The Earth finds itself slap-bang in the middle of the war between two alien races – the empirical Kree and the shapeshifting Skrulls. It’s a war that’s gone on for millennia, give or take. Whoever claims the Earth first will likely win the war. The Kree – being the master tacticians they are – figure it’s best to end the potential threat of the Avengers first.
At the same time, the Inhumans consider moving out of seclusion and into human society. But they’re about to find society aren’t ready for them. Or is it the other way around?
‘The Kree-Skrull War’ influences a great number of later events in the Marvel Universe, most notably SECRET INVASION. While it’s considered a classic, it’s very much a product of its time and can be a tough read for modern audiences. And those out-of-character Magneto appearances have to be seen to be believed…!
Related Events: Most collected editions of the Kree-Skrull War only include the Avengers issues. The Inhumans stories from Amazing Adventures impact the ‘Kree-Skrull War’, but aren’t required reading.
Must Reads: Story arcs marked with a ✔are must-read stories from this time period, along with any key related stories and often-forgotten tales that are worth a read.
Anthology Issues: When an issue contains multiple stories, the relevant story is denoted with square brackets. For example [2/5] refers to the second story of the five stories in that issue, so you don’t need to read the other four.
Previous events the directly impact this story:
- THE COMING OF CAPTAIN MARVEL (1967-1968) – Introducing the Kree, the origin of the Inhumans
Want to keep it simple? Here’s the chronological reading order without story descriptions, or spoilers:
- Avengers #89-91
- Amazing Adventures #5 [1/2] (tie-in)
- Amazing Adventures #6 [1/2] (tie-in)
- Amazing Adventures #7 [1/2] (tie-in)
- Amazing Adventures #8 [1/2] (tie-in)
- Avengers #92
- Amazing Adventures #9 (tie-in)
- Amazing Adventures #10 [1/2] (tie-in)
- Avengers #93-97
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| Title & Issue Number | Synopsis & First Appearances |
| Avengers #89 | The Avengers try to free Captain Marvel (the Kree hero Mar-Vell) from his space-swapping bond with Rick Jones. Instead, they accidentally release Annihilus from the Negative Zone. In Kree space, Ronan the Accuser subdues the Supreme Intelligence, takes over the empire and sends out the order to attack Earth. |
| Avengers #90 | Choosing to take put the weakened Mar-Vell first, Ronan sends a Kree Sentry to take him prisoner him while he recovers from his fight with Annihilus. The Avengers follow the Sentry and discover Ronan’s Arctic base, as well as his plan to devolve humanity into apes. His first victim is Yellowjacket… |
| Avengers #91 | Ronan manipulates Goliath (Clint Barton) into attacking his Avengers teammates. The team are overwhelmed, but Ronan has to abandon his plan when receives news that the Skrulls have invaded Kree space. When Ronan leaves, Goliath regains control of himself, Yellowjacket (Hank Pym) reverts to human form and the Avengers free Captain Marvel. |
| Amazing Adventures #5 [1/2] (tie-in) | Black Bolt heads to San Francisco to see if it’s an appropriate place for the Inhumans to relocate to and try to integrate with human society. He watches a band of thieves strike a child, Joey, who they planned to use for a break and enter and silently takes down the kid’s attackers. Back in the Inhumans’ hidden home Attilan, Karnak and Gorgon release Maximus the Mad from stasis, only to learn his imprisonment was due to the activation of his Inhuman mind-control powers. He’s now powerful enough to make Black Bolt forget his own identity, despite being miles away… |
| Amazing Adventures #6 [1/2] (tie-in) | Unaware he’s a King or even an Inhuman, Black Bolt tries to speak and destroys a ship. He and Joey go on the run. Meanwhile, Maximus takes over Attilan and forces Medusa, Triton, Karnak and Gorgon to flee the hidden city… |
| Title & Issue Number | Synopsis & First Appearances |
| Amazing Adventures #7 [1/2] (tie-in) | Black Bolt and Joey are taken prisoner by cyborg black activist, Lionel Dibbs. Medusa, Karnak and Gorgon make it to San Francisco where they see that Dibbs is threatening to use Black Bolt to destroy decrepit apartments from his neighbourhood if the mayor doesn’t give black people better homes… |
| Amazing Adventures #8 [1/2] (tie-in) | Dibbs starts shooting up the neighbourhood with his tank. The Inhumans step up to stop him, but Thor arrives to defend Dibbs who he recognises as a terminal cancer patient treated by Dr Donald Blake. Thor talks Dibbs down and ‘Black Bolt’ is revealed to be human criminal Roscoe who’s killed by Thor’s lightning. Elsewhere, Joey and the amnesiac Black Bolt escape Dibbs’ men… |
| Avengers #92 | The Avengers come under scrutiny from politician H Warren Craddock when he’s made head of the Alien Activities Commission. The Avengers send Captain Marvel into hiding with Carol Danvers. Craddock incites hatred against the team and protestors trash Avengers Mansion. Captain America, Iron Man and Thor – the well-respected ‘big three’ Avengers – return to the mansion and order the team to disband. |
| Amazing Adventures #9 (tie-in) | Black Bolt and Joey are captured by Magneto (who recently escaped incarceration using yoga) as part of his plan to harness his incredible vocal power. Medusa, Karnak and Gorgon follow Magneto’s strange mutates to his lair, but are quickly defeated by him. |
| Amazing Adventures #10 [1/2] (tie-in) | Magneto uses his Universe Machine to create a gigantic mutate who telepathically subverts Black Bolt’s will. Magneto, Black Bolt and the giant mutate break into a government research installation where Black Bolt completes his mission for Magneto by turning a standard dial which lowers a cylinder containing fire from the sun. Black Bolt regains control of himself and kills the large mutate. He’s reunited with the Inhumans, but Magneto escapes with the cylinder. |
| Title & Issue Number | Synopsis & First Appearances |
| Avengers #93 | Captain America, Iron Man and Thor arrive at Avengers Mansion to find it trashed and with no Avengers present. The Vision enters the building and collapses, so the group call on Hank Pym to shrink down and go inside the inert synthezoid. As Ant-Man, Pym learns that the current Avengers line-up was disbanded by Skrulls disguised as the ‘big three’. The real big three get the rest of the team back together and locate the hidden Skrull base, facing off against Skrulls disguised as the Fantastic Four. The Super-Skrull escapes with Captain Marvel, Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver as his prisoners. |
| Avengers #94 | The Vision pursues the Skrull ship while the remaining Avengers are arrested by Mandroids sent by H Warren Craddock. The Super-Skrull stops off to destroy the Inhumans (originally Kree genetic experiments created to use against the Skrulls). When his attack is deflected by the Attilan’s defences, the Super-Skrull heads back to the Skrull homeworld where Mar-Vell is coerced into building an Omni-Wave Projector. |
| Avengers #95 | The Avengers defeat the Mandroids and are called to San Francisco by Triton. They recover Black Bolt and use his powers to break down the Hidden City’s defences, then kick Maximus off the throne after driving him insane. Now Black Bolt rules once again. During the commotion, Rick Jones is captured by the Kree. |
| Avengers #96 | The Avengers arrive in Skrull space just as Captain Marvel breaks free using the Omni-Wave Projector. The Vision almost beats a Skrull pilot to death in order to learn their plans for Earth and to save the Scarlet Witch. Rick Jones is being held on the Kree homeworld Hala where he’s locked up with the Supreme Intelligence. The Intelligence opens a portal, sending Rick into the Negative Zone where he comes face-to-face with Annihilus. |
| Avengers #97 | Rick Jones fires a force-bolt from his mind to deflect Annihilus. Returning through the portal, the Supreme Intelligence explains humanity’s full potential has been unlocked. Rick uses his new powers to create versions of Golden Age superheroes to fight Ronan and the Kree. He uses up his powers to freeze the Kree and Skrull armies in stasis, ending the war but seemingly ending the life of Captain Marvel. Rick and the Avengers return to Earth. |
| Must Reads | Issue & Fallout | Event / Crossover |
| Marvel: Shadow & Light #1 (1997) Captain Marvel fights for his life against Annihilus, Blastaar and the Red Ghost while trapped in the Negative Zone. | ||
| ✔ | New Avengers: The Illuminati #1 (2007) Iron Man and the newly-formed Illuminati attack the Skrull homeworld in retaliation for the events of the Kree-Skrull War. | |
| Avengers Forever #1-12 (1998-1999) Goliath (Clint Barton) returns to his Hawkeye identity just before being pulled out of the timestream to fight Immortus. | ||
| ✔ | Avengers #98 (1972) Hawkeye returns to the Avengers. | |
| ✔ | Captain Marvel #22 (1972) Rick Jones learns Captain Marvel is alive, renewing their bond. | |
| Fantastic Four #131 (1973) Maximus regains much of his sanity. | ||
| Captain Marvel #25 (1973) The Super-Skrull returns with new allegiances. | THE THANOS WAR | |
| Giant-Size Avengers #4 (1975) The Vision marries the Scarlet Witch. | THE CELESTIAL MADONNA SAGA | |
| Captain Marvel #41 (1975) Ronan the Accuser is back under the Supreme Intelligence’s control. | ||
| ✔ | Captain Marvel #50 (1977) Captain Marvel and Rick Jones are freed from their bond. | |
| ✔ | What If #20 (1980) Uatu the Watcher reveals an alternate reality (Earth-804) in which Rick Jones dies before he gets a chance to save the universe. | |
| ✔ | X-Men #137 (1980) Kree representative Bel-Dann and Skrull representative Raksor are sent to the Blue Area of the Moon to observe the final fight of the Phoenix, but miss it when they focus their aggression on each other. | |
| ✔ | Fantastic Four #257 (1983) The Skrull homeworld is devoured by Galactus; the victims include Princess Anelle and Dorrek VII. | ANNIHILATION GAMBIT THE TRIAL OF REED RICHARDS |
| ✔ | Fantastic Four Annual #18 (1985) After many months of fighting, Uatu the Watcher intervenes between Bel-Dann and Raksor and plays a trick on them both that results in peace between the Kree and the Skrulls. | |
| ✔ | Silver Surfer #5-6 (1987) The Kree-Skrull War kicks off again. | WAR OF THE ELDERS OF THE UNIVERSE |
| ✔ | Silver Surfer #29-31 (1989) The renewed Kree-Skrull War comes to an unexpected end. | THE KREE-SKRULL WAR II |
| ✔ | Avengers Annual #18 (1989) Moondragon unlocks a fraction of Rick Jones’ mental powers again to help the Avengers defeat the invading Atlantean armies. | ATLANTIS ATTACKS |
| Inhumans Special #1 (1990) The Trikon are revealed to be three Alpha Primitives who were encouraged to expose themselves to the Terrigen Mists by Maximus, evolving into raw energy and rebelling against the Inhumans. | ||
| Quasar #14-15 (1990) The fate of Joey is unrevealed, but the Trikon can be seen on the Stranger‘s lab world. | ||
| ✔ | Captain America #398 (1992) The Kree go to war against the Shi’ar (having been manipulated by the Skrulls). | OPERATION: GALACTIC STORM |
| ✔ | Avengers Forever #1-12 (1998-2000) Rick Jones’ latent abilities (dubbed the ‘Destiny Force’) are unlocked again; Rick is bonded to Mar-Vell’s son, Genis. | |
| ✔ | Young Avengers #11 (2006) Hulkling learns he was conceived by the Kree Captain Marvel and the Skrull Princess Anelle while Mar-Vell was held prisoner by the Skrulls, making him a Kree-Skrull hybrid. | |
| ✔ | Secret Invasion #1 (2008) After a subtly manipulating Earth’s heroes for months, the Skrulls begin an invasion of Earth. New Avengers #40 (2008) A flashback tale reveals Dorrek VII preparing to infiltrate the heroes of Earth immediately after the Kree-Skrull War. New Avengers #44 (2008) A flashback tale reveals that the Skrulls cloned Mister Fantastic to learn how to avoid detection. | SECRET INVASION |
| Captain America Reborn #3 (2009) It’s revealed that while Captain America’s consciousness is misplaced in time, he manages to give a message to the Vision during the Kree-Skrull War that helps his allies rescue him in the future. | CAPTAIN AMERICA REBORN | |
| Inhuman #2 (2014) The Inhumans build New Attilan in the Hudson River, New York, after a vast number of previously undiscovered Inhumans are revealed. | INHUMANITY ALL-NEW MARVEL NOW! | |
| ✔ | Incoming #1 (2020) Hulkling accepts his role in the prophecy that a Kree-Skrull hybrid will unify the two warring races, creating the Kree-Skrull Alliance, taking the title Dorrek VIII. | THE ROAD TO EMPYRE |
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