In a move that still has fans and detractors of Marvel’s Secret Empire scratching their heads, the company decided to spoil the conclusion of their huge event to the New York Times.
Admittedly, I have not been a fan of Secret Empire. I found the story plodding, the heroes tediously useless from one moment to the next and Steve Rogers to be annoyingly childish throughout. The one thing that I could expect though was that whether I enjoyed the reveals, revelations or moments personally, at least I got to see them for myself.
In the penultimate issue of Secret Empire, Black Panther watches Arnim Zola infuse Hydra Steve with the shards of the Cosmic Cube, making him all-powerful in his new Hydra armor. The issue ends with the reader wondering what comes next for the embattled heroes who are finally starting to work together again. Well, I guess you don’t have to wait until the next issue to come out to find out.
Real Steve Rogers emerges from the Cosmic Cube in his classic uniform.
And beats the crap out of Hydra Steve.
I don’t know if this is happening internally in Hydra Steve’s mind or in the real world, but it is something that would have been nice to be surprised by rather than having it splashed across the newspaper of record. Even if the ending turns out to be anti-climactic, at least you gave readers something to look forward to.
Maybe this is Marvel’s way of trying to bury this storyline and get everyone on board for Legacy? I don’t know. But it would have been nice to figure it out while reading the issue.
Follow me on Twitter @superpoweredfan.