Production
Chief Creative Officer
President
| ||||||||
Appearing in 1st story
Featured Characters:
- Steve Rogers (Main story and recap)
- The Underground (Main story and recap)
Shaun Lucas
Giant-Man (Raz Malhotra)
Captain America (Sam Wilson)
(Main story and recap)
Misty Knight (Mercedes Knight)
(Main story and recap)
Iron Man (Tony Stark A.I.)
(Hologram) (Main story and recap)
Hawkeye (Clint Barton)
Mockingbird (Bobbi Morse)
- Alpha Flight
- Doctor Strange (Stephen Strange) (Main story and flashback)
Supporting Characters:
- Defenders
- Claire Temple
- Guardians of the Galaxy
- Dagger (Tandy Bowen)
- Cloak (Ty Johnson)
- Unnamed librarians (Only in flashback)
- Quasar (Avril Kincaid) (Wakes from coma; death)
- Maria Hill
King Namor
Winter Soldier (Bucky Barnes)
Antagonists:
- Hydra (Main story and recap)
- Hydra Command
- Numerous unnamed agents (Main story and recap)
Other Characters:
- "Goddess by the Lake" (Sharon Carter) (Identity revealed; main story and recap)
- The Underground
- Wonder Man (Simon Williams) (Recap)
- Thing (Ben Grimm) (Recap)
- Barf (Brian McAllister) (Recap)
- Crossbones (Brock Rumlow) (Mentioned)
- Sin (Sinthea Schmidt) (Mentioned)
- Stay Puft Marshmallow Man (Mentioned) (Topical reference)
- Galactus (Mentioned)
- Annihilus (Mentioned)
- Library ghost (Mentioned) (Topical reference) (Only in flashback)
- Hyperion (Marcus Milton)
- Dum-Dum Dugan (Voice)
- Deadpool (Wade Wilson) (Mentioned)
- God (Yahweh) (Invoked)
- "Bob Hofstedder" / Blackout (Marcus Daniels) (Death)
- Kingpin (Wilson Fisk)
- Nova (Sam Alexander)
Black Panther (T'Challa)
- Kobik (Returns)
Races and Species:
- Humans (Main story and flashback)
- Inhumans (Referenced)
- Human-Inhuman Hybrids (Recap)
- Cosmic Cubes (Main story and recap)
- Human-Kree Hybrids
- Human-Spartax Hybrids
- Flora colossi
- Halfworlders
- Eternals
- Robots
- Chitauri (Mentioned)
- LMDs (Behind the scenes)
- Atlantean-Human Hybrids
Locations:
- Vanishing Point
- Prime Marvel Universe (Main story and flashback)
- Earth (Main story and flashback)
- Hydra Nation (Main story and flashback)
- Arizona
- New York (Main story and flashback)
- New York City (Main story and flashback)
- Manhattan (Isolated via Darkforce Dimension) (Main story and flashback)
- Midtown (Main story and flashback)
- Mercy General Hospital
- Bryant Park (Only in flashback)
- New York Public Library (Only in flashback)
- Empire State Building
- 38th Street and Fifth Avenue
- Greenwich Village (Mentioned) (Only in flashback)
- Sanctum Sanctorum, Bleecker Street (Mentioned) (Main story and flashback)
- Midtown (Main story and flashback)
- Upper New York Bay (Main story and recap)
- Brooklyn (Mentioned) (Only in flashback)
- Manhattan (Isolated via Darkforce Dimension) (Main story and flashback)
- New York City (Main story and flashback)
- Michigan
- Sin and Crossbones' Super-Prison
- Montana
- New Tian, California (Mentioned)
- Washington, D.C.
- Earth Orbit
- Alpha Flight Low-Orbit Space Station (Destruction)
- Communications Room (Destruction)
- Command Bridge (Destruction)
- Alpha Flight Low-Orbit Space Station (Destruction)
- Atlantis, Atlantic Ocean (Mentioned)
- Wakanda (Mentioned)
- Hydra Nation (Main story and flashback)
- Hell (Invoked)
- Earth (Main story and flashback)
- Numerous unidentified alternate realities (Mentioned)
Items:
- Giant-Man's Suit
- Giant-Man's Time Capsule
- Captains America's Uniforms
- Sam Wilson's Uniform and Wings
- Steve Rogers' Uniform
- Planetary Defense Shield (Destruction)
- Captain Marvel's Suit
- Iron Fist's Suit
- Blue Marvel's Suit
- Iron Man Armor Model 4
- Hawkeye's Suit
- Hawkeye's Bow and Trick Arrows
- Element Gun
- Nullifier Bombs (First appearance; detonation)
- Ultimate Nullifier (Mentioned)
- Cloak's Cloak
- Doctor Strange's Cloak (Main story and flashback)
- Darkforce (Mentioned)
- Hydra Uniforms
- Mockingbird's Suit
- Arnim Zola's Robotic Body
- Quantum Bands (Destruction)
- Chitauri Egg (Destruction)
- Star-Lord Armor
- Winter Soldier's Bionic Arm
- Nova Helmet
- Nova Force
- Panther Habit
Vehicles:
- Hydra Helicarrier (Recap)
- Mark 1 Astro Carrier
Synopsis for 1st story
As he's slowly sinking into the bottom of the lake, Steve Rogers catches a glimpse of a light above the surface. Having regained his strength, he breaks free from ropes tying his hands and swims back to the surface.
In the middle of the desert in Arizona, Shaun Lucas helps Giant-Man bury his time capsule, which contains a message recorded by Sam Wilson meant to reach Manhattan and the A.F.S.S. in the past, so it can be broadcast now in the present. When Shaun wonders why don't they simply send a message further back in time warning about Captain America's allegiance, Raz explains that altering history in such a way would actually create a divergent timeline instead of alter their own.
Now both New York and Alpha Flight are receiving Cap's message, in which he explains the current situation in the Hydra-controlled United States regarding the Cosmic Cube fragments. Sam recounts that while liberating an Inhuman interment camp, the Underground managed to recover one fragment. Even though the fragment is not as powerful as the entire Cube, it can still tweak reality. He hopes the heroes can line up their efforts to destroy both the Darkforce bubble and the Planetary Defense Shield.
Some time later, on a rooftop, Sam is getting ready to take off and fly to the midpoint between the dome and the shield, while Iron Man and Hawkeye break into Crossbones and Sin's super-prison to free their friends.
Aboard Alpha Flight's station, Star-Lord and Rocket Raccoon approaches Captain Marvel with stolen plans for a Nullifier Bomb, hoping to use the space station as a delivery system for the charges.
Meanwhile, in Manhattan, while the Defenders are wondering how can they be of assistance, Doctor Strange reveals he has recently acquired a spell that could possibly of help. When he visited the New York Public Library earlier, he managed to learn a new spell in exchange for his Sanctum Sanctorum. Hopefully, the spell will amplify Cloak and Dagger's powers in unison.
Miles above Upper New York Bay, Captain America finds himself dodging heavy fire from three Hydra jets trying to take him down. Even though Sam manages to get one of the planes to accidentally shoot another one down, a Hydra agent shoots Sam through the chest with a rifle, and the winged hero plummets into the water below, to the shock of Misty Knight, who was on comms with him.
In Manhattan, the spell being conjured by Doctor Strange on top of the Empire State Building appears to have no effect. Sam continues sinking into the bay. In orbit, the A.F.S.S. has been evacuated and loaded with explosive charges. Alpha Flight's personnel, the Ultimates, and the Guardians of the Galaxy observe from the Mark 1 Astro Carriers. At the Planetary Defense Shield Base Station in Michigan, Arnim Zola also braces for the impact. The space station crashes into the shield, triggering a massive explosion, but the shield holds, much to Captain Marvel's distress and anger. As Sam becomes invisible in the depths of the bay, a light glimmers. As Sam holds onto the Cosmic Cube fragment, Quasar walks up to Carol, revealing she has just woken up from her coma; meanwhile, Sam emerges from the water. Quasar flies to the shield and blasts it until it is breached and destroyed. Captain Marvel proceeds to fly to the coordinates where the Chitauri Eggs are cloistered away in Montana.
Inside Hydra's super-prison, as Iron Man and Hawkeye make their way through Hydra troops, Maria Hill slips past all the noise into the cell where Blackout is being kept brainwashed in the form of his Pleasant Hill-self, the mild-mannered Bob Hofstedder. While Captain Marvel reaches the Chitauri eggs and destroys them, terminating the threat from the Chitauri Wave, Hill reluctantly shoots Blackout in the head, causing the Darkforce dome to dissipate, bringing sunlight back to Manhattan.
With the Cosmic Cube shard in hand, Captain America meets up with the Underground at the Triskelion. They are soon joined by Captain Marvel and her allies, as well as some of the heroes that were inside the Darkfore dome. Namor arrives as the heroes being to think about their next course of action, revealing a bubble from where the Winter Soldier steps up, surprising the heroes, and informing them that he has a plan. The heroes then proceed to jump into action; however, the tide is still in Hydra's favor. Black Panther has been captured and Steve Rogers holds most of the fragments, even if it's not the entirety.
Walking away through the mysterious forest, Steve Rogers finds the glowing woman peeking out from the trees. He runs up to her and a memory of the two spending time together causes him to utter the name "Sharon." As they're about to touch, her spectre fades away, striking Steve with grief. Kobik then appears to tell Steve that she's gone, that they're all gone, and that she and Steve are all alone now, as Steve recognizes the young girl.
Solicit Synopsis
UNITED WE STAND – against the SECRET EMPIRE!
Notes
- The obtainment of the Cosmic Cube fragment by the Underground, the fall of New Tian and Wakanda, the survival of the Winter Soldier, and other important plot points happened in Captain America (Vol. 8) #25. The recap page of this issue alerts readers to first read Captain America Vol 8 #25 before this comic.
- When breaking into Blackout's cell, Maria Hill comments she got the intel from Deadpool. Deadpool previously located Blackout with the help of the Trapster in Deadpool (Vol. 4) #34, and told Maria Hill about it in Deadpool (Vol. 4) #35.
See Also
Footnotes
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- Comics
- Week 32, 2017
- 2017
- 2017, October
- Modern-Age
- Secret Empire Vol 1
- Secret Empire (Event)
- T+ (13 and up)
- Axel Alonso/Editor-in-Chief
- Mark Brooks/Cover Artist
- Nick Spencer/Writer
- Rod Reis/Penciler
- Sean Izaakse/Penciler
- Daniel Acuña/Penciler
- Rod Reis/Inker
- Sean Izaakse/Inker
- Daniel Acuña/Inker
- Rod Reis/Colourist
- Java Tartaglia/Colourist
- Daniel Acuña/Colourist
- Travis Lanham/Letterer
- Tom Brevoort/Editor
- Alanna Smith/Editor
- Samuel Wilson (Earth-616)/Quotes
- Steven Rogers (Earth-616)/Appearances
- Underground (Secret Empire) (Earth-616)/Appearances
- Rayshaun Lucas (Earth-616)/Appearances
- Raz Malhotra (Earth-616)/Appearances
- Samuel Wilson (Earth-616)/Appearances
- Mercedes Knight (Earth-616)/Appearances
- Anthony Stark (Third A.I.) (Earth-616)/Appearances
- Clinton Barton (Earth-616)/Appearances
- Barbara Morse (Earth-616)/Appearances
- Alpha Flight (Space Program) (Earth-616)/Appearances
- Ultimates (Earth-616)/Appearances
- Carol Danvers (Earth-616)/Appearances
- Monica Rambeau (Earth-616)/Appearances
- Adam Brashear (Earth-616)/Appearances
- America Chavez (Utopian Parallel)/Appearances
- Stephen Strange (Earth-616)/Appearances
- Defenders (Manhattan) (Earth-616)/Appearances
- Luke Cage (Earth-616)/Appearances
- Daniel Rand (Earth-616)/Appearances
- Jessica Jones (Earth-616)/Appearances
- Claire Temple (Earth-616)/Appearances
- Guardians of the Galaxy (Earth-616)/Appearances
- Peter Quill (Earth-616)/Appearances
- Groot (Earth-616)/Appearances
- Rocket Raccoon (Earth-616)/Appearances
- Tandy Bowen (Earth-616)/Appearances
- Tyrone Johnson (Earth-616)/Appearances
- Avril Kincaid (Earth-616)/Appearances
- Maria Hill (Earth-616)/Appearances
- Namor McKenzie (Earth-616)/Appearances
- James Buchanan Barnes (Earth-616)/Appearances
- Hydra (Earth-616)/Appearances
- High Council of Hydra (Earth-616)/Appearances
- Arnim Zola (Earth-616)/Appearances
- Helmut Zemo (Earth-616)/Appearances
- Steven Rogers (Earth-61311)/Appearances
- Sharon Carter (Earth-616)/Appearances
- Simon Williams (Earth-616)/Minor Appearances
- Benjamin Grimm (Earth-616)/Minor Appearances
- Brian McAllister (Earth-616)/Minor Appearances
- Brock Rumlow (Earth-616)/Mentions
- Sinthea Shmidt (Earth-616)/Mentions
- Galan (Earth-616)/Mentions
- Annihilus (Earth-616)/Mentions
- Marcus Milton (Earth-13034)/Appearances
- Timothy Dugan (Earth-616)/Minor Appearances
- Wade Wilson (Earth-616)/Mentions
- Yahweh (Earth-616)/Invocations
- Marcus Daniels (Earth-616)/Appearances
- Wilson Fisk (Earth-616)/Appearances
- Samuel Alexander (Earth-616)/Appearances
- T'Challa (Earth-616)/Appearances
- Kobik (Earth-616)/Appearances
- Homo sapiens/Appearances
- Inhumans (Inhomo supremis)/Mentions
- Human-Inhuman Hybrids/Minor Appearances
- Cosmic Cube/Appearances
- Human-Kree Hybrids/Appearances
- Human-Spartax Hybrids/Appearances
- Flora colossi/Appearances
- Halfworlders/Appearances
- Eternals (Homo immortalis)/Appearances
- Robots/Appearances
- Chitauri/Mentions
- Life-Model Decoy/Minor Appearances
- Atlantean-Human Hybrids/Appearances
- Vanishing Point/Appearances
- Earth-616/Appearances
- Earth/Appearances
- United States of America/Appearances
- Arizona (State)/Appearances
- Painted Desert/Appearances
- New York (State)/Appearances
- New York City/Appearances
- Manhattan/Appearances
- Darkforce Dimension/Appearances
- Mercy General Hospital/Appearances
- Bryant Park/Appearances
- New York Public Library (Main Branch)/Appearances
- Empire State Building/Appearances
- 38th Street/Appearances
- Fifth Avenue/Appearances
- Fisk Towers/Appearances
- Greenwich Village/Mentions
- Sanctum Sanctorum/Mentions
- Upper New York Bay/Appearances
- New Attilan/Minor Appearances
- Governors Island/Appearances
- Triskelion/Appearances
- Brooklyn/Mentions
- Michigan (State)/Appearances
- Planetary Defense Shield Base Station/Appearances
- Montana (State)/Appearances
- New Tian/Mentions
- Washington, D.C./Appearances
- White House/Appearances
- Earth Orbit/Appearances
- Alpha Flight Low-Orbit Space Station/Appearances
- Atlantis (Modern)/Mentions
- Wakanda/Mentions
- Hell/Invocations
- Giant-Man's Suit/Appearances
- Captain America's Uniform/Appearances
- Falcon's Wings/Appearances
- Planetary Defense Shield/Appearances
- Captain Marvel's Suit/Appearances
- Iron Fist's Suit/Appearances
- Blue Marvel's Suit/Appearances
- Iron Man Armor Model 4/Appearances
- Hawkeye's Suit/Appearances
- Hawkeye's Bow/Appearances
- Trick Arrows/Appearances
- Element Gun/Appearances
- Nullifier Bomb/Appearances
- Ultimate Nullifier (Weapon)/Mentions
- Cloak's Cloak/Appearances
- Doctor Strange's Cloak/Appearances
- Hydra Uniforms/Appearances
- Mockingbird's Suit/Appearances
- Arnim Zola's Robotic Body/Appearances
- Quantum Bands/Appearances
- Chitauri Egg/Appearances
- Star-Lord Armor/Appearances
- Winter Soldier's Bionic Arm/Appearances
- Nova Helmet (Supernovas)/Appearances
- Panther Habit/Appearances
- Mark 1 Astro Carrier/Appearances