It’s a psychological thriller disguised as a punch-fest.
It ends the "Initiative" era and launches the "Dark Reign" saga. If you'd like, I can: List the essential tie-in issues included in the Omnibus. Explain which characters were Skrulls the longest. Summarize the aftermath for Norman Osborn .
The trust was gone before the first shot was even fired. For years, the Skrulls had been the universe’s greatest losers—their throne-world devoured by Galactus, their empire shattered. But Queen Veranke had a new prophecy. They wouldn't conquer Earth through a frontal assault; they would become it.
Iron Man looked at Captain America. Spider-Woman looked at Wolverine. The questions became a heartbeat. Are you you? Have I been sleeping next to the enemy? The Skrulls had spent years kidnapping heroes and replacing them with sleeper agents so perfect they didn't even know they were spies until a psychic "trigger" word was spoken. Then, the sky cracked open.
As New York turned into a war zone, the disparate factions of the Marvel Universe—the New Avengers, the Mighty Avengers, the Hood’s villain army, and Nick Fury’s Secret Warriors—had to make a choice. They couldn't trust each other, but they had to fight together, or there would be no world left to argue over.
The invasion was over, but the world had changed. The heroes were seen as failures who let the enemy into their homes. Norman Osborn was the new national hero. The age of heroes was dead; the Dark Reign had begun. 💡