Episode 10 - Kree-Skrull War pt1: How do you Solve a Problem like Muh-Kree-A

Artifacts of Infinity

Episode 10: How do you Solve a Problem like Muh-Kree-A Today we’ll be covering Avengers 89-91, the opening act of the Kree-Skrull War

Dramatis Personae:

• Captain Marvel - Mar-Vell
• Rick Jones
• Dr. Donaldson
• Mordecai P. Boggs
• Annihilus
• The Kree Supreme Intelligence
• Ronan the Accuser
• Sentry 459
• Super-Skrull - Kl’rt (Flashback)
• Medic Una (Flashback)
• Avengers
• Quicksilver - Pietro Maximoff
• Vision
• Scarlet Witch - Wanda Maximoff
• Captain America - Steve Rogers
• Thor - Thor Odinson
• Iron Man - Tony Stark
• Goliath - Clint Barton
• Jarvis
• Wasp - Janet Van Dyne
• Yellowjacket - Hank Pym
• Fantastic Four
• Mr. Fantastic - Reed Richards
• Human Torch - Johnny Storm
• Invisible Woman - Susan Richards
• The Thing - Ben Grimm
• Inhumans
• Randac (Flashback)

Preface:

• We’ll be covering this story in three parts.
• Everett is really good a planning this stuff out, our prior episodes lead perfectly to this
• We’re heading into Empyre this spring and this is where it all starts

Avengers 89: Chapter One - The Only Good Alien…

• This issue is potentially confusing as it contains a flashback but doesn’t let on right away. The issue opens in-medias-res, which means we’re in the middle of the story.
• Captain Marvel skulks through the Florida night. Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch, and Vision of The Avengers catch up with him and try to convince him to come with them but he won’t
• Mar fights them off but refuses to hit Scarlet Witch because of his acquired Earth prejudice of not hitting women.
• Rick Jones kill steals from the Avengers, blasting Mar with a ray gun.
• The Avengers & Rick bring Mar to the Quinjet where Wanda and Vision have a discussion on how Mutants and Aliens are both unwelcome on Earth which bums Vision out
• They land at Cape Kennedy Hospital where the Avengers rush Mar to see Dr. Donaldson. Mar is strapped into the chair. Rick feels responsible for the situation and as the machine crackles to life, BEGINNING THE FLASHBACK.
• While Captain Marvel was trapped in the Negative Zone he witnessed Reed Richards escape back to our world. These events are from Fantastic Four 109.
• Mar convinced Rick to go to the Baxter Building.
• Rick and the Captain swap bodies and Captain Marvel breaks into the Baxter Building because the Fantastic Four aren’t home (they are off fighting Psyklop) but the break-in summons the Avengers.
• Mar manages to activate the portal to the Negative Zone and frees Rick Jones so they are both back Earthside.
• While the portal is open, Annihilus escapes into our world but he’s quickly tricked back through the portal.
• While that was going on, Captain Marvel escaped in the Quinjet and headed to Miami.
• Quicksilver notices a radiation sensor that Captain Marvel was standing near is reading through the roof. It seems Captain Marvel has absorbed a huge amount of Negative Radiation. He’ll die, or worse, blow up the world, if he doesn’t get treatment soon! They only have three hours to resolve this before catastrophe. END OF FLASHBACK
• They made it in time.
• They fire up the machine but it doesn’t have the power to decontaminate Mar, so Vision straps into it to boost its power with his Solar Energy. It works but both Vision and Mar-Vell are exhausted from the ordeal.
• As this is going on, in the hall of the Kree Supreme Intelligence Ronan the Accuser overthrows the Kree, becoming the Emperor. He’s extremely Pro-Kree Ethno-Fascist. This is very bad you guys.
• He activates Sentry 459 to try to kill Captain Marvel again… It’s really hard being Sentry 459 and we feel bad for it, but 459 can’t resist orders and thus begins trashing Cape Kennedy.

Avengers 90: Chapter 2 - Judgement Day!

• Shout Out to one of the best Title Pages we’ve covered yet, Sentry 459 breaks through the Bleed and into the panel as we see the hospital room where Captain Marvel remains unconscious. Negative space draws your eye in immediately and highlights the title. GREAT!
• Sentry 459 is hesitant to attack, it doesn’t know what the Avengers are all about so Scarlet Witch capitalizes by blasting the ceiling. As it collapses on 459 Quicksilver assaults it but gets caught with a backhand
• Android battles Android as Vision begins battling. They crush through the floor but Sentry 459 flies up through the hole and scoops up Captain Marvel as they then teleport away declaring that it is activating Plan Atavus!
• Carol Danvers shows up asking the avengers to sign paperwork. It’s an excuse to recap what’s happened before. If you’re curious, listen episodes 1-9, lol
• Vision comforts Rick saying that superheroes are often misfits: Captain America is an Anachronism, Thor is a Space-God, Iron Man hides his true identity
• The Avengers head home long enough to receive a message from Goliath, he got a call from Hank and Janet Pym about trouble in Alaska. The Avengers spring into action, running over Jarvis on the way out
• In Alaska, Goliath finds Jan, who is besides herself explaining that while they were investigating the effects of oil-drilling on Alaskan Wildlife (hint: it’s bad)
• FLASHBACK BEGINS
• A foot long dragonfly buzzed by and Hank took control of it. He and Jan discover a large structure in the middle of a section of tropical jungle.
• They reach the outskirts of the jungle but Hank says that he’s figured out what’s going on and HE KNOCKS JAN OUT WITH A BACKHAND, STRAPS HER TO THE DRAGONFLY, AND SENDS HER BACK TO CAMP!!! DARNIT HANK!!!
• FLASHBACK ENDS
• Clint then condescends to Jan who claps back that the dragonfly, who perished in the attempt to save her, isn’t a bad dream. Go Janet Van Dyne!
• Goliath heads to the jungle and is attacked by a large monster. He knocks the beast out but gets shot in the back by Ronan’s Universal Weapon! OH SNAP!
• The Avengers arrive with Janet and get surprised by an attack by Sentry 459. Goliath has been brainwashed off-panel and they attack the Avengers.
• Wasp gets knocked out again, man, she’s going to need a ton of brain-scans. Ronan monologues to Captain Marvel who he has in the structure, and explains that his plan is to wind the clock back on humanity by returning them to caveman status

Avengers 91: Chapter 3 - Take One Giant Step Backward!

• A savage Hank Pym, under effect of the devolution beams, clubs Jan… I can’t even with this nonsense… he declares Janet pretty and drags her off
• Ronan believes that Cave-Hank want to mate, Captain Marvel chides Ronan into further monologues covering stuff we’ve covered before
• Meanwhile, Rick throws a rock at Sentry 459 which Wanda turns magnetic, confusing the Sentry and giving everyone time to take out Goliath, despite Quicksilver being terrible at fighting
• Sentry 459 recovers and takes out Vision and Scarlet Witch forcing Quicksilver and Rick to flee
• Sentry 459 gets some pathos recounting how he doesn’t hate the Avengers and he isn’t proud but he has to obey.
• Ronan binds Vision and Wanda in power nullifying energy shackles. They start to kiss but Vision is way too emo for that
• Ronan ships WandaVision
• We’re returned to Cave-Hank and Jan. A bunch of other cavemen want to steal Jan and Cave-Hank fends them off
• Ronan reveals that he actually plans on turning everyone back to amoebas.
• Quicksilver escapes and Ronan tortures Wanda to punish Vision… should I get a refrigerator yet?
• As the climax builds and the Ronan, Avengers, Captain Marvel confrontation builds to a head, they are interrupted by a message to Ronan. The Kree Galaxy is under attack by the Skrull Galaxy.
• Sentry 459 is left behind here while everyone else returns home. Hank is shaken by everything and quits the Avengers, Janet follows suit, and they depart.

If you want to read the issues we covered today you can find them collected in:

• Avengers: Kree/Skrull War
• Avengers Masterworks Vol. 10

Creators of these issues: Roy Thomas, Sal Buscema, Sam Grainger, Sam Rosen, Mike Stevens, Artie Simek, and Stan Lee

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