| "Kree–Skrull War" | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| Publication date | June 1971 – March 1972 |
| Genre | |
| Title(s) | Avengers #89–97 |
| Main character(s) | Avengers Captain Marvel (Mar-Vell) Rick Jones Ronan the Accuser Annihilus Kree Skrulls |
| Creative team | |
| Writer | Roy Thomas |
| Penciller(s) | Sal Buscema (#89–92) Neal Adams (#93–96) John Buscema (#94, 97) |
| Inker(s) | Sam Grainger (#89–90) Sal Buscema (#91) George Roussos (#92) Tom Palmer (#93–97) |
| Letterer(s) | Sam Rosen (#89, 92–97) Mike Stevens (#90) Art Simek (#91) |
| Editor | Stan Lee |
| Kree–Skrull War | ISBN 0-7851-3230-9 |
The "Kree–Skrull War" is astory arc that was written byRoy Thomas, and drawn bySal Buscema,Neal Adams, andJohn Buscema. The story was originally published in theMarvel Comicscomic book titleAvengers #89–97 (June 1971 – March 1972).[1]
The "Kree–Skrull War" is notable for its cosmic scope of interstellar warfare, enormous cast of characters, use of metaphor and allegory (for instance, toJoseph McCarthy andHUAC and theArab–Israeli War),[2] and the introduction of theVision–Scarlet Witch romance, which became an ongoing theme for the characters (and the Avengers) for years to come. The "Kree–Skrull War" is considered by critics to be a highlight of its era,[3][4] and is the culmination of a string of notable Thomas–Adams collaborations from this period, which began with their run onX-Men in 1969.
Writer Thomas admits he had no "master plan" in writing the storyline other than that the two "rapacious, galaxy-spanning races ... would be at war in the far reaches of space, and that their conflict would be threatening to spill over onto the Earth, turning our planet into the cosmic equivalent of some Pacific island duringWorld War II". In this regard, Thomas was inspired byRaymond F. Jones' 1952 novelThis Island Earth.[5]
In 2000, almost thirty years after the "Kree–Skrull War"'s original publication, Marvel produced a trade paperback collection of the entire story arc.
As part of 2020'sEmpyre event, a prelude one-shot calledRoad to Empyre: The Kree/Skrull War #1 details the origins of the millennia longstanding conflict between the two species.[6]
TheKree heroCaptain Marvel, arriving on Earth after an extended stay in theNegative Zone, is captured by several members of the superhero team theAvengers —Quicksilver, theScarlet Witch, and theandroid hero theVision — andRick Jones. It is later revealed that he conceived a child with the Skrull princessAnelle during this period of time. This is necessary, as Mar-Vell has inadvertently absorbed a lethal amount of radiation from spending weeks in the Negative Zone, and it will prove fatal unless treated. With the aid of a scientist, Vision drains the excess radiation from Mar-Vell.
Aflashback sequence explains that the Avengers detected an alarm from theBaxter Building, the headquarters of theFantastic Four. They arrived at the building and found Mar-Vell using a portal to the Negative Zone in an attempt to free Rick.Annihilus attempted to escape the Negative Zone, with Mar-Vell escaping in the ensuing chaos. The flashback ends and the group are then attacked by a KreeSentry who captures Mar-Vell and escapes. The Avengers are questioned by Mar-Vell's former colleague,Carol Danvers.
The Avengers respond to a call from fellow memberGoliath, who advises that he is answering a distress call from Avenger Janet Pym, also known as theWasp. With husband and fellow memberHank Pym, the pair were en route via ship to a research base in theArctic Circle, there to study the effect of oil exploration on the environment. The pair apparently found a lush island, and investigate as the Wasp and Yellowjacket. Yellowjacket guesses the truth and pushes Wasp away before reaching the island. When he disappears, the Wasp in turn summons Goliath.
The Avengers arrive and are attacked once again by the Sentry, now aided by ahypnotised Goliath. The Avengers defeat Goliath but cannot stop the Sentry, who captures all but Quicksilver. The culprit is revealed to beRonan the Accuser, now a Kree outlaw. Ronan begins "Plan Atavus", intending to devolve Earth to a prehistoric time to use as a base in the war against theSkrulls. Ronan shows the heroes how the research scientists at the base and Henry Pym have devolved intocavemen, who now lust after Janet Pym. Quicksilver arrives and attacks, and Ronan ends the battle when contacted and advised of an impending attack by the Skrulls on the Kree homeworld of Hala. Lacking purpose, the Sentry self-destructs. The Avengers and Mar-Vell recover and find that Pym and the other scientists, like the environment, have reverted to normal.
Mar-Vell's existence is revealed when the scientists advise the authorities as to what they witnessed, and the "Alien Activities Commission" is formed, led by Senator H. Warren Craddock. The Avengers agree to participate in ahearing, but this is abandoned when the Avengers refuse to hand over Mar-Vell. The Avengers encourage Mar-Vell to go with Danvers to a private farm, and although pursued byNick Fury ofS.H.I.E.L.D. escape. The Avengers deal with frustrated members of the public, whopicketAvengers Mansion and then force their way in to vandalize the building.
AvengersCaptain America,Iron Man, andThor apparently return to the Mansion and announce that, due to the behaviour of the team, it is now disbanded. Quicksilver, the Scarlet Witch and the Vision decide to leave and check on Mar-Vell, but are attacked bySkrulls, the ancient enemies of the Kree. At the same time, Danvers has led Mar-Vell to a Skrull vessel she claims to have found, and persuades Mar-Vell to build an "Omni-Wave Projector", a communications device that in the hands of non-Kree is a deadly weapon. Mar-Vell, however, sees through the deception and destroys the device, but he is captured by Danvers (now revealed to actually be theSuper-Skrull) and, along with Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch, is taken off Earth.
Although injured, the Vision is able to return to Avengers Mansion, where Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, and Hank Pym gathered. Ant-Man reduces himself tomicroscopic size and enters the Vision, and is able to repair the android. Ant-Man departs and on questioning the recovering Vision, the Avengers determine it was the Skrulls – previously disguised as cows – that dissolved the team. The four Avengers find and capture the Skrulls for interrogation, and determine that the aliens are in fact three of the four members of the original exploration team that once visited Earth and battled the Fantastic Four.[7] The Avengers are then attacked by a team of threeMandroids, sent by Senator Craddock to apprehend the heroes for failing to cooperate. Iron Man overloads their armour with an electrical discharge.
At the same timeTriton of theInhumans arrives, and unable to locate the Fantastic Four, asks the Avengers for aid in locating their rulerBlack Bolt, needed as his brotherMaximus has seized power in their homelandAttilan. The Avengers aid Triton and, after locating Black Bolt, accompany the Inhumans to Attilan. Maximus is revealed to have entered into an alliance with the Kree, and in exchange for rulership uses Kree technology to control the population, intending to use them as soldiers against the Skrulls. The Avengers defeat Maximus and his minions, and after restoring Black Bolt to power leave (with Goliath) for Skrull space, intent on rescuing their comrades.
Mar-Vell is taken to the heart of the Skrull Empire and, after being advised that the captive Avengers will be executed, is forced to build another Omni-Wave Projector. The Avengers arrive in Skrull space, and hold off the alien fleet while Mar-Vell is forced to use the Projector, which casts a temporarily freed Rick Jones back into the Negative Zone. Jones is rescued from the Zone by the Kree ruler theSupreme Intelligence, who unlocks hidden mental powers (the Destiny Force) in Rick himself, Rick then sends a wave ofGolden Age heroes with the Avengers against the Skrulls, ending the war. The Destiny Force also reverts Senator Craddock on Earth to his true Skrull form, revealing he was the fourth Skrull from the Earth expedition, and he is subsequently killed by an angered mob. The heroes return to Earth to discover that the real Craddock has been found, and the Avengers' reputation has been restored.[8]
The secret superhero group theIlluminati are eventually revealed to have visited both the Kree and Skrull Empires and advised the aliens that involving Earth in their war would not be tolerated.[9]
A supplemental story appeared inNew Avengers: Illuminati (vol. 2) #1 – 5 (Feb. 2007 – Jan. 2008), recounting the adventures of a team that Iron Man assembled after the war consisting of himself,Black Bolt,Mister Fantastic,Professor X,Namor, andDoctor Strange, feeling that all of them together possessed information that could have averted Earth's involvement in the war if they had worked together. Issue #1 recounts the group's ill-fated confrontation with the Skrull emperor Dorrek, shortly after the Kree–Skrull War. In issue #5, Iron Man brings theElektra Skrull's corpse to the group. Subsequently, they are attacked by a group ofSuper-Skrulls, including one who had been impersonating Black Bolt. This issue tied the Kree–Skrull War with the ongoing crossover storylineSecret Invasion.
The nature of Rick's strange power at the story's conclusion is revealed inAvengers Forever, where it is identified as the Destiny Force, a manifestation of human potential.
DuringCaptain America Reborn, when Captain America was sent bouncing randomly through time by a weapon devised by theRed Skull, during a brief visit to the time of the Kree–Skrull war, he took advantage of the opportunity to isolate himself and the Vision from the conflict long enough to give the Vision a message that the Vision would subsequently 'delete' from his conscious memory until the time came for him to recall it, allowing Captain America to communicate with the present without changing history.
InMarvel Team-Up #5,Spider-Man andVision learn that a Skrull scout from the Kree–Skrull War is interfering with the Vision's brainwaves.
TheAvengers storyline was collected in atrade paperback:
Captain Marvel features the mythology of the Kree–Skrull War.[10][11] In the film, the conflict is depicted as one-sided, with the Skrulls being the victims of the Kree's genocidal war. The Kree Mar-Vell goes against her people and travels to Earth to help Skrull refugees escape from Kree forces.Carol Danvers was brainwashed by the Kree to fight the Skrulls. When she discovers the truth, she rebels against her former masters and helps the Skrulls find a new homeland.
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