History ComicBook / SecretEmpire

* 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 showig up.

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/TheFalcon 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 ComicBook/{{HYDRA}} via {{Cosmic Retcon}}.

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?

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.

* ''[[ComicBook/CarolDanvers The Mighty Captain Marvel]]'' #5-8

* AlienInvasion: Steve Rogers has the Chitauri invading Earth to further his HYDRA cause.
* AnyoneCanDie: A considerable amount of heroes bite the dust throughout the event.
* 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.
* 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.

** [[spoiler:The original Secret Warriors return to be immediately killed off by the Wrecking Crew]] in issue 1 of the ''Secret Warriors'' tie-in.
** [[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]].]]
* BackFromTheDead: Zig-zagged:[[spoiler:Bruce Banner 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.]]

** 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.

** In universe, Namor claims 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.
--->'''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]].
** 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.]]

* BigBad: Steve Rogers, Supreme Leader of HYDRA.

** 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.]]
* 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.

* 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.
* BondOneLiner: Maria Hill, after [[spoiler:[[BoomHeadshot killing]] [[LivingMacGuffin Blackout]]]] in Issue 8.

* 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.
* BrainwashedAndCrazy: Steve's key takeover of SHIELD involves using Dr. Fastaus to brainwash SHIELD 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.
** 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.
** 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.]]
** Averted in case of [[spoiler:Sharon Carter]]: They are seemingly under Faustus' spell, until it turns out they were only playing along to poison his tea and use their mutual "session" to take down HYDRA's fleet of warships.

** 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".

* 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.

** 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.]]
** [[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.]]

* 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]].

** 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 ReasonYouSuckSpeech (by Ultron!Pym himself) and regrets over their actions, were not given repercussions and were even supported by the public.
* ColonyDrop: Carol loads the ravaged Alpha Flight base with the Nullifier Bomb to take out the Shield around Earth. [[spoiler:Doesn't work.]]

** A major plot point in ''[[ComicBook/MsMarvel The 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.
** 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.

** [[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.]]
** [[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.]]
* 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 that none of them actually show up.

** [[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.]]
** Zig-zagged in the final issue. [[spoiler:The PoweredArmor HYDRA Cap easily defeats the unified heroes, but once the heroic Steve shows up, he gets beat down, especially with help by Mjolnir.]]

-->'''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.]]

** 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.

* 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.
* 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:so far, T'Challa, Namor, Ultron, Emma Frost and Sauron]] - throughout the event.

** Cap's HYDRA is specifically targeting Inhumans for roundup to new "Indefinite Detention" centers throughout the United States.
** 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.
* 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.

* 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 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.]]
* 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.

** Played for BlackComedy in the ''Doctor Strange'' tie-in when [[spoiler: Baron Mordo occipies 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.]]

** In the "Omega" special, a talk between [[spoiler: the real Cap and Hydra!Steve shows Hydra!Steve ''still'' believes in the "false history" Kobik gave him and insists he was in the right and the real Cap should understand that.]]

* 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.]]
* 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.]]
* 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.
* ExplainExplainOhCrap: In the initial takeover, Riri and AI Tony barely escape SHIELD as Hydra takes over. They fly off, Tony saying they need to call reinforcements.
-->'''Riri:''' Everyone who is active was either up in space with Carol or in...
-->'''Tony:''' New York.

* 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.

** 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.

* GreatOffscreenWar: Between issue 0 and 1, there was a civil war of sorts against HYDRA that HYDRA won.
* 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/SecretInvasion once again]].]]
* HeelFaceTurn: [[spoiler:Odinson realizes he's making a mistake in issue #6, just in time to save the resistance and the people they are protecting from certain death.]]

** 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.
** [[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.]]

** 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.]]
** [[spoiler:The end sees the return of the true Steve Rogers, who defeats his HYDRA counterpart.]]
* 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.]]

* 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.]]

* IHaveYourWife: [[spoiler:In Issue #5, it turns out 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.]]
** Similarly, Issue #6 shows that Scott Lang is TheMole working for [=HYDRA=] because [=HYDRA=] has captured his daughter Cassandra.
* 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.]]
* IRejectYourReality: In the "Omega" special, [[spoiler:Hydra!Cap reveals he still believes the history of Kobik's invention was the "true" one and can't accept it was just a lie she created.]]

** 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.
** 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.]]

** ''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.
** 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.
* ItsAllMyFault: Issue #6 and Issue #7 have [[spoiler:AI!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]].

** Averted. After the numerous hero vs. hero fights since the original ''ComicBook/{{Civil War|2006}}'', ''Secret Empire'' will be a more straight forward superhero story.

** Amadeus Cho infiltrates... [[spoiler:the Hydra Youth Choir.]]
** 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.]]
* MoleInCharge: Steve is leading SHIELD as Director and the heroes against the simultaneous attacks by the Chitauri and HYDRA, while secretly leading the HYDRA attacks as Supreme Leader.
* MythologyGag:
** [[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.]]
** [[spoiler:Memory!Red Skull's appearance is similar to that of his ''ComicBook/UltimateMarvel'' counterpart.]]
** Sam approaching Steve in the final issue is done to mimic the same way Steve did to Thanos in ''ComicBook/TheInfinityGauntlet''.
** 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/{{Civil War|2006}}'', where Iron Man is in Evil!Steve's position.]]

* 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.

-->'''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/SecretInvasion incompetence]] put ''ComicBook/NormanOsborn'' [[ComicBook/DarkReign in power]]! And you try to lecture ''me''?! Every day I had to hold this [[ComicBook/{{Ultron}} 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?

* 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.]]
* 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.]]

* 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.]]

** 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 Website/{{Twitter}} will actually do anything.

** Sharon Carter gives Steve Rogers one in ''Captain America: Steve Rogers #19'', comparing him to Red Skull - whom even Hydra Cap still despises:
--->'''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.
** HYDRA!Steve gives one of these to the normal Steve in ''Omega''. It goes back and forth, though.
* {{Retcon}}: A minor one, in accordance with ComicBookTime. When Sally Floyd originally interviewed Steve Rogers during ''ComicBook/{{Civil War|2006}}'', she asked him what Website/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 Website/{{Twitter}} instead.

* 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 towards 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 he's reformed.

** [[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.]]
** [[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.]]
** [[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.]]

** 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]].

* 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.

* 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.]]
* ShutUpHannibal: In issue #6 Hydra-Cap gives a long speech to [[spoiler:Bruce Banner]] why he should join Hydra and take revenge on people who betrayed him. He refuses [[spoiler:but Hulk agrees]] but his response to Steve was pretty good.
-->'''[[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.
* ShutUpKirk: ''Captain America Steve Rogers #17'': However, it's by Hydra-Cap, 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.]]

* 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.

** 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]].

* 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.

** 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.

* ThisIsSomethingHesGotToDoHimself: A JustifiedTrope 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.]]
* 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]].]]
-->'''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 SHIELD 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.]]

* 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.
* 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.
** Possibly averted by the last major Secret Empire story involving Captain America from the '70s 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.]]

** Is attempted on Steve by [[spoiler:A.I. Tony, Natasha, and Sharon]], but averted for various reasons.

* VillainHasAPoint: You know things have gotten bad when Pymtron, [[FusionDance the combination]] of Hank Pym's mental instability and ComicBook/{{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]].
-->'''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...
-->'''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.

-->[[spoiler:"My name is Steve Rogers. I'm just trying to get home."]]

** Issue #3: [[spoiler:The Punisher is revealed to be part of HYDRA.]]

** 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.]]
** 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.]]

** It is not explained what happens to [[spoiler:Bruce Banners]] corpse after [[spoiler:Zola's temporary resurrection effect wears off.]]
** Ultron/Hank is forgotten about after Issue #4.

** 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.

** 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.

* 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!"
* 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.

** The resistance initially believed 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.

** 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.
* 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.]]
* 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 judgemental, due to training young heroes like the Champions as double agents.

* BrokenAesop:
** A story about the consequences of trusting in a single heroic man ends with... the heroes all trusting in a single heroic man to save the day.
** People having to deal with the damage they cause, which is why [[spoiler: Kobik leaves the world in ruin]], doesn't really work considering that the damage only ''existed in the first place'' because of the reactions to Hydra Cap.

* 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.

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.

** Averted. After the numerous hero vs. hero fights since the original ''ComicBook/CivilWar'', ''Secret Empire'' will be a more straight forward superhero story.

** 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/CivilWar'', where Iron Man is in Evil!Steve's position.]]

-->'''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/CivilWar two]]'' [[ComicBook/CivilWarII wars]] -- your [[ComicBook/SecretInvasion incompetence]] put ''ComicBook/NormanOsborn'' [[ComicBook/DarkReign in power]]! And you try to lecture ''me''?! Every day I had to hold this [[ComicBook/{{Ultron}} 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?

* {{Retcon}}: A minor one, in accordance with ComicBookTime. When Sally Floyd originally interviewed Steve Rogers during ComicBook/CivilWar, she asked him what Website/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 Website/{{Twitter}} instead.

-->'''Pymtron:''' Oh, of course, it will, Steve, of course... Just like Tony's grand plans for [[ComicBook/CivilWar 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.

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/{{The Avengers|MarkWaid}}, ComicBook/{{Champions|2016}}, ComicBook/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy, ComicBook/TheInhumans and ComicBook/TheDefenders.

* 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.

* CoversAlwaysLie: The cover of Issue #1 features, ComicBook/SpiderMan, ComicBook/OldManLogan, ComicBook/{{Thor|2014}}, ComicBook/{{Storm}}, [[ComicBook/MsMarvel2014 Ms. Marvel]], [[ComicBook/FantasticFour Human Torch]], ComicBook/{{Medusa|MarvelComics}}, and ComicBook/RocketRaccoon despite that none of them actually show up.

* EvenEvilHasStandards: [[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.]]

[[folder:A–D]]

* 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.

* ShiningGoodness: Invoked literally with Dagger of ComicBook/CloakAndDagger. She is the only source of light in a New York City overcome by the Darkforce Dimension and provides periods of artificial sunlight from atop the Empire State Building. As the series has gone on, she has been able to provide light to the city for less and less time.

* 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/ContestOfChampions''.

* ''Secret Empire: Omega'' [[labelnote:E]] This issue is part of the ''Aftermath'' epilogue. [[/labelnote]]

* ''ComicBook/{{The Avengers|MarkWaid}}'' #9-11 [[labelnote:E ]] Last issue is part of the ''Aftermath'' epilogue. [[/labelnote]]

* ''ComicBook/CaptainAmericaSteveRogers'' #16-19 [[labelnote:P]] First issue is part of the ''Opening Salvo'' prologue. [[/labelnote]]

* ''ComicBook/{{Deadpool}}'' #31-36 [[labelnote:E ]] Last issue is part of the ''Aftermath'' epilogue. [[/labelnote]]

* ''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
* ''ComicBook/SecretWarriors'' #1-6 [[labelnote:E ]] Last issue is part of the ''Aftermath'' epilogue. [[/labelnote]]
* ''ComicBook/{{Thunderbolts}}'' #12 [[labelnote:P ]] This issue is part of the ''Opening Salvo'' prologue. [[/labelnote]]

* ''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]]

* ActionBomb: [[spoiler:AI 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.]]

* TheAlcoholic: Played With. As he's a hologram, and thus unable to consume alcohol, [[spoiler:AI 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."

** Faustus also does this for AIM but Roberto [=DaCosta=] is ready by having prepped his followers with mental defenses created by Professor X. Sadly, Roberto has failed to realize several AIM members (like long-time aide Larry) aren't brainwashed at all but truly believe in HYDRA and soon start attacking from within.

** 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.

** [[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.]]

* 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 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.]]

-->'''Riri''': Everyone who is active was either up in space with Carol or in...
-->'''Tony''': New York.

** [[spoiler: ''Secret Empire: Omega'' hints that Natasha did this, and is now back at work as an assassin.]]
* 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.

* 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/SecretInvasion once again.]]]]

* 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.]]

* IRejectYourReality: In the "Omega" special, [[spoiler: Hydra!Cap reveals he still believes the history of Kobik's invention was the "true" one and can't accept it was just a lie she created.]]

* IronicEcho:

* ItsAllMyFault: Issue #6 and Issue #7 have [[spoiler:AI!Tony]] and Carol Danvers respectively blame themselves for what's going on. [[spoiler:AI!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]].

* LaResistance: Led by Hawkeye (Clint Barton), Black Widow, and [[spoiler:an A.I. version of Tony Stark]].

** Amadeus Cho infiltrates... [[spoiler:the Hydra Youth Choir]].

* OnceDoneNeverForgotten: After Ultron-Hank ([[NotBrainwashed mostly Hank]]) delivers a TheReasonYouSuckSpeech to the assembled heroes due to their recent obsession with LetsYouAndHimFight, [[spoiler:AI!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.

* PoweredArmor: [[spoiler: At the end of issue #9, Steve comes out with a suit of armor powered by the nearly complete Cosmic Cube.]]

* TakeAThirdOption: T'Challa refuses to [[spoiler:give up his cosmic cube shard to either HYDRA or the resistance.]] When AI 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.]]

* RedHerring: [[spoiler:Nearly all members of AI Tony's cosmic cube search team get spotlighted as the possible mole, until it turns out to be Scott Lang of all people.]]

** [[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.]]

** ''Omega'' ends with one of [[spoiler:the guards assigned to Hydra Cap]] whispering "Hail Hydra'' into [[spoiler: his]] ear as [[spoiler: Hydra Cap]] smiles.

* ShutUpHannibal: In issue #6 Hydra-Cap gives a long speech to [[spoiler: Bruce Banner]] why he should join Hydra and take revenge on people who betrayed him. He refuses [[spoiler: but Hulk agrees]] but his response to Steve was pretty good.
-->'''[[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.

* StatusQuoIsGod: The US 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 DC]]. 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.
* SupermanStaysOutOfGotham:

* TenMinuteRetirement: Sam Wilson resumes his Falcon identity after getting fed up with the US and dumping the Captain America identity. Then, he returns to his Captain America identity near the end.

* 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]]]].

** Possibly averted by the last major Secret Empire story involving Captain America from the 70's 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.]]

** Is attempted on Steve by [[spoiler:AI Tony, Natasha, and Sharon]], but averted for various reasons.

-->'''Pymtron:''' Oh, of course, it will, Steve, of course...Just like Tony's grand plans for [[ComicBook/CivilWar 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.
** 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.

** 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 AI!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.

* StatusQuoIsGod: The US 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/TheKangWar took over and nuked Washington DC]]. 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.

* ''[[ComicBook/SpiderMan The Amazing Spider Man]]'' #29-31
* ''[[ComicBook/Avengers2016 Avengers]]'' #9-11 [[labelnote:E ]] Last issue is part of the ''Aftermath'' epilogue. [[/labelnote]]

* ''[[ComicBook/Champions2016 Champions]]'' #10-11

* ''[[ComicBook/MsMarvel The Mighty Captain Marvel]]'' #5-8