Did the Skrull’s Most Powerful Leader Just Make a Surprising Return?

Imperial is the first major trip back to the cosmic side of the Marvel since Empyre and “The Last Annihilation”. The various alien empires of the Marvel Universe had reached a certain equilibrium, and Imperial is smashing that to pieces, and bringing the universe to the brink of war. The first salvo was the death of the Hulk’s son Hiro-Kala, and since then things have gotten pretty crazy as more galactic powers are targeted by a mysterious foe. Imperial #3 blasts the whole story wide open, as it reveals the power behind the attacks and the reasons for everything — Maximus and the Grandmaster playing a game against each other for a huge prize. One of the most interesting parts of the issue is when their machinations are revealed and we learn something very interesting — Veranke is back.

For those who aren’t well-versed in Marvel history, Veranke is a character with a pretty interesting history. She was the Empress of the Skrull Empire and led one of the most successful attacks by the shapechanging race in Secret Invasion. Imperial promised huge changes to the cosmic Marvel Universe, and the return of Veranke is something that could have repercussions for the people of the Earth and beyond. However, there’s more going on here than it seems, and it begs the question of what exactly is happening with the Skrulls.

Veranke Made Fools of the Avengers

The Skrulls had constantly tried to conquer the Earth, in order to get an advantage over the Kree, their ancient enemies. They failed every time but were able to survive their war with the Kree. However, the Skrulls would end up the loser in the long run because of Galactus. Galactus destroyed the Skrull homeworld, breaking the power of the empire. The Emperor of the Skrulls was killed, but they were able to get something very important off-world — technology that would allow Skrulls to gain the power of the people they are imitating. They brought it to Queen Veranke, who had been exiled for her extreme religious beliefs. Veranke believed in the prophecies that Earth was meant to be the new home of the Skrulls, and with the destruction of their homeworld, she could finally convince the rest of her people that her beliefs were valid.

Veranke started sending Skrulls to Earth, laying the groundwork for the invasion. No inkling of their plans was visible to the heroes until the breakout at the Raft, which was engineered by the Skrulls. This lead the New Avengers to the Savage Land, where they learned a rogue element of SHIELD was doing something down there, which was destroyed by a Helicarrier strike before the team can investigate it. Veranke underwent the enhancement procedure and took the place of Spider-Woman, placing herself in the New Avengers, where she’d be able to watch the greatest threats to her plans.

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After Civil War, the New Avengers team would learn that the Skrulls were taking people over, which led to one of the most important events of ’00s Marvel — Secret Invasion. Veranke and her forces were well-placed in the superhero community, using the chaos of Civil War to make the rifts between the New Avengers and Iron Man and his Initiative even greater. Veranke was able to make sure both Avengers teams were in the Savage Land when the true invasion began, and their distrust of each other almost gave the Skrulls a chance to beat the remaining heroes outside of the Savage Land. However, the two groups finally made peace and confronted Veranke and her army. The heroes were able to hold their own against the Skrull, but Veranke would fall in the battle, sniped by Norman Osborn, who would be given control of the Avengers and the Initiative for his action. Veranke was able to pull the strings of the Avengers from the shadows for years, taking over SHIELD right underneath their noses, and nearly destroying the Avengers. Veranke’s game showed that she was a master strategist, and that with the right plans, she could be wildly successful.

Will Veranke’s Return Doom the Kree/Skrull Alliance?

The Skrull have changed a lot since the end of Secret Invasion. Young Avenger Hulkling was revealed to be the heir to both the Kree and Skrull Empires, and was given the throne of both races, bringing them together in an alliance. Imperial is blasting everything apart for something I’m not going to spoil here, all stemming from the game between Maximus and Grandmaster. Grandmaster reveals the various steps he’s taken to break the various powers of the universe and the return of Veranke is one of them. However, Grandmaster didn’t resurrect her, instead doing his own secret invasion by sending in a shapeshifter disguised as the former Skrull Empress.

It’s honestly a pretty ingenious plan. Veranke was all about religion and prophecy. Her returning from the dead would inflame her people, proving that she was a chosen one by the Skrull gods. The Kree/Skrull alliance has held itself together better than anyone could’ve the expected, but the return of Veranke — even an ersatz one — could finally break the back of the alliance.

Imperial #3 is on sale now.