Synopsis
Secret Invasion: Runaways/Young Avengers #1 synopsis by
Rob Johnson
Rating:
The Skrulls have been infiltrating Earth for years and now they have launched a full-scale invasion, centred as usual for Marvel in New York, in the Secret Invasion limited series. The Young Avengers (except Stature who's in the Initiative) witnessed the destruction of the Baxter Building (SI#2). But the Runaways have recently returned from a trip to 1907 (in their own title) and don't realise what's going on.
This issue begins with a flashback many months ago in a Skrull military training centre on Tarnax VII. Instructors Chrell and Fremn are arguing about whether a new Super-Skrull trainee is ready for action. They meet with Queen Veranke who is leading a Skrull religious revival which prophesies that they are destined to take the Earth from the humans. Fremn is not a believer so Chrell kills him. Veranke entrusts the training of her army to Chrell, and also tasks him with eliminating the 'blasphemous prince' during the Invasion.
When the Runaways (Chase Stein, Karolina Dean, Molly Hayes, Nico Minoru, Victor Mancha and Xavin) came back from the past they brought with them a young girl Klara Prast (who can communicate with and control plants). Now (without their dinosaur Old Lace) they are showing her the sights of NY. Xavin is a shapeshifting Skrull male Super-Skrull warrior currently in the shape of an Earth female teen, who is worried about the fugitive Registration-defying Runaways being openly seen in the home of most of Earth's superhumans, especially Iron Man.
Then a load of Skrulls descend on them, and Xavin reacts by slamming his/her companions with a forcefield (as a Super-Skrull having the powers of the Fantastic Four).
Meanwhile the Young Avengers (Hawkeye (Kate Bishop), Hulkling, Patriot, Speed, Vision (Jonas) and Wiccan) are rushing towards Times Square where the main action is. (Vision has dropped his human disguise, the rest are still in civvies but have their weapons where relevant.) They realise that the enemy are Skrulls and that they appear to have super-powers. Billy Kaplan (who appears now to have magically shifted to his Wiccan costume) asks Teddy Altman if the Skrulls have have come for him again (Hulkling is the half-Skrull son of Princess Anelle, and Super-Skrull tried to enlist him as Skrull Emperor in YA#9-12.) And we see that someone among the Skrulls is searching for him remotely.
Most of the Runaways are unconscious and the robot Victor is rebooting. Nico has a spell ready to kill Xavin if necessary. Xavin shifts out of his human guise and talks Skrull to 2 of the aliens who leave them (and the other Skrulls seem to have dispersed too). Xavin checks that her love Karolina is still alive and then forms forcefield platforms to take them all somewhere. But Victor signals that his reboot is finished and witch Nico invents a Pop spell which makes the supporting fields disappear and they all fall to the ground. She and Victor land on their feet and prepare to fight while Xavin forms new forcefields to cushion the fall of the others.
Victor attacks with electric bolts and magnetism to wrap the Skrull in metal debris. Xavin tries to explain that he was taking them to their vehicle the Leapfrog. He also tells the conscious duo that these Skrulls are religious fanatics who believe a prophecy that their God has promised them the Earth. If they are invading it means that their infiltration has already given them the Earth, and now they're just here to take possession. Now he advises Nico and Victor to leave him here and take the others and run away. Nico agrees even though Karolina will hate her for it.
Meanwhile the YA have reached Times Square and are battling powered Skrulls. Hawkeye, Patriot and Speed are now in costumes too (courtesy of Wiccan's spells?). Kate wonders desperately where the Avengers are. (Readers of SI#1 will know that the Av and New Av have been lured away to the Savage Land.) Teddy runs towards 4 Skrulls to tell them who he is, but they all fire on him. He shapeshifts to Hulkling (including costume).
We see that Commander Chrell and a female Skrull named X'iv are watching him remotely. Their computer system isn't yet certain but Chrell believes he has found Dorrek VIII, the half-breed Prince, now a hero of their enemy. Luckily his attackers don't realise who he is because the news would spread doubt in the fleet. X'iv informs him that more heroes have turned up, and we see Stature and other Initiative members led by Gauntlet.
Nico and Victor have got the unconscious other 4 Runaways into the cloaked Leapfrog. The cloak dissipates as Victor pilots the craft into the air. They both regret abandoning Xavin but then 2 (giant-size?) Skrulls appear in front of the 'Frog.
In Times Square a Skrull punches giant Stature into a building. On the ground Tommy Shepherd helps his 'brother' Billy up, but Billy's only thought is to find his boyfriend Teddy. Xavin uses Human Torch's flames to fly to a rooftop where he follows up with Sue Richards' invisibility. He recognises Chrell arriving with some hand-picked men to kill Dorrek, but he flames on again to burn a hole in the pavement and carry Hulkling to safety in the sewers. But Teddy is only half-conscious, and 3 Skrulls catch up with them.