Secret Invasion: The Infiltration

Secret Invasion: The Infiltration Written by Stan Lee, Brian Michael Bendis, Dan Slott, and Brian Reed.

The Universe of Marvel Comics has been going through some hard times. First, The Scarlet Witch, long time Avenger and daughter of Magneto, has lost her mind, and with it, control over her Chaos Powers. First, she remade the world so that Magneto ruled the world, and everyone was more or less happy, in the dazzling House of M story arc. Then, when that ploy failed, she spoke three words, "No more mutants." The world population, approaching a million, suddenly was reduced to 198. When the New Warriors fought Nitro, and he exploded, killing 600 residents of Stamford CT, it launched a public outcry, which Tony Stark and Reed Richards used to launch a series of draconian measures including the Super Powers Registration Act, which launched the Civil War, which pitted hero against hero as they came down on two sides of the issue; mandatory registration, training and paramilitary service for all people with Super Human abilities, and Individual Liberty. Unfortunately, the bad guys won that one, and now all supers are being trained to create a fifty state initiative; either serve on a super team, one per state, or go to prison in the Negative Zone, or have your powers removed.

Now, a sinister new threat is coming to light: Skrulls, a race of shape shifting aliens, have learned to be undetectable, and they are amongst us.

This collection traces its roots back to the beginning of this crisis. The Fantastic Four, issue #2, Dec. 1961, chronicles the first encounter with these insidious shape shifters. Next, the story jumps many years ahead years, though not all the way to the Present. The Illuminati, (issue #1) consisting of six of the most influential super powered men meet to address threats that face the entire world, sometimes proactively. The Six are, Reed Richards of the Fantastic Four, Iron Man of the Avengers, Dr. Steven Strange, Sorcerer Supreme of Earth, Prince Namor of Atlantis, Blackbolt, King of the Inhumans, and Professor Charles Xavier, Shepherd of Mutant kind.

In the wake of the Kree-Skrull war, earth had been hit with the fall out of two advanced star faring races, vastly superior in number and technology. The Kree did not desire Earth. So the Skrulls were the problem to be addressed. The Illuminati traveled to face the Skrull Emperor, and to make it clear there would be consequences for invading Earth a second time. The message was delivered by Blackbolt, whose merest whisper has the destructive force of a bomb.

The Illuminati were captured, subjected to many torturous experiments, and then managed to escape. But their goal had been accomplished; they had warned the Skrulls that Earth was not a push over. And they had. So now the Skrull were willing to do it right.

The next chapter is New Avengers #31. The freedom loving rogue agent Avengers were in Japan, dealing with a rescue operation. Echo, Maya Lopez, an agent of the Avengers, is in Japan, keeping an eye on the underworld there. Elektra, new leader of the Hand clan of ninja has been gaining ground in the underground. Now, in a cataclysmic fight, the discover Elektra is not Elektra, but a Skrull; a Skrull so perfect that not even Wolverine's heightened mutant senses could detect her. Suddenly, it's a whole new ballgame.

That discussion continues in New Avengers #32. The heroes realize that it is unlikely that Elektra was replaced yesterday. A formerly more on the side of the angels, her rise to crime lord seemed strange to those who knew her. Not anymore. But now, what do they do? They are already fugitives from the legal system of America for not registering. And anybody could be a Skrull. Should they tell the powers that be, or solve it themselves. When their plane mysteriously (conveniently?) goes down, Spiderwoman is the first awake, and she takes the body with her...

...Into issue 7 of the Mighty Avengers. Spiderwoman takes the body to Tony Stark, the Iron Man, author of the Civil War. He of course grasps the implications. So now Spiderwoman is an official Avenger where as this morning, she was a fugitive from justice...this does not sit well with the other Queen Bees of the Superhero set, Black Widow and Wasp. But it's not like they get a vote anymore. This is not a team of superheroes, this is a military operation where you take your orders and do them whether or not you like them. I wonder if that is really sinking into the poster girls of the Registration Act?

Then the symbiote bomb is released on New York and the Mighty Avengers have their hands mighty full.

The next chapter is issue 5 of The Illuminati. Iron Man summons the other five to share the news. Dr. Strange will only use Astral Projection, since he does not trust Tony Stark not to take him into custody. Namor is upset because the timing is very bad for his political situation in Atlantis. When Iron Man asks why he did not ask for help, he states it quite succinctly, "I didn't know I could trust you." Then Iron Man shows them the body. Not one of these men is less than a genius; they all grasp the implications, some, more fully than others. And when they ask what are we going to do now? Blackbolt answers. "I take the body. And your people die so that my people can live."

Blackbolt is a Skrull! And two more come out of the wood work, one dressed as Thor, the other dressed as Colossus! And they are not a physical match for Namor; they can turn Xavier's psybolts back on him, and break Dr. Strange' Crimson Bands of Cyttorak! The Illuminati prevail; I won't say how, but now they know the full extent of their troubles; these Skrulls can mimic superpowers. Possibly all of them.

The next segment is an aside. Six pages from the Annual #1 of Avengers; The Initiative. We see the new Liberteens swing into action against Flag-smasher. They cream him. Yeah! Tony Stark's plan worked. We have a Super Team in every state. But as we see, the Skrull also have a mission; A Skrull on every Super Team.

The last two chapters are from the New Avengers; #38 and #39. The New Avengers are now in a tail spin of mistrust. Jessica Jones, wife of Luke Cage, and mother of his child has taken refuge with the registered Mighty Avengers, even though it goes against her, and her husband's deepest held beliefs. But she has put her child's safety above any other consideration. Luke would rather die than betray his principles. And Jessica would do anything for her child. The entirety of issue 38 is about the dissolution of their marriage. Very little action. Very good story.

Issue 39 has us back in the swing of the action. Echo encounters Daredevil, and asks him a question; something that had been bothering her about her assignment in Japan. When He flubs the answer, she is suspicious. Daredevil is a Skrull. They battle; the Skrull shifts to look like her, but it is still obvious which is which; the Skrull is the one shooting eyebeams like Cyclops and firing of flame bolts like the Human Torch. Fortunately, Wolverine was following her, because if he were a Skrull, she is the one he would replace, the one with the least history with the group. Together, they barely manage to defeat it, driving it off. It can teleport and fly.

Now, here is my own speculation. What if Echo were replaced long ago? What if the death of Elektra were planned to announce to humanity that the Skrulls were here? And the attack would throw suspicion off of her, wouldn't it? See how suspicion breeds distrust? How can the heroes function when anyone can be a traitor in their midst?

This compilation brings together disparate titles to tell one story, in a much stronger way than even the individual books could do. (Who can afford FF#2?) And though the art varies wildly from title to title, it all boils together to create a stew of paranoia and mistrust. Comics are definitely not for kids anymore. This story arc is possible the best thing to come down the pike since the Death of Superman. It certainly has me on pins and needles.