Line #286 ComicBook/SecretEmpire


1	[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/secret_empire.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:300:[[{{Tagline}} United we stand.]]]]
3
4	''Secret Empire'' is the 2017 Creator/MarvelComics CrisisCrossover event, spinning off from the events of ''ComicBook/CaptainAmericaSteveRogers'' and ''ComicBook/CivilWarII''.
5
6	During the events of ''ComicBook/AvengersStandoff'', [[ComicBook/CaptainAmerica Steve Rogers]] had his youth and Super Soldier serum restored and, at the behest of the replacement Captain America [[ComicBook/CaptainAmericaSamWilson Sam Wilson]], returned to duty as the other Captain America. However, what no one knew was that the one who restored Captain America, the young humanoid Cosmic Cube Kobik, had actually transformed Steve into a sleeper agent of the terrorist organization [[Characters/MarvelComicsHydra Hydra]] via CosmicRetcon.
7
8	After the events of ''ComicBook/CivilWarII'', Maria Hill was removed as Director of ComicBook/{{SHIELD}} and Steve was installed as Director after Sharon Carter passed up the offer.
9
10	However, that was a '''VERY''' bad thing -- with Steve at the controls, he seeks to further his goals to rescue Hydra from itself and take over the world. Now the heroes, broken by the events of said Civil War, must unite to save the day. Can they stop this Hydra vs. Hydra civil war and save Steve Rogers from himself?
11
12	The main series was a ten-issue mini-series that started with an issue #0 in April, then continued on bi-monthly until August. There were multiple tie-ins involving, at the very least, ComicBook/XMen, ComicBook/SpiderMan, ComicBook/TheAvengers, ComicBook/{{Champions\|MarvelComics}}, ComicBook/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy, ComicBook/TheInhumans and ComicBook/TheDefenders.
13
14	[[folder:Titles Involved]]
15	!! Main Title
16	* Free Comic Book Day: ''Secret Empire''[=/=]''Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man''
17	* ''Secret Empire'' #0-10
18	!!Mini-Series
19	* ''Secret Empire: Brave New World'' #1-5.
20	!!One-Shots
21	* ''Secret Empire: Uprising''
22	* ''Secret Empire: Underground''
23	* ''Secret Empire: United''
24	* ''Secret Empire: Omega''[[labelnote:E]]This issue is part of the ''Aftermath'' epilogue.[[/labelnote]]
25	!!Tie-Ins
26	* ''[[ComicBook/TheAmazingSpiderManDanSlott The Amazing Spider Man]]'' #29-31
27	* ''ComicBook/{{The Avengers\|MarkWaid}}'' #9-11[[labelnote:E]]Last issue is part of the ''Aftermath'' epilogue.[[/labelnote]]
28	* ''ComicBook/CaptainAmericaSamWilson'' #22-24
29	* ''ComicBook/CaptainAmericaSteveRogers'' #16-19[[labelnote:P]]First issue is part of the ''Opening Salvo'' prologue.[[/labelnote]]
30	* ''[[ComicBook/CaptainAmerica Captain America: Volume 8]]'' #25
31	* ''ComicBook/{{Champions\|2016}}'' #10-11
32	* ''ComicBook/{{Deadpool}}'' #31-36 [[labelnote:E]] Last issue is part of the ''Aftermath'' epilogue.[[/labelnote]]
33	* ''ComicBook/DoctorStrange'' #21-24
34	* ''ComicBook/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy'' Annual #1
35	* ''[[ComicBook/CaptainMarvelMarvelComics The Mighty Captain Marvel]]'' #5-8
36	* ''ComicBook/OccupyAvengers'' #8-9 %%[[labelnote:F]]Last issue is the GrandFinale of the Occupy Avengers series.[[/labelnote]]I'm leaving this commented since I can't find a source.
37	* ''ComicBook/SecretWarriors'' #1-6[[labelnote:E]]Last issue is part of the ''Aftermath'' epilogue.[[/labelnote]]
38	* ''ComicBook/{{Thunderbolts}}'' #12[[labelnote:P]]This issue is part of the ''Opening Salvo'' prologue.[[/labelnote]]
39	* ''[[ComicBook/TheUltimates2015 The Ultimates Squared]]'' #7
40	* ''ComicBook/UncannyAvengers'' #24-25
41	* ''ComicBook/USAvengers'' #5-10[[labelnote:P]]First issue is part of the ''Opening Salvo'' prologue.[[/labelnote]][[labelnote:E]]Last issue is part of the ''Aftermath'' epilogue.[[/labelnote]]
42	* ''ComicBook/XMenBlue'' #7-9
43	* ''ComicBook/XMenGold'' #7-8
44	[[/folder]]
45
46	Directly following this event was ''ComicBook/GenerationsMarvelComics'', which led to a new rebranding for Marvel, known as ''ComicBook/MarvelLegacy''.
47
48	!!Examples of tropes in ''Secret Empire'' include:
49	[[foldercontrol]]
50
51	[[folder:#–D]]
52	* EleventhHourRanger: [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] pretty hilariously with Peter Parker. Due to having to deal with the Hydra-aligned Otto Octavious attempting a Hostile Takeover of Parker's Industries in his own series, Peter ends up the missing majority of the Event. He literally doesn't appear until the penultimate issue, asking what he's missed out on.
53	* AbortedArc: As part of the event a new version of the Kraken was introduced, his identity was supposed to be revealed but that never happened. According to WordOfGod, it may yet be shed light upon at a later date.
54	* ActionBomb: [[spoiler:A.I. Tony]] performs a HeroicSacrifice after [[spoiler:the resistance hideout caves in on him and Steve, hoping to kill them both by igniting a bomb. Due to Madame Hydra's intervention, it doesn't work.]]
55	* AffablyEvil: Inititally, Steve remains polite and friendly when talking to Sharon and Rick Jones. This changes over the course of the event, with him becoming increasingly unhinged and prone to ranting and self-pity.
56	* TheAlcoholic: Played With. As he's a hologram, and thus unable to consume alcohol, [[spoiler:A.I. Tony]] has recalibrated his behavioral modifiers to express his emotional response to their current situation. The rest of the resistance even calls him "The Drunk".
57	* AlienInvasion: Steve Rogers has the Chitauri invading Earth to further his Hydra cause.
58	* AnyoneCanDie: A considerable number of heroes bite the dust throughout the event.
59	* AreYouPonderingWhatImPondering: [[ComicBook/TheUnbelievableGwenpool Gwenpool]] attends a news program that underwent a Hydra HostileShowTakeover. The host asks "are you thinking what I'm thinking?", she goes "you know it"... and then she goes "[[Creator/HowardStern Baba booey!]]" for the camera as the host kicks the Hydra soldiers keeping the two hostage.
60	* ArtisticLicenseLaw: In ''Secret Empire: Omega'', Hydra Cap claims that any charges against him won't count against him as he was given power legally via the SHIELD Act and that he gave himself and any other living member of Hydra still around a pardon for their crimes. Not only is the legality of this ''incredibly'' questionable, there's also the fact that Hydra invaded various countries such as France and Wakanda, thus they're going to want his head on a platter as his "pardon" means jack all to them.
61	* BackForTheDead:
62	** [[spoiler:The original Secret Warriors return to be immediately killed off by the Wrecking Crew]] in issue #1 of the ''Secret Warriors'' tie-in.
63	** [[spoiler:Nighthawk bites it (out of costume!)]] in ''Occupy Avengers'' #8, resulting in [[spoiler:Deadly Nightshade, one of his supporting cast members from his cancelled book and a member of the Occupy Avengers, [[LegacyCharacter taking on his mantle]]]].
64	* BackFromTheDead:
65	** Zig-zagged with [[spoiler:Bruce Banner, who has been revived by Hydra to use the Hulk against the resistance, though Steve mentions it's only temporary. His body collapses, with him apparently dying again after one issue of rampaging -- and after Bruce refused to do Steve's bidding, but was overruled by the Hulk]].
66	** Gorgon is killed by Hercules in vengeance for his killing of Phobos, but is back to life in time for the final battle, presumably thanks to the Hand.
67	** Ares returns from the dead in ''US Avengers'' #7, years after his last appearance. Even Squirrel Girl acknowledged this when she first saw him back.
68	* BatmanGambit:
69	** In universe, Namor claims that he pulled one of these on Steve by giving him his cube shard [[spoiler:while successfully hiding Bucky from him]] -- but it's clearly more a case of IMeantToDoThat.
70	--->'''Namor:''' [...]I'm disappointed in you all. You truly believe the Monarch of Atlantis would bow to Hydra? That was merely a part of the game. Now I stand at the verge of my greatest victory -- [[AllAccordingToPlan just as I intended all along]].
71	** Sam pulls one with Hydra Cap in the final issue -- [[spoiler:he gets in close to Hydra Cap and pledges allegiance to Hydra, offering the last piece of the cube. However, it's a ruse so that Ant-Man and Winter Soldier can get to the Cube and grab Kobik and the other Steve]].
72	* BeautyIsNeverTarnished: Averted. Black Widow gets beaten up in issue #5 of the main series during an interrogation, and her face is still heavily bruised in issue #6.
73	* BerserkButton: Ultron-Hank totally snaps when Tony intentionally mentions [[OnceDoneNeverForgotten his infamous Jan incident]].
74	* BigBad: Steve Rogers, Supreme Leader of Hydra.
75	* BigBrotherInstinct:
76	** Quicksilver joins the group setting out to search for [[spoiler:the cosmic cube shards]] because it might help save Wanda. He does seem to get into it for the cause later on, though.
77	** A variation: Winter Soldier's final plan hinges on the idea that [[spoiler:Kobik will be able to transform herself back into her humanoid form once her shards are reunited. He's convinced that she is strong enough to withstand anyone who might want to control her during that time -- and he is right]].
78	* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler:Hydra Cap is defeated with the "real" Captain America back, but they are both still around -- and, as Stevil reminds Steve, a lot of people followed him willingly, and would likely do so again. Meanwhile, Kobik reversed the Hydra-fied history Hydra Cap tried to create in issue #10, but anything that happened during his reign, like the destruction of Las Vegas, and the deaths of Rick Jones and Black Widow, were left untouched -- though ''Secret Empire: Omega'' hints that Natasha somehow managed to stay alive, and is working as an assassin again.]] In addition, the Ultron/Hank Pym Hybrid is still residing in Alaska, building an army of Ultrons, and with [[spoiler:the fall of Hydra]], the treaty between Ultron/Pym and Hydra Cap would end as well, meaning that the Age of Ultron is inevitable.
79	* BlackShirt: Hydra's huge armies of fanatical minions. And the general population, who seemingly embrace Hydra's promises of security and stability with open arms.
80	* BookEnds: The story of Hydra's regime starts and ends with the [=MacAllister=] brothers, Brian and Jason, as well as Brian's teacher and his classmates, who caused Brian's arrest for being an Inhuman at the beginning, and help him clean up and repair his home by way of apology in the end. Likewise, Jason wanted a Steve Rogers/Captain America lunchbox at the start, and is last seen fighting with one of his classmates over a Captain America action figure of Sam Wilson.
81	* BondOneLiner: Maria Hill, after [[spoiler:[[BoomHeadshot killing]] [[LivingMacGuffin Blackout]]]] in issue #8.
82	-->'''Maria Hill:''' [[spoiler:[[CueTheSun Good morning, New York.]]]]
83	* BondVillainStupidity: Zemo's fondness for EvilGloating gets the better of him twice in issue #9: first he is [[JustBetweenYouAndMe too busy telling T'Challa]] about Hydra's secret [[SealedEvilInACan sleeper army]] to realize his guard robots are being electrified until he's tackled by the Winter Soldier, and then he's got so caught up in a WeMeetAgain moment with Bucky, that T'Challa can take him out easily while still handcuffed. Needless to say, the secret sleeper army doesn't get released, either.
84	* BrainwashedAndCrazy:
85	** Steve's key takeover of S.H.I.E.L.D. involves using Dr. Fastaus to brainwash S.H.I.E.L.D. members by the hundreds so they not only surrender but throw in with Hydra. Ironically, Sharon Carter assumes Fastaus must have done this to Steve, not grasping how he's behind all this.
86	** Faustus also does this for A.I.M. but Roberto [=DaCosta=] is ready by having prepped his followers with mental defenses created by Professor X. Sadly, Roberto has failed to realize several A.I.M. members (like long-time aide Larry) aren't brainwashed at all but truly believe in Hydra and soon start attacking from within.
87	** In issue #1, Scarlet Witch and Vision are shown to be part of the Avengers working under Hydra. The Free Comic Book Day issue reveals that they too were brainwashed -- in the midst of battle! [[spoiler:Issue #4 reveals that Scarlet Witch is actually possessed by the demon Chthon while Vision is infected by nanites.]]
88	** Averted in case of [[spoiler:Sharon Carter]], who is seemingly under Faustus' spell until it turns out that she was only playing along to poison his tea and use their mutual "session" to take down Hydra's fleet of warships.
89	* BreakTheHaughty:
90	** [[spoiler:Namor's reasoning for siding with Steve is because Steve got his Avengers to destroy an Atlantian temple with its priests inside after he tried to invoke this trope on Steve.]]
91	** Otto Octavius joined Hydra to regain control of Parker Industries. Instead, he watches helplessly as Peter destroys the company and, when he returns, he's only celebrated as "a glorious soldier".
92	* BrokenPedestal:
93	** Rick Jones, quite obviously, takes it the worst that Cap is now leading Hydra.
94	** Sam Wilson is right behind him as he realizes how Steve was behind so much of the backlash against Sam as Captain America to undermine his spirit before this attack.
95	* BuryYourGays: Avril Kincaid spends the entire event in a coma and then sacrifices herself to break the planetary shield in the finale. To add insult to injury, there is ''no acknowledgement whatsoever'' of this death in the main series; her death is memorialized only in the ''Captain Marvel'' tie-in issue, and she doesn't rate an acknowledgement among Rick Jones, Black Widow, and Las Vegas in the scenes of the fallen.
96	* CallBack:
97	** More than 70 years after Steve failed to save Bucky from Zemo's fateful rocket, Bucky manages to save Steve by grabbing Memory Steve's hand in the cosmic cube, thereby freeing both him and Kobik. He also helps Steve to free himself from a hostile takeover with the help of a cosmic cube, just like Steve did with him at the end of [[Creator/EdBrubaker Ed Brubaker's]] original Winter Soldier arc.
98	** During the ''Uncanny Avengers'' tie-in, one New Yorker compares the Darkforce situation to the events of ''ComicBook/Inferno1988''.
99	* CanonImmigrant: Issue #1 namedrops Malick Exchange. The Malick family with centuries-long ties to Hydra originated in the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse.
100	* ChekhovsGunman:
101	** Avril Kincaide, the new Quasar, is set up during ''ComicBook/CaptainAmericaSteveRogers'' as the only person who could likely break the planetary shield with a little more training. She is then taken out early during issue #0 by a living Chitauri ship, and first believed dead, but then found unconscious and severely injured in the exploded ship's wreckage. [[spoiler:She wakes up just in time for a combined action of all heroes to finally break through the shield in issue #8.]]
102	** [[spoiler:The Inhuman Brian [=McAllister=], who is given the EmbarrassingNickname "Barf", upchucks certain items when he can visualize them. First appears in issue #1, makes himself useful in ''Captain America'' #25.]]
103	* ChildrenForcedToKill: Black Widow takes this approach to training the Champions to assassinate Steve Rogers. [[spoiler:It's ultimately averted, when she does everything in her power to spare Spider-Man from having to kill Steve [[ComicBook/CivilWarII as Ulysses predicted]].]]
104	* CListFodder: Most characters who died during the event aren't big names. The biggest one of all is [[spoiler:Black Widow -- and ''Secret Empire:Omega'' hints that she may have faked her death]].
105	* CluelessAesop:
106	** The writer occasionally claims that Secret Empire is trying to tell a story about creeping fascism but the fact that everything in the story is ultimately at the whim of Kobik makes it hard for the message to hit home for many.
107	** Hydra Captain America's fascist actions being treated as AndThatsTerrible becomes so since both Iron Man and Captain Marvel in ''Civil War 1'' and ''2'' respectively, despite getting a TheReasonYouSuckSpeech (by Ultron/Pym himself) and regrets over their actions, were not given repercussions and were even supported by the public.
108	* ColonyDrop: Carol loads the ravaged Alpha Flight base with the Nullifier Bomb to take out the Shield around Earth. [[spoiler:It doesn't work.]]
109	* ContinuityNod:
110	** [[spoiler:Sam Wilson quitting the Captain America mantle shortly before this event has major parallels to the original Secret Empire storyline where Steve Rogers quit being Captain America and temporarily became Nomad following an encounter with the original Hydra splinter group.]]
111	** Sam approaching Steve in the final issue is done to mimic the same way Steve did to Thanos in ''ComicBook/TheInfinityGauntlet''.
112	** In the final [[spoiler:Good Steve vs. Evil Steve match, the latter sets off his armor's HandBlast ability directly into the former's shield, mimicking the famous image for ''ComicBook/CivilWar2006'', where Iron Man is in Evil Steve's position]].
113	* ContinuitySnarl:
114	** The various books indicate that the events are lasting for widely disparate lengths of time. e.g., The ''ComicBook/XMenGold'' tie-ins take place during the first day that Manhattan is trapped in the Darkforce Dimension, except for the very last page, which is stated to take place 'a few days later' and shows Manhattan having been freed from the Darkforce Dome. However, the ''ComicBook/DoctorStrange'' tie-in opens with Doctor Strange saying that the Dome has been up for multiple weeks while he's worked to assemble ingredients for a spell. And the main series indicates that months have passed, as [=HDYRA=] has had time to construct factories and massive public works projects as well as internment camps.
115	** A major plot point in the ''[[ComicBook/CaptainMarvelMarvelComics Mighty Captain Marvel]]'' tie-ins is that many people are trapped on the crumbling Alpha Flight satellite and could die if it breaks or the oxygen generators give out. But in the main series and the ''ComicBook/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy'' tie-in, it is shown that the Guardians still have a working spaceship which can take people to other planets, meaning it should be possible to evacuate the cadets and other non-combatants from the satellite.
116	** In issues #7 and #8, there is the focus of Miles Morales' potentially murdering Steve Rogers in front of the Capitol building, predicted by Ulysses. Miles is convinced [[BecauseDestinySaysSo that he MUST be there at the Capitol]] even after being locked up by Widow, so it doesn't matter what the password is; he will make it. Tony later claims that all the visions that Ulysses had, this one was the ONLY one that did not come to pass. Yet this is completely contradictory to Civil War II, where Tony pointed out that Ulysses' visions were NOT accurate and ultimately "guesswork", meaning that there was no guarantee of anything.
117	* CosmicRetcon:
118	** [[spoiler:Hydra Cap uses the power of the incomplete Cosmic Cube to rewrite history to match his view of Hydra. Of four newspaper pages shown, the Fantastic Four (with Reed replaced with Dr. Doom) and Peter Parker gained their powers as part of Hydra experiments, the Avengers were formed by Hydra, and the X-Men were never formed as Xavier and Magneto were both executed before their careers as superhero/supervillain leaders actually started.]]
119	** [[spoiler:Elisa Sinclair used a cosmic cube shard to influence Mjölnir's enchantment, changing it from only the most worthy being able to wield it to only the strongest being able to wield it for Hydra. Her hex does not work anymore when Hydra Cap and the "backup memory" of pre-Hydra Steve have their final showdown -- much to Hydra Cap's detriment.]]
120	* CoversAlwaysLie: The cover of issue #1 features, ComicBook/SpiderMan, ComicBook/OldManLogan, ComicBook/{{Thor\|2014}}, ComicBook/{{Storm\|MarvelComics}}, [[ComicBook/MsMarvel2014 Ms. Marvel]], [[ComicBook/FantasticFour Human Torch]], [[ComicBook/TheInhumans Medusa]], and ComicBook/RocketRaccoon despite none of them actually showing up.
121	* CurbStompBattle:
122	** [[spoiler:Once Steve accidentally kills Natasha in issue #7, Miles beats him in the span of one page, starting off by shattering his shield in one blow, and culminating in him [[ExtremeMeleeRevenge punching him repeatedly in the face]] until his costume's knuckles tear and he is only kept from murdering Cap by [[ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice impaling him on a rocky spike]] through his own decision.]]
123	** Zig-zagged in the final issue. [[spoiler:The PoweredArmor-wearing Hydra Cap easily defeats the unified heroes, but once the heroic Steve shows up, he gets beat down, especially with help by Mjolnir.]]
124	* DarkestHour: For the Marvel Universe.
125	* DeconReconSwitch: Of the LighterAndSofter archetype that Marvel's been ignoring around since ''ComicBook/AvengersDisassembled''. On the side of {{Deconstruction}}, we have the following: one Captain America has quit and the other has revealed himself to be a villain who has taken over the continental United States. Many of the powerhouses have been locked away, leading to a RagtagBandOfMisfits to save the day. The Black Widow has decided to take a bunch of {{Wide Eyed Idealist}}s and transform them into {{Tykebomb}}s for the sole purpose of killing Steve Rogers. And, throughout it all, everyone has called out ''everything'' that has lead them to this point. Pymtron has called out Tony and Steve over their wars and scheming and the Champions have called out Natasha over her desire to turn them into murderers. Sam has spent his entire part of the story being chewed out for pulling a RageQuit on everyone. And when the going gets tough, everyone breaks down, leading into the {{reconstruction}}. Clint feels that the Hulk deserves to kill him for what he did to him (and by extension for all of the heroic infighting in general) and is talked down and given back hope, both Tony and Carol admit that they screwed up with the Civil Wars, Natasha realizes that turning the kids into murderers isn't the way to go, Sam ultimately returns to take up the shield one last time to give everyone hope and Steve finally breaks down and becomes the comic book supervillain he should be in these kinds of stories. Long story short, ''Secret Empire'' piles on so much DarkerAndEdgier that everyone is forced to realize that they shouldn't be heading in this direction and pushes back.
126	-->'''Issue #6 {{Narrat\|or}}ion:''' This is the story of how we fell for the last time. The moment we were broken. Overrun. We gazed upon the devastation -- [[SelfInflictedHell and we found in it ourselves]]. [[JerkassRealization We saw everything we'd done to cause it.]] [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone How had we managed to fall so far?]] How had we managed to sink so low? Had we lost our way? Why did we do this to ourselves? Why did we do this to each other? [[DarkestHour And so we closed our eyes, and prepared for judgment.]] [[SillyRabbitCynicismIsForLosers But not all of us. Some of us still knew how to be heroes.]] And in that moment of reprieve -- we began to remember. Began to remember how to stand again. Remembered the evil we stood against. [[WeHelpTheHelpless Remembered who we fought for.]]
127	* DeconstructedCharacterArchetype:
128	** Of the BigGood, TheCape and the LegacyCharacter -- Steve Rogers has always been the moral compass for the Marvel Universe, to the point where Sam Wilson always found himself under Steve's shadow even when Steve gave him his blessing. This bled into the normal citizens, who criticized Sam at every turn because he "wasn't Steve", thus, when Sam quit and they got back Steve, they ended up with a Steve Rogers who was seeking to take control of the world with a fascist army. The Marvel heroes who have always used Steve as a moral compass have found themselves lost and uncertain and the citizens who have taken Steve at face value now find themselves regretting such a thing when he comes after them because they're criminals, Inhuman or mutant.
129	** A key showcase is when Phil Coulson figures out beforehand Steve is Hydra and is hunted by Deadpool.
130	--->'''Coulson:''' You're on the wrong side!\
131	'''Deadpool:''' Ask yourself: Has anybody ever said that about Captain America--and been right?
132	** The story also deconstructs LetsYouAndHimFight and TeethClenchedTeamwork. Many of the recent events -- ''ComicBook/{{AXIS}}'', ''ComicBook/SecretWars2015'' and ''ComicBook/CivilWarII'' specifically -- have been nothing but heroes headbutting each other over ideologies that do nothing but divide the heroes further and further because everyone has to nurse a bruised ego in some way. Cap takes major advantage of this divide and splits everyone up, trapping them either outside the Earth or inside the Darkforce Dimension dome covering Manhattan, leaving only a bunch of B-listers left to try to stop Steve and get him back to normal. It gets to the point where Ultron-Hank is so fed up over the fighting that Ultron doesn't want to destroy humanity right now because the heroes will do it for him!
133	--->'''Ultron-Hank:''' ''Enough!!!'' Listen to yourselves -- this constant bickering and battling, always at each other's throats... it's all you ever ''[[TakeThat do]]'' anymore! What's ''happened'' to you?! Where did it all go so ''wrong?!'' You know, it's just ''exhausting'' -- and in this form, I can't even ''[[BeyondTheImpossible be]]'' exhausted! I go through all this trouble to bring us back together, and you just -- you just -- do you want to know ''why'' Ultron built this city? Why he didn't come after you yet again? It's because he didn't ''have'' to. It's because he looked at you and your ''[[ComicBook/CivilWarII war]]'', Tony, and you and your ''scheming'', Steve -- and he realized he wouldn't have to destroy ''anything'' -- because ''you'' were already doing it for him.
134	* DemonicPossession:
135	** Doctor Voodoo's body is briefly taken over by a "shadow parasite" during the ''Uncanny Avengers'' tie-in.
136	** The state of Scarlet Witch throughout most of the series.
137	* DiabolusExNihilo: Kriggoroth, a giant monster who briefly appears in issue #1, demanding that the humans allow him to sate his hunger by devouring them. Where he came from is left unknown, although he mentions that he once made that same demand from the humans' forefathers.
138	* DismantledMacGuffin: The Cosmic Cube fragments. Hawkeye assembles a strike force of Ant-Man, Hercules, Mockingbird, and Quicksilver to find them with the hope of returning Steve to himself. Meanwhile, Steve sends out Helmut Zemo to collect the shards for Hydra. This leads to conflict with those who found the shards -- [[spoiler:T'Challa, Namor, Ultron, Emma Frost and Sauron]] -- throughout the event.
139	* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything:
140	** Cap's Hydra is specifically targeting Inhumans for roundup to new "Indefinite Detention" centers throughout the United States.
141	** One of the ''Sam Wilson'' tie-ins shows a group of working-class citizens saying that they don't mind living under Hydra, that all the negative coverage of Hydra from the media can't be trusted, so they're fine with living in in a fascist dictatorship headed by the one man they feel they ''can'' trust: Captain America. Plus, Hydra continues to create jobs and boost the economy, so they are better off this way. Many have noted this seems like a blatant (if somewhat exaggerated) take on the early 2017 political discourse in America.
142	* DownerBeginning: Starts off with Steve finally enacting his plan. He orchestrates a Chitauri alien invasion where most of the cosmic heroes lead by Captain Marvel go to fight them while on the ground level, Baron Zemo's start running amuck through Manhattan forcing the Defenders to engage them. All the while the Iron Men are trying to get the shield over the planet up. It's here Steve shows his full colors and has Hydra take over S.H.I.E.L.D. He manually activates the force field over the planet, cutting off those in space and leaving them at the mercy of the Chitauri second wave and activates a black dome over Manhattan, isolating the city before finally announcing Hydra's takeover. The story then goes a few months later with most of the U.S under Hydra's control, the heroes on the ground scattered with small pockets of resistance groups doing what they can and the off-planet heroes still stranded in space.
143	* TheDragon: Helmut Zemo, to Steve Rogers. Steve believes they've been [[VillainousFriendship best friends from childhood]].
144	* DynamicEntry: Wilson Fisk crashes his limousine into a monster to save Strange, Spider-Woman and Ben Urich in ''Doctor Strange'' #21.
145	[[/folder]]
146	[[folder:E–M]]
147	* EatenAlive: In issue #0, Quasar is rather quickly and unceremoniously swallowed by a Chitauri Leviathan (dragon). All the characters believe she's dead, especially since the ''ComicBook/USAvengers'' tie-in reveals that the dragon exploded only moments later. [[spoiler:In issue #3, it turns out that she's not NotQuiteDead: Alpha Flight retrieved her severely injured, and she is still in a coma by issue #7, only to come out of it just in time to destroy the Shield in issue #8.]]
148	* EmbarrassingNickname: Brian "Barf" [=McAllister=], nicknamed thus for his unique Inhuman powers -- he can replicate objects under certain conditions, by visualizing them and then puking them up.
149	* EnigmaticMinion: In ''Secret Empire: Brave New World'', one of Namor's SpearCarrier guards seems to be this. [[spoiler:It turns out he's really Bucky in disguise.]]
150	* EvenEvilHasStandards:
151	** [[spoiler:Despite everything Steve's done to get to this point, he's initially not keen on the entire authoritarian push Zemo and the other villains want, preferring to settle people in slowly. This changes over the course of the event, as the constant deaths and continued pressure cause him to grow increasingly unstable.]]
152	** In ''Secret Empire: Uprising'' the Freelancers agreed to work with Hydra because the pay was good, but they're visibly uncomfortable with Hydra's ideology and even [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness stop some Hydra Youth from bullying another kid]].
153	** Played for BlackComedy in the ''Doctor Strange'' tie-in when [[spoiler:Baron Mordo occupies the Sanctum Sanctorum. His attempts to raid the fridge pit him against Stephen's Jason Aaron-era dietary requirements (the magically hostile food). Mordo's more than a little incensed that his old rival couldn't even invest in a mini-fridge to store the half-and-half or beer]].
154	* EvilCannotComprehendGood:
155	** A constant theme is Steve unable to understand why people are no longer willing to follow him because he's Hydra. He keeps Sharon Carter free as he's convinced she'll stand with him given their love and truly shocked when she tries to kill him as no longer the man she fell in love with. All the way until the end, Steve still keeps thinking what he's doing is right and can't grasp why his former allies are so against him.
156	** In the "Omega" special, a talk between [[spoiler:the real Cap and Hydra Steve shows that Hydra Steve ''still'' believes in the "false history" Kobik gave him and insists that he was in the right and the real Cap should understand that]].
157	** When Peter destroys Parker Industries, Otto flips out at it:
158	-->'''Otto:''' '''''[[BigNo NO!]]''''' '''What are you doing?!''' What ''idiot'' would destroy a global empire to keep it out of my hands?! Who could be that unbelievably ''petty''?!\
159	'''Peter:''' Wrong question, Doc. Ask yourself... ...what man would sacrifice all he has for a ''just cause''?\
160	'''Otto:''' '''''[[SayMyName PARKER!]]'''''
161	* EvilCounterpart: [[spoiler:Hydra Cap becomes this to Original Steve in the end, thanks to the official explanation that he was simply an EvilKnockoff who had taken Captain America's place. Somewhat of an EvilTwin or EnemyWithout, in that he is Steve Rogers as well, just without the original's compassion and mindfulness of people's right to be free.]]
162	* EvilMeScaresMe: [[spoiler:Hydra Cap is the normal Steve Rogers' worst nightmare, according to the narration for [[FinalBattle issue #10]]. This is confirmed in the aftermath issue, ''Omega'', though here, Normal Steve purposefully confronts his evil self.]]
163	* EvolvingCredits: The covers to the main ''Secret Empire'' saga transform the logo, having Cap's shield evolve into a Hydra-themed version, only for it to shatter and reveal the classic circular shield.
164	* ExplainExplainOhCrap: In the initial takeover, Riri and A.I. Tony barely escape S.H.I.E.L.D. as Hydra takes over. They fly off, Tony saying they need to call reinforcements.
165	-->'''Riri:''' Everyone who is active was either up in space with Carol or in...\
166	'''Tony:''' New York.
167	* FakingTheDead:
168	** [[spoiler:After Zemo's rocket didn't kill him, Bucky got fished out of the Atlantic by Namor, who hid him as one of his guards until the time was right to spring him on Hydra Cap.]]
169	** [[spoiler:''Secret Empire: Omega'' hints that Natasha did this, and is now back at work as an assassin.]]
170	* FantasticRacism: Hydra towards the Mutants and Inhumans. Bizarrely, this seems to outright take the place of their usual racism, despite that before Steve Rogers took over a significant portion of Hydra was explicitly white supremacists.
171	* AFoolAndHisNewMoneyAreSoonParted: Peter is ultimately forced to destroy Parker Industries and everything connected to it to deny the Superior Octopus his win.
172	* FromACertainPointOfView: When Sally Floyd introduces Steve Rogers in their first interview since the takeover, the first thing he does is correct her -- he didn't take over the United States, the President gave him full power and he went from there.
173	* GondorCallsForAid:
174	** Carol Danvers sends out a distress call to the rest of the Marvel Universe asking for someone, anyone to help them stop the Chitauri invasion and take back the Earth from Steve Rogers.
175	** By the time issue #3 rolls around, Peter Quill is sent to ask for help from the Shi'ar, Skrulls and the Kree. Their emissaries only lament the fact that the shield is up, preventing ''them'' from conquering the Earth instead of the Chitauri. Quill is forced to run for his life back to Carol and the others.
176	* GrandFinale: Of Nick Spencer's dual ''Captain America'' runs.
177	* GreatOffscreenWar: Between issues #0 and #1, there was a civil war of sorts against Hydra that Hydra won.
178	* HeelFaceDoorSlam: Deadpool gets this in a brutal fashion. [[spoiler:It's revealed in his tie-in issues that after having a last-minute change of heart, Wade was the person to leak the information to Maria Hill about Blackout controlling the dome surrounding New York. Maria Hill takes the information he gives her... only to trap him under a collapsed building for days so that he won't get out and help in the final battle. By the time he finally gets out, the battle is already over and no one knows about Wade's contribution [[ComicBook/SecretInvasion2008 once again]].]]
179	* HeelFaceTurn: [[spoiler:Odinson realizes that he's making a mistake in issue #6, just in time to save the resistance and the people they are protecting from certain death.]]
180	* HeroicBSOD:
181	** The revelation of Steve being Hydra and that he basically manipulated Sam Wilson to give up being Captain America has caused the Falcon to basically be on his own, not willing to take part in any resistance. It takes Misty Knight giving him a literal wake-up call for him to help.
182	** [[spoiler:Clint Barton suffers one in issue #6 after he sees the Hulk return from the dead. Thinking Steve was right for accusing the heroes of being weak (especially after he broke his [[ThouShallNotKill no-killing rule]] by offing Bruce Banner), he was about to let himself get killed. It took a save and a pep talk by Mockingbird to snap him out of it, pointing out that maybe they ''do'' deserve what is happening to them for their [[YoYoPlotPoint years of constant]] LetsYouAndHimFight amongst the heroes, but the ''civilians'' that he hopes to save don't. Ironic, as the same issue drove the two apart years ago.]]
183	* HeroicSacrifice:
184	** [[spoiler:Initially seemingly played straight, but ultimately averted in AI Tony's case: at the end of issue #6, he blows himself up, [[TakingYouWithMe hoping to kill Steve in the process]]. However, in Captain America #25, it turns out he had a backup copy.]]
185	** [[spoiler:In issue #7, Natasha jumps between Steve and Miles when it looks like Steve might kill Miles, and gets fatally hit by Steve's shield.]]
186	* HesBack:
187	** Played with: [[spoiler:Tony Stark is only present as an A.I., while the actual one still lies in a coma. However, issue #6 identifies the A.I. as having Tony's transferred consciousness, so it ''is'' his mind, just not his body.]]
188	** [[spoiler:The end sees the return of the true Steve Rogers, who defeats his Hydra counterpart.]]
189	* HeWhoFightsMonsters: When Nadia Pym and Amadeus Cho infiltrate [[spoiler:Hydra's Youth Choir]] in ''Secret Empire: Uprising'', Amadeus is especially hesitant to "blend in" -- but he ends up [[spoiler:looking away when another recruit is bullied, and then ratting out Nadia to be able to stay on mission as a double agent]].
190	* HoistByHisOwnPetard:
191	** Maria Hill discovers a video of Cap working for Hydra and sends it to Rick Jones. But after all the massive crap Hill has pulled over the years, Rick is naturally dubious and when Cap calls to say Hill is trying to trap him, Rick believes Cap which leads to his capture.
192	** Spider-Man (Peter Parker) attempts to attack Superior Octopus using all of his technology at Parker Industries' headquarters. However, Otto boasts that all of the tech Peter had was stuff ''he'' built when he first started the company and instantly turns it all on Spidey.
193	* HopeSpot: Issue #8 triple-downs this with Sam Wilson trying to get a Cosmic Cube shard airborne, Dr. Strange having to give up his Sanctum Santorrum for a special spell to break the Darkforce Dimension barrier and Rocket Raccoon giving up a Nullifier Bomb to try and break through the shield. [[spoiler:Sam is shot down, the spell doesn't work and the bomb doesn't affect the shield.]] Subverted when [[spoiler:Quasar obliterates it shortly after, Maria Hill dispels the Darkforce barrier by killing Blackout, and Sam survives thanks to the Cosmic Cube shard he's holding onto.]]
194	* {{Hypocrite}}: Superior Octopus claims that Peter Parker is self-deluded, selfish, petty and spiteful, all faults he himself possesses (due to his own belief that he will use Parker Industries to make the world better, and has no problem humiliating Parker and targeting his employees in the process).
195	* IHaveYourWife:
196	** In issue #5, it turns out that [[spoiler:Odinson is fighting for Hydra because they claim to be the only ones able to bring Jane Foster back. However, his trust in Steve begins to waver when he is tasked with something he considers beyond horrifying]].
197	** Similarly, issue #6 shows that Scott Lang is TheMole working for Hydra because Hydra has captured his daughter Cassandra.
198	* ILied: Emma Frost gives up her Cosmic Cube shard with the intent of keeping Hydra away from New Tian, as per treaties. However, Steve tells her that he's going to invade New Tian anyway since he planned on that from the start. [[TheDogBitesBack Emma responds by letting Magneto wreck Steve's flagship.]]
199	* IRejectYourReality: In the "Omega" special, [[spoiler:Hydra Cap reveals that he still believes the history of Kobik's invention was the "true" one and can't accept that it was just a lie she created]].
200	* IfYouKillHimYouWillBeJustLikeHim:
201	** In ''Occupy Avengers'', the new Nighthawk is told not to kill the Hydra soldiers because she'll go down that path. She throws is back, claiming that it's war and if they aren't stopped here and now, more will just come.
202	** After [[spoiler:Steve has accidentally killed Natasha, Miles is ready to take him out, but Nadia implores him to reconsider, since it would negatively affect him for the rest of his life -- something that Natasha wanted to spare him from specifically]].
203	* InformedAbility: The invading Chitauri force is repeatedly noted to be greater in power than the ComicBook/{{Annihilation}} Wave. This is a baffling claim, as at all points onscreen, the Chitauri seem to be just small waves of {{Mooks}} that are easily dealt with. Compare that to the Annihilation Wave, which decimated whole galaxies, reduced the Nova Corps to a single man within hours of starting its invasion, [[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu pummeled Heralds of Galactus to the brink of death]], and posed an existential threat to the ''[[OmnicidalManiac universe]]'', and it just looks even more absurd.
204	* IronicEcho: p
205	** ''Sam Wilson'' #24 and ''Steve Rogers'' #19 play themselves in reverse -- Sam Wilson is convinced to become Captain America once more and dons the uniform while Steve realizes he's lost everyone and ditches his uniform for his Hydra uniform.
206	** In ''Avengers Standoff'', Steve chastised Maria Hill for trying to easily fix the problems of supervillain containment by altering reality. After his past has been rewritten by Kobik, he now tries this himself in ''Secret Empire'', believing that everything will be alright again once he has "restored" the reality in which Hydra would have won the war.
207	* ItsAllMyFault: Issue #6 and issue #7 have [[spoiler:A.I. Tony]] and Carol Danvers respectively blame themselves for what's going on. [[spoiler:A.I. Tony]] tells Steve that he screwed up because he wanted to be like Steve and make his mark on the world and all he does is keep screwing up. Carol tells the comatose Quasar almost the same exact thing -- that she played right into Steve's hands because, like Tony, [[IJustWantToBeSpecial she wanted to be loved by everyone, too]].
208	* JerkassBall: ''Secret Warriors'' #3 shoves the ball into the hands of most of the Inhumans cast save Kamala and every last X-Man showing up as Daisy, Inferno, Lunella, Karnak and anyone with an X-Gene acts like petulant children with Kamala being the OnlySaneMan that's being pushed to her limits as the two sides are busy sniping each other. Bonus points go to Daisy, who shoots down the Blackbird after being mocked over her powers by Rictor, Inferno, who complains about how much he hates the X-Men every other page, and the Beast, who acts like he's going to wet himself if the Inhumans stay any longer.
209	* LaResistance: Led by Hawkeye (Clint Barton), Black Widow, and [[spoiler:an A.I. version of Tony Stark.]]
210	* LetsYouAndHimFight:
211	** Averted. After the numerous hero vs. hero fights since ''ComicBook/CivilWar2006'', ''Secret Empire'' is a more straightforward superhero story.
212	** Also invoked by [[spoiler:Ultron]]: They are happy to sit back and let the different human groups erase each other, [[TakeThat since it's all they seem to do anymore anyway]].
213	* LockedOutOfTheLoop:
214	** As usual, not ''every'' title will be involved in the event.
215	** Invoked literally with [[spoiler:Captain Marvel, the Ultimates, and The Guardians of the Galaxy]]. Steve identifies them as the greatest threats to his rule and locks them on the other side of the Earth's impenetrable shield.
216	* MirrorMatch: The final fight is a one-on-one brawl between the real Captain America and Hydra Supreme. Both men Steve Rogers but one extolling his real values and the other a corrupt perversion.
217	* TheMole:
218	** Amadeus Cho infiltrates... [[spoiler:the Hydra Youth Choir]].
219	** In issue #4, Steve reveals that [[spoiler:he has a mole in Sam Wilson's resistance group]]. In issue #5, this turns out to be [[spoiler:Mockingbird -- except in issue #6, it turns out she isn't a mole, but working with Maria Hill to keep her from bombing the resistance. The actual mole turns out to be Scott Lang, whose [[IHaveYourWife daughter Cassie]] has been kidnapped by Hydra]].
220	* MoleInCharge: Steve is leading S.H.I.E.L.D. as Director and the heroes against the simultaneous attacks by the Chitauri and Hydra, while secretly leading the Hydra attacks as Supreme Leader.
221	* MythologyGag: [[spoiler:The appearance of the Red Skull memory is similar to that of his ''ComicBook/UltimateMarvel'' counterpart.]]
222	* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: Namor ends up realizing what he's done to his subjects by the time his storyline in ''Brave New World'' is over and realizes he's made a very grievous error in judgment.
223	[[/folder]]
224
225	[[folder:N–R]]
226	* ANaziByAnyOtherName: Hydra-fied US is mainly a generic totalitarian regime, with strict regulations for the population, persecution and imprisonment of dissenters and unwanted groups, and an aggressive, hostile stance against foreign states. However, despite Hydra Cap's [[KlingonPromotion decisive removal of Red Skull]] and his hatred for Skull's politics, a lot of Nazis remain with Hydra and the Hydra council -- among them Sin, Crossbones, Zola, Faustus, and Gorgon.
227	* NeckSnap: A variation: [[spoiler:When Natasha throws herself between Cap and Spider-Man to keep Miles from getting killed, Steve hits her with his shield and breaks her neck.]]
228	* NoOneCouldSurviveThat: After [[spoiler:Moon Girl (and Devil Dinosaur)]] crashes with Hyde's helicarrier, Quake states a variety of this in Secret Warriors #5, convinced they will only be able to recover their body. [[spoiler:Of course she turns out to be fine later on]].
229	* NotInThisForYourRevolution: Pietro Maximoff is part of the Tony Stark [=AI's=] cosmic cube recovery team, but he explicitly says he doesn't really care about the mission and only wants to save his sister.
230	* NotSoDifferentRemark: In ''Captain America Steve Rogers 19'' Sharon points out to Steve that despite his insistence he really is no better than Red Skull.
231	* OnceDoneNeverForgotten: After Ultron-Hank ([[NotBrainwashed mostly Hank]]) delivers a TheReasonYouSuckSpeech to the assembled heroes due to their recent obsession with LetsYouAndHimFight, [[spoiler:A.I. Tony]] snidely brings up the time he hit Janet. Ultron-Hank snaps and delivers a vicious beatdown, all the while ranting that after all his other accomplishments, triumphs and attempts to redeem himself, it's not fair that he is constantly derided and dismissed for one mistake he made in his past while the other heroes constantly screw up in much more destructive fashions only to be EasilyForgiven.
232	-->'''Hank:''' '''''[[BerserkButton How dare you?!]]''''' ''I'' discovered Pym particles. ''I'' took artificial intelligence to the next level. ''I'' founded the ComicBook/AvengersAcademy! What have ''you'' ever done?! ''You'' were a ''lout'' and a ''cretin'' who made his fortune [[ArmsDealer selling weapons to]] ''[[ArmsDealer murderers]]''. Your arrogance started ''[[ComicBook/CivilWar2006 two]]'' [[ComicBook/CivilWarII wars]] -- your [[ComicBook/SecretInvasion2008 incompetence]] put ''[[Characters/MarvelComicsNormanOsborn Norman Osborn]]'' [[ComicBook/DarkReign in power]]! And you try to lecture ''me''?! Every day I had to hold [[Characters/MarvelComicsUltron this monster inside me]] at bay -- do you understand what he would ''do'' if I let him loose? He would [[KillAllHumans incinerate the flesh of every man, woman, and child on Earth]] and ''laugh'' about it! [[WhatYouAreInTheDark Every day I live with this, and I save the world a hundred times over!]] But I made ''one'' mistake -- '''one mistake'''! ''Years'' ago! And it's all any of you will ever remember me for -- all you ever say about me! You think I can't hear the whispers?! The way you ''look'' at me when I walk into the room?
233	* OffingTheOffspring:
234	** Mr. Hyde seems to go back and forth on wanting to kill Daisy in Secret Warriors #4. [[spoiler:He finally settles on yes, but she manages to escape, anyway.]]
235	* OpportunisticBastard: Under the Dark Dimension dome in New York, Kingpin is [[VillainWithGoodPublicity publicly aiding]] the citizens seemingly asking nothing in return except they remember he was the one providing for them.
236	* OppressiveStatesOfAmerica: Hydra-ruled America is a standard version of this trope.
237	* OutGambitted: After Steve has Zemo destroy one of the temples in Atlantis, Namor meekly hands over the Cosmic Cube shard he had been hiding. Little does Steve know [[spoiler:that Namor is also hiding the Winter Soldier]].
238	* PlayingBothSides: [[spoiler:Ultron]] and Hydra have agreed mutually not to attack each other; nonetheless, [[spoiler:he offers his cosmic cube shard to Scott Lang and the resistance]] and keeps Steve from following them. When Steve angrily demands an explanation, [[spoiler:Ultron explains that he is waiting for humanity to eradicate itself, which means he has to keep their powers balanced. From his point of view, Hydra was getting too powerful, so he gave the resistance an advantage]].
239	* PoweredArmor: [[spoiler:At the end of issue #9, Steve comes out with a suit of armor powered by the nearly complete Cosmic Cube.]]
240	* PyrrhicVictory: Spider-Man is able to defeat the Superior Octopus, but had to effectively destroy Parker Industries to do so.
241	* PurpleProse: The narration in each issue, which can be summed up more shortly as: we had grown arrogant, therefore we failed. However, we regained hope. However, now something unexpected and awful has happened so we've lost hope again.
242	* TakeAThirdOption: T'Challa refuses to [[spoiler:give up his Cosmic Cube shard to either Hydra or the resistance]]. When A.I. Tony tries to appeal to his conscience and points out that this might save Steve, T'Challa suggests the resistance hand over [[spoiler:their shards to him instead. This is not a bad idea, given what happens later]].
243	* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech:
244	** [[spoiler:Steve gives one to Carol before locking her and the other space-bound heroes out of the Earth, mocking her for wanting to rush the barrier into use.]]
245	** In ''Captain America: Steve Rogers'' #17, Steve gives one to journalists for been biased in their reporting instead of actually telling ''the truth'' that nobody trusts them anymore and then one to people who think that posting complaints on Platform/{{Twitter\|X}} will actually do anything.
246	** Ultron-Hank ''really'' tears into both Steve and [[spoiler:Tony]] for their constant arguing and fighting. He even says that Ultron really doesn't want to destroy humanity because ''the heroes will do it themselves.''
247	** A tie-in issue has Doctor Octopus tearing Spider-Man apart by pointing out Parker Industries only exists because Ock created it while in Peter's body. He further reveals that when Ock was stuck in the Living Brain, he was secretly manipulating markets to favor the company and make it successful.
248	--->'''Doctor Octopus:''' Don't tell me you credited that to your "business acumen."
249	** Ares gives a brief one to Hydra as a whole in the form of a Hydra mook he kills in Paris in U.S.Avengers #7:
250	--->'''Ares:''' Because you were ''weak'', you worshipped strength over love. You worshipped ''me.'' Am I not what you wanted?
251	** Sharon Carter gives Steve Rogers one in ''Captain America: Steve Rogers #19'', comparing him to Red Skull -- whom even Hydra Cap still despises:
252	--->'''Sharon:''' He would be proud of you, you know. The Red Skull.[...] You wear that costume like you're somehow this great leader, when all you do is alienate, divide and persecute the people who need you -- exactly the way he did. You think you're different, but you're not! Look at you! You can dress this up any way you want, but Steve... you are still a fascist. Just like him.
253	** Hydra Steve gives one of these to the normal Steve in ''Omega''. It goes back and forth, though.
254	* {{Retcon}}: A minor one, in accordance with ComicBookTime. When Sally Floyd originally interviewed Steve Rogers during ''ComicBook/CivilWar2006'', she asked him what Platform/MySpace was. This story briefly revisits that moment in a flashback, but probably because of how [=MySpace's=] popularity in the real world petered out, she asks about Platform/{{Twitter\|X}} instead.
255	* RedHerring: [[spoiler:Nearly all members of A.I. Tony's cosmic cube search team get spotlighted as the possible mole, until it turns out to be Scott Lang of all people.]]
256	* ReformedButRejected: Deadpool is hit with this hard in the second to last issue of his tie-ins as Maria Hill drops a parking deck on him just in case his information about where Blackout was was a trap. When he digs out, its three days later, Hydra is defeated and he misses out on his chance to prove that he's reformed.
257	* RepressiveButEfficient: Hydra likes to present this image after their takeover, with state-sponsored propaganda touting the economic benefits of Hydra rule. Whether this is actually the case is up for debate.
258	* TheReveal:
259	** [[spoiler:As seen in the prologue, Steve believes the Allies used a Cosmic Cube to rewrite history and help them win the war, and that his memories of being an enemy of Hydra were part of that rewrite. He also believes that Kobik recovered his true memories of his past as a loyal Hydra member, instead of turning him into one in the first place.]]
260	** [[spoiler:In ''Captain America'' #25, it turns out that Bucky Barnes, who was thought dead by both Hydra and [[ReportsOfMyDeathWereGreatlyExaggerated the resistance]] -- and [[NeverFoundTheBody people who had never read a comic before]] -- after Zemo seemingly blew him up in ''ComicBook/CaptainAmericaSteveRogers'' #16, is still very much alive and hiding with Namor.]]
261	** [[spoiler:Issue #9 reveals that the other Steve Rogers is actually a memory of Steve inside Kobik's mind, but she can't (or won't) put him back because a mysterious person is "too scary". Issue #10 reveals that the mysterious person is Hydra Cap.]]
262	* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething:
263	** Baron Zemo, who is TheDragon to Steve Rogers, tends to be very hands-on when it comes to doing his Supreme Leader's bidding.
264	** T'Challa joins his forces to fight off Hydra's attempts to invade Wakanda, and even invites Steve to come over and [[DuelToTheDeath settle the situation between the two of them]].
265	[[/folder]]
266
267	[[folder:S–Z]]
268	* SacrificialLion: [[spoiler:Rick Jones gets executed for passing on Hydra secrets and refusing to give up the recipient.]]
269	* SayingTooMuch: Sally Floyd is allowed to interview Cap after his takeover under the condition that she doesn't mention the Las Vegas bombing. When Cap starts to back her into a corner with comments about modern news outlets being more interested in fulfilling political agendas instead of actually telling the truth, [[spoiler:Sally loses her temper and blurts out what happened in Vegas, giving Cap enough reason to throw her in a cell.]]
270	* SealedArmyInACan: After promising them the greatest reward and using them to subdue first Manhattan and then most of the superheroes in battle, Hydra deals with most of their C-List villain minions by putting them into stasis, using drugs to make them more "compliant". Zemo is supposed to release them on the heroes in issue #9, but fails thanks to his penchant for EvilGloating.
271	* SequelHook:
272	** ''Omega'' ends with one of [[spoiler:the guards assigned to Hydra Cap]] whispering "Hail Hydra'' into [[spoiler:his]] ear as [[spoiler:Hydra Cap]] smiles.
273	** Feeling remorseful over siding with Hydra Cap, the Punisher goes on to hunt down Hydra cells. This gets the attention of Nick Fury, Jr.
274	** After witnessing the assassination of a general formerly allied with Hydra, Bucky realizes that [[spoiler:Black Widow might still be alive.]]
275	* ShaggyDogStory: [[spoiler:Deadpool's quest to be a hero, which really kicked off over in ''ComicBook/{{AXIS}}'' comes crashing in with this event -- thanks to a WrongGenreSavvy moment, Deadpool joins Hydra, thinking it's the right thing, only to realize that he's probably made a poor decision and try to do well again, only to have Maria Hill pull a HeelFaceDoorSlam on him and bury him under a parking deck. By the time he gets out, the day is saved and he's missed his chance.]]
276	* ShutUpHannibal: In issue #6, Hydra-Cap gives a long speech to [[spoiler:Bruce Banner]] about why he should join Hydra and take revenge on people who betrayed him. He refuses [[spoiler:(though Hulk agrees)]], but his response to Steve is pretty good.
277	-->'''[[spoiler:Bruce Banner]]:''' Yeah... I'm gonna give that a hard pass. I feel like the guy who came out of the ice and found out the world just got dumber while he was frozen. You're damn right I'm angry about what they did to me. What they keep doing to me. And if I see them, yeah, there will be some words. But then again... [[ANaziByAnyOtherName you're Hydra]]. Maybe that became fashionable when I was out. But last I checked, you're the evil fascist totalitarian bad guys. And me? Well, sure, maybe it always ends with me getting fired and them trying to kill me... But I'm still an Avenger, dammit. And if that's a problem? Then you can just go ahead and put me back in whatever box you pulled me out of. Because honestly, it's been a very long time since I've slept that well.
278	* ShutUpKirk: ''Captain America Steve Rogers'' #17 has one by Hydra-Cap to Floyd calling him out on his massacre in Vegas and a {{Retcon}}. [[spoiler:Captain America shows Sally Floyd point-blank why social media awareness is immaterial to the erosion of civil liberties by locking her up and asking Twitter to complain about it.]]
279	* SixthRanger: Due to the fact that Kamala, Scott and Sam are stuck in their own storylines and away from their teammates, Ironheart, Falcon, Wasp, and the new Patriot become this to the Champions.
280	* SmugSnake: Kriggoroth. He demands that the people allow him to devour them, and laughs at Hydra Cap's ultimatum to leave or die. Then Hydra Cap unleashes the Hydra Avengers on him. A quick CurbStompBattle ensues, with Kriggoroth begging for mercy before being killed.
281	* SpannerInTheWorks:
282	** Selvig's love for Kobik outweighs his loyalty to Hydra, and he spirits her shards away to keep Zemo from turning her back into a mindless cube. He then [[BoomHeadshot kills himself]].
283	** [[spoiler:Rick Jones]] manages to discover computer files detailing Selvig's work and succeeds in sending it to the resistance before he is apprehended.
284	* StatusQuoIsGod: The U.S. was taken over by Hydra for an undefined but significant period of time. It's generally expected that people will remember this approximately as often as they remember [[ComicBook/TheCrossing the time Kang brainwashed Iron Man]] or [[ComicBook/TheKangDynasty took over and nuked Washington D.C.]]. Las Vegas is still destroyed, but will apparently be rebuilt in record time judging by ''Ben Reilly: Scarlet Spider'' -- though all her citizens who were killed are still dead. While C-List characters who died appear to remain dead for now -- as does the temporarily revived [[spoiler:Bruce Banner]] -- [[spoiler:Black Widow]] is hinted to be alive within the pages of ''Secret Empire: Omega.'' And while the changed version of Steve Rogers remains in custody, a good, unaltered Steve Rogers is also back.
285	* SupermanStaysOutOfGotham:
286	** The US is under Hydra command, should anyone step in and stop them? Nope. No one is willing to step up to save the day and those who could, such as Namor and Magneto, have been effectively taken out by pledging neutrality to Steve. In ''Captain America: Steve Rogers'', Steve tries to invoke this trope by telling the United Nations that if they try to attack or suppress Hydra, he'll kick out everyone from that nation in the US and revoke all sorts of aid to their countries.
287	** As chronicled in [[ComicBook/TheUnbeatableSquirrelGirl her own book]], Squirrel Girl was saving the Savage Land from Ultron during the event, and stated that she would only get involved if the other heroes needed her.
288	* TakeThatAudience: ''ComicBook/NotBrandEchh'' #14's SelfParody of Secret Empire, written by Nick Spencer, comes across as this when it mocks its critics with racial caricatures. In fact, all the self-deprecating comedy beats based on the criticisms of Secret Empire would be funnier if Nick Spencer and Axel Alonso had not insulted people making those very same criticisms at the time the event was going on.
289	* TakeThatMe: ''ComicBook/NotBrandEchh'' #14's parody has Spencer admitting what a mess the event had become as well as a jab at his previous event ''ComicBook/AvengersStandoff''. Granted, as mentioned above, it's somewhat lessened by his jabs at the critics as well.
290	* TenMinuteRetirement: Sam Wilson resumes his Falcon identity after getting fed up with the U.S. and dumping the Captain America identity. Then, he returns to his Captain America identity near the end.
291	* ThisIsReality: In ''Uncanny Avengers #25'': After Rogue had teamed up with villains, Shocker and Scorpia to defeat some of the Darkforce creatures, Rogue reminds them that she is still taking them in for attempting to rob a bank earlier, causing this exchange.
292	-->'''Scorpia:''' Seriously? I thought this was the part where we team up 'cause we risked our lives for each other and stuff.\
293	'''Rogue:''' Honey, that only happens in comic books.
294	* ThisIsSomethingHesGotToDoHimself: {{Justified\|Trope}} in issue #10. [[spoiler:When Bucky is thinking of intervening in the battle between the two Steves, Sam Wilson keeps him back, since the worlds needs to see a good Steve Rogers face down evil, not a collection of heroes destroy a tyrannical Steve Rogers. The former would be a step to restore faith in heroes, whereas the latter would only further public apathy about the LetsYouAndHimFight dynamics.]]
295	* TooDumbToLive: The civilians of the Marvel Universe are given this treatment in the end, as Hydra Steve notes that [[spoiler:technically speaking, [[ManipulativeBastard everything he did was legal]]... and part of the SHIELD Act had given him the power to pardon ''anyone'', himself included, so he had done so for [[KarmaHoudini all of his crimes from before the act had come into effect]]]].
296	-->'''Hydra Steve:''' [[spoiler:You people keep talking like I came to power by force. I didn't. You ''gave'' it to me. Your Congress passed the S.H.I.E.L.D. Act -- the law that said, in the event of an emergency, the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. could take absolute control of the country, if you asked them to. And you did. I happened to be the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. at the time. Now, that wasn't a job that I ''campaigned'' for, or sought. I was ''asked'' to do it. They asked ''me'' because they couldn't find anyone else that could be trusted. That's how [[FlockOfWolves mired in corruption and incompetence]] that organization has become. I didn't build the Planetary Defense Shield. Maria Hill and Carol Danvers did. I didn't cause [[ComicBook/AvengersStandoff the mess in Pleasant Hill]]. Or allow the Red Skull's perverted version of Hydra to recruit so many, so easily. And whatever I may have done in violation of any laws leading up to that -- well, that SHIELD Act authority you gave me included the power of pardon. I made sure to use that for myself and everyone in Hydra. That still stands. I didn't ''create'' any of these conditions. ''You'' did -- your warped and twisted ideology -- that venerates fear and weakness above all else. You might blame me for ''exploiting'' it -- but everything I did, I did with your consent. Your ''encouragement'', even.]]
297	* TortureAlwaysWorks: Black Widow and Karnak separately employ torture, which is portrayed as highly effective but morally wrong (as opposed to RealLife, where TortureIsIneffective and ''also'' morally wrong) and offends the morals of the younger and more idealistic heroes they work with.
298	* TraumaCongaLine: The events of ''Secret Empire'' serve as this to [[GooGooGodlike Kobik]], the [[{{Tykebomb}} very being]] responsible for creating [[EvilCounterpart Hydra Supreme Steve Rogers]] in the deluded belief that Hydra is the best thing for the world. Seeing the results of her handiwork and the sheer malevolence of her own version of Steve Rogers has ''finally'' opened her eyes to [[BrokenPedestal what Hydra truly stood for]]. As a result, she recreates the [[TheParagon original Steve Rogers]] and helps to end Hydra's rule over the United States of America. The experience has [[CharacterDevelopment allowed Kobik to mature somewhat]], as she resolves to never support fascism again.
299	* TrivialTitle: Steve Roger's Hydra-controlled America is neither secret nor an empire, and in fact nobody calls it that in the text. The in-universe villain group using that name was last seen in an issue of ''ComicBook/USAvengers'' attempting to destroy Hollywood with a flying volcano. On the other hand, the last major Secret Empire story involving Captain America from the 1970s also involving a trusted authority figure being revealed as the leader of an evil organization, [[spoiler:with both villain reveals leading to a temporarily retired and disillusioned Captain America, both stories featuring attempts by villains to slander and demonize heroes, and both stories using Washington, D.C. as the setting for the climax]].
300	* {{Tyrannicide}}:
301	** Attempted on Steve by [[spoiler:A.I. Tony, Natasha, and Sharon]], but averted for various reasons.
302	** Also attempted on Namor by his own people with alarming regularity in the 'Brave New World' mini-series.
303	* UnexplainedRecovery: InUniverse, Squirrel Girl is confused as to how Ares is still alive, seeing as the last time she heard about him was when the Sentry tore him in half during ''ComicBook/{{Siege}}''. This is because no one realized he was revived during ''ComicBook/ContestOfChampions2015''.
304	* VillainousBreakdown: Hydra Cap falls into one after Kobik undoes his changes to the world and restores the true Steve Rogers. He's reduced to pathetically raving that he is the true Captain America and the other is nothing but a lie. When he fails to lift Mjolnir, he freezes in horror at the realization he was never worthy right before Real Cap bashes his face in.
305	* VillainHasAPoint:
306	** You know things have gotten bad when Pymtron, [[FusionDance the combination]] of Hank Pym's mental instability and [[Characters/MarvelComicsUltron Ultron]]'s evil, is the voice of reason. At one point he makes both sides sit down and tears into them [[WhatTheHellHero for their constant fights among themselves and blindly following whichever member tries to fix everything this month, no matter how many times it backfires and how at this rate he doesn't need to destroy the world because they will do it for him]].
307	--->'''Steve Rogers:''' Ultron, I happen to agree with you, but Hydra is going to change all of that, bring an end to all this weakness and corruption...\
308	'''Pymtron:''' Oh, of course, it will, Steve, of course... Just like Tony's grand plans for [[ComicBook/CivilWar2006 superhuman registration]] made everything so much better. Or perhaps you mean like when Wanda here [[ComicBook/HouseOfM tried to fix everything]]? That got a bit messy as I recall... You always have such big ideas for solving all the world's problems. Funny then, how you just keep making everything worse.
309	** When Spider-Man defends himself on how "Parker Industries is mine", Doctor Octopus scoffs that the only reason Peter even ''has'' a business is that Ock started it when he was in Peter's body.
310	* VillainProtagonist: Steve Rogers, though it's obviously [[NotHimself complicated]].
311	* WhamLine: At the very end of #2, a mysterious man saves a woman from the Serpent Society. Then he drops this bombshell:
312	-->''[[spoiler:"My name is Steve Rogers. I'm just trying to get home."]]''
313	* WhamShot: One per issue.
314	** Free Comic Book Day issue: [[spoiler:Rogers is able to wield Thor's hammer.]]
315	** Issue #1: [[spoiler:Rogers has his air force blow up Las Vegas and kill a great many people.]]
316	** Issue #2: [[spoiler:A woman is saved from the Serpent Society by... Steve Rogers?!]]
317	** Issue #3: [[spoiler:The Punisher is revealed to be part of Hydra.]]
318	** Issue #4: [[spoiler:Rogers reveals he has a spy in the Underground.]]
319	** Issue #5: [[spoiler:Bruce Banner is alive.]]
320	** Issue #6: [[spoiler:Elisa Sinclair sacrifices herself to save Rogers.]]
321	** Issue #7: [[spoiler:Sam Wilson has taken up the mantle of Captain America again.]]
322	** Issue #8: [[spoiler:Namor shows up to reveal that he had only pretended to give in to Hydra, while secretly hiding their greatest enemy all this time -- Bucky Barnes. As well, the other Steve encounters the missing Kobik.]]
323	** Issue #9: [[spoiler:Just as the heroes all come together to finally crush Hydra, Steve Rogers steps into the fray -- decked in a Hydra-colored, Cosmic Cube-powered Iron Man armor. Meanwhile, the other Steve sees what became of him in the waking world, and despairs.]]
324	* WhatHappenedToTheMouse:
325	** It is not explained what happens to [[spoiler:Bruce Banner]]'s corpse after [[spoiler:Zola's temporary resurrection effect wears off]].
326	** Ultron/Hank is forgotten about after issue #4.
327	* WhatTheHellHero:
328	** In ''Thunderbolts'' #11, Kobik decides to make Bucky part of her "secret Hydra club" by altering his past. He isn't exactly overjoyed about this, naturally, and yells at her for turning Steve into a bad guy and lying to himself, even though he protected her.
329	** In ''Captain America: Sam Wilson'' #22, Misty Knight tears into Sam for quitting as Cap, then turning around asking for help. She even calls him out for his plan due to the fact that she's insistent he's going to RageQuit just like he did as Cap.
330	** In issue #4, Ultron/Hank (primarily Hank) calls out all the heroes present on their constant infighting and ideological squabbles instead of, you know, actually doing hero stuff, wondering where it all went wrong. When A.I. Tony retorts that their bonds started to erode the moment Hank hit Janet, a OnceDoneNeverForgotten, Hank furiously calls them, and especially Tony, out on how, even though he's saved countless lives and made numerous scientific breakthroughs, all the other heroes ever remember him for is that ''one'' mistake he made while in the middle of a mental breakdown.
331	** In ''Captain America: Sam Wilson'' #24, not only does Misty tear into Sam again because he's still refusing to don the costume of Captain America, but the new Patriot calls him out for quitting in the first place, claiming that his little protest was completely stupid and that all Sam cared about was trying to get people to like him.
332	* WildGooseChase: In ''All-New Guardians of the Galaxy'' Annual #1, the Guardians are trying to hunt down a special device that could break the barrier enveloping the Earth, temporarily releasing Yondu from jail to do so. However, it turns out it was all for naught -- the device had already been stripped for parts beforehand, Gamora burnt it out in a BigDamnHeroes moment and, even if they ''did'' fix it, it would only affect a 20-meter radius for half a second, leading Rocket to growl out that it was a "flarking wild Krutak chase!"
333	* WithUsOrAgainstUs: Steve attempts to force the nations to bow down to Hydra in ''Steve Rogers'' #17 through blackmail but ends up getting humiliated when T'Challa shows up and tells Steve that he's stopped three attacks on Wakandian soil by Hydra, effectively telling him to drop dead. He eventually gets arrested, but that doesn't last.
334	* WolverinePublicity: Spider-Man is prominently displayed on the cover of #1 and on a lot of promotional materials despite apparently not having a big part in the actual event, with his only appearance in the event proper being a nonspeaking cameo in #0 and a few panels of the FCBD issue, He doesn't even appear in the main title until issue #9.
335	* WrongGenreSavvy:
336	** The resistance initially believed that Hydra Cap was an [[EvilTwin evil clone]], or that he had been [[BrainwashedAndCrazy hypnotized]] by Doctor Faustus. Missions they undertook in hopes of exposing or saving him proved that they were ''very'' wrong, resulting in numerous casualties.
337	** Deadpool's reasons (other than loyalty) for following Steve fall under this. Steve has ''always'' been proven correct when heroes fight and Wade notes that people calling Steve wrong have never been right.
338	** Namor suffers this as well. He believes that his people will accept that staying out of Hydra's way is the best thing and that those going against him need to be punished. However, when he tries to execute his cousin for the rebellion, he's overwhelmed by his very subjects, angry at him.
339	* YouAreInCommandNow: [[spoiler:How Steve Rogers attains absolute power. The Secretary of Defense and the President of the United States cede control of all Federal personnel up to and including the U.S. Military to Steve in the face of an unchecked Chitauri invasion, a Hydra invasion of a nuclear-armed Sokovia, and the failure of the planetwide shield meant to protect Earth from said alien invasion. The Secretary and President go into hiding and expect Steve to clean everything up for them. When Sally Floyd mentions that he took over America, he corrects her by saying that he took over nothing -- they gave him the power, so he stepped right on in.]]
340	* YourTerroristsAreOurFreedomFighters: Said almost word-for-word by [[spoiler:Maria Hill]], when Natasha confronts them about fighting Hydra without concern for civilian casualties. [[spoiler:Hill]] also fires back that Natasha has no reason to be complacent or judgmental, due to training young heroes like the Champions as double agents.
341	[[/folder]]

Context ComicBook / SecretEmpire