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Mighty Avengers #19: Review

Oct 2008
Brian Michael Bendis, Khoi Pham

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Story Name:

(no title given)

Synopsis

Mighty Avengers #19 Synopsis by Rob Johnson
Marvel Boy is a Kree called Noh-Varr from an alternate timeline. His spacecraft got lost in the multiverse and was shot down over Earth-616, and he is the only survivor. He declared war on Earth but was captured and sent to the Cube prison. However he used his tech to take it over and make the guards and prisoners co-exist peacefully until Secret Invasion messes things up.

Now he's sending an Omniwave to this universe's Kree Supreme Intelligence asking for advice when he sees a news broadcast about the return of the Kree Earth-hero Captain Marvel. He takes this as a sign for him, but what does it mean? He recalls Reed Richards and Tony Stark suggesting he take on Mar-Vell's role, which he dismissed as ludicrous. But now he doesn't know if this CM is real, and whether they should be foes or allies. At this point an alien computer virus breaks his control over the prison and allows the prisoners to fight the guards, and he decides to leave them to it.

The dead original Captain Marvel (Kree Mar-Vell) appeared to return from the Negative Zone to take part in the Civil War event. But eventually he realised that he was actually a Skrull Khn'nr in deep cover who had been programmed to believe he was Mar-Vell. Now as Secret Invasion begins he's conflicted and he's working for the Skrulls but he chose to attack Norman Osborn's questionably-heroic Thunderbolts.

We see him here flying away from exploding Thunderbolts Mountain with his inner conflict still raging. As Kree Captain Mar-Vell he was sworn to defend Earth but as Skrull Khn'nr he's part of the invasion. His mind plays parts of Mar-Vell's past, some with humans & Kree replaced by Skrull versions. But then he's attacked by 2 of the new Super-Skrulls who claim they're doing him a favour. This way he'll die in honourable battle and no-one but Queen Veranke will know that he really failed. But he strikes back and vents all his anger and confusion on them. The battle is brutal but he prevails. And know he *knows* whose side he's on.

He flies into space and smashes his way through ships of the Skrull armada. Blasts from their guns don't stop him but a Super-Skrull eventually sends him falling towards Earth (alongside many Skrull warriors). He again remembers Mar-Vell's past and accepts it as his own. This time no-one is Skrullised. He recalls fighting alongside Adam Warlock & Moondragon & the Avengers. He remembers partnering with Rick Jones. He remembers Thanos & Death, and then his own death.

In the end when he crashes to Earth he is found by Marvel Boy.


 

Review / Commentaries

Rating:
4 stars
Mighty Avengers #19 Review by (July 20, 2024)
This cover is a Skrullised version of Avengers #89 featuring the original Captain Marvel. The Skrulls in the window should be Rick Jones, Scarlet Witch, Quicksilver and Vision.

The story is inked by Danny Miki and Allen Martinez, and coloured by Dean White and Paul Mounts.

This story is not a flashback but happens within Secret Invasion itself.

Marvel Boy's war against Earth was described in his own mini-series, at the end of which he was imprisoned in the Cube. The Illuminati visited him in jail in their #4 and suggested he follow the example of Captain Marvel (Kree Mar-Vell) and become an Earth hero. In the Civil War: Young Avengers & Runaways mini-series the Warden brainwashed him to go after the Runaways, but he turned on him and took over the prison. In a tale in the SI: Who Do You Trust? 1-shot we saw him keeping the place peaceful until the Skrull tech-virus messed with *his* tech.

For Noh-Varr this issue overlaps his apps in SI:WDYT and SI itself. The opening section matches up with the WDYT story and his 1 page in SI#1, but here it doesn't mention the Skrulls or their Invasion. In WDYT we learned about him using his Plex AI and an Omniwave broadcast to control the prison. And that it was a Skrull that uploaded the virus. (Probably the virus that attacks Stark-tech everywhere else.) They all end with him leaving the Cube.

Captain Marvel (Khn'nr) was found in the Negative Zone by Sentry (in Civil War: The Return 1-shot) and was put in charge of the NZ prison. He made a brief public appearance in CW#7 and then renewed his superhero life in his own mini-series, at then end of which he discovered that he was a deep cover Skrull with false memories. He was conflicted but he joined the Skrull invasion force (in *his* tale in SI:WDYT) but chose to attack Norman Osborn's Thunderbolts as false heroes. That attack played out in SI#1&3 and TBolts #122, and ended at the start of SI#5 and TBolts #123 with Osborn trying to persuade him to help Earth. They both end with him flying away from Thunderbolts Mountain ...

.... which is where his action in this issue begins. This is the only place that records his fight with 2 Super-Skrulls. His attack on the fleet is also briefly seen in SI#5, but not his defeat. Marvel Boy finding him dying is also shown at the start of SI#6, which goes on to show Khn'nr telling Noh-Varr that Earth is worth protecting before he dies. And MB joins in the mass battle in SI#7 (albeit very near the end).

Noh-Varr will then briefly join Osborn's Dark Avengers as Captain Marvel before quitting, changing his id to Protector and later joining the post-Dark Reign Avengers.

Khoi Pham
?
?
Marko Djurdjevic (Cover Penciler)
Marko Djurdjevic (Cover Inker)
Marko Djurdjevic (Cover Colorist)
Additional Credits
Letterer: Dave Lanphear.
Editor: Tom Brevoort. Editor-in-chief: Joe Quesada.

Characters

Listed in Alphabetical Order.

Marvel Boy
Marvel Boy
(Noh-Varr)

Plus: Captain Marvel (Khn'nr).