyone duplicate his powers as we saw in Son of M and Planet Hulk?
Black Bolt has been a big player in recent months. But I don't see him being the Skrull.

Black Bolt has been a big player in recent months. But I don't see him being the Skrull.

Yes, true. I'm telling you, my money is on Reed. I could obviously be dead wrong, but I feel like its Reed.

Black Bolt has been a big player in recent months. But I don't see him being the Skrull.

You know, now that I'm thinking of it, the implications of this are huge. Basically, if Skrull was someone from the end of the Kree Skrull War, they have been a Skrull for the past 30 years of comic history. Would it make as huge of a difference if it were Black Bolt? Plus, that could possibly explain what the hell happened at the end of Silent War.

I don't know, I'm thoroughly mixed up.

You know, now that I'm thinking of it, the implications of this are huge. Basically, if Skrull was someone from the end of the Kree Skrull War, they have been a Skrull for the past 30 years of comic history. Would it make as huge of a difference if it were Black Bolt? Plus, that could possibly explain what the hell happened at the end of Silent War.

I don't know, I'm thoroughly mixed up.

Definitely, definitely BlackBolt. Shit I sound like Rainman.

Someone mentioned Professor X suddenly walking in the first issue?

Something else.. they know we scour the previews for clues. So, in my eyes that makes them the least likeliest (unless they thought of this :D)

In which case, Prof X and Namor are in the clear.

A retailer at Newsarama said something and retracted it.. not sure if he was just messing with people or not.

Ok, Skrull ID has been spoiled publically.. be on the watch.

Hrm.. just thought of another fun scenario because of the reveal.

Can't wait til everyone gets the issue so we can speculate more :D

Yes, true. I'm telling you, my money is on Reed. I could obviously be dead wrong, but I feel like its Reed.

Reed's kind of obvious, with all the shit that's happened with him recently and his past history with the Skrulls.

Who holds which Infinity Gem ought to be reaaaaaaaaaally interesting now :D

Ok, Skrull ID has been spoiled publically.. be on the watch.
Blackagar was acting like the real Blackagar in Silent War. If he was a Skrull, it would have made more sense for him to escalate hostilities between the Inhumans and Earth. Not just take his stuff and walk away.

I dunno. I think Namor would have made a more logical choice to be the Skrull.

Blackagar was acting like the real Blackagar in Silent War. If he was a Skrull, it would have made more sense for him to escalate hostilities between the Inhumans and Earth. Not just take his stuff and walk away.

I dunno. I think Namor would have made a more logical choice to be the Skrull.

I dunno, I'm glad it wasn't Dr. Strange that'd ruin too many things for me. I can buy this one grudingly.

SPOILERS

Well, it invalidates one of the coolest feats in recent Hulk history, which is disappointing, but I suppose it works.

Fun scenario -- Maximus knows they're Skrulls and no one will believe him because he's crazy :D

Anyways, suppose the Skrulls used the Space Gem to teleport to where the Hulk landed and sabotaged the ship? To set him on a course to destroy the Illuminati? Of course, it backfired with BB being the first one down.

I guess it makes sense, since the fight was depicted off panel, and the What If issue had Sentry and Strange vaporized.

Ah well, here's hoping Hulk gets a victory with Sentry or WWH will have been mostly a waste.

Cripes, the biggest clue was sitting there in front of us all along.


We never got a single thought balloon from BB.

And it explains the Inhumans appearance in New Avengers that seemingly came out of the blue.

Cripes, the biggest clue was sitting there in front of us all along.


We never got a single thought balloon from BB.

And it explains the Inhumans appearance in New Avengers that seemingly came out of the blue.

Since the mid 90's, how often have you seen thought balloons in comics? That doesn't substantiate anything.

Someone give me the end of Slient War...becasue now it seems like a bigger mini than we all thought.

So, any guesses on

how recently the Skrull started impersonating Black Bolt?

I'm guessing it would be have to be relatively recently, since Black Bolt in Silent War was quite clearly Black Bolt.

Someone give me the end of Slient War...becasue now it seems like a bigger mini than we all thought.

Attilan is destroyed by the U.S., Maximus is controlling the remaining Inhumans, and Black Bolt and Luna are somewhere in exile.

Since the mid 90's, how often have you seen thought balloons in comics? That doesn't substantiate anything.

They made a big deal about their return lately, and a lot of people were using them as a basis for eliminating people. Not once, did anyone mention it and applied it to him.


In fact, it was pretty smart to hide in plain sight, so to speak. By having Xavier speak for him, you'd have to accept that Xavier wasn't lying and accept the writer at face value. And since Xavier only does surface scans, it's conceivable he could hide from mental scans which most fans would give an instant pass to if Xavier was in his head. I know a lot of us did that.

So, any guesses on

how recently the Skrull started impersonating Black Bolt?

I'm guessing it would be have to be relatively recently, since Black Bolt in Silent War was quite clearly Black Bolt.

For someone who didn't bother with it, could you explain why it was "clearly" him?

Attilan is destroyed by the U.S., Maximus is controlling the remaining Inhumans, and Black Bolt and Luna are somewhere in exile.
Yep. And....With Blackagar deposed from power, and his influence reduced, it makes even less sense for him to be the Skrull.

I don't know. It just doesn't jibe with me.

So, any guesses on

how recently the Skrull started impersonating Black Bolt?

I'm guessing it would be have to be relatively recently, since Black Bolt in Silent War was quite clearly Black Bolt.

TIMELINE:


As for the timeline issues, here is what editor Steve Wacker had to say on the subject in an interview at CBR:

"With the Inhumans launching their war against the U.S. in “Silent War,” some readers might be wondering what this means for the already beleaguered U.S. government of the Marvel U who currently has its hands full with the “Civil War” between the superheroes. “Internally, we're putting the beginning as some time before ‘Civil War' and it continues in the background throughout that story,” Wacker explained."

So it sounds like Silent War starts before Civil War, but the series takes place over a longer period of time, including the Civil War.

Also..


when the hulk took blackbolt hostage mad max took control of the inhumans during his absence. i read that in the wwh reference book

Well, we see Black Bolt react to Medusa's betrayal of him in issue #4 in a very dramatic manner while no one else was around. A Skrull impostor wouldn't care.

Yep. And....With Blackagar deposed from power, and his influence reduced, it makes even less sense for him to be the Skrull.

I don't know. It just doesn't jibe with me.

That's why I never really liked that line of reasoning people were using to guess the Skrull..

It invites fan debates about who's more important? Reed or Strange. Who's believed more at face value? Who does the most damage?

All superheroes aside, it's the people who did the most damage with the SHRA. They did what no bad guys did, forces heroes into retirement and turned them on one another.

All superheroes aside, it's the people who did the most damage with the SHRA. They did what no bad guys did, forces heroes into retirement and turned them on one another.

The SHRA would have been way worse without the support of the heroes. Without Tony Stark and co. cooperating there's no reason the government doesn't just go Project Wideawake on the entire superhuman community.

The SHRA would have been way worse without the support of the heroes. Without Tony Stark and co. cooperating there's no reason the government doesn't just go Project Wideawake on the entire superhuman community.
And thanks to the Initiative, America's superheroes have gotten extensive training, and have been mobilized into cohesive units. And other nations are following America's example.

It seems to me that would be counterintuitive to what the Skrulls would want. They wouldn't want Earth's superheroes becoming better prepared.

And thanks to the Initiative, America's superheroes have gotten extensive training, and have been mobilized into cohesive units. And other nations are following America's example.

It seems to me that would be counterintuitive to what the Skrulls would want. They wouldn't want Earth's superheroes becoming better prepared.

Is it possible that these new heroes working through the initiative are all sleeper Skrulls?

And thanks to the Initiative, America's superheroes have gotten extensive training, and have been mobilized into cohesive units. And other nations are following America's example.

It seems to me that would be counterintuitive to what the Skrulls would want. They wouldn't want Earth's superheroes becoming better prepared.

Again, it depends on what they're going for.

Sure, they can be trained all they want. Trained to follow orders.

Who holds the leash? SHIELD or a Skrull infiltrating as their leader.

Skrulls get what they want, all the data and information about their families.. anything that can help flesh out any infiltration work.

If infiltration doesn't work, or if they're caught? As an example, just imagine if Spidey caught one, and the Skrull says, hurt me and Aunt May dies. The one you have is a Skrull, we have the other one. Yadda yadda.

Lots of ways it can be useful really.

Stark is the only one preventing all of this from becoming a massively successful takeover and it'll redeem him in the end.

Who holds which Infinity Gem ought to be reaaaaaaaaaally interesting now :D

I believe that everything that was dealt with in each issue of Illuminati will be important, including the Infinity Gems, the Beyonder, and Marvel Boy.

Woo hoo! I nailed part of the reveal :)

(Bound to happen with all the theories to be honest)

MAJOR SPOILERS - Issue Synopsis

Iron Man gathered all of the Illuminati together to check out a body that was lying in a body bag. His armor confirmed the identity of each of the members, though Strange showed up in astral form because he obviously still doesn't trust Tony, seeing as how he's a New Avenger.

Tony reveals Skullektra to the group and they argue about whether there is an actual invasion. Reed says he is going to dissect the body in order to find a way to detect other Skrulls, since Strange reveals that neither he, Spidey or Wolverine could detect Elektra as a Skrull.

Black Bolt then speaks, saying something like "Why don't I take the body so my people can live and yours be destroyed?" Then, the entire groups gets a shocked look on their face and there is a huge explosion.

Black Bolt is revealed to be a Skrull and says something about how it is writtten that this is the end for Earth. Namor fights him but the Skrull BB uses a Sonic Scream to put him away temporarily. Charles calls him a monster, BB Skrull says "Monster? I am you, only better" and appears to Psi-Blast him.

Namor gets a second win and a bucket of water, and grabs the Skrull by the neck. BB Skrull says "you can't break the neck of a shapeshifter" as he turns his head completely around like a scene right out of the exorcist.

Namor says "I wasn't trying to, I was trying to distract you" and impales him on a sharp object sticking out of the ground (Namor apparently does that a lot).

Tony gets pissed and argues with Namor about killing the BB Skrull, because they could have used a prisoner, but Namor says "him or us". Then, Skrull Thor and Skrull Colussus show up. Tony somehow (and this got confusing) had his armor activate about three different Nuclear Power Plant facilities and told Strange through Charles telepathically to teleport everyone else out. There was another huge explosion, and the Illuminati found Tony with the Skrullektra.

Reed wanted to know how Tony did that (I didn't even really understand what he did, did his armor siphon nuclear power?) and apparently, the Thor and Colussus skrulls were gone. Dead? Who the heck knows.

Namor then got super pissed and said he didn't trust anyone. Tony or Reed said he was right and they needed to stop talking about it in order to not give anything away. They all then walked off separately with Tony still over the body in deep thought and despair.

For the record, involving the Infinity Gems,-

Black Bolt has the Space Gem.

Woo hoo! I nailed part of the reveal :)

(Bound to happen with all the theories to be honest)

MAJOR SPOILERS - Issue Synopsis

Iron Man gathered all of the Illuminati together to check out a body that was lying in a body bag. His armor confirmed the identity of each of the members, though Strange showed up in astral form because he obviously still doesn't trust Tony, seeing as how he's a New Avenger.

Tony reveals Skullektra to the group and they argue about whether there is an actual invasion. Reed says he is going to dissect the body in order to find a way to detect other Skrulls, since Strange reveals that neither he, Spidey or Wolverine could detect Elektra as a Skrull.

Black Bolt then speaks, saying something like "Why don't I take the body so my people can live and yours be destroyed?" Then, the entire groups gets a shocked look on their face and there is a huge explosion.

Black Bolt is revealed to be a Skrull and says something about how it is writtten that this is the end for Earth. Namor fights him but the Skrull BB uses a Sonic Scream to put him away temporarily. Charles calls him a monster, BB Skrull says "Monster? I am you, only better" and appears to Psi-Blast him.

Namor gets a second win and a bucket of water, and grabs the Skrull by the neck. BB Skrull says "you can't break the neck of a shapeshifter" as he turns his head completely around like a scene right out of the exorcist.

Namor says "I wasn't trying to, I was trying to distract you" and impales him on a sharp object sticking out of the ground (Namor apparently does that a lot).

Tony gets pissed and argues with Namor about killing the BB Skrull, because they could have used a prisoner, but Namor says "him or us". Then, Skrull Thor and Skrull Colussus show up. Tony somehow (and this got confusing) had his armor activate about three different Nuclear Power Plant facilities and told Strange through Charles telepathically to teleport everyone else out. There was another huge explosion, and the Illuminati found Tony with the Skrullektra.

Reed wanted to know how Tony did that (I didn't even really understand what he did, did his armor siphon nuclear power?) and apparently, the Thor and Colussus skrulls were gone. Dead? Who the heck knows.

Namor then got super pissed and said he didn't trust anyone. Tony or Reed said he was right and they needed to stop talking about it in order to not give anything away. They all then walked off separately with Tony still over the body in deep thought and despair.

Whoa, wait.

Colossus in Astonishing is a Skrull?

http://www.comicboards.com/hulk/view.php?trd=070612183604
06/12/07

Sooooooooo close to the truth back then :D

Whoa, wait.

Colossus in Astonishing is a Skrull?

There's probably multiples running around.

I remember when everyone thought Ord was a Skrull :D

Too bad this isn't a double fake out..

Meaning:


Namor is also a Skrull in disguise. His job is to silence the BB Skrull so they can't capture him and get further secrets. After all, Namor is "dead" technically, and having access to two of the largest armies near Earth has to be strategic. They already did the sleeper cell thing with Namor in Civil War too.

Imagine if Atlantis and Inhuman armies coordinated attacks?

The only problem is, they called on the Thor/Colossus Skrulls as backup. Surely they didn't know ahead of time that this meeting would be about the Skrulls, right? Then again, they were there pretty quick, which seems to suggest so.

If they're keeping an eye on Stark with SHIELD, there's a remote outside chance they knew and planned for it.

Either way, Namor was quick to keep the group from reassembling in the wake of the reveal, and was quick to dispatch the Skrull once he stood a chance of being captured.

If the Skrull was telepathic, he'd know what Namor was planning. So, it could be an intentional fake out that the two planned.

Suggesting Thor is a Skrull to keep the heroes from seeking his help, and Colossus for.. ok, I have no idea about that one to be honest.

http://www.newsarama.com/marvelnew/Illuminati/05/Illum05_Picture5.jpg

Heh, just to make everyone even more paranoid..


"I will say there is a very, VERY, suspicious exchange between Strange and “Black Bolt” upon the fake Inhuman’s arrival early in the issue. Strange says, “We’re waiting for the others.” A curious look from Black Bolt. “We’re Waiting.""

On one of the Skrulls from Illuminati:

The "Colossus Skrull" had the powers of several Xmen. He shoots Cyclops' eye beams and has Nightcrawler's tail. So more than likely, one of the Xmen is currently a skrull.

Great issue. Nothing like I expected it to be either. Tons of action and stuff blowing up. Leaves a ton to ponder over. And its just the beginning. Technically, its not even the beginning its prelude stuff. I love Cheung's character designs in there though and would hope to see more of what I saw there..if possible. Though I was off base, so far, it was still a great story that anyone can pick up.

So, I was thinking, what if the shadowy figure in Avengers: the Initiative (the guys who had Hardball take the SPIN tech weapons meant for the Hulk) were Skrulls? That, and the preview of the upcoming issue (7, I believe) has people going after very specific bits of information on how to deal with heroes, or the Hulk in the upcoming issues case, which definitely smacks of something the Skrulls would want a hold of.

I never thought the Thor and Colossus Skrulls were supposed to be either Thor OR Colossus, I thought they were just backup Super Skrulls.

My only real questions were 1: what exactly did Tony do with the nuclear power stations? Other than make a big explosion... and 2: does this fit in with things like Son of M and Silent War? I'll have to go back and flip through them, but it feels like it's negating something or contradicting something. Oh, well.

I have all the faith in the world that Secret Invasion is going to be awesome. I'm really interested to see what the Illuminati do with this information, exactly.

My only real questions were 1: what exactly did Tony do with the nuclear power stations? Other than make a big explosion... and 2: does this fit in with things like Son of M and Silent War? I'll have to go back and flip through them, but it feels like it's negating something or contradicting something. Oh, well.
Iron Man's armor is only as powerful as how much energy it can channel through it.

With it's 'Extremis' mode, Tony can draw upon energy from any nearby electrical sources. He drew upon the nearby nuclear plants and channeled the energy through his armor to create a super-duper repulsor blast.

http://www.newsarama.com/marvelnew/Illuminati/05/Illum05_Picture5.jpg

Heh, just to make everyone even more paranoid..

That struck me as odd. Bolt should be in Iron Man's face, but he's not. He's conferring with Strange over the bag. Does he know the contents somehow? "We're waiting" knowing what we know about Black Bolt and what would happen soon after is just kind of...I dunno. And how does someone break the Crimson Bands of Cytorrak without any type of incantation or gesture or anything?

And how does someone break the Crimson Bands of Cytorrak without any type of incantation or gesture or anything?
They can be broken by physical force if Strange doesn't have time to make the initial spell incantation strong enough. Namor himself once broke out of them.

Iron Man's armor is only as powerful as how much energy it can channel through it.

With it's 'Extremis' mode, Tony can draw upon energy from any nearby electrical sources. He drew upon the nearby nuclear plants and channeled the energy through his armor to create a super-duper repulsor blast.

I re-read it last night, and you are indeed correct, sir. Good stuff.

I imagine Hulkling MUST have a big role in this . . . I mean he is like their Emperor and everything :p


EDIT: I forgot that Xavier can walk again.

So how about that Skrull reveal, eh? Wonder how long it's been going on.

Here is the preview for the latest New Avengers.

http://comics.ign.com/articles/834/834022p1.html

I imagine Hulkling MUST have a big role in this . . . I mean he is like their Emperor and everything :p


EDIT: I forgot that Xavier can walk again.

Yeah, Hulkling from Young Avengers, and Xavin from Runaways should play a big role in this whole thing (assuming Runaways ties in with it- I kind of hope that it doesn't).

Plus, it looks like we'll get to see Mar-Vell meeting up with at least one of his kids (Hulkling) soon.

Yeah, Hulkling from Young Avengers, and Xavin from Runaways should play a big role in this whole thing (assuming Runaways ties in with it- I kind of hope that it doesn't).

Plus, it looks like we'll get to see Mar-Vell meeting up with at least one of his kids (Hulkling) soon.

I've been saying for...I don't know, a while now, that Mar-Vell should get together with all his kids, maybe in a miniseries or something so they could have an adventure. You could call it...Captain Marvel and the Marvel Family.

And that would be like the ultimate 'FUCK YOU' Marvel could send to DC.

I've been saying for...I don't know, a while now, that Mar-Vell should get together with all his kids, maybe in a miniseries or something so they could have an adventure. You could call it...Captain Marvel and the Marvel Family.

And that would be like the ultimate 'FUCK YOU' Marvel could send to DC.

Heh. Actually, the ultimate "FUCK YOU" Marvel could send to DC would be to completely dominate the Top 100 books, in particular the top 25, for a long time.

Nothing says 'fuck you' like being better than someone and showing it.

Just thought of something today though it is probably nothing. Way back in Avengers Finale when several of the gathered heroes speak of what they saw of the greatest moments of the now defunct team, the Beast speaks of Korvac. He talks about how formidable an opponent Michael was and how he did not believe that the Avengers could defeat that foe. The image offered depicts the Beast's roll in the battle. The only problem was that the Hank was absent during that confrontation and in fact could not have know about it 'til after it was over. I remember either Bendis' or Bendis supporters of the day being very adamant that there were no continuity errors in his Avengers writing. So, perhaps the Beast is a Skrull.

The "were waiting" from Dr.Strange got my attention.

The "were waiting" from Dr.Strange got my attention.

It definitely got mine too.

Newsarama is being screwy right now, but did anyone catch the end of the Brian Reed interview there?

Once again its mentioned that perhaps not all members of the Illuminati are in the clear.

It definitely got mine too.



I'm not crazy!

Yeah that really got me thinking about Strange, his powers of late have been subpar he couldn't fucking teleport the NA from a plane?

I'm not crazy!

Yeah that really got me thinking about Strange, his powers of late have been subpar he couldn't fucking teleport the NA from a plane?

Are you new here? Have we talked before?

:)

We haven't and I'm new.

No gay shit please two weeks here and I'm overloaded on my limit.

We haven't and I'm new.

No gay shit please two weeks here and I'm overloaded on my limit.

Am I missing someting? Is gay shit that prevalent here? I've not received gay shit. I'm not gay, but damnit you bastards, it would be nice to be noticed every once in a while!

We haven't and I'm new.

No gay shit please two weeks here and I'm overloaded on my limit.

I was just saying that I've made like 5,000 posts saying that Dr. Strange is a Skrull and why for oh about about the past six months. ;)

Newsarama is being screwy right now, but did anyone catch the end of the Brian Reed interview there?

Once again its mentioned that perhaps not all members of the Illuminati are in the clear.

Well, there was a post someplace (I'm drawing a blank on it) that said basically, it's a double fake out.

And making Dr. Strange a Skrull would be completely wasted IMO.

Namor makes more sense, strategically and from a continuity stance to me, and would set off a lot of potential storylines.

Well, there was a post someplace (I'm drawing a blank on it) that said basically, it's a double fake out.

And making Dr. Strange a Skrull would be completely wasted IMO.

Namor makes more sense, strategically and from a continuity stance to me, and would set off a lot of potential storylines.

True, our standpoints have been very clear on this from day one. I'm still not budging and neither are you. I just found it odd for the powers that be to still be saying things like that specifically about the Illuminati instead of general Marvel characters after #5.

What if they're all Skrulls and don't know it? What if the big heroes are the sleeper agents?

True, our standpoints have been very clear on this from day one. I'm still not budging and neither are you. I just found it odd for the powers that be to still be saying things like that specifically about the Illuminati instead of general Marvel characters after #5.

I agree.. it's just as far as Strange goes, there's other explanations besides being a Skrull that allow for future storytelling potential, while "depowering" him a bit. By making him a Skrull, he'll still be a Deus Ex Machina when he "returns"

That having been said, like I mentioned with the BB thing (The cool moment when he speaks up), it'd be a fun storytelling moment for Reed and Tony to realize they're screwed cause neither likes magic and does everything to avoid it.

Of course, having said THAT, the Skrulls have access to magic defenses regardless with or without Strange, so that reveal would be wasted.

As far as Namor goes, I'd say that'd be recently. Namor didn't seem keen on attending any more meetings, but here he is, especially after WWH. So that's suspicious. Add in the fact he was pretty intent on killing the Skrull (keeping in mind, the Skrull stating it's useless to break his neck since he's a shapeshifter.. the same thing would be true about piercing his heart.. moreso if the Skrull had telepathic powers)

The comment about if that was Cap was fishy (although easily explainable), but it'd open a whole new story (Summer 2008 - The Quest For Cap). And there is the whole matter of the empty throne. If they managed to take Namor out, they'd have access to 3/4ths of the world, with an army that already has infiltrated sleeper cells everywhere (It's odd that they added that to Civil War and did basically nothing with it since)

If there was another one, I'd have to say Namor has a good chance of being it personally.

Ready for a can of worms?

http://www.comicon.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=36;t=006847


Followers of Illuminati might have been more than a little shocked with the events of issue # 5, learning that The Inhuman's silent leader Black Bolt was a Super Skrull. Reed said that revelation will resonate throughout the Marvel Universe. "Everyone's wondering what if Black Bolt wasn't the only one?" Reed said. "The Illuminati are wondering if there is another one among them who is a Skrull. Everyone should be thinking that. In every book you buy from Marvel Comics, you should be wondering who the Skrull is, because everyone has a Skrull running around in there books, but no one knows it yet."

Thoughts?

Rest of the interview (for future reference):


We've got Skrulls, right here in Marvel Comics and those invaders are going to be causing havoc for the rest of the Marvel Universe throughout the coming year. Today, Marvel Comics held a press conference to cue fans in to the "State of the Initiative" with writer Brian Reed. This, and future podcasts, are supposed to highlight the themes from all the Initiative books and tease the Skrull's plan through the Marvel's Secret Invasion series.

NOTE: This reporter tried to get everything as word-for-word as possible, but some of this may have been paraphrased. PLUS some of the information here may be a SPOILER

Reed, as most Marvel fans might now, is working on Captain Marvel and Ms. Marvel as the solo writer. He's the co-writer of New Avengers: Illuminati with Brian Michael Bendis. Reed teased that in his little corner of the Marvel Universe they've been setting the stage for a while for this Skrull invasion. Ms. Marvel's put together a strike force of her own from Initiative recruits which include Sleepwalker and Machine Man. They've been hunting down supervillains before they reach the level of threat that the Avengers might have to deal with. "She's taking down threats before a group like The Avengers would have to deal with them," Reed said. "She's got heroes who enlisted when the Initiative came out on her team."

Ms. Marvel's not only hunting supervillains, she's dealing internally with all the choices she's made since the Civil War began. She's turned against some of her friends and allied with others who have less than stellar reputations. "She is doing things she thinks is right," Reed noted of some of the decisions Ms. Marvel has made recently. The key word is Ms. Marvel "thinks" it's right. But that doesn't mean she hasn't struggled with the consequences. Recently, she allowed the Puppet Master to kill himself, a decision that is haunting her a little. "She's honest with herself," Reed said. "She could have stopped the Puppet Master, but she didn't."

All of this and more has caused Ms. Marvel to be conflicted inside. She's dealt with a lot of tragedy and heartache in her life, but this past year has really piled weights on her shoulders. It's a strain that might be too much for the heroine to handle. "We're starting to see the cracks in her armor," Reed admitted. "She's starting to get a little sloppy now. She's bottling everything inside right now and that's dangerous -- she wasn't the most together person in the world to begin with."

Ms. Marvel isn't the only hero that Reed's scripting who has to deal with a lot of baggage right now. Captain Marvel was plucked from the time stream, at a time when the damage from the cancerous gas he was exposed to has already been done. He knows he's going to die. He's also more than a little disillusioned by the present state of the Marvel Universe. "First he was thrown into the Civil War, now it's a year later and his take is he got the hell out of Dodge," Reed said. "He saw the prison, was told you're the warden, and flew into it. Then he thought, 'what the hell is going on?' and left. That's where his miniseries opens up, focusing on what he's done and where he's been."

Those who caught the first issues of Captain Marvel know he's now in France. He's got a lot of strange things to deal with now, the least of which is his former teammate Iron Man now being in charge of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Captain America's death. "I think Iron Man in charge of S.H.I.E.L.D. is just one more thing in this weird new world he has to deal with," Reed said. "When he left, things were brighter and cheerier. Now he's here and there's so much crazy going on in the world. He's looking at it [Iron Man with S.H.I.E.L.D. and Captain America's death] as just not right. He just leaves."

Speaking of not right, another thing that's not "right" in the present Marvel Universe is the fact that so many Skrulls were able infiltrate the Earth and replace so many different heroes. "The first five issues of The Illuminati are just the tip of the iceberg," Reed teased of the scope and reach of these Skrulls. "Illuminati # 1 was where we 'officially' put out there the stuff with the Skrulls, but Brian Michael Bendis' Avengers and my Ms. Marvel series have been laying the groundwork for this story for quite some time."

Reed said the events of this upcoming Secret Invasion and the Skrulls plans make the original Kree/Skrull War seem like "amateur hour."

Followers of Illuminati might have been more than a little shocked with the events of issue # 5, learning that The Inhuman's silent leader Black Bolt was a Super Skrull. Reed said that revelation will resonate throughout the Marvel Universe. "Everyone's wondering what if Black Bolt wasn't the only one?" Reed said. "The Illuminati are wondering if there is another one among them who is a Skrull. Everyone should be thinking that. In every book you buy from Marvel Comics, you should be wondering who the Skrull is, because everyone has a Skrull running around in there books, but no one knows it yet."

Thoughts?

In every book you buy from Marvel Comics, you should be wondering who the Skrull is, because everyone has a Skrull running around in there books, but no one knows it yet."

I'm sure he meant "them there books."

Newsarama is being screwy right now, but did anyone catch the end of the Brian Reed interview there?

Once again its mentioned that perhaps not all members of the Illuminati are in the clear.

I was thinking that too.

Am I missing someting? Is gay shit that prevalent here? I've not received gay shit. I'm not gay, but damnit you bastards, it would be nice to be noticed every once in a while!

lol

I just noticed the humor here leans that way, have no problem with it just found it funny.

Ready for a can of worms?

http://www.comicon.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=36;t=006847



Thoughts?

Rest of the interview (for future reference):


We've got Skrulls, right here in Marvel Comics and those invaders are going to be causing havoc for the rest of the Marvel Universe throughout the coming year. Today, Marvel Comics held a press conference to cue fans in to the "State of the Initiative" with writer Brian Reed. This, and future podcasts, are supposed to highlight the themes from all the Initiative books and tease the Skrull's plan through the Marvel's Secret Invasion series.

NOTE: This reporter tried to get everything as word-for-word as possible, but some of this may have been paraphrased. PLUS some of the information here may be a SPOILER

Reed, as most Marvel fans might now, is working on Captain Marvel and Ms. Marvel as the solo writer. He's the co-writer of New Avengers: Illuminati with Brian Michael Bendis. Reed teased that in his little corner of the Marvel Universe they've been setting the stage for a while for this Skrull invasion. Ms. Marvel's put together a strike force of her own from Initiative recruits which include Sleepwalker and Machine Man. They've been hunting down supervillains before they reach the level of threat that the Avengers might have to deal with. "She's taking down threats before a group like The Avengers would have to deal with them," Reed said. "She's got heroes who enlisted when the Initiative came out on her team."

Ms. Marvel's not only hunting supervillains, she's dealing internally with all the choices she's made since the Civil War began. She's turned against some of her friends and allied with others who have less than stellar reputations. "She is doing things she thinks is right," Reed noted of some of the decisions Ms. Marvel has made recently. The key word is Ms. Marvel "thinks" it's right. But that doesn't mean she hasn't struggled with the consequences. Recently, she allowed the Puppet Master to kill himself, a decision that is haunting her a little. "She's honest with herself," Reed said. "She could have stopped the Puppet Master, but she didn't."

All of this and more has caused Ms. Marvel to be conflicted inside. She's dealt with a lot of tragedy and heartache in her life, but this past year has really piled weights on her shoulders. It's a strain that might be too much for the heroine to handle. "We're starting to see the cracks in her armor," Reed admitted. "She's starting to get a little sloppy now. She's bottling everything inside right now and that's dangerous -- she wasn't the most together person in the world to begin with."

Ms. Marvel isn't the only hero that Reed's scripting who has to deal with a lot of baggage right now. Captain Marvel was plucked from the time stream, at a time when the damage from the cancerous gas he was exposed to has already been done. He knows he's going to die. He's also more than a little disillusioned by the present state of the Marvel Universe. "First he was thrown into the Civil War, now it's a year later and his take is he got the hell out of Dodge," Reed said. "He saw the prison, was told you're the warden, and flew into it. Then he thought, 'what the hell is going on?' and left. That's where his miniseries opens up, focusing on what he's done and where he's been."

Those who caught the first issues of Captain Marvel know he's now in France. He's got a lot of strange things to deal with now, the least of which is his former teammate Iron Man now being in charge of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Captain America's death. "I think Iron Man in charge of S.H.I.E.L.D. is just one more thing in this weird new world he has to deal with," Reed said. "When he left, things were brighter and cheerier. Now he's here and there's so much crazy going on in the world. He's looking at it [Iron Man with S.H.I.E.L.D. and Captain America's death] as just not right. He just leaves."

Speaking of not right, another thing that's not "right" in the present Marvel Universe is the fact that so many Skrulls were able infiltrate the Earth and replace so many different heroes. "The first five issues of The Illuminati are just the tip of the iceberg," Reed teased of the scope and reach of these Skrulls. "Illuminati # 1 was where we 'officially' put out there the stuff with the Skrulls, but Brian Michael Bendis' Avengers and my Ms. Marvel series have been laying the groundwork for this story for quite some time."

Reed said the events of this upcoming Secret Invasion and the Skrulls plans make the original Kree/Skrull War seem like "amateur hour."

Followers of Illuminati might have been more than a little shocked with the events of issue # 5, learning that The Inhuman's silent leader Black Bolt was a Super Skrull. Reed said that revelation will resonate throughout the Marvel Universe. "Everyone's wondering what if Black Bolt wasn't the only one?" Reed said. "The Illuminati are wondering if there is another one among them who is a Skrull. Everyone should be thinking that. In every book you buy from Marvel Comics, you should be wondering who the Skrull is, because everyone has a Skrull running around in there books, but no one knows it yet."


Christ on a crutch. ALL of the books have at least on skrull?!?! I can see that for books like The Inititive, The Avengers and X-men, but DD & Iron Fist have skrulls too? this thing is way bigger than I thought (both the actual invasion and the plans for it)

Just to add to this excellent thread....

Does anyone else remember seeing Sentry flying Wonder Man around in the first issue of Mighty Avengers, only for him to be knocked away by one of those mole creatures and flying fine the next?:mistrust:

Also, I wouldn't be shocked if Black Widow or Spider Woman were Skrulls, seeing how wierd they were looking at each other in NA # 36.:mistrust:

And seeing how it flew over all of our heads with the thought bubbles on Blackagar, do any of you recall seeing or reading any thought bubbles for Echo?:mistrust:

And seeing how it flew over all of our heads with the thought bubbles on Blackagar, do any of you recall seeing or reading any thought bubbles for Echo?:mistrust:
Thought balloons really can only be counted for appearances in Mighty Avengers since pretty much no other book being looked at has thought balloons at all.

By the way, the February solicitation for Mighty Avengers could kind of be taken to mean that

Doctor Doom is a Skrull.
If it turned out to be true, that would be pretty big, I think.

Ok what is the deal with She Hulk #23 this week in relation to the big picture?

Also, for those that may not know, in the introduction to this week's New Avengers oversized hardcover Bendis confirms something that everyone following this closely already knew.

There is a Skrull in New Avengers issue #1.

Hears some more speculation.

Okay, if you all have issue #33 of the New Avengers you'll notice how Echo seems to "hear" the door knocks while they were in the hotel room.

In fact, she seems to "hear" some of them speak to her in some of the other books as well.............................Awfully Skrully.

When they rescued her, and brought her into Strange's sanctum, the first thing she did was go over to Luke's baby........The same baby who had green Skrull eyes in issue #31....................Weird.

Hears some more speculation.

Okay, if you all have issue #33 of the New Avengers you'll notice how Echo seems to "hear" the door knocks while they were in the hotel room.

In fact, she seems to "hear" some of them speak to her in some of the other books as well.............................Awfully Skrully.

When they rescued her, and brought her into Strange's sanctum, the first thing she did was go over to Luke's baby........The same baby who had green Skrull eyes in issue #31....................Weird.

I dunno, that would be a pretty big tell. Elektra and Black Bolt gave absolutely no indications and got past various things like Iron Man's armor and Wolverine's senses. To impersonate a deaf person but behave like a hearing person would just be too obvious in ways that the stories don't seem to be going. You know?

Yeah, I guess you're right...............Back to the drawing board.

By the way, the February solicitation for Mighty Avengers could kind of be taken to mean that

Doctor Doom is a Skrull.
If it turned out to be true, that would be pretty big, I think.

If that were the case, the Skrulls would be in some deep shit.

Doom is the absolute last guy you want to piss off in the Marvel U.

Whew! I went through every page of this thread to make sure I wasn't repeating something.

I recently got the first two trades of Astonishing X-Men (I know, I'm behind the times). But in issue No. 7 (in the second trade), there is an interesting (Skrully?) scene.

The "board of directors" of SWORD are talking to Agent Brand, the head of the organization. The whole scene is bathed in green light. The members of the "board" are all in shadow, similar to how the president and cabinet were in Secret War.(And the Skrull in NA #1).

The whole time she's talking to the board and defending her decisions, Brand says over and over she will do what it takes to defend "the planet." She never says "the people of Earth" or "the human race," it's always that she will do anything to protect just the planet.

Oh - and she has this quote: "So if I'm to be ... demoted... well, I've left instructions on what to do with the body."

If you read it that she and SWORD are Skrulls, they are talking about defending their holy world. We know that SWORD plays a role in SI. Thoughts?

SWORD plays a role in Secret Invasion? I did not know that. That's very interesting.

If that were the case, the Skrulls would be in some deep shit.

Doom is the absolute last guy you want to piss off in the Marvel U.

yeah, I concur...

Whew! I went through every page of this thread to make sure I wasn't repeating something.

I recently got the first two trades of Astonishing X-Men (I know, I'm behind the times). But in issue No. 7 (in the second trade), there is an interesting (Skrully?) scene.

The "board of directors" of SWORD are talking to Agent Brand, the head of the organization. The whole scene is bathed in green light. The members of the "board" are all in shadow, similar to how the president and cabinet were in Secret War.(And the Skrull in NA #1).

The whole time she's talking to the board and defending her decisions, Brand says over and over she will do what it takes to defend "the planet." She never says "the people of Earth" or "the human race," it's always that she will do anything to protect just the planet.

Oh - and she has this quote: "So if I'm to be ... demoted... well, I've left instructions on what to do with the body."

If you read it that she and SWORD are Skrulls, they are talking about defending their holy world. We know that SWORD plays a role in SI. Thoughts?


Well, considering that the Skrulls would want to colonize Earth, especially after their homeworld has been destroyed, it would make sense that they'd want to protect it.

SWORD is involved in the Skrullvasion, but it's just a matter of how deep it goes.

Whew! I went through every page of this thread to make sure I wasn't repeating something.

I recently got the first two trades of Astonishing X-Men (I know, I'm behind the times). But in issue No. 7 (in the second trade), there is an interesting (Skrully?) scene.

The "board of directors" of SWORD are talking to Agent Brand, the head of the organization. The whole scene is bathed in green light. The members of the "board" are all in shadow, similar to how the president and cabinet were in Secret War.(And the Skrull in NA #1).

The whole time she's talking to the board and defending her decisions, Brand says over and over she will do what it takes to defend "the planet." She never says "the people of Earth" or "the human race," it's always that she will do anything to protect just the planet.

Oh - and she has this quote: "So if I'm to be ... demoted... well, I've left instructions on what to do with the body."

If you read it that she and SWORD are Skrulls, they are talking about defending their holy world. We know that SWORD plays a role in SI. Thoughts?

Honestly? I passed on Astonishing.. but I'd say you're spot on, especially with that line about what to do with the body.

The coloring is probably less a hint though, since they know we automatically presume everything green is Skrullish.

And nice catch on the "protect the planet" line..

Honestly? I passed on Astonishing.. but I'd say you're spot on, especially with that line about what to do with the body.

The coloring is probably less a hint though, since they know we automatically presume everything green is Skrullish.

And nice catch on the "protect the planet" line..

Cth, where's that Mini-Marvel's strip from? I've seen the Planet Hulk one but that's new to me.

Cth, where's that Mini-Marvel's strip from? I've seen the Planet Hulk one but that's new to me.

World War Hulk: Aftersmash

Honestly? I passed on Astonishing.. but I'd say you're spot on, especially with that line about what to do with the body.

The coloring is probably less a hint though, since they know we automatically presume everything green is Skrullish.

And nice catch on the "protect the planet" line..


I don't think they'd color anything Skrullish green now that we know they're involved, but this issue was from a few years ago, before we knew. That's why I think the green thing could be a clue. (I never really believed the green eyes thing.)

But I think the biggest thing was that the "board members" were all in shadow. It just seemed there were some parallels with Secret War there.

And changing the subject slightly, I don't think Maria Hill is a Skrull, but I think she was put in place by them.

And changing the subject slightly, I don't think Maria Hill is a Skrull, but I think she was put in place by them.

If so, I hope we get an explanation as to why they'd manipulate someone who might figure out the plan instead of replacing her with a Skrull agent.

I don't think they'd color anything Skrullish green now that we know they're involved, but this issue was from a few years ago, before we knew. That's why I think the green thing could be a clue. (I never really believed the green eyes thing.)

But I think the biggest thing was that the "board members" were all in shadow. It just seemed there were some parallels with Secret War there.

And changing the subject slightly, I don't think Maria Hill is a Skrull, but I think she was put in place by them.

Agreed.

As far as the shadow stuff goes.. definitely.. keep in mind, it was prevalent during Avengers Disassembled, and the artist said that was mandated by Bendis but he wasn't given a reason for it.

And consider also, the Blackbolt Skrull was in shadow on the cover of NA: Illuminati 5.

Maybe we should be checking shadows.. there was that shadowed character in New Avengers #1 as well.

If so, I hope we get an explanation as to why they'd manipulate someone who might figure out the plan instead of replacing her with a Skrull agent.
The Skrulls that have been put in place have probably been using lots of unsuspecting humans as pawns.

The Skrulls are just fiendish like that.

Here's the fun thing..

Chances are, as indicated, the war has been over for quite some time. As in the Skrull won before a shot was even fired.

Imagine the implications of that.

How much of a status quo change would that be? Along the lines of a CRISIS type event.

Feasible?

They say the Initiative is basically the last line of defense. I'd add Namor's sleeper cells, etc.

If it did happen, would you support seeing this as a new status quo for an extended time period? How long would you be willing to stick it out?

Newest podcast from Marvel indicates something HUGE happens in issue #2.

All Skrulls are shown in issue #1.

Some old quotes that might be fun in retrospect:
http://comics.ign.com/articles/819/819156p2.html


...There's no reason to be vague. I've told you a lot, but I haven't told you anything that happens in the story. There is so much that happens that even if I told you the whole first three issues, that's nothing compared to what happens in the rest of the story....

...not everyone's walking out of it. There will be some fond farewells! Some characters rising to a level of heroism or villainy that they haven't been able to do prior...

...Honestly the reveals are nothing compared to the plan itself... the Skrull plan is a little more than "take over the world"?

The villains are going to have a lot of face time...the Hood will have made his debut… His group will be locked..Thunderbolts, depending on your point of view… Dr.Doom…

Any hints as to what we can expect from Nick when he comes back?... His eye patch… will be on the wrong eye.


So, speculation time.. Fury has some tech that allows him to detect Skrulls. He's replaced his injured eye with this new eye. The eyepatch will go over the other eye, so everyone will think he's just a defective LMD, but in reality, it allows him to walk around in plain sight.

Newest podcast from Marvel indicates something HUGE happens in issue #2.

All Skrulls are shown in issue #1.

Some old quotes that might be fun in retrospect:
http://comics.ign.com/articles/819/819156p2.html



So, speculation time.. Fury has some tech that allows him to detect Skrulls. He's replaced his injured eye with this new eye. The eyepatch will go over the other eye, so everyone will think he's just a defective LMD, but in reality, it allows him to walk around in plain sight.

I want to say that Dan Slott said that Triathalon would rise to the occasion as the new 3D Man who was apparently a Skrull hunter. I don't know much about the 3D man.

I want to say that Dan Slott said that Triathalon would rise to the occasion as the new 3D Man who was apparently a Skrull hunter. I don't know much about the 3D man.

That would actually be kind of cool.

Do you remember if you read that online?

I remember the 3D Man question being asked...

http://www.comicbookresources.com/news/newsitem.cgi?id=12525


There were some characters Slott didn't want to talk about, to avoid revealing or suggesting who lives or dies. "I will tell you about Triathlon, though," he said. "Not all of the heroes are down there [on the Initiative compound] to learn how to be heroes; some are there to learn how to be leaders. After he's finished training to be a leader, Triathlon will be the new 3D Man, who was the old Skrull hunter from the '50s. Fans of Triathlon will either really love us or really hate us."

http://www.comicon.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=36;t=006889

SPOILER FOR UPCOMING INITIATIVE STORYLINE


After much badgering about Skrulls and survivors, Slott did give one "reveal." He said, "Someone I will say survives the Killed in Action story is Triathlon. He makes it through. Everyone who is training for The Initiative isn't just learning how to use his or her powers. Some are there to learn how to be team leaders. Triathlon's down there to learn how to be a leader for one of these 50 State teams. He will be the new 3-D Man. And as longtime 3-D Man fans might know, he was the Skrull hunter from the '50s. No one will kick more Skrull ass than Triathlon."

World War Hulk: Aftersmash

Is that worth picking up, or is it just filler?

Did anybody read What If Annihilation? A lot of people panned it, but I dug it. There was a scene there where the Heroes and Villains team up to fight the Annihilation wave. There's this awesome panel with like Daredevil and Bullseye fighting side by side and Dr. Doom in the background.

Now I'm thinking that's the kind of shit I would kill to see in Secret Invasion. Could you imagine a powered up Magneto teaming up with the heroes, or some other high powered dude? I wonder if SI will have that type of scope? Bendis says that when they realize what's up, we've already lost. I just have these immense battles going through my head.

That's whats making me so excited for this. That and the fact that since I came back to comics 2 years ago; when these big stories happen, shit changes; not everyone comes back from battleworld anymore. (and I know that Ben Grimm stuck around for a while; but who gives a shit anyway)

Now I'm thinking that's the kind of shit I would kill to see in Secret Invasion. Could you imagine a powered up Magneto teaming up with the heroes, or some other high powered dude? I wonder if SI will have that type of scope? Bendis says that when they realize what's up, we've already lost. I just have these immense battles going through my head.

I can see it happening. Well, not with Magneto, but yeah. I imagine at the end there'll be a full scale battle between the unified Avengers and some other superheroes, and a large Skrull army.

Thor is probably going to be a big deal in Secret Invasion. The first issue of the series showed a lot of chaos and destruction if Thor didn't return to life to protect Earth, and it was stated in Joe Fridays that he would play a vital role in the survival of the Marvel Universe at some point down the line.

I can see it happening. Well, not with Magneto, but yeah. I imagine at the end there'll be a full scale battle between the unified Avengers and some other superheroes, and a large Skrull army.

Thor is probably going to be a big deal in Secret Invasion. The first issue of the series showed a lot of chaos and destruction if Thor didn't return to life to protect Earth, and it was stated in Joe Fridays that he would play a vital role in the survival of the Marvel Universe at some point down the line.

That's awesome! It's not a normal superhero predicament which I think makes it so cool. Usually they have a chance, but this time, I'm thinking they're pretty well screwed.

Any large scale battle between the heroes and the Skrulls is probably going to be pretty rough. On the heroes, that is. Those new Super-Skrulls are damn badass. A single one gave the Illuminati trouble in battle.

I can see it happening. Well, not with Magneto, but yeah. I imagine at the end there'll be a full scale battle between the unified Avengers and some other superheroes, and a large Skrull army.

Thor is probably going to be a big deal in Secret Invasion. The first issue of the series showed a lot of chaos and destruction if Thor didn't return to life to protect Earth, and it was stated in Joe Fridays that he would play a vital role in the survival of the Marvel Universe at some point down the line.

Yeah, I can see Thor showing up and being a major factor and being a huge 'Oh, shit!' for the Skrulls. But then again, that's probably too obvious. Still, I expect him to play a role in some way.

I'm expecting Doom to play a large part in Secret Invasion. He was in House of M, alluded to in Secret War and will be a player in Mighty Avengers. And he's teaming up with Namor.

Dunno if I think he's a Skrull or not, but definitely someone to keep your eye on.

The solicit for Mighty Avengers #9 does seem to hint something about Doom.

The solicit for Mighty Avengers #9 does seem to hint something about Doom.

And you know, it makes perfect sense. One of his goals is world domination so I'm sure he doesn't want a world infested with Skrulls or a pile of smoldering rubble to rule over. So I'm sure his intentions would be right in line with the heroes.

Also, and not to sound biased (although obviously I am) but I want some powerhouses like Sentry, Thor, etc. to really be able to unleash. That's easy to do when you're facing an army of nameless superskrulls. I have a feeling there will be an impressive body count.

Is that worth picking up, or is it just filler?

Worth picking up. It's the exception to these kinds of books.

Some cool moments, and it wraps up the loose ends, as well as gives it a sort of happy/hopeful ending.

And you know, it makes perfect sense. One of his goals is world domination so I'm sure he doesn't want a world infested with Skrulls or a pile of smoldering rubble to rule over. So I'm sure his intentions would be right in line with the heroes.

I would imagine we'll see a decent amount of villains on the good guy side in SI.

Ok.. so Doom.

He has to realize the Skrulls have invaded.

The question is, was "wear the skin of his ex-gf as armor" Doom the real article or not?

Another thing worth noting is all the alliances Doom has been seeking.. he tried to get Black Panther to join him and was particularly nice to him. Later, he gets Namor to join him.

The attack on New York may be him realizing that the US is lost and the best way to combat the potential Skrulls would be to infect them with the symbiotes (which seem to override the host's personality). Through the use of sonics, he could control or destroy them if necessary.

Ok.. so Doom.

He has to realize the Skrulls have invaded.

The question is, was "wear the skin of his ex-gf as armor" Doom the real article or not?
Yes the Doom in Unthinkable was the real deal.

Ok.. so Doom.

I say Doom helps the heroes just enough to allow him to push aside the Skrull leaders and take control himself.

Yes the Doom in Unthinkable was the real deal.

Ok, so, then the question at that point is..

How does Doom find out?

Lucia von Bardas was a cyborg. Was the whole "fund b-level supervillains" thing solely her idea?

At this point, Doom was in hell, so upon returning he probably looked into what happened while he was gone. Learning that Fury had invaded, he delved further and found SHIELD infested with Skrulls and Fury having gone underground.

I still maintain that her funding supervillains was part of the Skrull's plan to keep things destabilized, with heroes chasing dead ends instead of noting the real threat. Going off of the "green" theory, there was a TON of it in that series, specifically all the weapons they were supplied with.

Which brings up the question of the President refusing Fury's request to invade. Which definitely suggests the President is a Skrull. All of which has been suggested before on these threads.

Fury mindwiped the heroes because he didn't want to tip his hand too soon.. he needs time to prepare. He probably saw how bad things were while in Latveria and decided to go underground afterwards. He used the heroes because SHIELD was compromised. Fury leaves telling the heroes he hopes they'll understand what he had to do one day.

Also, the costumes they wore in Secret War.. was there a reason given beyond "we need to be stealthy"? Could there be some technology in those suits to mask their presence or was Fury keeping tabs on who's real and who's not?

There's also the matter of Doom going after Thor's hammer and just giving up seemingly.

There has to be a reason for that scene.

Was he trying to get the hammer to use against the Skrulls? Or to prevent them from getting it?

Thor is supposed to play a big part in S.I. as well, so maybe we'll get a flashback on that scene.

Doom is likely seeking allies because his own resources are depleted after Reed invaded and disposed of most of his stuff.

Ok, so, then the question at that point is..

How does Doom find out?
You're making the assumption that "Doom must've known". But we've seen that the Skrulls have laid out and executed their plans to near perfection. If Reed Richards, Iron Man, and Dr. Strange, were caught unawares, then so could Dr. Doom.

There's also the matter of Doom going after Thor's hammer and just giving up seemingly.

There has to be a reason for that scene.

Was he trying to get the hammer to use against the Skrulls? Or to prevent them from getting it?
He wanted mjolnir's power. I don't think there was anything more to it than that. Doom has always coveted objects of great power.

But there's was nothing he could do to take it.

Ok.. so Doom.

He has to realize the Skrulls have invaded.

The question is, was "wear the skin of his ex-gf as armor" Doom the real article or not?

Another thing worth noting is all the alliances Doom has been seeking.. he tried to get Black Panther to join him and was particularly nice to him. Later, he gets Namor to join him.

The attack on New York may be him realizing that the US is lost and the best way to combat the potential Skrulls would be to infect them with the symbiotes (which seem to override the host's personality). Through the use of sonics, he could control or destroy them if necessary.

The thing with Doom is, like I said a few pages back, the solicit for MA #9 could kind of be taken to mean that he's been replaced by a Skrull. Bendis has been saying that he's been allowed to do a story with Doom that's a little different from what's come before and what we're used to seeing with Doom. I wonder if that means that we'll see Doom utterly and completely defeated by the Skrulls. I mean, when Doom loses, he usually at least gets to stand defiant in the end promising that he'll return or win the next time, etc. I wondered if that meant that at the end of the symbiote arc in Mighty Avengers a scene will reveal a totally helpless Doom captured by the Skrulls or something while he has been replaced in the outside world.

I forgot to mention, I was rereading the transcript from the President's conversation with Hill the other day. Bendis has said that it contains clues as to the Skrull infestation and whatnot, although as I've mentioned I honestly haven't been able to find anything. I stumbled unto this bit, though, figured maybe that was it:

SHIELD COMMANDER MARIA HILL: Fury's secret war.
PRESIDENT: Nnff. Anything else?
SHIELD COMMANDER MARIA HILL: Sir, why did he do it?
PRESIDENT: I don't know.
SHIELD COMMANDER MARIA HILL: May I ask why you were reluctant to move on the intel he presented you? I'm not pointing fingers. I'm just trying to understand my job.
PRESIDENT: We were going to use the information to put Lucia in her place. We were going to blackmail her with it. You see, that region, for as long as the world has turned, has been oppressed by people like that Victor Von Doom. We finally got his arrogant ass out of there, and it's insane to expect total peace and cooperation. They hate us there. It's in their blood. Give them money to rebuild and they only resent you more. Von Bardas was someone we felt we could ultimately control - or at least overpower. Fury jumped the gun. Was he right or wrong? Can't say. But he's a military man and he broke rank. He broke the law to serve who? Eh. I half-wish Doom was back in there. Him I could deal with. At least you knew where he stood. Now we gotta - or I should say you gotta -find out who knew von Bardas was still alive and clean up the loose ends, the money trail. These idiots in costumes...
I imagine the President is talking about someone who helped Lucia von Bardas rise from the ruble and execute her attack on the docks at the end of Secret War. So that would probably be the Skrulls, I gather.

Which brings up the question of the President refusing Fury's request to invade. Which definitely suggests the President is a Skrull. All of which has been suggested before on these threads.That would be awesome to find out Bush is a Skrull in his last year in office.

You're making the assumption that "Doom must've known". But we've seen that the Skrulls have laid out and executed their plans to near perfection. If Reed Richards, Iron Man, and Dr. Strange, were caught unawares, then so could Dr. Doom.

He wanted mjolnir's power. I don't think there was anything more to it than that. Doom has always coveted objects of great power.

But there's was nothing he could do to take it.

Possible, but why retread the same thing?

As far as Mjolnir goes.. since when does Doom show up, attempt it, shrug and deciding he didn't need it anyways? I mean, he went after the Silver Surfer.

It's infinitely more fascinating from a story telling perspective if Doom knows. Of all the people who know and can do something, the world has to rely on one of the worst villains. And he can lord it over Reed that he knew when Reed was unaware.

The thing with Doom is, like I said a few pages back, the solicit for MA #9 could kind of be taken to mean that he's been replaced by a Skrull. Bendis has been saying that he's been allowed to do a story with Doom that's a little different from what's come before and what we're used to seeing with Doom. I wonder if that means that we'll see Doom utterly and completely defeated by the Skrulls. I mean, when Doom loses, he usually at least gets to stand defiant in the end promising that he'll return or win the next time, etc. I wondered if that meant that at the end of the symbiote arc in Mighty Avengers a scene will reveal a totally helpless Doom captured by the Skrulls or something while he has been replaced in the outside world.


I took that as a chance for him to have Doom be the one who saves the day.

After all, we've seen endless versions of "That wasn't Doom that was Skrull/Doombot/Kristoff/etc"

But I have to admit, it would be neat to see your ending scene.. it'd drive home how screwed everyone is.. but fans would hate to see him depicted that way.



I forgot to mention, I was rereading the transcript from the President's conversation with Hill the other day. Bendis has said that it contains clues as to the Skrull infestation and whatnot, although as I've mentioned I honestly haven't been able to find anything. I stumbled unto this bit, though, figured maybe that was it:

SHIELD COMMANDER MARIA HILL: Fury's secret war.
PRESIDENT: Nnff. Anything else?
SHIELD COMMANDER MARIA HILL: Sir, why did he do it?
PRESIDENT: I don't know.
SHIELD COMMANDER MARIA HILL: May I ask why you were reluctant to move on the intel he presented you? I'm not pointing fingers. I'm just trying to understand my job.
PRESIDENT: We were going to use the information to put Lucia in her place. We were going to blackmail her with it. You see, that region, for as long as the world has turned, has been oppressed by people like that Victor Von Doom. We finally got his arrogant ass out of there, and it's insane to expect total peace and cooperation. They hate us there. It's in their blood. Give them money to rebuild and they only resent you more. Von Bardas was someone we felt we could ultimately control - or at least overpower. Fury jumped the gun. Was he right or wrong? Can't say. But he's a military man and he broke rank. He broke the law to serve who? Eh. I half-wish Doom was back in there. Him I could deal with. At least you knew where he stood. Now we gotta - or I should say you gotta -find out who knew von Bardas was still alive and clean up the loose ends, the money trail. These idiots in costumes...
I imagine the President is talking about someone who helped Lucia von Bardas rise from the ruble and execute her attack on the docks at the end of Secret War. So that would probably be the Skrulls, I gather.

Agreed. And like I said, there is the whole green coloring for all the weapons which seemed like an odd choice to make. And I wonder if there might be something more to the whole shadow thing too. Not necessarily people hiding in shadows, but it's a nice little bit of synergy going on with his other books.

That would be awesome to find out Bush is a Skrull in his last year in office.
It would be even more awesome if the Skrull was Zirksu. The Skrull that was disguised as Richard Nixon but got routed by the original 3-D Man.

http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix3/zirksuskrull.htm

Zirksu was never apprehended, so maybe he finally got away with impersonating a president.

And just so we have a source on the Doom quote:

http://www.comicbookresources.com/news/newsitem.cgi?id=11819


The latter half of Bagley's story for “Mighty Avengers” will feature the villain responsible for the Venom Virus, someone who's been laying low for the past few months, Doctor Doom. “One of the things I'm excited about is this storyline has a Doom ending we haven't really seen,” Bendis said. “I got to go somewhere with Doom that's not been done before, which is really a big deal for me. The reason I hadn't really touched him all that much in my time at Marvel was because all those ‘Stand still; let's agree to disagree' style endings with Doom have been done before. This story has got an ending to it. We have something here that is going to be satisfying. It's certainly a good end to the first year of a book.”


And the solicit for MA #9


DOCTOR DOOM!! The Avengers invade Latveria to take down Doctor Doom for his chemical attack on America. Only maybe it wasn't Doom exactly. It’s wall-to-wall mayhem as Mark Bagley joins Avengers writer Bendis in this globe–trotting spectacle filled with hints about next year’s SECRET INVASION!


Which does sound more in line with your line of thinking.. which I hope is true :)

Schweet.

And now, the Skrully bits in the preview for the March solicitations:

CAPTAIN MARVEL #5 (of 5)
Written by BRIAN REED
Penciled by LEE WEEKS
Cover by ED MCGUINNESS

The end is here. The truth of Mar-Vell's trip to the future is revealed once and for all. Brian Reed (MS. MARVEL) and Lee Weeks (INCREDIBLE HULK) bring the last chapter of Captain Marvel's saga to light as the Secret Invasion begins.
32 PGS./Rated A …$2.99

MIGHTY AVENGERS #10
Written by BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS
Pencils & Cover by MARK BAGLEY

Iron Man and the Sentry are stuck in the past with none other than Doctor Doom. Any interaction with anything or anyone could jeopardize the future of the Marvel Universe! Can Tony Stark trust Victor Von Doom to help get them back to the present before the Sentry has a complete meltdown? Guest starring the Fantastic Four's ever-lovin' blue-eyed Thing!
32 PGS./Rated A …$2.99

MIGHTY AVENGERS #11
Written by BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS
Penciled by MARK BAGLEY
Cover by FRANK CHO

Get ready to see an Avengers/Doctor Doom knock-down drag-out! And we promise an ending you've never seen in the history of Doom! All this and the Secret Invasion is upon us! Marvel Comics says sayonara to longtime penciler Mark Bagley with this bombastic storyline!
32 PGS./Rated A …$2.99

NEW AVENGERS #39
Written by BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS
Art and Cover by DAVID MACK

The Secret Invasion is here! Award-winning artist David Mack brings his amazing talent to NEW AVENGERS to illustrate a major story in the life of Echo! Have the Skrulls infiltrated the Avengers? Is Maya Lopez the only one with proof? Will she live to tell the tale? All this and a major Avengers hook up!
32 PGS./Rated A …$2.99

MS. MARVEL #25
Written by BRIAN REED
Penciled by ADRIANA MELO
Cover by GREG HORN

The record-setting 25th issue is here, and it's super-sized! Is Ms. Marvel on the front lines of the Secret Invasion... or is she part of the invasion?! Brian Reed (CAPTAIN MARVEL) welcomes new series artist Adriana Melo onboard as Ms. Marvel begins her third year of action and adventure!
48 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99
And the covers:

http://comicsmedia.ign.com/comics/image/article/841/841891/secret-invasion-infiltration-sneak-peek-20071217011504857.jpg

http://comicsmedia.ign.com/comics/image/article/841/841891/secret-invasion-infiltration-sneak-peek-20071217011509497.jpg

http://comicsmedia.ign.com/comics/image/article/841/841891/secret-invasion-infiltration-sneak-peek-20071217011511919.jpg

http://comicsmedia.ign.com/comics/image/article/841/841891/secret-invasion-infiltration-sneak-peek-20071217011507122.jpg

http://comicsmedia.ign.com/comics/image/article/841/841891/secret-invasion-infiltration-sneak-peek-20071217011516012.jpg
I was thinking earlier, though I am quite enamored with my idea that Doom might have been replaced by a Skrull, there is one bit that kind of gets in the way of that being possible, and it's the Millar/Hitch Fantastic Four run. They're going to be using Doom at some point during their run, as I recall, and it will be pretty self-contained and not tied with Secret Invasion at all. I kind of have a hard time seeing Doom being a Skrull if Millar is going to use him.

NEW AVENGERS #39
Written by BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS
Art and Cover by DAVID MACK

The Secret Invasion is here! Award-winning artist David Mack brings his amazing talent to NEW AVENGERS to illustrate a major story in the life of Echo! Have the Skrulls infiltrated the Avengers? Is Maya Lopez the only one with proof? Will she live to tell the tale? All this and a major Avengers hook up!
32 PGS./Rated A …$2.99


"Major story.." makes it sound like Echo's been captured by the Skrulls and replaced.

".. live to tell the tale" seems to imply she's in major danger, as if captured.

".. only one with proof.." if she's been captured and sees all the other heroes captured and replaced, then it'd explain a lot of the inconsistencies with the hearing things she shouldn't have heard. Not to mention, IF Ronin was changed from DD to Echo, that's one way to make it payoff. After all, this whole Skrull stuff started when Ronin went to Japan. And it's one way to make the character a solid part of Marvel history.

The drawback to this?

The sudden influx of theories that Skrulls are imitating people with disabilities. BB can't speak, Echo can't hear... what's next? Professor X can't walk?

(Yes, that was a joke.)

Ok, they're all up now:
http://marvel.com/catalog/?date=2008-03

Sweet!

SECRET INVASION SAGA
Written by JOHN RHETT THOMAS
Cover by LEINIL YU
The Secret Invasion has been underway for years. For how long and to what extent, Tony Stark is not sure, but there is one thing he does know: Now is not the time for complacency. Following hot on the heels of the stunning revelation that Skrulls have been masquerading as Elektra and Black Bolt, Stark puts his best data-mining technology to the test to piece together their treacherous plot. From their first encounter with the Fantastic Four, through the epic clash of the Kree/Skrull War and the destruction of the Skrull Throneworld, all the way to the recent Annihilation War and subsequent invasion of Earth, the timeline of known Skrull activity is made clear so effective battle plans can be drawn. With the Classified Top Secret Secret Invasion Saga report, the new Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. must leave no stone unturned in his analysis of this insidious enemy's history: The fate of the Earth will depend on it!
32 PGS./ Rated T+ …FREE!

Now that's what I'm talking about. I'll order enough to have plenty on hand for Free Comic Book Day.

Sweet!

SECRET INVASION SAGA
Written by JOHN RHETT THOMAS
Cover by LEINIL YU
The Secret Invasion has been underway for years. For how long and to what extent, Tony Stark is not sure, but there is one thing he does know: Now is not the time for complacency. Following hot on the heels of the stunning revelation that Skrulls have been masquerading as Elektra and Black Bolt, Stark puts his best data-mining technology to the test to piece together their treacherous plot. From their first encounter with the Fantastic Four, through the epic clash of the Kree/Skrull War and the destruction of the Skrull Throneworld, all the way to the recent Annihilation War and subsequent invasion of Earth, the timeline of known Skrull activity is made clear so effective battle plans can be drawn. With the Classified Top Secret Secret Invasion Saga report, the new Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. must leave no stone unturned in his analysis of this insidious enemy's history: The fate of the Earth will depend on it!
32 PGS./ Rated T+ …FREE!

Now that's what I'm talking about. I'll order enough to have plenty on hand for Free Comic Book Day.
Yeah, that's awesome. of them to give it away.

Regarding the Avengers : The Initiative Annual # 1.

BIG potential spoilers, Plus some relatively big legit spoilers.

So, everyone realizes that Hank Pym is now a Skrull right?

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c100/Vonn_Hennigar/Avengers-TheInitiativeAnnual01.jpg

Sure looks like an amalgamtion of his recoloured Yellowjacket costume and one of his many Goliath/Giant-Man looks.

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c100/Vonn_Hennigar/HenryPym-Goliath2-Perez.gif

Regarding the Avengers : The Initiative Annual # 1.

BIG potential spoilers, Plus some relatively big legit spoilers.

So, everyone realizes that Hank Pym is now a Skrull right?

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c100/Vonn_Hennigar/Avengers-TheInitiativeAnnual01.jpg

Sure looks like an amalgamtion of his recoloured Yellowjacket costume and one of his many Goliath/Giant-Man looks.

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c100/Vonn_Hennigar/HenryPym-Goliath2-Perez.gif

I don't buy it. The colors are all wrong. If it was gonna be his costume, why not have the same colors?

I don't buy it. The colors are all wrong. If it was gonna be his costume, why not have the same colors?

So as not to be too obvious i suppose.

So as not to be too obvious i suppose.

But it wouldn't make sence in the story itself to not have the colors match. If they want to keep the mystique, why show any of the costume at all. I mean that particular design could be attributed to a couple of different costumes. None of which match with the (very noticible) colors that Pym has been wearing.

Besides getting impersonated by a Skrull twice in one year seems like a stretch for even him

But it wouldn't make sence in the story itself to not have the colors match. If they want to keep the mystique, why show any of the costume at all. I mean that particular design could be attributed to a couple of different costumes. None of which match with the (very noticible) colors that Pym has been wearing.

Besides getting impersonated by a Skrull twice in one year seems like a stretch for even him

Fine.

It's Henry Peter Gyrich playing dress-up then.

Happy now?

Fine.

It's Henry Peter Gyrich playing dress-up then.

Happy now?

Infinitely. ;)

Seriously though, just giving my opinion on it. You could very well be right. Personally, my money is on his ex-wife being a Skrull. At this point

Regarding the Avengers : The Initiative Annual # 1.

BIG potential spoilers, Plus some relatively big legit spoilers.

So, everyone realizes that Hank Pym is now a Skrull right?

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c100/Vonn_Hennigar/Avengers-TheInitiativeAnnual01.jpg

Sure looks like an amalgamtion of his recoloured Yellowjacket costume and one of his many Goliath/Giant-Man looks.

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c100/Vonn_Hennigar/HenryPym-Goliath2-Perez.gif

That is my thought as well. I tried to think of who else that could be but could not.

Captain Marvel #2 hits next week and in my opinion it should have a Secret Invasion Infiltration banner on it now as opposed to just the last two. I can't imagine what would be in the last two because #2 gives quite a bit to think about. Great series so far!

Captain Marvel #2 hits next week and in my opinion it should have a Secret Invasion Infiltration banner on it now as opposed to just the last two. I can't imagine what would be in the last two because #2 gives quite a bit to think about. Great series so far!

Damn it....can you hire me so I can read these early as well?

Damn it....can you hire me so I can read these early as well?

Preview copies is one of the most helpful services available. I hate that DC discontinued it. Seeing the complete book gives me seven days to get people excited, let people know the content is something they are interested in, or build the appropriate displays.

Or in this case, I can let people online who are interested in Secret Invasion know that the series is plugged in just like Marvel said it would be. So don't bypass it!

r in this case, I can let people online who are interested in Secret Invasion know that the series is plugged in just like Marvel said it would be. So don't bypass it!

I love the fact that they referenced another M.U. occurrence.

Lee Weeks continues to kick ass as well.

P.

Regarding the Avengers : The Initiative Annual # 1.

BIG potential spoilers, Plus some relatively big legit spoilers.

So, everyone realizes that Hank Pym is now a Skrull right?

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c100/Vonn_Hennigar/Avengers-TheInitiativeAnnual01.jpg

Sure looks like an amalgamtion of his recoloured Yellowjacket costume and one of his many Goliath/Giant-Man looks.

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c100/Vonn_Hennigar/HenryPym-Goliath2-Perez.gif
I had to laugh out loud at that last panel...

The over-the-top dramatic way the Skrull has his hands folded together in a generic super-villain style, and his loud proclamation; "A SKRULL IN EVERY STATE!!!"

So old school. :lol:

I love the fact that they referenced another M.U. occurrence.

Lee Weeks continues to kick ass as well.

P.

I like the series so much so far that I bought the reprint cover even though I already have the first print. Nothing against McGuinness, but that cover of the Lee Weeks page is where its at.

They reference a lot actually. Something odd happens that I thought might be a continuity mistake, but a couple panels later the characters do ask the same questions that I asked myself.

And the panel where Mar-vell is having the vision, I was surprised that his words were not obscured more. You can pretty much see what he is yelling.

I wish I knew more about fine art so I could figure out the meaning of the painting.

The skrulls are in charge of SHIELD, and The Hand, and Hydra, and The Iniative, and the Inhumans, and the Atlanteans. Top leadership positions.

That's my theory.:mistrust:

From Breakout:

Upon seeing the SHIELD agents and the subjugated Savage Land people mining Vibranium which can be used in the making of super-weapons, Spider-woman explains that "SHIELD is a world-order, peace keeping task force. It's for no country and every country." Luke Cage replies "Then why would a world orde(r)..."

I think now we know. I think those guys were the good guys doing something unpleasant because they had to. But before they could explain anything Maria Hill blew up every one and everything. Presumably the Vibranium too. Only Iron Man allowed for there to be any witnesses to the event.

Didn't I read someplace that the New Avengers would go back to the Savage Land one more time in an upcoming issue?

From Newsarama:


In the new Wizard magazine they said that someone in Hawkeye's past would be brought back within the Secret Invasion story. Is it possible that they would bring Mockingbird back? Who else could they be talking about?

Thoughts?

I can definitely see it being Mockingbird. Though I have no idea why they'd do that, what the purpose would be.

I can definitely see it being Mockingbird. Though I have no idea why they'd do that, what the purpose would be.

Why would Mephisto just fuck up one life (Spidey's) when he can fuck up two?

From Newsarama:



Thoughts?

They made it really hard to bring her back (for some reason). She's one of many female characters that did not do well at all in the 90s.

Swordsman has been through a lot of changes since his 60s debut/ exit and he had some kind of ties to Hawkeye that I don't recall. Seems like Swordsman really got the hard push back then. Wonder if he was always marked for death or not...

Why would Mephisto just fuck up one life (Spidey's) when he can fuck up two?

Mockingbird's death didn't make sense to me. I thought Mephisto had to play by some kind of rules and he couldn't just back shoot someone like that.

Mockingbird's death didn't make sense to me. I thought Mephisto had to play by some kind of rules and he couldn't just back shoot someone like that.

I need to re-read that issue, because I forgot the specifics behind it.

From Newsarama:



Thoughts?

Very interesting. Could be Wanda, though, couldn't it?

I need to re-read that issue, because I forgot the specifics behind it.

Mephisto blasted her in the back while the West Coasters were leaving his realm. Didn't think he could just outright do that in such a direct way.

Mephisto blasted her in the back while the West Coasters were leaving his realm. Didn't think he could just outright do that in such a direct way.

They were in Hell after all,his powers there are amplified and i don't recall him ever having a No Killing rule or anything.

I think the only limitation is him being able to influence people outside of his realm by taking over their souls or what not.

They were in Hell after all,his powers there are amplified and i don't recall him ever having a No Killing rule or anything.

I think the only limitation is him being able to influence people outside of his realm by taking over their souls or what not.

I suppose, but I'm pretty sure that kind of action is unprecedented even though other characters have battled him in his realm.

Its kinda sad that the only so few people have really challenged Mephisto in any real way. Silver Surfer, Dr. Doom (w/ Strange), Thanos, the Beyonder, and Franklin Richards who actually destroyed him once. I'd just like to see someone get in his face a little...no particular reason. ;)

I suppose, but I'm pretty sure that kind of action is unprecedented even though other characters have battled him in his realm.

Its kinda sad that the only so few people have really challenged Mephisto in any real way. Silver Surfer, Dr. Doom (w/ Strange), Thanos, the Beyonder, and Franklin Richards who actually destroyed him once. I'd just like to see someone get in his face a little...no particular reason. ;)

By unprecedented, you mean Mephisto killing someone?

Silver Surfer,Thor,Dr.Strange,Thanos,Ghost Rider,Mockingbird.

Hmmm one of these seems a bit out of place.

By unprecedented, you mean Mephisto killing someone?

Silver Surfer,Thor,Dr.Strange,Thanos,Ghost Rider,Mockingbird.

Hmmm one of these seems a bit out of place.

Are you saying all those people have been killed by Mephisto at some point? Or what are you saying?

Are you saying all those people have been killed by Mephisto at some point? Or what are you saying?

I think he's saying that all those other preople are gods or practically demi gods, and Mockingbird had two sticks that she used to hit people with.

Are you saying all those people have been killed by Mephisto at some point? Or what are you saying?

Uh, those are some of the people who have clashed with Mephisto over the years in one way or another.

One of them died because of it, big surprise that it was the Black Canary rip-off who bit it is what i'm saying.

Back on the subject though, if you're trying to keep up with Secret Invasion, you need to be on Captain Marvel. I've read this week's #2 and it really should have had an Infiltration label. I suspect people will be talking about it here once they have it. I was surprised at how much they put out there and can only imagine what else is to come.

Back on the subject though, if you're trying to keep up with Secret Invasion, you need to be on Captain Marvel. I've read this week's #2 and it really should have had an Infiltration label. I suspect people will be talking about it here once they have it. I was surprised at how much they put out there and can only imagine what else is to come.

Jermaine, do you recommend Reed's Ms.Marvel to me? I haven't read any of his stuff besides the co written Spider-woman mini, which I enjoyed.
I'm liking all of the Avengers books right now if that helps and I'm generally a Marvel guy.

I think he's saying that all those other preople are gods or practically demi gods, and Mockingbird had two sticks that she used to hit people with.

I know a lot of people have been affected, but I mean there are few characters that can be a true threat to him or even best him. That's what I was talking about.

The first issue disappointed me. LOVED Lee Weeks art and i still think Captain Marvel's return was clever (Finally someone making use of Marv Wolfman's idea to resurrect the Barry Allen Flash if need be).

But...the Shield female agent sub-plot fell flat and the book just lacked oomph for such a big comeback tale.

I'll be sticking around but i hope issue 2 picks things up a bunch.

Jermaine, do you recommend Reed's Ms.Marvel to me? I haven't read any of his stuff besides the co written Spider-woman mini, which I enjoyed.
I'm liking all of the Avengers books right now if that helps and I'm generally a Marvel guy.

Ms.Marvel has been great. Except the whole thing with the Brood and Cru and all that shite. I thought that trash would be forgotten after the disappointing first arc. :(

The Civil War tie-ins were superb though and Operation : Lightning Storm and the new status quo of the Marvel Universe did wonders for the book.

Jermaine, do you recommend Reed's Ms.Marvel to me? I haven't read any of his stuff besides the co written Spider-woman mini, which I enjoyed.
I'm liking all of the Avengers books right now if that helps and I'm generally a Marvel guy.

You HAVE to read New Avengers Illuminati. Do not pass go, do not collect Secret Invasion until you've read that. That one is co-written by Reed and is a killer.

I like Ms. Marvel, I like Carol Danvers. I didn't always like her of course as the character was abandoned by Marvel for years. I personally like the Ms. Marvel series. Not a fan of the Horn covers and the art will rotate on you, but I'm a fool for the flawed and struggling hero. She's not as dark and stumbling as Manhunter or as confident as Wonder Woman, but she's somewhere in the middle. She's also the other side of the Initiative coin. Iron Man is heads and she's tails because she does the job but sometimes she really doesn't like the way she feels afterwards. To be frank, its not the best or strongest Marvel title, but I definitely enjoy reading it.

The first issue disappointed me. LOVED Lee Weeks art and i still think Captain Marvel's return was clever (Finally someone making use of Marv Wolfman's idea to resurrect the Barry Allen Flash if need be).

But...the Shield female agent sub-plot fell flat and the book just lacked oomph for such a big comeback tale.

I'll be sticking around but i hope issue 2 picks things up a bunch.

Talk to me about it tomorrow see how it is to you. The SHIELD plot is of course still there, but other interesting and logical things come into play that I won't ruin for anyone.

Ms.Marvel has been great. Except the whole thing with the Brood and Cru and all that shite. I thought that trash would be forgotten after the disappointing first arc. :(

The Civil War tie-ins were superb though and Operation : Lightning Storm and the new status quo of the Marvel Universe did wonders for the book.

I'm not to keen on the Cru saga either myself. I'd like to see Ms. Marvel have a nemesis that has it out for her personally though, but Cru just wasn't what I was looking for. She Hulk has Titania, but I can't even think of an existing female villain that could endure against Ms. Marvel. She's a bruiser. Maybe a super-villain could get sweet on her and go about getting her attention in all the wrong ways.

You HAVE to read New Avengers Illuminati. Do not pass go, do not collect Secret Invasion until you've read that. That one is co-written by Reed and is a killer.

I like Ms. Marvel, I like Carol Danvers. I didn't always like her of course as the character was abandoned by Marvel for years. I personally like the Ms. Marvel series. Not a fan of the Horn covers and the art will rotate on you, but I'm a fool for the flawed and struggling hero. She's not as dark and stumbling as Manhunter or as confident as Wonder Woman, but she's somewhere in the middle. She's also the other side of the Initiative coin. Iron Man is heads and she's tails because she does the job but sometimes she really doesn't like the way she feels afterwards. To be frank, its not the best or strongest Marvel title, but I definitely enjoy reading it.

Oh yeah, I read the first two issues of the Illuminati, I forgot. Waiting on trade for the rest. Thanks for the info, I'll check it out.

I'm not to keen on the Cru saga either myself. I'd like to see Ms. Marvel have a nemesis that has it out for her personally though, but Cru just wasn't what I was looking for. She Hulk has Titania, but I can't even think of an existing female villain that could endure against Ms. Marvel. She's a bruiser. Maybe a super-villain could get sweet on her and go about getting her attention in all the wrong ways.

Sounds like a job tailor made for The Wrecking Crew!

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c100/Vonn_Hennigar/Wreckcrew.jpg

Tell me an arc of these guys getting their asses handed to em by Ms.Marvel all the while bickering amongst themselves wouldn't be comic gold.

Sounds like a job tailor made for The Wrecking Crew!

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c100/Vonn_Hennigar/Wreckcrew.jpg

Tell me an arc of these guys getting their asses handed to em by Ms.Marvel all the while bickering amongst themselves wouldn't be comic gold.

Didn't these guys get their assess handed to them in like 4 or 5 books this year.

The Ms. Marvel arc may have to wait until '09 :)

Didn't these guys get their assess handed to them in like 4 or 5 books this year.

The Ms. Marvel arc may have to wait until '09 :)

The Wrecking Crew are like Hydra and The Hand. You can NEVER get enough of them getting their asses handed to em!

Sounds like a job tailor made for The Wrecking Crew!

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c100/Vonn_Hennigar/Wreckcrew.jpg

Tell me an arc of these guys getting their asses handed to em by Ms.Marvel all the while bickering amongst themselves wouldn't be comic gold.

I'd prefer someone that if they were not a known villain (you know how some of the better Marvel villains might have been actual good guys if life had been different for them) she might actually give it some thought.

If you like the Wrecking Crew though...

be sure to check out this week's Daredevil for some rare villain-on-villain action.

Apropos of nothing, really, but here are some of the Skrulls that appeared in Avengers Disassembled:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v24/tyrant2/1199044047778.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v24/tyrant2/1199042867571.jpg

Most likely nothing, but could be something.

I also hear that in this week's Captain Marvel,

a bunch of Kree come after Mar-Vell on Earth.

Per Fred Van Lente (co-writer of Incredible Herc):

http://forum.newsarama.com/showpost.php?p=4925575&postcount=45

[I.H. ties into S.I.?] Yes! With a prologue in #116, the major tie-in, a truly epic story, kicks off officially (i.e., with the "S.I." dress on the cover and everything) beginning in #117.

JRJR covers for the arc.

PS - New artist after Pham is Rafa Sandoval (WWH: Aftersmash Special)

-------

http://forum.newsarama.com/showpost.php?p=4928980&postcount=59

[...] Incredible Herc was originally conceived as a Renegades series. All I can say is Marvel has not completely discounted it. Though Scorpion is probably joining another super-team, so she might not be available once we get around to it.

[Is the team a existing or new one?]
Existed until recently, will be shortly relaunched.

Mighty Avengers #7 preview. Spider-Woman, Iron Man, Skrulls.

http://www.wizarduniverse.com/magazine/wizard/006951523.cfm

Mighty Avengers #7 preview. Spider-Woman, Iron Man, Skrulls.

http://www.wizarduniverse.com/magazine/wizard/006951523.cfm

Nope, I still really don't like Bagley.

http://comicbookresources.com/news/newsitem.cgi?id=12691

the skrull 'deck of cards' - similar to how we hunted terrorist heads by assigning them a card value. these are the 'aces'.

The Skrull in The Initiative annual had old school Giant Man suspenders

In the newest issue of Initiative you find out that the 50 State Initiative was Pyms idea.

Hmmmm

The Skrull in The Initiative annual had old school Giant Man suspenders

In the newest issue of Initiative you find out that the 50 State Initiative was Pyms idea.

Hmmmm
In the Initiative Annual they state that "it won't be long until [the Skrulls] have a Skrull in every state". If it was the Skrulls that came up with the Initiative in the first place, wouldn't they already have at least one mole on each team?
I'm thinking that Pym is a red herring.

The Skrull in The Initiative annual had old school Giant Man suspenders

In the newest issue of Initiative you find out that the 50 State Initiative was Pyms idea.

Hmmmm

Pyms outfit wasn't that color. And he hasn't worn it in years. Seems odd for a skrull to wear a part of a hero's old costume in a different color if they're supposed to be mimicing him. Also, I'll say it again, One man copied by two seperate Skrulls twice in the same year (Civil War #6) is a bit of a stretch.

Ok, here's a question.

Skrulls can imitate inanimate objects too, can't they?

Or am I confusing them with the Impossible Man?

I'm just wondering if some of them could be hiding in plain sight and we haven't been looking for them in THAT form as well.

The reason I bring it up, is there's been a resurgence of focus on "objects" lately.

Thor's hammer. Cap's shield. Hawkeye's bow/arrows. etc.

I'm not saying they're masquerading as any of the above, just saying that if they're infiltrating and almost caught, could they be eavesdropping that way and then make their move at the right moment?

Also.. I read "Fantastic Four Visionaries - John Byrne, Vol. 2" the other day, and it had some Skrulls doing something similar to S.I. Infiltrating, turning heroes against each other, pretending to be heroes simulating their powers, etc. And sure enough, the X-Men was one of the target groups, as well as the FF. Anyone read this have any thoughts?

Ok, here's a question.

Skrulls can imitate inanimate objects too, can't they?

Or am I confusing them with the Impossible Man?

I'm just wondering if some of them could be hiding in plain sight and we haven't been looking for them in THAT form as well.

The reason I bring it up, is there's been a resurgence of focus on "objects" lately.

Thor's hammer. Cap's shield. Hawkeye's bow/arrows. etc.

I'm not saying they're masquerading as any of the above, just saying that if they're infiltrating and almost caught, could they be eavesdropping that way and then make their move at the right moment?


According to wiki
The Skrulls are known for their ability to shapeshift, and are able to assume virtually any form, be it organic (e.g. cows [24]) or inorganic (e.g. lamp [25]). As a result, the Skrulls excel at spying and infiltration. Skrulls are also able to use their shapeshifting abilities to form weapons (eg. blades and clubs) with parts of their bodies, making them dangerous hand-to-hand combatants.

Good catch. I never would've even thought of that.

Greaaaaaaaaaaat, now to go back through all the issues... AGAIN!

According to wiki


Good catch. I never would've even thought of that.

Wait did'nt someone just get a pair of shiny inanimate webshooters recentely...

So after Mighty Avengers #7 are there any doubts about..

Lindy Reynolds?

I haven't been able to get the latest issue yet (after work today!) but..

Someone on another board is suggesting that Wonder Man or Wasp is a Skrull, based on the alcohol exchange in the issue.

Meaning, can an ionic being get drunk, or is Wasp trying to stir up stuff. Wasp makes more sense in a couple of ways.

1) She caused the whole Disassembled thing with Wanda
2) Happy with Hank they head into the sunset, only to return bitter and split up
3) Positioned as a potential Avengers leader. She was miffed when Carol got the job, right? Imagine the damage she could do if she was leader. Aside from Bendis/Reed favoring Carol, there's gotta be another reason why she was chosen as leader. Through dumb luck, they managed to avoid handing the Avengers over to the Skrulls.

Anyways, can someone who read the issue comment on this? I got to flip through earlier in the week, so I know that convo is there.

Also, here's a nice parallel to show that the Avengers haven't learned anything.

Disassembled happened because the Avengers didn't pay close enough attention to their resident psychopath. It turns out that said psycho was living/animating the corpse of someone long dead, just cause they wanted to keep her around (Agatha H.).

Who's on the team now that's the resident nutjob? Sentry. Lindy's was dead at the start of New Avengers, back, dead, back. Her personality has changed a lot in the 2nd Sentry mini. Oh, and Sentry goes nuts and almost destroys everything during World War Hulk.

And no one does a thing about it. Yet, they launch Hulk into space if someone from SHIELD suggests someone died.

Fun food for though, I suppose.

I haven't been able to get the latest issue yet (after work today!) but..

Someone on another board is suggesting that Wonder Man or Wasp is a Skrull, based on the alcohol exchange in the issue.

Meaning, can an ionic being get drunk, or is Wasp trying to stir up stuff. Wasp makes more sense in a couple of ways.

1) She caused the whole Disassembled thing with Wanda
2) Happy with Hank they head into the sunset, only to return bitter and split up
3) Positioned as a potential Avengers leader. She was miffed when Carol got the job, right? Imagine the damage she could do if she was leader. Aside from Bendis/Reed favoring Carol, there's gotta be another reason why she was chosen as leader. Through dumb luck, they managed to avoid handing the Avengers over to the Skrulls.

Anyways, can someone who read the issue comment on this? I got to flip through earlier in the week, so I know that convo is there.

Wonder Man seemed very genuine to me in the issue whereas he was indeed a suspect before. Although there was something in that whole scene that I can't put my finger on. As for Wasp, she didn't do anything particularly un-Wasp to me. Ionic energy is so bizarre that I could believe she wouldn't know much about it either so maybe she assumed Wonder Man was drunk. But I don't recall there being a history of it so maybe it was a humor thing. When Spider-woman shows up though and Wonder Man thinks "I hate this." that could have two meanings. He hates that relationships are so strained that a new member is treated with suspicion OR that he hates it that at any time some new hero you're not used to working with can just walk through and be an Avenger on your team. If you're a Skrull trying to get things done, that is a real problem.

The only character that was overtly odd, to the reader and Iron Man, seemed to be Lindy.

Also, here's a nice parallel to show that the Avengers haven't learned anything.

Disassembled happened because the Avengers didn't pay close enough attention to their resident psychopath. It turns out that said psycho was living/animating the corpse of someone long dead, just cause they wanted to keep her around (Agatha H.).

Who's on the team now that's the resident nutjob? Sentry. Lindy's was dead at the start of New Avengers, back, dead, back. Her personality has changed a lot in the 2nd Sentry mini. Oh, and Sentry goes nuts and almost destroys everything during World War Hulk.

And no one does a thing about it. Yet, they launch Hulk into space if someone from SHIELD suggests someone died.

Fun food for though, I suppose.
You're playing right into the Skrulls hands. Sentry is getting a bad wrap here. He has problems sure, but what if something or someone is making them much worse than they should be? I don't know, maybe after Secret Invasion the Sentry is the big bad to deal with. But I think that since he cannot be beaten through physical attack, someone is playing a lengthy mind game with him. By the Sentry's account Lindy has been dead twice and nobody believed him, not even the reader. But this time, unlike last time, the reader saw it too so we have things to think about.

You're playing right into the Skrulls hands. Sentry is getting a bad wrap here. He has problems sure, but what if something or someone is making them much worse than they should be? I don't know, maybe after Secret Invasion the Sentry is the big bad to deal with. But I think that since he cannot be beaten through physical attack, someone is playing a lengthy mind game with him. By the Sentry's account Lindy has been dead twice and nobody believed him, not even the reader. But this time, unlike last time, the reader saw it too so we have things to think about.

Oh, they're definitely pushing him to his limits.. and consider, Sentry has the technology to make EVERYONE forget stuff.

Imagine if the Skrulls won years ago, and made everyone forget they won :D

..

But yeah, with Hulk taken off the board, Sentry is the next big one to be taken out.

The only character that was overtly odd, to the reader and Iron Man, seemed to be Lindy.


In the Breakout arc Matt Murdock and Foggy Nelson are going to The Raft to talk to Sentry bout why he's there, on behalf of Reed Richards. Sentry, the most powerful being on the planet (who is known to the Skrulls, as we saw in the "flash back" in the Sentry arc) turned himself over to the authorities because he believes he killed his wife. But, what happens while he's there? A breakout. And between his conscious and Nelson's pleading, Sentry returns to action and is on the outside again.


I stipulate that this was ALL part of a Skrull masterplan to get Sentry out of jail but to make it appear to everyone and himself that he is still on the side of the "good guys". Why? Well the Skrulls know first hand how poerful he is, and that he could make a great secret weapon. But only if he and the heroes believe he's on their side. He wouldn't be ass effective as a villian. So why break him out at all? To return him to his Skrull handler: Lindsy Reynolds. His wife. Yup. His wife either really is dead and was replaced by a Skrull, or was a Skrull from the beginning.

...

So now the Skrulls have the most powerful hero on earth with one of their agents (Lindy) constantly survaling him and in his ear.

;)

Hrm.. I wonder if The General could possibly be a Skrull.

He's enough of a blank slate that it's possible.. and Sentry has interacted with the Skrulls in the past.

And yeah, I agree, there's way too much "concidence" in the Avengers since Disassembled. At the time everyone chalked it up to bad writing. Basically, go back and look at all the moments where people went "Oh well, let's do this anyways!" or "Who cares?" and that's in all likelihood the moments we should be paying attention to.

Oh, they're definitely pushing him to his limits.. and consider, Sentry has the technology to make EVERYONE forget stuff.

Imagine if the Skrulls won years ago, and made everyone forget they won :D

..

But yeah, with Hulk taken off the board, Sentry is the next big one to be taken out.

Even if Hulk isn't taken all the way out, the trust isn't there. Less now than ever before. There's more to the plot than just replacing people, if you can discredit actual people or make people who would normally come together in a crisis not come together, then that does a lot too.

As for winning years ago, I'm not certain. There have been a few noteworthy Skrull plots on Earth between Kree Skrull War and now. There was a story about a Skrull town in Peter David's Incredible Hulk, Skrull Kill Krew mini, a Skrull plot in Waid's 2nd Cap run that I really believe should be mentioned although I guess only Cap and Fury would know details on it, and the time when Wolverine was replaced for an extended period. Do these things fall under separate plots that perhaps were not aware of whatever the Secret Invasion was? Its like something tells me that Xavin and Super Skrull might not even know about the Secret Invasion. Same with whatever is going on in She Hulk.

There needs to be some good Skrull that get Thunderbolts Syndrome and like the fake lives they are living. But they still get burned at the stake anyways because some of the good guys aren't asking questions anymore.

Hrm.. I wonder if The General could possibly be a Skrull.

He's enough of a blank slate that it's possible.. and Sentry has interacted with the Skrulls in the past.

And yeah, I agree, there's way too much "concidence" in the Avengers since Disassembled. At the time everyone chalked it up to bad writing. Basically, go back and look at all the moments where people went "Oh well, let's do this anyways!" or "Who cares?" and that's in all likelihood the moments we should be paying attention to.

I think the General was killed by the Void though and he didn't change into anything that we was. Good thinking though. Poor Sentry.

I would hope that he, if only for a brief moment, got it all together and became the great and competent hero he was in the flashbacks of the original mini. Even if its the last thing he does for a good long while.

You're playing right into the Skrulls hands. Sentry is getting a bad wrap here. He has problems sure, but what if something or someone is making them much worse than they should be? I don't know, maybe after Secret Invasion the Sentry is the big bad to deal with. But I think that since he cannot be beaten through physical attack, someone is playing a lengthy mind game with him. By the Sentry's account Lindy has been dead twice and nobody believed him, not even the reader. But this time, unlike last time, the reader saw it too so we have things to think about.
Bendis already said there was no faked death. She-Ultron DID kill Lindy. And Sentry's powers did bring her back to life.

Oh, they're definitely pushing him to his limits.. and consider, Sentry has the technology to make EVERYONE forget stuff.
Actually it was revealed in the New Avengers Sentry storyline that the Sentry's own psionic powers erased everyone's memories of him. There was no outside tech involved.

So rereading the issue. It looks like Iron Man verifies everyone he comes into contact with via SHIELD files. The data from the people he is in the room with matches the data that SHIELD has. Is there something to that? Aside from being able to better hide themselves, is the SHIELD data manipulated too?

In theory, no.

Tony taking over, in theory, means the data is secure and is only accessible to him.

Of course, it all presumes that it's not too late.

I think it'd be unreal if they won long ago, and we're about to find out just how easily they did. That's be a really weird new status quo for a while.

Hrm.. I wonder if The General could possibly be a Skrull.

He's enough of a blank slate that it's possible.. and Sentry has interacted with the Skrulls in the past.

Reading the original Sentry miniseries, you see how much of a history he had fighting the Skrulls, and how much they must have hated getting wrecked by such a powerful guy, so yeah, I could see that maybe happening.

There is NO doubt in my mind that Lindy is a Skrull. I said it before, but after this week's Mighty Avengers, I'm sticking with it.

I'm thinking there are two Skrulls in Mighty Avengers: The Wasp and Jarvis.


So rereading the issue. It looks like Iron Man verifies everyone he comes into contact with via SHIELD files. The data from the people he is in the room with matches the data that SHIELD has. Is there something to that? Aside from being able to better hide themselves, is the SHIELD data manipulated too?

I'm sure the SHIELD data is manipulated since there are probably Skrulls who infiltrated that organization too. Also, as I said above, I have a feeling that the Wasp is one (her powers would not be hard to duplicate at all), and Jarvis is the other (Jarvis is included in that scene where Tony is scanning the room). The Skrulls consider Tony to be one of the most dangerous heroes (as well as a primary target), so why not take over the person closest to Tony? I know he'd been thrown around earlier on as a candidate, but everyone now seems to be concentrating on Lindy and her ever revolving presence in and out of the afterlife. That, I believe, is simply due to Sentry's powers and not reflective of whether she is human or not. Lindy has spent most of her time by Sentry's side that she wouldn't have enough time to spy on the rest of the group. Jarvis would, and Tony would never suspect his oldest, dearest friend. Of course, how long he's been impersonated, I'm not sure, and I don't know how his relationship with Aunt May played into things (especially since he visited her while she was in a coma).


There is NO doubt in my mind that Lindy is a Skrull. I said it before, but after this week's Mighty Avengers, I'm sticking with it.

I still think she's too obvious and a red herring. It's easy to point fingers at the person who is seen as the primary caretaker of the mentally unstable power player on the team and one who supposedly has a personal relationship with the grim reaper. Also, the question you'd have to ask is, why ask Tony to depower or kill Sentry now? What advantage would it give the Skrulls at this time that it didn't before? Why wait this long to make that move? Is this really a Skrull plot or the pleading of a desperate woman who has been dragged through the wringer?

I found this thing earlier:

http://independentcomicssite.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=337&Itemid=1

It's basically a rundown of the stuff that will be leading up to Secret Invasion in the Avengers books. I didn't know there was going to be a Skrull reveal in the New Avengers issue focusing on Echo, though, so that's pretty cool. I'm kind of tempted to buy it and the issue that will be focusing on Spider-Man.

I still think she's too obvious and a red herring. It's easy to point fingers at the person who is seen as the primary caretaker of the mentally unstable power player on the team and one who supposedly has a personal relationship with the grim reaper. Also, the question you'd have to ask is, why ask Tony to depower or kill Sentry now? What advantage would it give the Skrulls at this time that it didn't before? Why wait this long to make that move? Is this really a Skrull plot or the pleading of a desperate woman who has been dragged through the wringer?

The Skrulls need Sentry out of the picture. They've fought him before and know how dangerous he can be. Lindy is perfect, because she can manipulate Tony into keeping the Sentry in check, or, better yet, dead.

I found this thing earlier:

http://independentcomicssite.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=337&Itemid=1

It's basically a rundown of the stuff that will be leading up to Secret Invasion in the Avengers books. I didn't know there was going to be a Skrull reveal in the New Avengers issue focusing on Echo, though, so that's pretty cool. I'm kind of tempted to buy it and the issue that will be focusing on Spider-Man.

That was a good article. Thanks!

New Skrull Design?

Posted by Yu to a French board..

http://www.superpouvoir.com/Team/Marv/Skrulls_by_leinilyu.jpg

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.superpouvoir.com/Team/Marv/Skrulls_by_leinilyu.jpg&imgrefurl=http://forum.superpouvoir.com/showpost.php%3Fp%3D194500%26postcount%3D20&h=713&w=551&sz=82&hl=en&start=2&um=1&tbnid=gqryQlAOg-CiBM:&tbnh=140&tbnw=108&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dsecret%2Binvasion%26svnum%3D10%26um%3 D1%26hl%3Den%26rlz%3D1T4GZHZ_enUS244US244%26sa%3DN
(It's that blog post from Brevoort -- nothing new)

Yeah, Yu posted that on DeviantArt a good while back.

Secret Invasion: Revelations, a new monthly feature on IGN that will reveal some covers and details and whatnot.

http://comics.ign.com/articles/846/846491p1.html

Apparently this is going to be the cover to Secret Invasion #1:

http://comicsmedia.ign.com/comics/image/article/846/846491/secret-invasion-20080118012956234.jpg

There is NO doubt in my mind that Lindy is a Skrull. I said it before, but after this week's Mighty Avengers, I'm sticking with it.

I wouldn't bet my money on it.

Secret Invasion: Revelations, a new monthly feature on IGN that will reveal some covers and details and whatnot.

http://comics.ign.com/articles/846/846491p1.html

Apparently this is going to be the cover to Secret Invasion #1:

http://comicsmedia.ign.com/comics/image/article/846/846491/secret-invasion-20080118012956234.jpg
Ha! Those are awesome.

Brevoort: We're actually releasing a TPB collection in April that contains most of the ramp-up issues as well as one or two classic tales from the Skrulls' past that may prove relevant in some way. Beyond that, I don't think you can ever go wrong with the Kree/Skrull War in Avengers, which we're also releasing a new edition of.

That's pretty cool.

That's pretty cool.

Yeah it is!

Great thread :up:

I'm sure this has been speculated before but, could a Skrull working in SHEILD have collected supervillians in the raft for the sole purpose of replacing them.

Great thread :up:

I'm sure this has been speculated before but, could a Skrull working in SHEILD have collected supervillians in the raft for the sole purpose of replacing them.

My main thinking is that the Skrulls were collecting supervillains to study them and create new Super Skrulls with their powers to replace them (Super Skrulls with the powers of Graviton and Count Nefaria, for example, would be pretty badass) or to use them as some sort of supervillain army to further their invasion plans.

My main thinking is that the Skrulls were collecting supervillains to study them and create new Super Skrulls with their powers to replace them (Super Skrulls with the powers of Graviton and Count Nefaria, for example, would be pretty badass) or to use them as some sort of supervillain army to further their invasion plans.

Don't forget that whole Latveria thing.

Doom is about to feature prominently in Avengers, which ties directly into the Invasion storyline.

Fury went underground immediately after the Latveria thing.

The plot? Boost supervillains with advanced tech theoretically from Doom since he was in Hell at the time. The purpose being to stir up things in America.

The Skrull plot is to keep the heroes constantly looking everywhere EXCEPT inwards for an invasion. To keep them busy with each new subsequent threat.

And don't forget the prominent green color used for all the bad guy weapons in Secret War (along with the book from the opening page, etc)

Fury brainwashed the heroes to keep the mission secret.. but in all likelihood, he probably verified they weren't Skrull, and to keep their knowledge of things clean in case they were captured later and used against him.

Although, wasn't Widow allowed to retain her memory? She might be worth keeping an eye on.

And from last time:


Also, the costumes they wore in Secret War.. was there a reason given beyond "we need to be stealthy"? Could there be some technology in those suits to mask their presence or was Fury keeping tabs on who's real and who's not?

Also, we should probably look at the Illuminati series again. That Beyonder appearance still bugs me. Everything else shown has been very intentional. The gems will get covered. Marvel Boy will return. Skrull homeworld and the reveal in 1 and 5.

So, why the Beyonder?

If every single thing to this point has been connected, it HAS to mean something.

Consider also, dredging up the name "Secret War" for the mini, and then bringing the Beyonder "back".. it's definitely intentional.

I doubt they're going to bring an active Beyonder back (sorry I still don't accept the Inhuman Mutant thing :P) but it could be the big cosmic reset switch needed if things got that bad during the war. If the infinity gems come into play, what hope do they have of countering?

The thing is, I can't see Bendis doing a story that has Gem Wielders versus a Beyonder, etc. Then again, I never thought Bendis would build a storyarc in secret like this over the years either.

Sure, there's that Beyonder = Sentry theory, but would Jenkins go along with that?

Any thoughts on the Beyonder? Beyond the "they were active during all the major events, and Beyonder was a major event"..

From the "Yeah You're Over-Thinking It" File..

http://www.newsarama.com/marvelnew/April08/BLAP036.jpg

Note the color and design of the Wakandan throne.

And where are the two locations of Vibranium that the Skrulls want for some reason? Savage Land and Wakanda.

Damn, I keep forgetting about the Infinity Gems. Black Bolt had the Space gem. I reckon if the Skrulls know where he kept it, they could maybe use it to bring Skrull armies into the planet?

The Doom thing is kind of interesting. He seems to be everywhere at once these days. He's fighting the Mighty Avengers (and it seems to be hinted that he's been replaced) and he's made alliances with both Namor and freaking Loki, of all people. As I recall, his deal with Namor entailed bringing a bunch of Atlantean soldiers into Latveria, and he helped Loki revive a lot of Asgardian creatures and monsters (such as Hela, the frost giants and the Midgard Serpent) for them to use "when the time is right". It would seem, to me, that Doom is building an army for himself. If that's the real Doom.

Damn, I keep forgetting about the Infinity Gems. Black Bolt had the Space gem. I reckon if the Skrulls know where he kept it, they could maybe use it to bring Skrull armies into the planet?

The Doom thing is kind of interesting. He seems to be everywhere at once these days. He's fighting the Mighty Avengers (and it seems to be hinted that he's been replaced) and he's made alliances with both Namor and freaking Loki, of all people. As I recall, his deal with Namor entailed bringing a bunch of Atlantean soldiers into Latveria, and he helped Loki revive a lot of Asgardian creatures and monsters (such as Hela, the frost giants and the Midgard Serpent) for them to use "when the time is right". It would seem, to me, that Doom is building an army for himself. If that's the real Doom.

Don't forget something is going on with Doom in captain america -something that has to do with time travel. I really can't figure out where doom fits into everything.

Yeah, he gave the Red Skull some equipment hinted to be some sort of machine to view isolated moments in time, but which Arnim Zola has apparently reconfigured to do other stuff.

Do you guys really think Marvel is tipping us off with colors? I'm just not sure about that. Sometimes things are just green, right?

Do you guys really think Marvel is tipping us off with colors? I'm just not sure about that. Sometimes things are just green, right?

Yeah, I mean, it'd be kind of weird that the Skrulls would craft this masterful plan to infiltrate human society in secrecy for years and then give themselves away with something like green eyes or green weapons.

Hrm.. y'know, that whole scene with BP refusing Illuminati membership..

Maybe there's more to it than just having a dissenting voice (since Namor did a good job with that)

BP, Wakanda, Vibranium. Marvel's sudden pairing of BP and Storm (setting things up for Storm to die possibly?) Vibranium weapons. Arming B and C level bad guys. Vibranium can be used in sonic disruptors, something that can effectively stop a Symbiote. Ultimate Avengers 2 plot was BP and Skrulls. Doom sending BP an invite to join an alliance at the wedding. Etc.

The question is if Doom was replaced or not. If he was replaced, as hinted at, the alliances are worth noting. Just how much IS under Skrull command? And consider that BP attacked Doom, rather than refuse him. Does BP know?

If Doom wasn't replaced, then I can see him forming alliances to stop the Skrull and be the "hero" of S.I.

Hard to say either way, both scenarios work for me. I think we're going to see a lot of "Holy crap, they did THAT!?" moments that really drive home how screwed everyone is.

The more I think about S.I. the more I'm convinced the Skrulls have already won and it'll be the new status quo.

Do you guys really think Marvel is tipping us off with colors? I'm just not sure about that. Sometimes things are just green, right?

Not these days.

Back then? Absolutely.

Once it became public, it became a way to mess with people like us :D

But look at the arm rests, they're two different shapes, and it does have a "Skrull" appearance.

Highly unlikely, but it's fun to consider.

If Doom hasn't been replaced, he's probably building alliances to create a super giant army so he can fight the Skrulls.

If he has been replaced, maybe the Skrulls are posing as Doom and building alliances to...maybe get close to other important people in the MU and thus have an opportunity to replace them? I dunno.

And then there is this thing the President says to Hill during their conversation:

Eh. I half-wish Doom was back in there. Him I could deal with. At least you knew where he stood. Now we gotta - or I should say you gotta - find out who knew von Bardas was still alive and clean up the loose ends, the money trail.
I figured the unknown party the President is talking about are the Skrulls. They maybe helped Lucia von Bardas get her shit together after the Secret War and attack NYC. Doom was presumably in hell at that time so we never got to see his reaction to everything one way or another, but you have to wonder, how did he feel about von Bardas and her plan to attack the US? Was he the one who appointed her as Prime Minister and ordered the funding of supervillains? Or was that something he wouldn't have approved of and so maybe von Bardas did it in secrecy or while he was still dead?

The President seems to hint that it's the latter, as he says that at least you knew where Doom stood in contrast with von Bardas. That could mean that he and von Bardas have different ideologies/plans/views/whatever. If von Bardas was in league with the Skrulls, that could perhaps indicate that Doom is against them, and thus building an army to fight the invasion.

That's assuming he hasn't been replaced, 'course.

Doesn't the Hand operate out of Madripoor? If that is the case, Maria Hill was right in the middle of the Skrulls taking over through Elektra. Something to think about.

Doesn't the Hand operate out of Madripoor? If that is the case, Maria Hill was right in the middle of the Skrulls taking over through Elektra. Something to think about.

I don't remember if the Hand was there or in Japan. You know me, I never hitched my wagon to Elektra or the Hand (make my DD foes Stiltman and Gladiator) so I don't know how all that works.

I forgot all about the Secret War/ Latveria angle. Doom wasn't there for that stuff. And we haven't seen his reaction to anything. Other than in Cap, he's mostly been out in the world doing things, not actually at home. I really hope that he already has a heads up on this thing already. Like they say, if not for the whole face and hating Reed Richards thing, Victor von Doom might have been a productive and helpful member of the human race.

Sure, there's that Beyonder = Sentry theory, but would Jenkins go along with that?
I doubt it. And why would anyone want to make the Sentry's origin more complicated? They finally got it established, so leave him alone.

I doubt it. And why would anyone want to make the Sentry's origin more complicated? They finally got it established, so leave him alone.

The Beyonder is just such a...shall we say...complex thing to even bring up at all. We're trying to work out what possible application it could have anywhere. I know I got nothing.

The Beyonder being a mutant Inhuman thing is just just kinda silly/pointless right now. The Beyonder's origin was already revealed in a story that takes place at a later chronological date than Illuminati #3. I think right now, in the present, Reed Richards figures the Beyonder was just messing with the Illuminati when he did that whole mutant Inhuman thing.

RE: Beyonder = Sentry.

Highly unlikely, if for no other reason than the ending of WWH.

That having been said, I'm wondering if it's the key to solving this stuff. Everything else can be tied in/made sense of. Beyonder is just out of the blue.

Probably cause of the sheer audacity of using the character I'm sure, but seriously..

Other than to theorize there's Inhuman Mutants (what purpose does that serve S.I.? It'd be like Layla Miller for House of M, and I doubt Bendis would repeat the same trick.)

Was it there to show that the Skrull BB had no memory of that time and that they missed an important clue? I doubt they'd risk the baggage that Secret Wars/Beyonder brings just to make that point when there's so many other easier solutions.

So, the only thing I'm left to consider is that he'll be the deus-ex-machina type thing. Either solving the crisis or something. He'll be the trump card so to speak.

Maybe they'll use the world the Beyonder created and give it to the Skrulls. Brainwash them into thinking it's the original Earth? The Beyonder's capable of doing so, in theory, but the Skrulls are aware of him now, right?

Heh, wouldn't it be insane if the Skrulls have been using him all along to manipulate things, tweaking reality here and there. You get your continuity issues and things like that from his tinkering. We get Secret Wars III :D

Hrm.. so yeah, I guess the world he created will come into play.. that's the only way I can see tying that issue into things offhand without things being too problematic.

Hrm, come to think of it, there was another clue we missed for the BB Skrull.

When he talks to the Beyonder.

Now I gotta dig that issue up and see what he said again, but read it as if it was a Skrull speaking :D

The Secret Invasion begins! Preview solicits for April!

SECRET INVASION #1 (of 8)
Written by BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS
Penciled by LEINIL FRANCIS YU
Cover by GABRIELE DELL'OTTO
Variant cover by STEVE MCNIVEN

SECRET INVASION IS HERE!! Years in the making, months in the teasing...and it all STARTS HERE!!

The shape-shifting alien race known as the Skrulls has secretly infiltrated every super-powered organization on Earth with one goal...full-scale invasion! In this DOUBLE-SIZED first issue, page after page unveils reveal after reveal and shocking moment after shocking moment! Brian Bendis and Leinil Francis Yu leap off the pages of mega-hit New Avengers and deliver a story that will change the Marvel Universe forever.
THE MARVEL UNIVERSE WILL NEVER BE THE SAME!!
48 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99
Blank Cover CONVENTION Variant also available!

MIGHTY AVENGERS #12
Written by BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS
Penciled by ALEX MALEEV
Cover by MARKO DJURDJEVIC

SECRET INVASION TIE-IN!

The Eisner-award-winning team of Brian Bendis and Alex Maleev (NEW AVENGERS ILLUMINATI, HALO: UPRISING) reunite to answer the question that has been on every comic fan's mind for years...WHERE THE HELL HAS NICK FURY BEEN?? Rewinding the clock to Fury's time in SECRET WAR, follow Fury as he puts together the pieces of his life and starts finding clues to a Secret Invasion that makes him TARGET NUMBER ONE. A major Skrull reveal happens in these pages!
32 PGS./Rated A …$2.99

NEW AVENGERS #40
Written by BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS
Penciled by JIM CHEUNG
Cover by ALEKSI BRICLOT

SECRET INVASION TIE-IN!

Very special guest artist Jimmy Cheung returns to the pages of New Avengers for this very important tie-in issue. Spinning right off of events in NEW AVENGERS: ILLUMINATI #1, find out exactly how the Skrull empire was able to infiltrate the Marvel Universe and who instigated the invasion and why.
32 PGS./Rated A …$2.99

MS. MARVEL #26
Written by Brian Reed
Penciled by Adriana Melo
Cover by GREG HORN

Out–gunned and on the run! With S.H.I.E.L.D. convinced she's a Skrull impostor, Ms. Marvel must fight for her identity and her life against her very own Lightning Strike Force! But when the Strike Force has a Ms. Marvel of their own, even Carol can't be sure she's Carol anymore! SECRET INVASION: The Infiltration continues here from Brian Reed (Captain Marvel) and Adriana Melo (Witchblade).
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$2.99

INCREDIBLE HERCULES #116
Written by GREG PAK & FRED VAN LENTE
Penciled by RAFA SANDOVAL

Cover by JOHN ROMITA JR., KLAUS JANSON & DEAN WHITE
Is Hercules a Skrull? Maybe. But is he an Eternal? Ikaris and Thena certainly think so, and they may just kill Herc to prove it!
32 PGS./Rated A …$2.99




AVENGERS: THE INITIATIVE #12
Written by DAN SLOTT & CHRISTOS GAGE
Pencils & Cover by STEVE UY
"CHANGING OF THE GUARD"

Daddy's home. IRON MAN comes to Camp Hammond, and he's NOT happy.

The first year of the Initiative comes to a dramatic close as members are laid to rest, drummed out, declared AWOL, or...awarded their full Hero's License. See who graduates and find out what super-teams they'll be assigned to as the NEXT era of the Initiative begins! Plus: as a new 3-D MAN appears, the base is suddenly short one Skrull...but not how you'd think...
Also guest-starring MS. MARVEL!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$2.99

ANNIHILATION: CONQUEST #6 (of 6)
Written by DAN ABNETT & ANDY LANNING
Penciled by TOM RANEY & WELLINTON ALVES
Cover by ALEKSI BRICLOT

This is it: Marvel's rag-tag group of sci-fi heroes vs. Ultron – in a double-sized finale! The surviving warriors face-off on the battlefield, with the fate of the entire Kree Empire – and perhaps the Earth itself – at stake! Who will fall? Who will rise to become a legend? It's an extra helping of adventure, humor, drama and eye-candy that IGN.com calls "one of the best event books of the year."
48 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

SECRET INVASION: THE INFILTRATION TPB
Written by STAN LEE, BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS, BRIAN REED &
DAN SLOTT
Penciled by JACK KIRBY, JIM CHEUNG, LEINIL YU,
MARK BAGLEY, MICHAEL GAYDOS & DAVID MACK
Cover by LEINIL YU

Retrace the roots of THE INFILTRATION all the way back to the beginning of the Marvel Age of Heroes! First, in FANTASTIC FOUR #2 (1962), it's a close encounter of the Skrull kind as four shape-changing aliens pose as Mr. Fantastic, the Invisible Girl, the Thing and the Human Torch in an attempt to destroy the fledgling Fantastic Four! Then, flash-forward to the present day as the SECRET INVASION stands revealed in the pages of NEW AVENGERS: ILLUMINATI, NEW AVENGERS, MIGHTY AVENGERS and AVENGERS: THE INITIATIVE. Conspiracy. Paranoia. Betrayal. Who do you trust?

Collecting FANTASTIC FOUR #2, NEW AVENGERS: ILLUMINATI #1 and #5, NEW AVENGERS #31-32 and #38-39, MIGHTY AVENGERS #7, and AVENGERS: THE INITIATIVE ANNUAL #1.
232 PGS./Rated T+ …$19.99
ISBN: 978-0-7851-3231-8

And the covers:

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http://comicsmedia.ign.com/comics/image/article/846/846678/marvel-in-march-08-preview-20080121031511953.jpg

http://comicsmedia.ign.com/comics/image/article/846/846678/marvel-in-march-08-preview-20080121031516891.jpg

http://comicsmedia.ign.com/comics/image/article/846/846678/marvel-in-march-08-preview-20080121031505032.jpg

http://comicsmedia.ign.com/comics/image/article/846/846678/marvel-in-march-08-preview-20080121031506969.jpg

http://comicsmedia.ign.com/comics/image/article/846/846678/marvel-in-march-08-preview-20080121031510360.jpg

http://comicsmedia.ign.com/comics/image/article/846/846678/marvel-in-march-08-preview-20080121031508766.jpg

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