The Skrull Incident

 

Hey, looks like the latest Marvel Cinematic Universe Disney+ show Secret Invasion is bringing the Skrulls back in a big way. What better way to celebrate than to take a look at a part of the MC2’s unexplored history by trying to uncover as much as possible about the mysterious event known as ‘The Skrull Incident’.

 

 

The first (and unless I am mistaken only) mention of ‘The Skrull Incident’ was in A-Next #2, when The Orbital Defense Grid detects the approach of a Kree spacecraft and fires upon it, resulting in the craft splitting into two before crashing into the Washington National Park. With the newly formed new Avengers team called in to investigate by Bill Foster, we learn a little history behind the Orbital Defense Grid when Mainframe off-handedly mentions to Thunderstrike that the Grid was erected years prior when the government was convinced by the events of the last known alien invasion, which he identifies only as 'The Skrull Incident'.

 

A collection of satellites positioned in orbit around the planet Earth, the Orbital Defense Grid comes equipped with long-range sensory instrumentation and offensive weaponry capabilities allowing it to detect and destroy incoming space debris, extraterrestrial spacecraft, and various other threats to the planet from outer space (A-Next #2, Spider-Girl #34, #46, #86). We also learn in Last Planet Standing #2 that Reed Richards helped design the Orbital Defense Grid.

 

Circling back to the Skrulls, we learn in Spider-Girl #3 that Lyja is married to Johnny Storm and in Fantastic Five (vol. 1) #2 we are first introduced to the couple's son, Torus Storm, a Human/Skrull hybrid. Torus possesses both his mother's Skrullian ability to shape-shift and his father's pyrogenic powers. Despite his (very) young age, Torus often attempts to aid his family in battle by altering his form into that of a muscular adult male while utilizing his flame-blasts.

 

Here's where we connect some dots from prior exploratory posts and add some speculation. As I mentioned in the History of the MC2: The Fantastic Four post approximately five or so years prior to the events of Fantastic Five Vol. 1 #1, the Fantastic Four prepared to battle Hyperstorm, a cosmically powered warlord from an alternate future who had built a doomsday weapon in the Negative Zone (Fantastic Five Vol. 1 #4, Spider-Girl #87). Lyja was pregnant at this time and did not join the team on their mission (Fantastic Five Vol. 1 #4). 

 

Presumably, Lyja Storm is heavily pregnant with none other than Torus in the scenes depicting the Fantastic Four preparing to leave for the mission. Now this is significant because as I mention above, we know this mission was only ‘five or so years’ prior to the MC2’s present day. So, as I calculated in the How old is Torus Storm post, Lyja and Johnny’s son Torus is only around 5 or 6 years old.

 

From the book Comic Creators on Fantastic Four by Tom Defalco, we got this comment from Fantastic Four and Fantastic Five artist Paul Ryan:

Tom Defalco: You felt Johnny and Lyja should have actually had a baby, right? Do you want to explain why?

Paul Ryan: I thought it would have been a new dynamic for Johnny, in that he would have to start facing some grown-up responsibilities. I thought that it could make for an interesting character, too, because the child of a Skrull and a human would be totally unique – and it could lead to some interesting story arcs in which the Skrull Empire wanted to get hold of the child for some reason. We could have done things with the child itself, like accelerated growth rate; maybe the Skrulls mature faster. Also, things could have been very interesting where the child had the ability to face-shift, as well as he cosmic ray-based powers of heat and flame, which is something you experimented with in Fantastic Five. Finally, I thought it might bring Johnny and Lyja closer together, and there could have been some exciting story possibilities there.

 

 

I think the late, great Mr Ryan provides us with a very good explanation for why young Torus Storm looks and behaves more like a 10-year-old than a 5-year-old. Skrull hybrids are a rarity, and one that we know little about. But further to this point is Mr Ryan’s comment about the Skrull Empire wanting to get hold of the child.

 

As mentioned earlier, the Orbital Defense Grid was commissioned following the events of the mysterious 'Skrull Incident' (A-Next #2) which was some years prior. This alongside Apox the Omega Skrull's out of date references to heroes such as Thor, Captain America and Iron Man strongly suggests the Skrull Empire has not had contact with Earth since - a fact the marvunapp entry for Apox pointed out (Spider-Girl #47). Notably, in both battles with Apox, he refers to the Fantastic Five as ‘the team once known as the Fantastic Four’ and Skrull’s aboard the Skrull Worldship also refer to the team as the Fantastic Five suggesting the Skrull Empire is aware of the change in team name (Spider-Girl #47, Spider-Girl #86-#87).

 

It is also worth pointing out that apart from Apox, no one from the Skrull Empire approached Earth directly, as evident from the Skrull Worldship's position far away from the planet at the edge of the Milky Way Galaxy (Spider-Girl #87-88). It is also suggested that Apox may have attacked the Fantastic Five against orders as a result of his delusion of godhood. While we do not know much about the state of the Skrull Empire, we do know that it is currently led by an Emperor (Spider-Girl #88) who presumably presides over the Skrull High Command (Spider-Girl #86-88) in a regime that Lyja refers to as 'virtual slavery' (Spider-Girl #88).

 

With all these points laid out, I would like to posit a hypothesis. I believe the so-called ‘Skrull Incident’ involved an invasion resulting in a large-scale attack upon Earth with a potential goal or motivation related to Torus Storm and his hybrid Skrull/Human nature. Presumably this occurred around 5 to 6 years prior to the MC2 present-day, either during Lyja’s pregnancy or shortly afterwards, potentially after the team officially rebranded as the Fantastic Five or simply while they operated with additional family members on a regular basis as the F4. Whatever the details, the invaders are defeated and the Skrull Empire seemingly do not attempt further attacks until the present day.

 

 In the aftermath of this Skrull Invasion, the government was convinced to erect The Orbital Defense Grid, possibly due to the security risk shape-shifting imposters pose to world authorities. Reed Richards (through his Big Brain robot proxies if we assume it takes place after his accident) helps to design this Defensive Grid, with long-range sensors that reach nearly to the edge of the Milky Way Galaxy. This Grid proves effective in detecting and deterring potential alien invasions and is outfitted with offensive weaponry capable of destroying space debris and other threats.

 

Let me know what you think of this theory, it has been a long time brewing in the ol’ brain pan and involves a variety of different minor points of continuity being put together. Do you agree, disagree, or have a different theory?

 

Until I stop plucking at the various loose threads of the MC2’s untouched history, I remain

 

frogoat

Maria Hill in the MC2

 

With the release of Marvel’s Secret Invasion series on Disney+ prominently featuring former Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. Maria Hill as portrayed by Cobie Smoulders’ who has played the character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe since 2012’s The Avengers, I thought now would be an opportune time to finally cover Maria Hill in the MC2.

 

Maria Hill made her debut in the pages of New Avengers #4 in 2005 though was apparently originally meant to first appear in the Secret War mini-series before lengthy delays saw it released far later. In either event, she replaced Nick Fury as Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. during that period.

 

Meanwhile in the MC2, we see some familiar faces amongst the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. during the Carnage story arc, with Maria Hill making the scene in Amazing Spider-Girl #9. On behalf of her ‘superiors’ Agent Maria Hill tasks Special Agent Arthur Weadon and his team of former villains led by Kaine with safeguarding the transport of an item referred to only as 'Specimen 297' (actually a piece of the Carnage symbiote) through New York City. When the transport convoy is attacked by a faction of S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents led by Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (who will no doubt warrant her own post someday) and the Specimen accidentally let loose in the city by Spider-Girl, Carnage is reborn.

 

With the New York City Police Department on the scene (including Police Scientist Peter Parker), Special Agent Maria Hill obstructs Captain Ruiz’s investigation of the situation before chastising Special Agent Arthur Weadon and his team’s failure to protect the Specimen. Nick Fury makes his first on-panel appearance in the MC2 - albeit shrouded in shadow-when he assures President G.W. Bridge the situation would be resolved despite the complications as he has his best Agent on the case. After an attack by Carnage at Café Indigo, Hill dispatches S.H.I.E.L.D. agents and Weadon’s team to track down Spider-Girl for questioning about her involvement (Amazing Spider-Girl #10-#11).

 

After evading both groups, Spider-Girl is reacquired during a battle with Carnage, with Maria Hill sending Weadon’s team and S.H.I.E.L.D. after her once more which results in Carnage attacking all of them. Fortunately, Spider-Girl manages to save everyone involved, but her baby brother Benjy, now merged with a part of the Carnage symbiote, is taken by the villain. Hill calls for emergency aid before following them to Midtown Medical Center (Amazing Spider-Girl #12).

 

 We learn through the investigative work of Kaine and Darkdevil the true plot: the United States was unwilling to destroy the Carnage symbiote despite the United Nations stance on the use of bio-weapons, G.W. Bridge and Nick Fury organised for the team of disguised S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents to 'steal' the Specimen, setting up Weadon's team to fail.  This was all to demonstrate the dangers to the congressional committee wishing to keep the symbiote for bio-weapon research under the guise of finding a cure for cancer (Amazing Spider-Girl #12).

Maria Hill reports back to Nick Fury that Specimen 297 has been fully neutralized. Despite the operation not going as planned, the situation was salvaged thanks to Spider-Girl's intervention, providing the President with a sound rationale to convince the congressional committee to destroy the remaining Specimen (Amazing Spider-Girl #12).

 

As for where Special Agent Maria Hill next appears in the MC2, we turn to the American Dream mini-series. These appearances are tricky. Maria Hill shows up so you would think she was working for S.H.I.E.L.D. but dialogue and recap pages both state she is working for the National Security Force. I would be inclined to accept that Hill simply changed employers since her last appearance, except every issue after she shows up in American Dream #2 clearly depicts her in full S.H.I.E.L.D. uniform and leading other agents also clad in S.H.I.E.L.D. uniform.

 

Maria Hill calls into Avengers Compound to order Shannon Carter aka  American Dream to cease her inquiries into the crystalline creatures she had encountered. After some consideration and discussion with the rest of the Avengers, American Dream decides to continue her investigation while seeking a missing person (American Dream #2).  

 

Returning to Avengers Compound with a federal warrant to assume custody of a crystal creature, Hill proceeds to chastise American Dream, and tells her again to back off before she and the rest of the Avengers are charged with treason. This prompts American Dream to resign from the Avengers to protect them while she pursued the matter solo (American Dream #3).

 

For good measure, Hill angrily makes a third trip to Avengers Compound to arrest American Dream after she is spotted at a classified crime scene, only to be told by Edwin Jarvis that he does not know where the former Avenger has gone. After threatening to take Jarvis in as an accessory, Thunderstrike steps in to defend him, questioning why Hill is trying to stop the investigation. We soon learn that S.H.I.E.L.D. is attempting to discover how to destroy the crystalline creatures to prevent them falling into enemy hands, unaware they are actually illegal immigrants who’ve been unwillingly transformed by the villain Silikong. When the one in their custody reawakens, Hill finds herself shorthanded (American Dream #4).

While across town the Avengers locate and aid American Dream in her fight against the combined forces of Hope Pym aka The Red Queen, Ion Man, Silikong and his crystalline creatures, Maria Hill and her agents struggle against their single foe until the control over the creatures is stopped by Dream. This leads Special Agent Maria Hill to admit she has some grovelling to do and we later learn that Hill has arrested Silikong and will try to reverse the process used on the victims of his experiments (American Dream #5).

 

Maria Hill in the MC2 is a good example of a Main Marvel Universe character who debuted after the point at which the MC2 diverges, with very different events unfolding. Her appearance in the MC2 acts as a nice nod to the New Avengers era of the Main Marvel Universe in much the same way as references to Luke Cage established his membership on that team in the MC2’s own history.

 

Until I perform dual duties as an National Security Agent and an Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., I remain

 

frogoat

The Prowler and the Tiger: The Brown Family Tree

 

With Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse making a serious impact at the box office and with Spider-Punk aka Hobie Brown being among its most well-received characters, I figured now is a great time to take look at the family tree of Hobart ‘Hobie’ Brown. Here is the Brown Family Tree.

 

For the purposes of these family trees, I accept that MC2 characters share their published history (up to a point) with their 616/Main Marvel Universe counterparts. I make exceptions for any retcons implemented after the point the MC2 diverges from the 616 and in cases where it's explicitly or implicitly different (Aunt May really died) or when a writer later introduces a previously unheard of relative (the Lang family and the Pym family) who is never mentioned, seen or heard of in the MC2. With the last exception, I would add them to the family tree in later updates should they be mentioned in MC2 material at any point.

 

The Prowler was created by Stan Lee, John Romita Sr and Jim Mooney with the credited help of a 13-year-old John Romita Jr, who had conceived of a character named ‘The Prowler’ and his father encouragingly showed it to Lee who liked the name and used, while Romita Sr utilized an unused design from the cancelled and unfinished Spectacular Spider-Man Magazine #3 for the character’s costume.

 

First appearing in Amazing Spider-Man #78, Hobart ‘Hobie’ Brown was an inventive and gifted young man who worked as a window washer. When he presented his designs for safety equipment to his racist employer after being prompted by his girlfriend Mindy S. McPherson, Hobie was dismissed before his designs were even seen. Following this and more provocations from his boss, Hobie quit his job. Determined to make something of himself, Hobie decides to use his equipment to steal as ‘The Prowler’ and later recover and return the loot as Hobie to become a hero.

 

 Unfortunately, The Prowler’s first mark was the office of J. Jonah Jameson and he was interrupted by Peter Parker who disguised his change into Spider-Man by flinging himself out of a high window of the Daily Bugle building. Traumatised at the thought he had killed someone, The Prowler attempted to flee only to find himself facing Spider-Man. Using one of his gas pellets to disorientate the web-head, Hobie makes his escape and his racked with guilt over his actions. Hoping to make things right, he decides to lure Spider-Man into a trap in order to catch him and salvage the situation. Having prepared for his gas pellets with a gas filter beneath his mask, Spider-Man this time easily defeats Hobie and learns of his situation, and after assuring him Parker was unharmed, the hero lets him go free (Amazing Spider-Man #79).

 

A short time later, after Peter Parker revealed his super hero identity as Spider-Man to his friends while delirious, he enlists the help of Hobie Brown. Using his Prowler equipment, Hobie poses as Spider-Man in front of Peter’s friends including Captain George Stacy which, unbeknownst to Hobie, allays suspicion and protects Peter’s secret identity. This marks the first time an African American wore the webs, making Hobie Brown the first black Spider-Man way back in 1970 (Amazing Spider-Man #87).

 

 

After Captain Stacy is killed during a battle between Spider-Man and Doctor Octopus, Hobie believes he has been used in a murder plot as a result of the prior favour and sets out as The Prowler again to take down Spider-Man. Injured in the clash, Hobie is taken to a hospital by Spider-Man, who disposes of his Prowler equipment to conceal his friend’s identity. It is worth noting that Hobie and Mindy are considering getting married by this point in time (Amazing Spider-Man #93).

 

Showing up next in the black and white Deadly Hands of Kung-Fu #21, we learn that Hobie married Mindy, found a good job where he is treated with respect and for a year had worked with a kid named Manuel Lopez in a ‘Big Brother’ program. When Manuel is killed and the hero White Tiger aka Hector Ayala is initially blamed, Hobie battles him as The Prowler until convinced he is innocent. It is worth noting that within this same story, in an interlude taking place far away, Abe Brown also makes an appearance.

 

After the debacle of ‘Defender for a Day’ Hobie decides to hang up his suit and he and Mindy move to a house in Queens, but when his suit is stolen and his Prowler identity used to commit a robbery and murder, Spider-Man confronts him before tracking down and stopping the real culprit: ‘Red’ aka The Cat Burglar (Defenders #62-#64, Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man #47).

 

When Mindy’s job as bookkeeper for Transcorp (a front organisation for corrupt industrialist Justin Hammer) leads to her being framed to take the fall for the company’s shady dealings, Hobie follows a trail to Los Angeles where he teams up with Spider-Man to get the necessary evidence back from The Black Fox to exonerate his wife. As an aside, Mindy is here referred to as ‘Mindy S. Brown’ in a news report (Amazing Spider-Man #304-#305).

 

After a failed attempt to save a fellow construction worker from falling to his death, Hobie designs a compact glider in hopes that it could save others. Unaware of their duplicitous nature and hoping to instil some confidence in her husband, Mindy shows the design to Hammer Industries and tells him they are interested in buying. Concerned about a design flaw and aware of Hammer’s prior involvement in framing Mindy, Hobie breaks into their manufacturing plant to take back his designs, only to find himself confronted with another costumed figure using a prototype of his glider design. After disabling the glider and saving the man from the fall, The Prowler instructs him to declare the glider a failure (Spectacular Spider-Man Annual #9).

We learn in Spectacular Spider-Man Annual #10 that Hobie has been receiving martial arts training from Abraham ‘Abe’ Brown, his brother. Unless I am mistaken, this is the first time we learn they are related, with Hobie lashing out at Abe for leaving him and their mother right after their father was killed. Working for Silver Sable after proving himself during a misunderstanding in Web of Spider-Man #50, The Prowler finds himself outmatched against the White Ninja, who is revealed as Abe, also working for Sable to teach Hobie respect, humility and not to rely on his technology.

So, let us take a look back at Abraham ‘Abe’ Brown who first appeared in Deadly Hands of Kung Fu #1 as a skilled martial artist who was trained by Master Kee alongside Lin Sun and Robert Diamond in San Francisco. When their master is slain, the three set out to avenge him, each wearing one of the three Jade Tiger Amulet pieces (originating from K’un Lun) as the Sons of the Tiger. During a flashback we learn that at age 10, Abe was attacked by the racist Skull gang which led to him seeking self-defence training from Master Kee (Deadly Hands of Kung-Fu #7). Eventually, the Sons would part ways and their Amulet pieces were used by Hector Ayala to become the White Tiger, though the trio would occasionally reunite and work alongside the likes of Luke Cage, Iron Fist and the Daughters of the Dragon, Misty Knight and Colleen Wing.

 

After several appearances working solo and as part of Silver Sable’s Outlaws team, we get more information about Hobie and Abe’s father in Spectacular Spider-Man Annual #12. Encountering a former soldier who served alongside ‘Tiger’ Brown, the brothers learn how their father was killed in Cambodia more than twenty years prior.

In his first mini-series, Hobie mentions to Abe he has managed ‘since dad split when I was just out of diapers and mom turned to a bottle for comfort’ (The Prowler #1). This statement seems somewhat at odds with what we previously learned about Hobie and Abe’s family history but perhaps ‘Tiger’ left the family before later dying oversees. While Mindy was aware that her husband worked with Silver Sable, she learns of his Prowler identity for the first time in The Prowler #2 following a battle with Nightcreeper, Hobie’s  coworker Eric Cross unknowingly utilizing Prowler technology. Confronted with the question of why he wants to be a hero, Hobie recalls childhood memories of being bullied without the protection of his older brother Abe (The Prowler #3). While he manages to stop the Vulture from taking over at his new job with Bestman Electronics, Mindy moves to California to pursue her career while Hobie remains in New York (The Prowler #4).

Hobie is paralysed while participating in ‘The Great Game’ alongside fellow Outlaw teammate Rocket Racer (Spider-Man Unlimited #14). Learning of his accident, Mindy returns to New York to help care for her husband all while attempting to juggle her career. Hobie’s Prowler equipment is again stolen, this time by emergency room orderly Rick Lawson turned criminal who finds himself targeted for revenge by the Vulture. With the detective work of the hospitalised Hobie, Spider-Man finds and saves Lawson from Vulture’s clutches. Hobie and Mindy tell Spider-Man that his nerve trauma is improving with physical therapy. As a side-note Mindy is again identified as ‘Mindy Brown’, not ‘Mindy McPherson’ (Sensational Spider-Man #16-#18).

With a bounty on his head, Spider-Man enlists Hobie’s expertise to adopt a new identity. Utilizing Hobie’s jet pack, which was too heavy for a normal human to carry, Spider-Man suited up as the superhero Hornet until the Vulture recognized him as the web-swinger and blurted it out (Sensational Spider-Man #25-#28).

 

Alright, that is us caught up to the point the MC2 diverges from the Main Marvel Universe. Now let us do some tidying up. Mindy’s surname is McPherson, but she is sometimes referred to by Hobie’s surname, Brown.  Mindy’s full name is revealed in The Prowler’s profile in the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Update ‘89 #6 where it is also stated she retains her maiden name, a fact supported by more recent Official Handbooks. As an aside, Manuel ‘Manny’ Lopez is also listed as a known relative in the Update ’89 Prowler profile via the ‘Big Brother’ program, which is also reiterated in the All-New Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z #8 but has been removed from The Prowler profile printed in Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z Harcover Volume 9.

 

You might have noticed that modern Handbooks mention Hobie has ‘seven other unidentified older siblings’ in addition to Abe. For the longest time I could not figure out where this information came from until I realized it mustn’t be from an appearance of Hobie’s, but one of Abe’s. It was evidently an early appearance too, as it is even referenced the Marvel Legacy: The 1970’s Handbook which confines its information to works published before 1980. Fortunately, after some digging, I found it in Deadly Hands of Kung Fu #8.

 

As an added bonus, a family member I haven’t seen referred to in any Handbook: a Grandmother Abe mentions flippantly in Deadly Hands of Kung Fu #3, probably because it’s unclear if he’s joking. I will add her to the Brown Family Tree regardless for the sake of being comprehensive.

 

Sadly neither Hobie Brown nor his alter ego The Prowler make an actual appearance in the MC2, though if you’ve been following this blog for a while, you’ll know that the only mention we have of Hobie Brown’s alter ego is in Amazing Spider-Girl #4 where the television celebrity Bounty Hunter Julius ‘Mad Dog’ Rassitano notes he is using ‘The Prowler’s steel-tipped claw’ along with various other gadgets formerly belonging to different super villains.

 

However, it should be noted that Julius also admits later that much of his equipment and gadgets come from his television program’s prop department. I say most because he does also appear to possess some genuine articles, such as confiscating the retractable legs of Stilt-Man when he captured the villain or purchasing the suction-grippers of The Beetle on eBay (Amazing Spider-Girl #5).

 

It is unknown what the status of Hobie Brown is in the MC2’s present-day, but the appearance of his alter ego’s gauntlet gadgets does leave the potential for a future appearance someday should the MC2 ever grace the comics world again.

 

Abe Brown along with fellow Sons of the Tiger, Lin Sun and Robert Diamond all appear in the MC2 proper, in the pages of J2 #11. When American Dream of the Avengers turns down an invitation to participate in a martial arts contest, J2 aka Zane Yama takes it upon himself to attend in her place. Travelling via mystical amulet to a small island, J2 meets the (apparently) blind Howard the Duck, the self-proclaimed Master of Quack-Fu.

 

From Howard we learn that a few dozen of the world's greatest martial artists were invited to the contest, but only a few of the previous generation's 'old fogies' showed up. Among these ‘old fogies’ is Shang-Chi, sparring with Shen Kuei aka Cat and we glimpse Iron Fist, the three original members of the Sons of the Tiger and White Tiger.

 

Suspecting a trap, Howard had hoped to stack the deck in his favour with American Dream, Stuck with J2 instead, Howard attempts to train the big lug to defend himself but has no success. When J2 reverts back to Zane Yama after his powers temporarily wear off, he encounters Blind Al. Concerned for Zane's well-being in the upcoming contest, Al attempts to get past Weasel to talk to the mystery person who organised the contest: Wade Wilson aka Deadpool.

 

 

 

Having followed Blind Al, Zane learns the contest will have a deadly ending. Encountering Deadpool, Zane turns back into J2 to duke it out with the mercenary. Deadpool reveals he set up the contest to alleviate his boredom. Having overheard his plans, Shang-Chi, Iron Fist, White Tiger, Cat, and the Sons of the Tiger proceed to kick Wade’s butt off-panel.

 

That is it, everyone! Hopefully you learned something new about the Brown Family Tree. I know I learned a lot while researching the history of Hobie and Abe Brown¸ and I have barely scratched the surface. It is my genuine wish that characters like Hobart ‘Hobie’ Brown’s significance to the comic book medium were recognized and acknowledged by more fans.

 

Until I figure out who the rest of Brown siblings are and why they’ve never appeared, I remain

 

frogoat