Wizard Insider: Secret invasion

Man, Brian Michael Bendis certainly know how to craft the big events, doesn't he? From Avengers: Disassembled to House to M to Secret War to New Avengers: The Illumnati to all the stuff happening in New Avengers and Mighty Avengers...why, it seems like he's scripted more major Marvel events than Geoff Johns has done for DC!

The next major storyline after World War Hulk is a development of his New Avengers story in issue #31, where Elektra was outed as a Skrull. The concept isn't a new one, but hey, with Bendis at the helm, it's sure to be a massive story!

Wizard Universe has the latest goss:


WIZARD INSIDER: SECRET INVASION
Brian Michael Bendis spills the beans as the alien aggressors seek to take over Earth in ‘Secret Invasion’

By Kevin Mahadeo

Posted November 21, 2007 10:45 AM

Brian Michael Bendis blew the proverbial little green lid off Marvel’s biggest secret. The Skrulls’ infiltration into the ranks of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes in the pages of New Avengers #31—with the outing of Elektra as one of the alien metamorphs—is a reveal that spawned thousands of forum posts, guesses around the water cooler and even a couple of backroom, high-stake bets all based around one simple question: Who do you trust?

With the Marvel U. primed and ready for April’s Secret Invasion, an eight-issue mini by Bendis and artist Leinil Yu, here’s some trustworthy info on those shifty shape-shifters from space and their sneaky schemes.

LITTLE SPECIES LOST After seeing throneworlds eaten for lunch by Galactus (pictured) and annihilated by Annihilus, the Skrull Empire, which first appeared in Fantastic Four [vol. 1] #2, faces complete dissolution without a kingdom from which to rule. With the Skrulls’ metamorphic fingers already growing deep roots on Earth, their new party pad might not be far off. “There’s a couple of different mindsets within the Skrulls,” explains Bendis, “and one of those factions believes it is written in the scriptures that Earth is the Skrull homeworld.”

PARANOIA WILL DESTROY YA When asked what Marvel team will be most affected by Secret Invasion, Bendis laughs: “The human team.” Although the number of sleeper Skrulls is “less than people think,” the outcome of their plan and the damage leaked from the faucet of mistrust runs a deep gorge in the landscape of the Marvel U. “Every team will be affected, but the Avengers will have the biggest effect in the endgame.”

GOOD, BAD OR JUST PLAIN UGLY Originally the Skrulls were a peaceful race of merchants, until the barbaric Kree (below) morphed them into a militaristic society through millennia of fierce, devastating war. Although green of skin and pointy of ear, the now-world-conquering Skrulls might not be much different from humans after all. “It isn’t an invasion of want, it’s an invasion of need,” says Bendis. “And this country was born on that [mindset]. We came and wiped out the people that were here before because ‘it’s ours, and God told us to.’”

LOOKS LIKE A JOB FOR SUPER-SKRULL! First appearing in Fantastic Four
[vol. 1] #18, Kl’rt the Super-Skrull’s genetic modifications allow him to wield all the powers of Marvel‘s First Family—thereby solidifying the Skrulls’ ability to effectively mimic the powers of Earth’s protectors. Despite numerous failures against the various heroes of Earth, Kl’rt (main illustration) recently redeemed himself, sacrificing his life to destroy Annihilus’ Harvester of Sorrow, a warship responsible for the obliteration of countless Skrull worlds. Though mysteriously revived post-mortem, Kl’rt currently battles Phalanx-controlled Kree and continues to verify his unwavering loyalty to the Skrull Empire.

HELL HATH NO FURY After pulling a Houdini at the end of 2004’s Secret War, Nick Fury makes his long-awaited return in Secret Invasion. Bendis plans to rewind the tape during a proposed issue of New Avengers to finally disclose what the former S.H.I.E.L.D. director has been up to. “Most of it he’s been watching Oprah,” jokes Bendis. “It’s not going to be the most exciting issue.” Other Skrullified heroes—whether Avenger or X-Man—also get time turned back in spotlighted issues, revealing when the swap occurred and what happened to the swappee, which Bendis promises “won’t be pretty.”

TRUST NO ONE… Not even Bendis himself, the man who began planting the seeds of a Skrull invasion three years ago beginning with Secret War and Avengers: Disassembled. “In the words of Tommy Lee Jones in ‘JFK,’ ‘If I was a Skrull, do you think I would tell someone like you?’” Sounds like Skrully behavior to us.

LMS: White Martian Vs Super Skrull

Theo came up with another Last Man Standing feature on 13 September 2007, with a couple of edits and additions from me, mostly stuff in Tale of the Tape:

Ian says: You have been edited!

Tale of the Tape

Height:
White Martian - variable (6'4 usually)
Super Skrull - variable (6'2 usually)

Weight:
White Martian - variable (250 lbs usually)
Super Skrull - variable (220 lbs usually)

Complexion:
White Martian - Granite smooth and pasty-white
Super Skrull - like the surface of the moon...in green

Hates:
White Martian - other Martians that aren't white (wot a racist!)
Super Skrull - Earthlings

Classic embarassing moment:
White Martian - Being mistaken for the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man
Super Skrull - Losing a fight to Dazzler

THE PLAYERS:
Powerful adversaries to the Justice League of America (JLA), the White Martians' schemes of world domination were thwarted by the JLA and subsequently brainwashed by Green Martian J'onn J'onzz and Aquaman to live as humans among humans.

Forced by Kree aggression, the Skrulls became a militaristic civilisation and currently use their advanced technologies and shape-shifting powers in their attempts to conquer the Universe.

THE BATTLE:
Freed from the mental confines of believing that he is only human, the white Martian, Fluxus, screams in anger for the blood of J'onn J'onzz. He catches a glimpse of green flying in the far horizon and flies at it, believing his target to be the J'onn, hitting a surprised Skrull, Kl'rt, squarely in the chest. Kl'rt very quickly recovers, changes his arm to be like The Thing's, and pummels Fluxus, while wrapping around him tightly a la Reed Richards. Fluxus, still fresh from his confusion, screams, "Is that the best you can do, J'onn?!" He shapeshifts into Superman and slugs Kl'rt with a powerful right hook. Stunned, Kl'rt quickly turns invisible to observe his opponent, but Fluxus quickly locates him telepathically and attacks him with psi-spikes to the head. Kl'rt shrieks in pain and in a panicked attempt, uses the powers of Johnny Storm. The last thing Fluxus remembers is his own howl of pain as he catches fire and falls to the sea...

Unleashing the fury with "Secret Invasion"

Yay! Skrulls!

As revealed in New Avengers #31, Elektra was actually a Skrull in disguise. This wasn't the first time Marvel have tried out this type of storyarc though...when Captain America first returned from the Heroes Reborn universe, his very first storyarc involved a Skrull impersonating him so that he could seek revenge on Earth, who's heroes had embarassed his proud race time and time again.

I'm glad that the next major event in the Marvel Universe revolves around the story Brian Michael Bendis first concocted within the pages of New Avengers.

Oh, and there's also the little thing called "The Return of Nick Fury", who's gone underground in the Marvel Universe ever since his role in his own personal Secret War was revealed in the 2004 mini-series.


UNLEASHING THE FURY WITH ‘SECRET INVASION’
Marvel’s heroes face off with the Skrulls in 2008’s mega-event, and a certain one-eyed superspy returns to lead the fight

By Matt Powell

Posted September 10, 2007 9:15 PM

According to Marvel Comics Executive Editor Tom Brevoort, there’s “big explosions, life-or-death choices, fear and loathing among friends and classic costumes” in store for the future of the Marvel Universe—and it all begins with a big secret.

Although the title may suggest a quieter notion, Marvel set off an atomic bomb over the weekend with its announcement of Secret Invasion, the next big event to rock the Marvel Universe in 2008! The eight-issue series will debut in April from the current New Avengers creative team of writer Brian Michael Bendis and artist Leinil Francis Yu.

“The Skrulls have covertly infiltrated our planet,” succinctly explains Brevoort on the plot of the series.

If you’ve been keeping up with New Avengers, it’s no surprise that the Skrulls have done more than infiltrate the planet—they’ve even taken over Marvel characters’ identities! We got our first look at a covert Skrull recently in New Avengers #31, as a green-skinned alien was revealed posing as the Hand leader Elektra!

However, Elektra’s body-snatching isn’t the first clue that we’ve received. Brevoort reveals that this invasion’s been building since 2004. “Secret War is where the first elements that are part of this storyline were put into place,” explains Brevoort. “But really, it’s an apt description of what’s been going on.”

Fast-forward to 2006’s New Avengers: Illuminati #1 by Brian Michael Bendis and Jim Cheung, and we heard an ominous threat from the Skrulls about a possible revenge plot against Earth.

Facing facts, a Skrull invasion is definitely a threat that no single hero can withstand, and Brevoort says the Avengers titles will have the biggest impact in the invasion, with other tie-in issues to follow.

So which Avengers should we keep an eye on leading up to the event? “All the ones who aren’t in the Ultimate universe,” teases Brevoort. “And maybe even some of them.”

Adding to the mystery, Brevoort confirms that there will be more Skrull reveals to come, “some of which you may not even realize are reveals until further along in the story.”

With the Marvel Universe still rebuilding property and broken relationships after the effects of Civil War, the Marvel exec explains that Secret Invasion may be the catalyst to heal damaged affairs.

“It certainly presents the possibility for some fence-mending along the way, in that the Skrulls represent a threat that all parties on Earth can get together behind opposing,” explains Brevoort. “On the other hand, the emotional wounds from the last few years in the Marvel Universe run deep, so there may not be any way to bridge some of the divides between characters.”

Even divided, you can’t face a war without a strong general—or maybe a colonel—at your side. If there’s one man to lead the Marvel U. in its darkest hour, Brevoort’s got the man who’ll make you want to sign up.

“Nick Fury will be back in full force in Secret Invasion,” confirms Brevoort.