Creator Credits for Secret Invasion (2023)

Secret Invasion was... well, I found the original comic storyline a bit underwhelming. In that sense, the television adaptation holds up.

My full list of creators who have contributed to the Marvel Cinematic Universe can be found here and I always welcome corrections!

Brian Michael Bendis: co-creator of S.H.I.E.L.D. collecting DNA samples from super heroes following their battles; of these samples being turned over to villains who want to share the powers with their followers (Avengers #18, 2011); of Nick Fury discovering a massive conspiracy by the Skrulls to infiltrate the Earth and replace both his allies and other prestige figures; of the Skrulls impersonating one of Nick's lovers (Mighty Avengers #12, 2008); of Nick Fury gathering allies to fight the Skrull invasion (Mighty Avengers #13, 2008); of Pagon, a Skrull agent who operates undercover on Earth (Mighty Avengers #16, 2008); of the Skrulls capturing humans and keeping them in stasis so their undercover agents can access their prisoners' minds and help them perfect their cover identities (Mighty Avengers #17, 2008); of Dro'ge, a Skrull scientist who learns how to use the DNA of superhumans to share their powers with other Skrulls as part of the Skrulls' beachead operation (New Avengers #40, 2008); of the Skrulls creating multiple new Super-Skrulls while placing their agents undercover on Earth (New Avengers: Illuminati #5, 2008); of the Skrulls arriving on Earth as refugees; of the Skrulls referring to their Earthly invasion as an act of "love" (Secret Invasion #1, 2008); of Maria Hill, a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent; of Nick Fury going deep undercover (Secret War #5, 2005); of Nick Fury depicted as an African-American man (Ultimate Marvel Team-Up #5, 2001)

Stan Lee: co-creator of the Avengers, Earth's greatest super heroes (Avengers #1, 1963); of the Skrulls, an extraterrestrial race of shapeshifters who hide amongst humanity; of the Skrulls' green skin and ridged chins (Fantastic Four #2, 1962); of the Super-Skrull, name given to a Skrull given enhanced superhuman abilities by Skrull scientists so they can duplicate the powers of super heroes (Fantastic Four #18, 1963); of the Kree, an extraterrestrial race of conquerors (Fantastic Four #64, 1967); of Captain Marvel, a super hero (Marvel Super-Heroes #12, 1967); of Nick Fury, a veteran soldier and leader (Sgt. Fury and His Howling Commandos #1, 1963); of Nick Fury wearing an eyepatch over his left eye in his later years; of Colonel Nick Fury as the director of S.H.I.E.L.D., an international espionage agency based on the massive Helicarrier vehicle; of Hydra, a terrorist organization opposed to S.H.I.E.L.D. (Strange Tales #135, 1965); of Groot, a tree-like extraterrestrial who can expand in size (Tales to Astonish #13, 1960)

Jack Kirby: co-creator of the Avengers, Earth's greatest super heroes (Avengers #1, 1963); of the Skrulls, an extraterrestrial race of shapeshifters who hide amongst humanity; of the Skrulls' green skin and ridged chins (Fantastic Four #2, 1962); of the Super-Skrull, name given to a Skrull given enhanced superhuman abilities by Skrull scientists so they can duplicate the powers of super heroes (Fantastic Four #18, 1963); of the Kree, an extraterrestrial race of conquerors (Fantastic Four #64, 1967); of Nick Fury, a veteran soldier and leader (Sgt. Fury and His Howling Commandos #1, 1963); of Nick Fury wearing an eyepatch over his left eye in his later years; of Colonel Nick Fury as the director of S.H.I.E.L.D., an international espionage agency based on the massive Helicarrier vehicle; of Hydra, a terrorist organization opposed to S.H.I.E.L.D. (Strange Tales #135, 1965); of Groot, a tree-like extraterrestrial who can expand in size (Tales to Astonish #13, 1960)

Jim Cheung: co-creator of Dro'ge, a Skrull scientist who learns how to use the DNA of superhumans to share their powers with other Skrulls as part of the Skrulls' beachead operation (New Avengers #40, 2008); of the Skrulls creating multiple new Super-Skrulls while placing their agents undercover on Earth (New Avengers: Illuminati #5, 2008)

Alex Maleev: co-creator of Nick Fury discovering a massive conspiracy by the Skrulls to infiltrate the Earth and replace both his allies and other prestige figures; of the Skrulls impersonating one of Nick's lovers (Mighty Avengers #12, 2008); of Nick Fury gathering allies to fight the Skrull invasion (Mighty Avengers #13, 2008)

Khoi Pham: co-creator of Pagon, a Skrull agent who operates undercover on Earth (Mighty Avengers #16, 2008); of the Skrulls capturing humans and keeping them in stasis so their undercover agents can access their prisoners' minds and help them perfect their cover identities (Mighty Avengers #17, 2008)

Roy Thomas: co-creator of the enmity between the Kree and Skrull races (Captain Marvel #2, 1968); of Zirksu, an undercover Skrull agent on Earth; of infrared glasses piercing Skrulls' disguises (Marvel Premiere #35, 1977); of Carol Danvers, a woman connected to Captain Marvel (Marvel Super-Heroes #13, 1968)

Gene Colan: co-creator of the enmity between the Kree and Skrull races (Captain Marvel #2, 1968); of Captain Marvel, a super hero (Marvel Super-Heroes #12, 1967); of Carol Danvers, a woman connected to Captain Marvel (Marvel Super-Heroes #13, 1968)

Chris Claremont: co-creator of Nick Fury and Carol Danvers as close allies (Uncanny X-Men #158, 1982); of Carol Danvers receiving massively powerful energy manipulation abilities, surrounding herself with swirls of cosmic energy (Uncanny X-Men #164, 1982)

Dave Cockrum: co-creator of Nick Fury and Carol Danvers as close allies (Uncanny X-Men #158, 1982); of Carol Danvers receiving massively powerful energy manipulation abilities, surrounding herself with swirls of cosmic energy (Uncanny X-Men #164, 1982)

Daniel Acuña: co-creator of S.H.I.E.L.D. collecting DNA samples from super heroes following their battles; of these samples being turned over to villains who want to share the powers with their followers (Avengers #18, 2011)

John Byrne: creator of the Skrulls as a band of refugees with no homeworld (Fantastic Four #262, 1984); co-creator of James Rhodes, a heroic African-American pilot (Iron Man #118, 1979)

Leinil Francis Yu: co-creator of the Skrulls arriving on Earth as refugees; of the Skrulls referring to their Earthly invasion as an act of "love" (Secret Invasion #1, 2008)

Robbie Thompson: co-creator of Ri'ah, a female Skrull who operates undercover as a human on Earth, becomes affiliated with humanity (Meet the Skrulls #1, 2019)

Niko Henrichon: co-creator of Ri'ah, a female Skrull who operates undercover as a human on Earth, becomes affiliated with humanity (Meet the Skrulls #1, 2019)

Jim Craig: co-creator of Zirksu, an undercover Skrull agent on Earth; of infrared glasses piercing Skrulls' disguises (Marvel Premiere #35, 1977)

Christopher Priest: co-creator of Everett Ross, a US government official who is charged with working alongside super heroes (Ka-Zar #17, 1998)

Kenny Martinez: co-creator of Everett Ross, a US government official who is charged with working alongside super heroes (Ka-Zar #17, 1998)

Paul Neary: co-creator of Alexander Pierce, an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. closely aligned to Nick Fury (Nick Fury vs. S.H.I.E.L.D. #3, 1988)

Bob Harras: co-creator of Alexander Pierce, an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. closely aligned to Nick Fury (Nick Fury vs. S.H.I.E.L.D. #3, 1988)

Mark Millar: co-creator of Nick Fury depicted as Samuel L. Jackson; the Avengers as a team run under Fury's guidance (Ultimates #2, 2002)

Bryan Hitch: co-creator of Nick Fury depicted as Samuel L. Jackson; the Avengers as a team run under Fury's guidance (Ultimates #2, 2002)

Gabriele Dell'Otto: co-creator of Maria Hill, a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent; of Nick Fury going deep undercover (Secret War #5, 2005)

Larry Lieber: co-creator of Groot, a tree-like extraterrestrial who can expand in size (Tales to Astonish #13, 1960)

Mike Allred: co-creator of Nick Fury depicted as an African-American man (Ultimate Marvel Team-Up #5, 2001)

David Michelinie: co-creator of James Rhodes, a heroic African-American pilot (Iron Man #118, 1979)

Bob Layton: co-creator of James Rhodes, a heroic African-American pilot (Iron Man #118, 1979)

Peter David: co-creator of Talos, a Skrull warrior (Incredible Hulk #418, 1994)

Gary Frank: co-creator of Talos, a Skrull warrior (Incredible Hulk #418, 1994)

Steve Englehart: co-creator of Mantis, a woman with empathic powers (Avengers #112, 1972)

Don Heck: co-creator of Mantis, a woman with empathic powers (Avengers #112, 1972)

James Hudnall: co-creator of the Agent, Rick Mason, an intelligence operative (The Agent, 1989)

John Ridgway: co-creator of the Agent, Rick Mason, an intelligence operative (The Agent, 1989)

Mark Gruenwald: creator of Skrullos, the Skrull's homeworld (Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe #10, 1983)

Al Ewing: co-creator of Varra, a female Skrull warrior (New Avengers #4, 2016)

Gerardo Sandoval: co-creator of Varra, a female Skrull warrior (New Avengers #4, 2016)

Saladin Ahmed: co-creator of Raava, a Skrull warrior (Black Bolt #1, 2017)

Christian Ward: co-creator of Raava, a Skrull warrior (Black Bolt #1, 2017)

Andy Lanning: co-creator of Agent Keller, a British intelligence agent (Revolutionary War: Alpha #1, 2014)

Alan Cowsill: co-creator of Agent Keller, a British intelligence agent (Revolutionary War: Alpha #1, 2014)

Rich Elson: co-creator of Agent Keller, a British intelligence agent (Revolutionary War: Alpha #1, 2014)

Jeff Christiansen: creator of Zirksu's name (Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z #12, 2009)

Kurt Busiek: co-creator of Nuro, a superhuman Skrull (Maximum Security: Dangerous Planet #1, 2000)

Jerry Ordway: co-creator of Nuro, a superhuman Skrull (Maximum Security: Dangerous Planet #1, 2000)

Ben Dunn: co-creator of Kreega, a Super-Skrull warrior (Marvel Mangaverse #2, 2002)

Kevin Gunstone: co-creator of Kreega, a Super-Skrull warrior (Marvel Mangaverse #2, 2002)

Kelly Sue DeConnick: co-creator of Carol Danvers as Captain Marvel (Captain Marvel #1, 2012)

Jamie McKelvie: co-creator of Carol Danvers as Captain Marvel (Captain Marvel #1, 2012)

Greg Horn: creator of imagery of humans and Skrulls clasping hands (Secret Invasion "Embrace Change" advertisement)

Space-Born Super Hero Part 23: Avengers #72

Welcome back to 'Space-Born Super Hero' and my continuing look at the character Captain Marvel in his adventures prior to writer/artist Jim Starlin's arrival. For the first time, I'm stepping away from Captain Marvel's own book as he finally made a guest appearance in a different Marvel comic: Avengers #72 (1970) and the story "Did You Hear the One About Scorpio?" by Roy Thomas and Sal Buscema (inks by Sam Grainger).

Before I start, I should talk a little about where Roy Thomas was at this point in his career. During his first tenure on Captain Marvel in 1968, he was still quite a rookie. A lot changed in two years; as Stan Lee gave up his scripting duties on more and more titles, Roy assumed scripts (for a while) on each of them. The Avengers had started off reasonably strong thanks to Jack Kirby, but when Roy Thomas became scripter with John Buscema as artist the duo became what was considered (for many years) the best creative run on the Avengers, with exciting new characters like the Vision, Ultron and the Grim Reaper. As the scripter of the Avengers and Captain Marvel, it made sense for Thomas to pen a crossover and all the more so with Rick Jones as Mar-Vell's new supporting cast member; even if Thomas hadn't been the scripter at the time, it would have come up eventually.

We open on Rick Jones running across a rooftop towards Avengers Mansion when he's surprised to meet Captain America. Rick assumes Cap is going to start another fight, but Cap quickly explains that the man who hit him before (Captain Marvel #17) was the Red Skull in disguise. Cap is the one who summoned Rick to a meeting with the Avengers to investigate the disappearances of top Manhattan officials. The two enter the Avengers meeting hall and find waiting there the Wasp, Yellowjacket, Vision and Goliath (this being Hawkeye during his size-changing days). Yellowjacket greets Rick and invites him to grab a chair; Rick grabs the first chair he can find but it was designed for Goliath to sit in at his enhanced height, so Rick finds himself far too tiny for the seat.

Cap calls the meeting to order, noting that the Black Panther, Thor and Iron Man are absent (I mean, so are Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch and Hercules, but they had each retired from the team at the time). Cap explains they'll be briefed on their mission by agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Goliath expects Nick Fury to be the one conducting the briefing, but when S.H.I.E.L.D. appears on their video screen they're greeted by Timothy 'Dum Dum' Dugan, Jimmy Woo and Gabe Jones. Dugan reveals that at the scene of the kidnappings, an icon bearing the mark of Scorpio was found. Further, he informs them that Nick Fury is dead, recounting the details of the assassination which killed him (in Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. #15, just 2 months earlier). As the briefing ends, Rick reveals he's got some additional details: an hour earlier he went to Nick Fury's penthouse to see if Nick Fury could use a sidekick, having met Fury while he was acting as Cap's sidekick (this is a pretty weird rationale - Rick is already working with Mar-Vell, why would he want to work for Fury?). Within the penthouse, Rick discovers Scorpio rifling through Fury's belongings. Seeing Rick, Scorpio draws his weapon the Zodiac Key and stuns Rick while he flees.

Rick omits the rest of the details from the Avengers because he doesn't want them to know he's now bonded to Captain Marvel. Rick switched places with Mar-Vell (unfortunately the colorist forgot Marv wears gloves) and he flew after Scorpio as the villain fled on his motorcycle. Mar-Vell fought with Scorpio, but another blast from the Zodiac Key stunned Mar-Vell. Scorpio escaped, but he dropped a list of the missing officials on the scene (Scorpio is Riddler-esque in his love of dropping clues!).

Just as the Avengers are musing over these details, they receive an incoming message on their video screen. First they see an image of the three kidnapped men, then the screen shifts to display Scorpio himself. Scorpio then fires a blast from the Zodiac Key at the screen which somehow causes the Avengers' monitor to explode, stunning all of them. When the six Avengers awaken, they're being held in energy-based restraints by Scorpio. How the heck did Scorpio know the explosion would stun all of the Avengers, especially considering the Vision's powers? How did he get past the defenses of Avengers Mansion? How'd he spirit them to his own hidden base before they could wake up? Ah, whatever, the plot must be served. Scorpio boasts to the Avengers that he's going to kill them and that their deaths will be witnessed by his 11 allies - the Zodiac! Yep, this is the first appearance of the Zodiac, who would go on to many other appearances as Avengers foes (and frequently getting massacred in order to build up a different villain). There's a different Zodiac member for each of the 12 Zodiac signs, with Aries as their leader. Aries boasts that Scorpio's 'ruse' brought the Avengers together into their trap.

Aries tells Scorpio his previous failures (in issues of Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.) have been redeemed by his triumph over the Avengers; Scorpio gives the Zodiac Key to Aries and Aries orders the Avengers' deaths. However, although the energy screen which the Avengers are in has immobilized them, Yellowjacket and the Wasp are still able to summon ants into the building and the insects crawl inside the Zodiac's machines. They have enough time to disable the devices because Scorpio goes on bragging about the Zodiac's plans to make power plays in a dozen different world capitals. Before Aries can proceed with the Avengers' deaths, the machine fails and the Avengers surge forward yelling 'Avengers Assemble!' You might well wonder what kind of powers the Zodiac have; well, uh, not much of anything - they're almost guys wearing tights. A few have weapons... the Zodiac Key is pretty much the only thing they've got which can stand up to the Avengers.

Out of nowhere, Scorpio joins the fight, punching Aries in the face. Removing his mask he reveals he's actually Nick Fury, back from the dead! With black hair, for some reason! (this is the first Nick Fury death fakeout in Marvel history, if you're keeping track) Rick faces the ignominy of being hit in the head by Cancer. Mar-Vell asks Rick to switch places with him, but Rick refuses - he wants to prove he can win a fight on his own. Actually, the Zodiac pretty much are in Rick's power level. Pretty much the only thing the Zodiac have going for them are their numbers and even then, the Avengers quickly start mopping the floor with them. Aries then remembers he still has the Zodiac Key and uses it to create a disorienting field of energy which affects the five costumed Avengers and Fury, but before Aries can destroy them Rick attacks him and throws off his aim. The Zodiac Key blasts a hole through the wall and Aries fumes that now it needs to recharge; the Zodiac flee through the hole in the wall, then somehow seal it up behind them using what Vision calls "a strange substance". No idea which of the Zodiac could have done this, it isn't an ability or weapon that comes up in any of their future appearances. Vision's not sure if he could phase through this substance so... he doesn't even try. Still figuring out the super hero gig, eh Vizh?

Goliath grumbles at Fury for turning them over to the Zodiac, but Fury promises he would have prevented their deaths if they hadn't saved themselves. Fury explains how when he last fought Scorpio (Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. #5) he discovered Scorpio was really his younger brother Jake. Jake was then seemingly killed. The mystery of Scorpio's identity was a big deal in Jim Steranko's Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. and this was a pretty lame solution - it didn't fit with what we knew about Jake Fury and it comes out during a story in which the real Scorpio doesn't even appear. Fury claims he was impersonating Scorpio ever since and that the person who was assassinated in his place was an LMD. He reveals Dugan knew about the switch all along, which makes Dugan's tear-strewn face earlier a little bit odd. I guess Dugan was really into the cover-up, but why even bring up Fury's death? Anyway, Cap thanks Rick for his help and calls him 'partner', which momentarily raises Rick's spirits - until he remembers he's already committed to working with Captain Mar-Vell. Instead of asking to be Cap's sidekick again, Rick wanders off on his own.

Thoughts: The way in which Rick is brought into this story is pretty lame, considering the story ends on Rick refusing a partnership with another hero. Roy Thomas' attempts to wrap-up all of the loose ends from Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. are not quite satisfying either. I don't blame him for bringing Fury back to life, but he made a huge mess out of Scorpio here. The only saving grace is that Dave Kraft would later delve into Jake Fury as Scorpio during his Defenders run and get something poignant out of the concept.

As to the Zodiac, I'm awfully fond of them, but also the first to admit they're pretty lame. Some of them would get a bit of play here and there (Aries, Taurus, Gemini and Libra, principally) but again, they're just guys in tights. I love Sal Buscema's designs, but the 2nd Zodiac (from Defenders) were much more interesting in a fight thanks to their powers.

There's ultimately not much call for Captain Marvel to appear in this book, but this is a landmark for Rick - he's finally at peace with Captain America and the Avengers, which leaves him as a character in Captain Marvel, first and foremost.

Next: Captain Marvel meets the Rat Pack in Captain Marvel #20! And I don't mean Frankie, Dean, or Sammy!

Unearthed: Sgt. Fury and His Howling Commandos #117

Today being Remembrance Day, I want to look at one of my personal favourite military comic books. The subject for today is Sgt. Fury and His Howling Commandos #117, from 1974. Sgt. Fury and His Howling Commandos was, of course, the comic book which introduced the world to Nick Fury, who is better-known today for being the head of S.H.I.E.L.D. Stan Lee famously claimed he titled the book "Sgt. Fury and His Howling Commandos" to settle a bet that he could publish anything and make it a success, but that's probably a tall tale he came up with after the fact to "apologize" for coming up with that title.

The story in #117 is titled "Taps for a Drummer!" and is written by Gerry Conway with artist Dick Ayers and inker Vince Colletta. Although Ayers had been a part of nearly all of the series run, Conway wrote only a handful of issues. Indeed, while the series would trudge on to 1981's #167, issue #120 would be the last all-new story. Even at this time, the series was frequently pre-empted by reprints.

As the story opens, Nick is running the Howlers through an obstacle course and heaps more abuse on them than usual, even performing a barracks inspection. The squad thinks this is related to his recent capture and torture at the hands of Baron Strucker but that piece of continuity will have to be forgotten as Fury and Gabe Jones are summoned to see Captain Sam Sawyer. Sawyer tells the duo about a soldier who was recently captured by the Nazis and prepared to serve as a test subject for a new viral weapon. However, that soldier escaped with a sample of the virus when Allied bombing hit the Nazi base.

Sawyer then reveals the reason Gabe is part of this briefing: the soldier in question is Danny "Drummer" Belllaman, an old friend of Gabe's who used to perform with him in a Harlem nightclub (Gabe on trumpet, Drummer on drums, natch). Sawyer wants to ensure Drummer and the vial are returned safely to Allied hands and is counting on Gabe to use his connection to Drummer to help guess where he's headed. Intelligence has already pinpointed Drummer as being in London - but he hasn't approached the Allies because he's afraid if he gives them the vial, they'll use it as a weapon themselves. Thus, Gabe's friendship will also help convince Drummer to trust them.

Drummer wanders the cold streets of London and begins to reminisce about his past, but ends his introspection by musing: "Can't worry about the past. It's today that means something... and it's tomorrow that counts! That's what they taught you, Drummer. That's what they made you learn." Nick and Gabe ask around for Drummer and eventually learn he was in a club playing the drums. Unfortunately, there are two Nazi agents also in pursuit and they reach Drummer first, opening fire at him in an alleyway. Fortunately, Nick & Gabe aren't too far behind and they battle the agents while Drummer hides amongst some ruined buildings. Drummer is surprised to see childern playing amidst the rubble, life carrying on normally in spite of the war.

Gabe finally reaches Drummer to help him, but Drummer replies, "It's time I did something for number one... and brother, that's me." The fight with the Nazis causes some of the rubble to collapse but Drummer leaps into action to save the children's lives. The collapse separates both Nick & Gabe and the Nazis from Drummer. Gabe explains to Nick that Drummer is someone who was beaten down by failure all his life, which is why his priorities have suddenly shifted. Drummer brings the children he saved back to their parents and muses over the event. "Maybe that's what it's all about... helpin' a pair'a kids... helpin' a lot of kids... If something like this virus ever belonged to either side, some kids would have to die... and the way I feel right now... I can't let that happen... and there's only one way I can stop it-- by getting rid of this junk for good!" So saying, he drinks the vial's contents.

Drummer is soon found by the Nazis, but when they demand the vial he tells them he drank it. Unfazed, they declare they'll haul his corpse back to Berlin with them and recreate the virus from his remains. Nick & Gabe arrive again and Gabe uses the blare of his trumpet to temporarily rattle the Nazis. As they scuffle, even Drummer helps out, shooting one of the agents before he can kill Nick. However, Drummer informs them what he did. "Maybe I haven't proved anything, Gabe... 'cept this: all my life people've been forcing choices on me-- but this was one choice... I made myself! Gabe-- buddy-- the pain's getting bad. Will you help me--- this one last time?" With a tear in his eye, Gabe delivers a mercy kill to Drummer.

Thoughts: This issue was my introduction to the Sgt. Fury series and it made quite a favorable impression. Although Ayers' art looks very crude (not helped in the least by Colletta's sparse inks), Conway delivered a very strong script, one which examined perhaps the most interesting of the Howlers - Gabe. Gabe, of course, is more fictional than most of the Howlers - segregation still existed in the US armed forces of World War II; in some ways, World War II helped encourage segregation in that soldiers in all US states had to lower themselves to the racist laws of the south, rather than challenge the hegemony.

Regardless, Gabe provided a means for Sgt. Fury's writers to comment on race. Few of them took the challenge, but by 1974 there were so many new African-American heroes bursting into comics that it was less provocative than it would have been before. And, race aside, it's ultimately the story of one soldier sacrificing his life for his ideals and his best friend being confronted with that tragedy. All of the moving moments in this story play out on the last page, but that last page makes the entire experience worthwhile.