6 Comics You Need To Read Before Marvel's Secret Empire
Discover how Captain America Became Hydra.
Marvel's latest event, Secret Empire, has begun and is off to a strong - if somewhat controversial - start. The big news, of course, is that Captain America has been revealed to be the Supreme Leader of HYDRA and is currently the director of SHIELD, sending outraged fans scurrying to criticise the betrayal of the character.
Remarkably, this isn't an alternate reality story or some kind of fake out, but the current status quo of the Marvel universe. And it isn't throw-away either: this story has been building for years, but only really started to pick up momentum towards the beginning of 2016. In fact, the arc of Captain America being revealed as HYDRA's leader is only one part of this story as it spans the entire Marvel universe.
In order to fully understand the scope of Secret Empire and how the Marvel universe has been taken over by Hydra, there are a few comic series that should be read. The road to get to this story has been long, and as Marvel appears to be giving an epic conclusion to readers, it's worth revisiting the most important steps that brought us here...
6. Avengers: Standoff!
To understand where Secret Empire starts, Avengers: Standoff! is the best place to pick up the story. Because, unbeknownst to readers at the time, this is where the change in Captain America from patriot to agent of HYDRA occurs.
This story sets numerous plot threads up that carry into Secret Empire, and most importantly, SHIELD secretly acts outside of the law to deal with supervillains. The questionable morality of SHIELD creates new allegiances and sparks a renewed hated for SHIELD and what it represents.
Crucially, this story also introduces the character of Kobik - the living embodiment of the Cosmic Cube, who has the mind of a small child and who is immensely important for the current state of the Marvel universe. Repercussions from Avengers: Standoff! will echo in the pages of Marvel comics for years to come, primarily because of her involvement.
For initial publication Avengers: Standoff! was a limited series where each chapter happened in a different ongoing comic book, and helpfully, these have collected in one graphic novel.