DIRECT EDITION 0 0 7 2 1 MARVEL.COM VARIANT VARIANT EDITION RATED RATED $3.99 T+ US 7 59606 08662 7 VARIANT #7 EDITION RATED T+ $3.99US DIRECT EDITION MARVEL.COM 0 0 7 5 1 7 59606 08662 7 #7 VARIANT VARIANT EDITION DIRECT EDITION 0 0 7 4 1 MARVEL.COM RATED RATED $3.99 T+ US 7 59606 08662 7 0 0 7 3 1 7 59606 08662 7 alpha flight station. “you asked for beyond the planetary defence shield. a status report, carol--well, here it is. “there is nothing good happening here right now. “as the size and frequency of the chitauri waves continue to increase, our technicians “the damage to are running out of fixes. the structural integrity of the base is just too severe. “and while the analysts have done a fine job pinpointing the location of the queen eggs that are attracting the waves “--we still in first have no way place-- to get through the planetary defense shield, so it’s not a terribly useful piece of information. “the only thing resembling a bright spot is america’s ability to do interdimensional supply runs--which actually brings us to our next subject--” --relocation possibilities. while it’s true. you ever it’s obvious no other planets wanna live in a reality in our universe are going to do that’s a musical? us any favors at this point, some ’cause I can get of the other realities america you there. can access are more welcoming-- no. carol, please, hear us out-- no, monica. you listen to me. we were charged with a mission. protect the earth from this chitauri invasion. defend our little piece of the stars. what happens so you make your if that shield own decisions, but comes down as a I will not leave my wave is approaching? post--I am captain do we just trust marvel of the alpha hydra to take care flight space of it? I want to be program-- ready and on guard. like I swore an oath to be. --and I will not abandon ship. {sigh} hello, avril. I gotta say, my days are pretty busy, what with my station falling to pieces and …so the fact my crew looking up the that I make the definition of “justifiable time to come down mutiny”... here and visit you every night and you don’t even say so much as a word back-- --well, it’s @!#$ and it rude is what wasn’t our it is. deal. “when nova fished you out of the “--our last wreckage of that chitauri ship, you chance to were supposed to be our lifeline-- overcome this. “these people need that. they volunteered for this mission. “they don’t deserve to die up here in this vacuum, cut off from everything they love--” --even if I do. you see, I’m the cause of all of this, really. every minute we’re trapped up here…every man, --I’m woman and child who responsible suffers or dies at for that. hydra’s hand-- I started the war that tore us all apart. --he tricked that gave steve rogers me into building the opening he needed the very same shield to gain power. and we’re all trapped if that weren’t on the other side of enough-- now. he played me perfectly. but then, I was I ended up just an easy mark. I have like tony. chasing one spent so long trying to crazy scheme after another, prove myself. trying to trying so hard to put my stamp show everyone that I on the world, consequences be could be this…perfect damned--forcing things hero. perfect so hard all they can person. do is break. I tried to make them love me and all I did was look at all the give them a reason to damage I’ve done and hate me. and now, all wait for my chance to I can do is sit up try and make things right. here and wait. but I can’t do that without you. you get that, agent?! you’re quasar now--you’re --so prove supposed to be the it! I need you protector of the to get out of this universe-- bed and help me fix this, damn it! do you hear me?! I need you to wake up... Steve Rogers, A.K.A. Captain America, has claimed the United States for Hydra. With most of Earth’s heroes trapped in the Darkforce bubble surrounding Manhattan or stranded behind the Planetary Defense Shield, his power seems absolute. Black Widow believes that the only way to stop Captain America is to kill him. Recently, her team of young heroes helped her liberate a mysterious old man from a Hydra prison--a man Widow claims can win them the war. Meanwhile, Tony Stark hoped to save Captain America by reassembling the Cosmic Cube that rewrote Steve’s history in the first place. But when Ant-Man tipped Hydra off to the location of the Underground’s base in exchange for his daughter’s life, Steve showed up with an army-- and a temporarily resurrected Hulk. Captain America routed the Underground and claimed their cube fragments, but at a terrible cost: his beloved Madame Hydra sacrificed herself to save him from the Mount’s destruction. And with the members of the Underground presumed dead, there’s nothing to stop Widow from going for the kill. Writer • Nick Spencer Artist • Andrea Sorrentino Additional Art • Rod Reis; Joshua Cassara & Rachelle Rosenberg Letterer • VC’s Travis Lanham Recap Page Art • Andrea Sorrentino Cover • Mark Brooks Variant Covers • Dan Mora & Edgar Delgado; Andrea Sorrentino; John Tyler Christopher Production Design • Carlos Lao Assistant Editor • Alanna Smith Editor • Tom Brevoort Editor in Chief • Axel Alonso Chief Creative Officer • Joe Quesada President • Dan Buckley Executive Producer • Alan Fine SECRET EMPIRE No. 7, September 2017. Published Monthly except in May, June, July, and August by MARVEL WORLDWIDE, INC., a subsidiary of MARVEL ENTERTAINMENT, LLC. OFFICE OF PUBLICATION: 135 West 50th Street, New York, NY 10020. BULK MAIL POSTAGE PAID AT NEW YORK, NY AND AT ADDITIONAL MAILING OFFICES.© 2017 MARVEL No similarity between any of the names, characters, persons, and/or institutions in this magazine with those of any living or dead person or institution is intended, and any such similarity which may exist is purely coincidental. $3.99 per copy in the U.S. (GST #R127032852) in the direct market; Canadian Agreement #40668537.Printed in the USA. Subscription rate (U.S. dollars) for 12 issues: U.S. $26.99; Canada $42.99; Foreign $42.99. POSTMASTER: SEND ALL ADDRESS CHANGES TO SECRET EMPIRE, C/O MARVEL SUBSCRIPTIONS P.O. BOX 727 NEW HYDE PARK, NY 11040. TELEPHONE # (888) 511-5480. FAX # (347) 537-2649. [email protected]. DAN BUCKLEY, President, Marvel Entertainment; JOE QUESADA, Chief Creative Officer; TOM BREVOORT, SVP of Publishing; DAVID BOGART, SVP of Business Affairs & Operations, Publishing & Partnership; C.B. CEBULSKI, VP of Brand Management & Development, Asia; DAVID GABRIEL, SVP of Sales & Marketing, Publishing; JEFF YOUNGQUIST, VP of Production & Special Projects; DAN CARR, Executive Director of Publishing Technology; ALEX MORALES, Director of Publishing Operations; SUSAN CRESPI, Production Manager; STAN LEE, Chairman Emeritus. For information regarding advertising in Marvel Comics or on Marvel.com, please contact Vit DeBellis, Integrated Sales Manager, at [email protected]. For Marvel subscription inquiries, please call 888-511-5480. Manufactured between 06/30/2017 and 07/10/2017 by FRY COMMUNICATIONS, MECHANICSBURG, PA, USA. Hydra Captured Hydra Command Hydra Captain America Madame Hydra Arnim Zola Punisher Sharon Carter Beyond the Shield Captain Marvel Spectrum America Chavez Quasar The Red Room Black Widow Wasp Spider-Man Viv Vision Ironheart Falcon Hulk (Amadeus Cho) The Underground Sam Wilson Hawkeye Giant-Man.