Welcome to Adaptations Done Right, the segment that examines adaptations of comic books and how they played out. Today will be how Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes did the Secret Invasion much better than any of the comics did.
The Idea of Secret Invasion
Secret Invasion is an event in the Marvel Comics franchise that focuses on shapeshifting aliens called Skrulls invading Earth. This invasion began over a number of years stretching back to Marvel’s House of M and Civil War. The Skrulls had lost their home world and the heroes began fighting amongst each other. By replacing key figures whether politicians, suits, and superheroes; the Skrulls had infiltrated and practically already conquered the planet. It was a good set up, but it was executed so poorly.
Characters acting out of it… admittedly that would’ve been a cop out. But come on Iron Man and Captain America wreaking havoc without so much as a good reason during Civil War? That should’ve been cuz they were Skrulls. Then there was a repetitive plot line throughout the event; people that everyone trusted turning out to be aliens in disguise. It was just repeating the outline of Civil War: heroes fighting each other, just with a fresh coat of paint.
The Creeping Doom
So what did Earth’s Mightiest Heroes do about this? For one they started by making the premise subtle with a man claiming to have been replaced by an alien. This alone would’ve just been an Easter Egg to the audience, to just laugh about it as a single episode. Instead the invasion continues to be foreshadowed throughout the series. First with an imply from Kang the Conqueror about a betrayal from Captain America and a Skrull spy in HYDRA.
But that was just the tip of the iceberg. When Captain America is abducted and replaced by a Skrull, it takes the original plot in a compelling direction. Compared to the comics that just had a bunch of random characters switched with invaders; this sequence of events rises from a background element to a disaster waiting to happen.
The Effects
Throughout most of the second season of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, the audience is burdened with the secret that the moral compass of the Avengers is compromised. There were times when it became very close for the fake Captain America to be exposed. But the fact that it did not made the situation all the more intense.
The revelation of a Skrull spy in the Avengers’ ranks even makes the heroes turning on each other into a better plot. The Avengers break up with some staying with the fake Cap. It turns out he is not the only Skrull in their midsts; the Skrull Queen Veranke is moving forward with her plan as Mockingbird.
Major Improvements on Secret Invasion
Now for some comparisons. In the comics, the established history complicates things by a lot. With hundreds of characters to work with; the makers just replace underdeveloped and under-selling characters with Skrulls. The Skrulls were literally just a scapegoat of saying “that’s the reason these characters haven’t been doing so good”. Most of these characters in the greater Marvel universe are nobodies in the eyes of the creative teams and audiences. As such the revelations lack any real depth or impact. It doesn’t help that event’s author, Brian Michael Bendis prefers to kill off characters he does not like working with.
All Hail the Queen
In Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, the Skrull invasion was not a spontaneous pull out of a hat situation; it was a systematic takeover that targeted certain groups and the pillars that kept them afloat. Veranke in particular stepped up by assuming Mockingbird’s identity. This allows her to keep an eye on the people who are a threat to her plans through Mockingbird’s boss Fury. Best of all, the chemistry between Hawkeye and Mockingbird made this feel like a genuine loss.
The comic version takes over Jessica Drew as Spider Woman, a character who barely has any connections or importance. Kind of ironic considering Alias (also by Bendis) was originally going to focus on her. It’s hard to tell if executive meddling in this context is a good or bad thing. Thank god the more recent portrayals of Spider-Woman like in Dennis Hopeless’s run is anything but without hope.
A Genuine Epic Battle
By the time the invasion actually begins, it feels like the results that have built up finally burst through. It even debuts with a shout-out to the only part of the comic event that had any value, the Black Panther tie-in with an invasion of Wakanda that was repelled and lessened for the main event. When the Skrulls are all revealed, the betrayals of trust ran deep with all of the characters.
The fight back against the Skrulls feels like a struggle of a hero’s journey that is well earned. From Captain America’s fight to get back home to Carol Danvers as Ms. Marvel dealing with trust issues. By the time everyone converges, it becomes a matter of who backs down first. In the end, it is Captain America’s fighting spirit that helps turn the tides in victory.
Pyrrhic Win vs. Bittersweet Victory
When the comics tie up the event, the (not reformed) villain Norman Osborn gets all of the glory. He actually stole it from Deadpool (long story, it was a decent tie-in). The heroes meanwhile are struck down hard becoming fugitives. Spider-Woman in particular is left traumatized by the event. It took years for the big mess to get cleaned up.
Earth’s Mightiest Heroes themselves had achieved victory but it came at a price. Thankfully not in the form of a supervillain taking over, but in the Skrulls actions leaving scars. Captain America in particular has to deal with scrutiny over his doppelgänger’s actions. Fortunately, this became an exploration of character for Captain America. The next episode reestablishes him as a force to inspire people to do good. Spider-Man even becomes an honorary Avenger because of him.
Secret Invasion Memorial
Secret Invasion’s legacy as one of the worst things to happen to Marvel Comics will never go away. But that won’t stop anyone from trying to make things better. There was even a video game with a similar scenario in mind. But it was canceled due to THQ going under. It kind of makes me wonder what the MCU would do with it, even if it’s just a joke.
Overall this storyline and the episodes that lead up to it get a 9.5/10. The tension is built up naturally, forcing the audience to question events based on what they’ve seen from other episodes, a decent follow-up, and best of all doing away with all of things that made the comic event bad. My only downside is the fact that the Black Panther tie-in is lessened. Wakanda had a chance to shine for real in this episode.
Thanks for coming to the end and keep up with more analyses of comics.