This week in Secret Invasion:
New Avengers #39


Secret Invasion #1 doesn’t come out until next week, but the crossover officially begins this week in New Avengers #39.

If this first crossover issue is any indication, it looks like the Avengers titles are going to play a role similar to the one they did during Civil War, and that is to tell somewhat solo stories about the people involved. This issue focuses on Echo aka Maya Lopez aka Ronin.

Maya encounters Wolverine in the kitchen late one night, and the two have a brief conversation about the Skrull invasion. Wolverine tells Maya he’s not a Skrull, even though he suspects that she suspects him, given that he hasn’t mentioned their past. Apparently the two were romantically involved. Maya says she’s not convinced there even is a Skrull invasion, believing it’s a convenient distraction to allow them all to forget what disasters their lives have become.

She hits the rooftops and encounters another former romantic link, Matt Murdock, who is out on patrol as Daredevil. The two catch up, but Matt’s answers are vague, and Maya catches on to the fact that he’s not who he appears to be. The Skrull gives up the disguise and attacks Maya, presumably wanting to eliminate her in order to take her place on the team. Wolverine appears to help Maya out, but the Skrull gets away after taking a thorough beating. He notes how the Skrull had the powers of several X-Men.

He explains to Maya why he followed her — “If I was a Skrull looking to sink their claws into our little team, you’d be the one I’d go after … you’re the one with the least amount a’ ties. The least history.” Maya has a little freak out about the reality of a Skrull wanting to kill her and replace her, but Hawkeye comes to comfort her, and before you know it, the two of them are in bed together.

Past Implications:
I think all that this issue really tells us is that Maya isn’t a Skrull and Wolverine isn’t a Skrull. Hawkeye probably isn’t either, because if the Skrulls wanted to get rid of Maya, he sure would’ve had a great opportunity. I highly doubt there’s anything more to the Daredevil Skrull than just an opportunistic shapechange for the moment.