The new year of Marvel Comics has been set up in Incoming, but the true threat isn't the approach of either the Kree or Skrull empires... it's BOTH of them, united under a single leader. In a different time, he may have been known best as Hulkling, the Young Avenger. But in the future of Marvel's Empyre, he has a new title as the King of Space. Yes, as in all of it.
The first trailer for Empyre will have come as a particular surprise to comic fans who know Hulkling as the lovable Theodore "Teddy" Altman, a superhero fighting alongside other young superheroes. But for those who more closely followed Hulkling's strange brush with cosmic destiny back in 2015, this new twist has been a long time coming. Even casual comic fans know that the Kree and Skrull have a rough history, determined to kill the other in a bitter war that has been raging for millennia. And while it's unclear exactly why Teddy -- or as he's now known, Dorrek VIII -- seems to be bringing his merged armada to attack Earth, readers should absolutely know about the events that have led to this fantastic twist.
The story coming from Al Ewing and Dan Slott with art by Valerio Schiti is one fans have waited for since that 2015 storyline, from the time that Teddy was chosen to test his lineage and courage. The time where he met the mysterious order known as The Knights of the Infinite. And before he learned about his destiny to become King of Space. Kree, Skrull, and everything in between. Allow us to explain.
The Darkest Secret of The Kree-Skrull War
The truth of the Kree-Skrull secret history (and Teddy's place as a descendant of both) was first explained in the pages of New Avengers #3-4 (2015), when Teddy was abducted by an alien craft, and given a crash course in his true hybrid heritage. As Teddy was told by the Knights (we'll get to them in a minute), the first Kree-Skrull War is the heart of the secret. Two great generals had emerged from the cosmic feud: Ryga'a, War-Queen of the Skrulls, and Soh-Larr, the Kree Ultra-Warrior. Trained from birth to meet, fight, and kill each other without a moment's hesitation. But when brought face to face on the battlefield... the pair were struck by love, instead.
It should go without saying that this was thousands of years in the past, considering that the Kree and Skrull have been at war basically the entire time humans have walked the Earth (more or less). The Kree, the mighty blue-skinned super soldier, and the Skrull, the green-skinned shapeshifter may have been an unlikely pairing, but they managed to escape the war in total secrecy, freeing themselves of both of their empires... and creating a child carrying the future of both their people in his blood. And while the parents were never seen again, their son sure was.
The First Child of The Kree & Skrull Empires
Since the story is being told to Teddy millennia after it took place, the Knights admit that rumors spread, and ultimately persisted about the Kree-Skrull lovers. Stories that told of their escape from war, and the hybrid child they had produced: the first ever to be born of Kree and Skrull blood. The child would go on to be named Dorrek Supreme, after "the fabled emperors of the twin star-empires."
Combining both of the ancestral swords of his parents into one incredible blade, Dorrek dubbed it Excelsior, the Star-Sword. With weapon in hand, watching as two empires grew more and more determined to obliterate each other, Dorrek Supreme gathered other Kree-Skrull Hybrids that were created after him and denied by both of their parents' people. So without the luxury of their birth families, Dorrek formed a new one. Along with an order of heroes; a group dedicated to uniting the two warring empires to achieve an even more incredible level of greatness. And they called themselves The Knights of the Infinite.
The Knights of The Infinite Have Been Watching Marvel's Universe
It's these Knights of the Infinite that the reader is introduced to first, before collecting Teddy for his destiny. From their outlook at Castle Tarnala, at the far edge of the Andromeda Galaxy, they can't help but see the prophesied time approaching. With the Skrull homeworld consumed by Galactus, their empire is a shadow of what it once was (which the Knights also claim was a result of their Secret Invasion attempts to meddle with Earthlings). On the other side of the conflict, the Kree have similarly lost their fertile homeworld of Hala, presumably marking their own collapse. Which is exactly what these Knights have been waiting for.
Suggesting that the collapse may or may not have been specifically destined, fated, or doomed to take place, the Knights of the Infinite recognize that the universe will need more of the Kree and Skrull -- the Hybrids -- to unify and protect them. The Knights of the Infinite are a part of that equation, and if the similarities to a cosmic King Arthur and his Round Table aren't clear already, they soon will be.
Hulkling is Dorrek VIII, The King of Space
With the clock ticking, the Knights seek out their anticipated king in Teddy Altman of Earth. Explaining to him that he is the first 'royal' Hybrid (a descendant of the original Dorrek Supreme) in thousands of years, "Teddy-of-Earth" must take the test given to all eager or hesitant heirs. Noting that the empires have already attempted to recruit or destroy Teddy in an effort to erase any chance of their union, he doesn't have much to lose. And after being taken to a cosmic version of the sword in the stone trail, Teddy removes the Star-Sword without issue -- cuing the Knights of the Infinite to bow, convinced he is their prophesied king. The leader who will take up Excelsior proving himself to be Dorrek Supreme reincarnated -- and "bring love to a universe at war."
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Making the issue even harder to discern is just how friendly and warm the Knights of the Infinite appear to be, accepting Teddy as their fated leader, but allowing him the time and space to come to that decision alone. That time seems to have come, now that Teddy--sorry, Dorrek is coming in Empyre. But is he coming to save, to conquer, or to kill? Only time will tell if Teddy is as noble a king as he should be. Until the full first issue arrives, be sure to red the plot synopsis below.
Just last week, INCOMING #1 planted the seeds for the earth-shattering event of 2020, EMPYRE! In this spectacular one-shot, readers witnessed the Kree and the Skrull unite under a new Emperor and set course for Earth. With a massive war fleet approaching, the Avengers and Fantastic Four team up for 2020 in April’s EMPYRE but will their combined strength be enough to save the day? Rooted in stories spanning throughout Marvel’s 80-year history, the massive build up to this story will only be rivaled by the enormous impact it has on the future of the Marvel Universe!
EMPYRE #1 arrives this April 2020 from Marvel Comics.