The seemingly never-ending war between the Kree and Skrulls has actually ended, but surprisingly it might not be time for the universe to celebrate just yet. Marvel has been teasing EMPYRE for a while, which features Hulkling finally accepting his role as king and uniting the two races. However, the Avengers and the Fantastic Four don’t see this as a good turn of events, setting the stage has been set for a massive war between this new Kree/Skrull army and two of Marvel’s mightiest teams.

Teddy Altman, better known to fans as Hulkling, was once a member of the Young Avengers. Long story short, Hulkling discovered that he was actually half-Kree and half-Skrull. There was also a prophecy, that he was to become the literal King of Space and unite the two races. That’s a lot of pressure to put on anyone. Still, the events leading up to the massive EMPYRE series seems to imply that Teddy has done just that. He now rules both the united races as Dorrek VIII, but despite his tenure as a Young Avenger, the heroes of the Marvel Universe seem to have a lot to fear. In EMPYRE, Dorrek VIII is leading his forces in an assault on the Earth.

All of this sets the stage for another incredible twist Marvel is planning for issue 3 of the series. An Avenger whom many thought was gone forever is going to return. Who could it be?

We know that in the pages of Avengers, the Starbrand has returned. But the barer of the Starbrand is a baby, so unless something crazy happens (like rapid aging) then we doubt this is who Marvel plans on bringing back. The list of Avengers who have died or gone missing is a long one, so make your best guesses now! The other big question we still don’t have an answer to is what made Hulkling switch? Why did he agree to become King and why is forcing Earth’s Mightiest Heroes and Marvel’s First Family to defend the planet? More importantly, can the world’s greatest superheroes even out up a fight against the collective power of both the Kree and the Skrulls? Writers Al Ewing and Dan Slott are promising something “Earth-Shattering,” and with incredible art by Valerio Chiti we can’t wait to get our hands on these books.

  • “EMPYRE #3 (of 6) Written by AL EWING & DAN SLOTT Art by VALERIO SCHITI Cover by JIM CHEUNG The tag-team action comes home! Wakanda is the battleground – as the Avengers and the FF unite to prevent a Vibranium-powered threat to all life as we know it! A long-lost Avenger returns to active duty – but will that be enough to turn the tide? And in space, interstellar intrigue threatens the fragile Kree/Skrull alliance…and the repercussions might just doom planet Earth!”

More: Marvel’s Fantastic Four and Avengers Team-Up To Begin Huge EMPYRE Event