Empyre #3 (2020)

Brief Synopsis As the Cotati invasion continues on Earth, Mister Fantastic visits Tony Stark at his workshop in the Avengers Mountain, where he has secluded himself to work, blaming himself for the Cotati's betrayal. In Wakanda, the heroes fend off an incursion from the Cotati. Black Panther realizes Quoi is after the Vibranium-enriched soil of the Great Mound to plant a Death Blossom to extend his power to the entire galaxy. Aboard the Kree/Skrull flagship, Hulkling refuses to go along with a suicide mission planned for Captain Marvel to destroy the garden using the absorbed energies of Excelsior, the Star-Sword, and instead decides to send it to Black Panther at his request for a plan of his own. Super-Skrull warns Teddy that it's in his hands to subject the Earth to the Pyre, the detonation of its Sun to stop the Cotati from spreading across the galaxy. In private, Captain Glory confronts Tanalth the Pursuer, exposing her as a Skrull. She reveals herself to be Hulkling's grandmother, R'Klll, who intends to have the Kree and the Skrull ruled under her bloodline, but also plans to do something about Hulkling's lack of resolve to make the hard decisions of a king. Detailed Synopsis In front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France, a group of Cotati warriors engage soldiers from the Alliance, with human civilians caught in the middle. In his thought journal, Mister Fantastic explains that due to the Alliance flagship's escape shuttles, the Kree/Skrull troops managed to take the fight to the Cotati. However, even though Hulkling issued rules of engagements, his rules have often been ignored due in the heat of battle, escalating the war. With the Fantasti-Car parked outside Avengers Mountain, Reed is paying a visit to Tony Stark, who has secluded himself to try to find a solution to the Cotati's plant-based powers and looks disheveled. When Tony recites the password for the lab's holographic workboards to Reed, he interjects with the rest of the password, having recognized it as a musical reference. Reed compares it to a similar mnemonic trick used by Johnny Storm. Tony sarcastically remarks that he slightly smarter than Johnny. Thinking to himself, Reed defends Johnny but recognizes Tony aimed the jab at himself. Reed observes Stark as he continues tinkering in the lab, mumbling insults to himself. Reed thinks about how ever since they escaped from the Moon, each of the Avengers' "Big Three" have focused on their respective strengths, with Captain America organizing the efforts against the Cotati, Thor being on a mythical quest to seek out godly powers, and Tony burying himself at Avengers Mountain. Tony snaps and throws away the device he was working on. Reed tries to calm down Tony, but Stark yells at himself for believing in the Cotati's lies. Reed tries to justify that nobody could have seen the Cotati's betrayal coming since they were close allies of the Avengers, but Tony asserts that Reed would have. Reed tries to comfort Tony and get him to share the blame, assuring him that he is not alone, and Tony scoffs at him. Reed realizes that his own uniform is a constant reminder that he always has his family by his side. On Wakanda, The Thing is standing in the middle of the Wakandan army, alongside Ghost Rider, some of the Agents of Wakanda and Shuri. As he discusses with Shuri what does the war chant "Yibambe" mean, a group of Cotati breach through Wakanda's force fields. The heroes fight the invaders as The Thing jokes that he thought the chant meant "It's clobberin' time." From within Lake Victoria, Quoi observes the battle through an amber orb, and doubts the efforts of his soldiers. The Swordsman tells him they are only testing Wakanda for weak points to then send their best warriors. When Quoi calls attention to the fact that the Cotati are winning their battles across the globe and affirms they will defeat the leader of the Avengers, the Swordsman tells him to say the man's name. The Swordsman warns Quoi that the Black Panther is the most dangerous man alive, and that since he knows of the Death Blossom planted on the Moon, he must surely know what the Cotati are after and why. On the roof of the palace of Wakanda, T'Challa stands surrounded by Hulk and Invisible Woman. He asserts that the Cotati are after the Great Mound. Hulk questions why, pointing out the Cotati don't have much use for metal of any kind. T'Challa clarifies that they are after its Vibranium-enriched soil. As a ship is preparing to land on the roof, T'Challa recalls the Death Blossom and how it was grown in the dust of the Moon. He deduces that if Quoi was to plant a similar flower in the soil of the Great Mound, his power will span the galaxy, turning him into a true god. The ship's masked pilot opens its cockpit, and asks T'Challa if he received her message, to which he replies they did. The pilot takes off her helmet, revealing herself to be Mantis, who declares has arrived to save her son Quoi. When Invisible Woman raises objections to it, Mantis assures her that he will pay the price for the lives he has taken, but she also explains that Quoi has been victim of the Swordman's manipulations. Mantis hopes that she can reach her son. The other three heroes agree to the diplomatic approach, but Black Panther excuses himself to explore other options. Aboard the Kree/Skrull command ship, Super-Skrull is contemptuously going over a plan with Captain Marvel to destroy the Cotati garden in the Blue Area of the Moon, which involves stabbing her again. Kl'rt has Mur-G'nn the mystic explain that due to her nature as a Kree/Skrull hybrid, she can use her magic to boost the energies of the Excelsior to allow Captain Marvel to absorb a higher dose of its energies. Super-Skrull interjects the plan is for Carol to carry that energy to the Death Blossom and release it, wiping the Cotati infestation. When the Human Torch recalls that the sword nearly killed Carol last time and calls the plan a suicide mission, Captain Marvel expresses that she is willing to do it. Hulkling is sulking on his throne and Johnny tries to goad him into objecting, underlining that Teddy really is just a figurehead while everybody in the room remains silent. Teddy answers a call from Black Panther, who discloses he has a plan that requires him to wield the Star-Sword. Teddy asks T'Challa if his plan needs an Avenger to die. After T'Challa tells him no, Hulkling teleports the sword to him. Captain Marvel disproves Teddy's decision, whereas the Human Torch commends it. Teddy tells her that he believes T'Challa can use it better than they can. Captain Glory lashes out at Hulkling for disrespecting Carol's sacrifice, and Super-Skrull concurs, calling it a display of weakness and assuring that Captain Marvel could have dealt a significant blow. Hulkling argues the plan could otherwise have killed Carol in the room where they are standing, wasting one of their best weapons. He disputes if he explained it in a way cold and practical enough for Kl'rt. Tanalth expresses concern that the true test is yet to come, and tells Super-Skrull to remind Hulkling what happened to the Kral System; to remind him of the Pyre. Super-Skrull asks how did Tanalth know of that restricted data since she is a Kree, and Teddy pressures him into divulging that she meant. Super-Skrull reveals that the Pyre is the death of the Sun, a buildup of energy in the core of a star that causes it to detonate. He explains that the Skrull never though of using such weapon until the Cotati invaded the Kral System of the Skrull Empire. Super-Skrull claims that he had no choice since even those planets not reached by the infection would have been within an hour, and argues that the Kral System was already dead. He also says that by making their end quick, he could have finished the Cotati with one blow, but Hulkling points out that the Cotati were already on their way to Earth. When Captain Marvel indicates that Kl'rt killed billions of civilians, he tells her that he did it to save trillions more. He also shares that in Skrull culture, there are no civilians, but warriors not yet assigned to battle, and that if they die to serve the empire, they die well. Teddy brings up her mother's death at Kl'rt's hands and ponders in disgust what is Kl'rt trying to turn him into. Tanalth tells him that it's a king. She tells Teddy that his hand is in the button now, and walks away asking him if it's for the choice between one doomed planet and an entire galaxy that he will show the strength to do what he must. Captain Glory follows Tanalth into an empty hallway, and points out when she called Ronan the Accuser a hero of the Kree Imperium despite the fact that he died standing with the Utopian faction. Glory warns Tanalth that her gene scan might read as a pure Kree, but he recognizes a Skrull when he sees one. When he asks how long she has been wearing this disguise, Tanalth tells him that she has done it long enough to help make the Kree strong again, and asks Glory if that is why he hasn't told anyone else. Glory expresses his curiosity for such strange tactic for a Skrull spy. Tanalth begins to shapeshift to show her true form while explaining that she always knew the destinies of the Kree and Skrull empires laid together ruled by a single bloodline, hers. The Skrull reveals herself to be R'Klll, the grandmother of Hulkling. When she declares that Teddy will soon be the absolute ruler of the galaxy, Glory commends her goal, but expresses that Hulkling has spent too long among the humans. She guarantees Glory that they will have to do something about Hulkling's heroism.