Will Secret Empire mark the end of Captain America in the Marvel Universe?
Much as I love the Marvel Cinematic Universe, I haven’t been a fan of what’s going on in the comics. Captain America’s Hydra Heel turn being a big contributing factor. Marvel looks to finally be paying that off with Secret Empire, which could mark the end of this controversial story line.
If nothing else, it’s another Marvel-wide crossover and not just relegated to fringe sections like the X-Men, Inhumans or Guardians of the Galaxy. But Secret Empire seems to hinge solely on the reactions of the Marvel heroes once they learn Captain America is with Hydra.
Here’s Marvel’s write-up:
What if your greatest ally was secretly your greatest enemy? Beginning May 3rd, prepare for Marvel Comics’ SECRET EMPIRE! Blockbuster creators Nick Spencer, Steve McNiven, Andrea Sorrentino and Leinil Yu are ready to challenge the entire Marvel Universe as they unite the Avengers, X-Men, Defenders, Champions, Inhumans, Spider-Man, and more, as an unwavering front against the SECRET EMPIRE!
The Marvel Universe is under siege from within! Due to the manipulations of the Red Skull, Captain America, secretly a true believer in the cause of Hydra, uses the trust and respect he has gained over the years to a position where he can enacts Hydra’s ideals against the Marvel Universe and it’s up to all heroes to unite against one of the greatest challenges they have ever faced.
Marvel’s Editor-in-Chief Axel Alonso said, ‘SECRET EMPIRE is the rallying cry for all the heroes — Avengers, Guardians, Defenders, X-Men, Spider-Man, Deadpool – to put aside their differences and unify in the defense of the Marvel Universe.’
Like Siege and Secret Invasion, this looks to be the big storyline to get the Marvel heroes on the same page following Civil War II. If you’re cynical at this point it seems like Marvel is simply using Secret Empire to fix the mess left behind from the last previous big event.
For me, McNiven is a huge selling point. He’s a very talented artist and I’m hopeful he’s able to handle the majority of the saga. The big question for Marvel will be if the issues come out on time. Civil War II got killed by delays ruining all the momentum. That the story was ridiculously contrived and handled didn’t help either.
We’ll find out when Secret Empire arrives in stores in May.