Empyre #2 (2020)

Brief Synopsis A masked pilot approaches the Earth on a spaceship. Meanwhile, Quoi holds Iron Man, Captain America and Thor hostage in the forested Blue Area of the Moon. He explains that he and the Swordsman had decided to avenge the crimes committed on the Cotati by the Kree and the Skrulls. To this end, they experimented with the creation of the Death Blossom, a powerful amplifier for the Cotati magic, using it to attack Skrull and Kree territory alike. Knowing of the Cotati's intent, the Skrull and Kree rules formed the Alliance and recruited Hulkling as emperor, with the Cotati's murder of Raksor and Bel-Dann being a failed attempt to stop it. It was in response to the Alliance's movements that Quoi enlisted the help of the Avengers to trick them into helping them incapacitate the Kree/Skrull fleet. Quoi offers the captive Avengers to stay in his garden or die, but Thor summons Mjolnir to free all three from Quoi's grasp, prompting him to escape on a portal. The Swordsman had similarly evaded the rest of the Avengers with whom he attacked the alien fleet. When Captain America and Black Panther convene via communications, T'Challa reports that the Cotati have already arrived on Earth, attacking urban areas with sentient plants. The Avengers return to Earth, but Captain Marvel stays behind to meet up with the Fantastic Four and the Kree/Skrull fleet. Aboard the Alliance's command ship, the combined Kree/Skrull forces are fending off the seeping barrage of plants. Hulkling manages to save The Thing from being eaten alive by plants with his magic sword, Excelsior. Mister Fantastic realizes the sword's energies can disrupt Cotati influence. Captain Marvel volunteers herself to be impaled by the sword, absorbing its energies and bursting into a shockwave that destroys every plant on the ship. She is saved from death when Mister Fantastic tunes Tanalth's Universal Weapon to work as a defibrillator. Tanalth interjects that the weapon belonged to Ronan the Accuser, and she decides to entrust it to Captain Marvel, appointing her as a member of the Kree Accuser Corps. After this, Super-Skrull tells Hulkling that as emperor it's in his hands subject the Earth to a Pyre. Detailed Synopsis Aboard a small spaceship, the vessel's computer systems alert its pilot that they are approaching Earth. The masked pilot dismisses the computer, mentioning that they were born there. The computer asks them if they want to continue broadcasting an emergency beacon. The pilot orders the computer to do so, arguing that the Avengers need to know what is on their doorstep before it's too late. The ship flies past Jupiter. In the forested Blue Area of the Moon, the Cotati leader Quoi monologues to Iron Man, Captain America and Thor, whom he is holding hostage, constricted around the branches of a tree. He is trying to convince them to accept to rest for the rest of their lives in his garden as a reward for their help in taking down the Alliance. When Thor calls out Quoi for his madness and points out that they were close, the Celestial Messiah interjects to recall his upbringing by the Avenger, with his mother Mantis, occasional visits from Thor, and his father the Swordsman. Quoi reveals that it was through the Swordsman that he learned the history of the Cotati and their betrayal by the Kree and the Skrulls. Quoi and the Swordsman decided that the Cotati had to be avenged, as it is their way, but had realized they couldn't stop there. Quoi explains that due to his template being a human, the Swordsman knew the depths animals could skin to, so both decided that for the good of all true life, all animals had to be purged to redeem their sins against their people. Among the debris of the Alliance's fleet, the rest of the Avengers, Super-Skrull and Captain Glory react to the massacre. Glory observes that the Cotati weaponized every scrap of plant life for their slaughter, and blames the Avengers for it. Hulk turns to the Swordsman for explanations, but he slashes her arm and tells her that she already knows. The Swordsman turns a handful of bulbs into a giant portal gateway and submerges into it. As he does this, he issues the Avengers a warning. He spares their lives for the role they planed in the Cotati's plans, but tells them to stand aside. The Avengers recoil from the altercation, and Carol expresses worries for the rest of her teammates. Back in the Blue Area, Quoi is rearranging the three captive Avengers within the tree where they are captive, expressing that he wants his "human arrangement" to look right. Iron Man recalls the incident in which the Avengers chased the Skrull Raksor, whom he realizes was helping set up the Kree/Skrull Alliance, only for him to die from a tree bursting out of him. Tony admits that he didn't realize it was Quoi, and as Stark is rebuking him, Quoi signals a branch to impale the eyeslits of Tony's armor, only stopping a fraction before it pierces his eye. Quoi warns Tony that he is trying to be nice, and elaborates that Raksor wasn't the first casualty. Quoi reveals that he and the Swordsman began their experiments in the Kral System of the Skrulls, having created the seed for the Death Blossom, a powerful amplifier for the Cotati magic, but not powerful enough. The Skrulls retaliated by destroying the entirety of the system, but the Cotati had already moved to Kree territory, where the right soil allowed them to destroy a military outpost. While the Death Blossom's power still wasn't enough, Quoi explains that the Kree and the Skrull rulers knew of their intent, turning the Cotati's efforts into a game of espionage, with the executions of Raksor and Bel-Dann on Earth being an attempt at stopping the formation of the Alliance. Quoi admits that the Cotati were too stealthy and slow, which gave the Kree and the Skrulls time to recruit Hulkling. Quoi reveals that it was in response to that that the he had recruited the Avengers, having telepathically implanted in Tony's head his dream of the massacre of the Cotati by the Kree. Quoi acknowledges that the Avengers helped the Cotati achieve victory, and offers them the garden as their reward. However, he gives them the choice between acceptance or death. As he is issuing this ultimatum, Quoi is interrupted when he notices a whistling noise. Mjolnir flies towards Thor's hand, stopping the whistling when it meets the arm of his master. A lightning suddenly strikes down the tree holding the Avengers hostage, and they emerge from the destruction. Enraged, Quoi begins to form a portal behind him while warning the heroes they have seen the last of his mercy. A lightning blasts down the portal, but it's too late since Quoi had already left. Captain America asks Iron Man to do a sensor sweep of the area, but he detects nothing else in range. He murmurs with deject that he let them get away. Thor notices that the plants surrounding the three are regrowing, but Captain America tells him that he garden already fulfilled its purpose to capacitate the Kree/Skrull fleet, and expresses his concern for Quoi's next move. Black Panther calls in shares what happened with the Swordsman. After Steve relays what happened with Quoi, T'Challa informs him that the Avengers have picked multiple distress signals, revealing that the Cotati have arrived on Earth. A shot shows Manhattan covered in leaves, with the citizens terrorized by sentient vines. Captain America tells the Avengers that they need to move to the front lines where they are needed, and Thor uses Mjolnir to open a portal back to Earth. As the Ghost Quinjet heads to Earth, Black Panther tells Captain America that Captain Marvel has met up with the Fantastic Four and the Kree/Skrull fleet. Captain Marvel floats through the wreckage of the alien fleet, lamenting the deaths of the fallen soldiers. She is approached by Captain Glory and Super-Skrull, and the former gloats her. Carol explains that the Avengers were tricked by those they trusted, and points out that neither of the two have spotless records. Glory declares that, unlike Carol, he will do whatever is necessary to serve the Kree. Super-Skrull admits that he has done great wrong serving the Skrull and regrets many things. Their conversation is interrupted when they notice the command ship of the Alliance. Carol thinks to herself that, based on what she knows of Kree specs, there could be over 10,000 troops on board, which could be enough to match the Cotati forces if they're alive. Aboard the ship, the forces of the Alliance fight against the seeping barrage of plants. The Fantastic Four are managing to evade the sprouts using their powers, except for The Thing, who has vines erupting out of his body. Mister Fantastic analyzes Ben's predicament and realizes the plants are eating him alive. Hulkling runs towards him wielding Excelsior, and slashes through him with it. However, only the plants are damaged. Reed notices the vines are retreating, and Hulkling explains the sword is magic; it comes when he calls it, and it can distinguish friend from foe. Reed points out that it seems capable of disrupting Cotati influence, and begins to theorize about absorbing and redistributing its energy. Captain Marvel flies down towards Reed, volunteering herself to do so. Mister Fantastic, The Thing, Captain Glory, Hulkling, Captain Marvel and Mur-G'nn convene under a force field dome projected by the Invisible Woman while Super-Skrull and the Human Torch stay aside, using their fire to control the advancing vines. In her inner monologue, Carol recognizes the risk of the plan, but proceeds. Hulkling stabs Carol with Excelsior, and she begins to absorb its energy despite being in immense and ever-growing pain. She builds the energy up until she can't hold the pain anymore, and she explodes in a shockwave that destroys all the plants on the ship, seemingly killing her as well. Carol is jolted back to life as she is being called out by Captain Glory, who then commends her for her actions. Carol wakes up surrounded by her allies, and Mister Fantastic explains he managed to tune Tanalth's Universal Weapon to work as a crude defibrillator. Tanalth interjects to clarify that it's not her weapon, since it originally belonged to Ronan the Accuser, whom she names as one of the Kree Imperium's greatest heroes. She admits that she cannot make it "sing" as he did, and suggests that perhaps another can. In a mutter, Captain Glory repeats Tanalth's description of Ronan and makes a hem in amusement. With Hulkling's approval, Tanalth kneels down in front of Carol and extends the Ronan's Universal Weapon to her, offering her a place in the Kree Accuser Corps. Carol accepts, arguing that they need all the power they can get against the Cotati, and grabs the weapon. Her costume changes color to different tones of green. In her inner monologue, Carol describes that the hammer started to sing the second she touched it, and recognizes the power within the weapon. She asserts that she will need to watch it carefully or it will sweep her away. Tanalth professes Carol into her new role, mentioning that she shall also bring glory to Earth as long as it survives the coming of the Pyre. Hulkling chimes in to ask about that last part. Super-Skrull clarifies that it is in Hulkling's shoulders the responsibility to destroy the Earth, shocking Teddy.