The Avengers Face Full Scale “Infiltration” [Review]

In the newest episode of The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes!, the Skrulls begin their full scale infiltration of Wakanda…  Click “More” to read our review!

S2, Episode 11: Infiltration

A damaged Skrull ship crash lands in Wakanda. When Ms. Marvel investigates, the Avengers step out of the ship and tell stories of how they were attacked immediately upon returning from Asgard. They convince Ms. Marvel they are the real Avengers and when they run into the Black Panther, the one who came out of the spaceship labels him a Skrull and things deteriorate quickly. Meanwhile, Tony Stark is met by Doctor Doom. Doom offers Stark a device that will reveal the Skrulls’ true forms. Elsewhere, Nick Fury figures out that Captain America is the Skrull inside the Avengers. In Wakanda, the real Avengers show up and take on the Skrull versions of themselves. When “thor” is knocked out of the sky, Carol discovers that these Avengers are not who they say they are. The real Avengers ultimately defeat the imposters, but back in the States, it’s time for Mockingbird to reveal her true self and deal with Nick Fury and Tony Stark.

And here we are, the Skrull invasion has finally taken place. We’ve been waiting for over a year to get to this point and, I’ll definitely say, we shouldn’t be disappointed with how this played out. There’s good action in Wakanda with the Skrully Avengers up against the real Black Panther with Ms. Marvel stuck in the middle. The moment she figures out that she’s been played is handled very well. I really think it plays well to Carol Danvers’ personality as well. She’s a strong female character and never wants to appear weak. The Skrulls taking her for a ride and making her believe they were the real deal, only to be revealed that they are not, hits Carol in her more deeper fears that she’ll be considered or come off as weak. It was a well handled moment that the writers did a very good job with. It’s subtle, but actually powerful at the same time.

You might think using words like subtle and powerful in a review of a show targeting kids is a little silly, but the truth is, the show works on levels that can be enjoyed by anyone of any age. It’s a fairly classic Marvel mindset that they don’t have to entirely cater to one demographic. They can appeal to everyone and that’s exactly how I feel they’ve been able to make this series such a big hit. There’s action for kids. The Wasp is spunky and quirky which could easily appeal to younger girls. The stories are deep and have a connectivity to other episodes which appeal to more mature audiences.

That brings me to the best part of this episode, and that’s the tension. Here I am, a 35 year old guy watching a cartoon and I, too, am starting to doubt everything I’ve seen before when the Skrully Avengers come off that wrecked spaceship. Like Carol, I’m wanting to believe them, but that’s what makes this story so solidly written. Look, Secret Invasion was always a great idea. The idea of heroes already coming out of Civil War with some hard feelings toward other heroes and friends only to find out that some of them are aliens too? That’s some good drama. Say what you will about how it played out in comics, but the way this particular episode played out, it captured that original idea of how paranoia can strike friends and heroes and turn the world upside down. Even Fury is acting like a strange hermit as he is trying to sort out who’s who and what’s what.

This story that began way back after Madame Viper was revealed to be a Skrull has built nicely. It’s been fun to watch Captain America and point out the things he likely wouldn’t say or do as a nod to the viewers who know he’s been replaced. It can be frustrating watching a story expand over time or get pushed to the backseat while something else is going on. Patience is a jerk when things are done well, but the feeling’s been right and this story has turned into something worthy of what that whole idea of the paranoia and ill feelings and whatnot should be. In other words, the story is so far proving very worth the wait.

Tags: Comic Book TV Slider The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes!