The episode opens back on Kang the Conqueror's old command ship Damocles, which was taken by S.H.I.E.L.D. for their own purposes after he was defeated. Carol Danvers, now an agent of SWORD, is having the time of her life trying to justify an offshoot of S.H.I.E.L.D. formed to deal with extraterrestrial threats, that hasn't actually found any aliens yet. They still haven't quite got the hang of Kang's technology either, as Agent Abigail Brand is shown trying to get the ship's A.I. to respond to even the most basic commands. Just then, the A.I. does respond — to the presence of a Kree ship dropping out of warp. The Kree open fire on the Damocles, which powers up shields, but a shuttle heads for the surface with Ms. Marvel in pursuit.
S.H.I.E.L.D. puts out a call to the Avengers for help but before they can arrive, the first response team is wiped out by the Kree advance party, consisting of Yon-Rogg and Ronan the Accuser, with Captain Mar-Vell in tow. They are greeted by Ms. Marvel and a team of SWORD agents, who take out most of the Kree but even with all of her power, she is still no match for Ronan. He heads for New York to deliver an ultimatum to the people of Earth while the Kree ship in orbit teleports boarders onto the Damocles that start making short work of SWORD.
On the surface, the Avengers arrive and Mar-Vell attempts to persuade them to surrender in order to spare Earth from the coming war. Captain America doesn't even give them time to hear his explanation and an all-out battle begins. Ms. Marvel returns with a vengeance, unwilling to listen to Mar-Vell's pleas. Meanwhile, the Kree take control of the Damocles A.I. and prepare to turn its weapons against Earth. Agent Brand decides she has had enough and reveals the full extent of her powers by single-handedly retaking the bridge and capturing the Kree boarding party's enslaved hacker. Then she takes it one step further and captures the Kree ship, along with all its technology. Ms. Marvel defeats Ronan after a protracted battle, ending the threat for the moment.
The Kree are rounded up and imprisoned in 42. Iron Man offers Carol a place on the Avengers, which she gladly accepts. Mar-Vell reveals that he had managed to persuade the Supreme Intelligence that Earth was an insignificant planet not worthy of notice by the Empire but because they chose to fight, the Kree will see them as a threat and invade. The green-skinned Captain America impersonator knows this too and encourages his people to move up their timetable as well.
Tropes:
- Aliens Are Bastards: Most of the Kree are chomping at the bit to crush a supposedly lesser species. Ronan has absolutely no problem ordering the end of all life on Earth.
- Bad Boss: The Kree captain threatens one of his underlings to fix their communication problem or he'll shoot him.
- Because You Were Nice to Me: Sydren is an alien enslaved by the Kree and regularly brutalized or threatened. Due to his technological skill, Abigail promises to keep him safe in exchange for him joining SWORD, and she makes a show of good faith by destroying his compliance collar.
- Berserk Button: Unsurprisingly, Skrull Cap really hates the Kree and loses his cool.
- Big "NO!": Ms. Marvel after Mar-Vell jumps in-between her and Ronan during a firefight.
- Big "WHY?!": Ms. Marvel's reaction to Mar-Vell pleading with her to convince the Avengers to surrender.
- The Bus Came Back: Carol Danvers, Mar-Vell, Yon-Rogg return, having last been seen in "459".
- Call-Back: In the fight at the UN, the Hulk is the only Avenger to recognise Mar, since he's the only one there who was present for the events of "459".
- The Cameo: Ms Marvel passes by Kang's cell, which is right next to Mar's in 42, though he doesn't say anything.
- Can't Kill You, Still Need You: The Kree task Sydren with hacking the Damocles. When he tries to lower expectations by pointing out how sophisticated the technology is, one soldier points a rifle at him to remind him of what will happen when he stops being useful. Sydren quickly gets to work.
- Cool Shades: Abigail Brand.
- Determinator: Ms Marvel. She also makes a case that this trope is humanity's hat.
- Didn't See That Coming: Mar-Vell's reaction to Carol being infused with Kree energy.
- Dramatic Irony: The Kree had no idea that the Skrulls (their biggest rivals) were already on Earth and in the process of a far more subtle takeover attempt.
- The End... Or Is It?: Skrull Cap picking up his communicator.Skrull Cap: We must move up our timetable. The Kree are coming.
- Evil Counterpart: A brief exchange highlights how Yon-Rogg is this to Mar-Vell. Whereas Mar-Vell is reluctantly going along with all this and wants humanity protected at all costs, Yon-Rogg is a Blood Knight looking forward to using humans as target practice. He has zero patience for Mar-Vell's insistence that Humans Are Special and derides him as a traitor and sympathizer.
- Fantastic Racism:
- Gyrich figures the entire point of SWORD is to simply hunt aliens and is quick to assume there are already ones captured. Carol tries to explain that SWORD only attacks aliens if they explicitly pose a threat.
- The Kree and the Skrull are sworn enemies in an intergalactic war, which is why Skrull Cap attacks first at the sight of the Kree Ronan.
- One Kree soldier refers to humans as animals that are only good for target practice.
- Foreshadowing:
- Iron has no time to dwell on the "AVENGERS, ATTACK!" moment, but Nick Fury will later see footage of it and realize exactly what it means.
- Mar-Vell warns Iron Man and Ms. Marvel that the Kree Empire will come down hard on Earth for all this. Kang appears briefly in a cameo as a clue to viewers that this all relates to the Bad Future that was seen last season.
- Have We Met?: Ms. Marvel's reaction to Mar-Vell using her real name. She soon realizes this is Lawson's true form.
- "Hell, Yes!" Moment: A crowd of New Yorkers are deeply intimidated by Ronan's demands, but begin cheering wildly when the Avengers arrive.
- Hopeless with Tech: Brand's first scene has her trying to get Damocles to respond. When it doesn't, she resorts to threatening it with a gun, which also does not work.
- Human Aliens: Abigail Brand shows off some of her powers and retakes the Democles. Agent Gyrich is quick to notice.Gyrich: There's nothing in your file about being a superhuman.
Abigail: What makes you think I'm human? - Hypocrite: Ronan the Accuser accuses humanity of being arrogant. The Kree, as far as this episode goes, aren't known for their humility.
- I Surrender, Suckers: Abigail makes a show of stepping forward to formally surrender and negotiate terms, but she's just waiting for some Kree to get close enough so that she can get their weapons and blast the others. It works.
- It Has Only Just Begun: During the scene in 42:Captain Mar-vell: I had convinced the Supreme Intelligence that Earth was just a scientific anomaly they needed to study, but now? Because of what you've done, the Kree will come in full force.
Iron Man: We'll be here waiting. - Join or Die: Ronan goes straight to the UN to tell humanity they can either live Kree or die.
- Judge, Jury, and Executioner: Ronan judges whether planets are worthy to join the Kree Empire. He has the authority to have the Kree annihilate as a command if need be.
- Little "No": Mar-Vell after the brawl downtown kicks into gear.
- Neutrality Backlash: Mar tries to play peace-maker between the Kree and the Avengers, because he believes Earth won't survive the Kree's attacks, but all it does is piss both sides off.
- Never Say "Die": The Kree shoot up Damocles, and Brand shoots up the Kree, but no-one actually says they're dead.
- No-Sell: Ms. Marvel shrugs off Yon-Rogg's shot and shoots it right back at him.
- "Not So Different" Remark:Ms. Marvel: Surrender.
Ronan: Never.
Ms. Marvel: See? We've got somethin' in common after all. (pow) - No, You: When Brand tells Yon-Rogg his ship is in Earth space, Rogg just snaps back that Damocles is in restricted Kree space.
- Obstructive Bureaucrat: Henry Peter Gyrich assuming he hadn't already been replaced by a Skrull.
- Omnicidal Maniac: Ronan judges Earth unworthy to join the Kree Empire and orders his ship to wipe out all life on the planet.
- Out-of-Character Alert: Skrull Cap starts the fight after seeing Ronan, shouting, "Avengers, ATTACK!" Iron Man does notice this, but has no time to deal with it during the ensuing brawl. He also while helping Hulk against several Kree notably calls the Kree "scum" something very unlike Steve to say especially when he's supposedly never met any Kree beyond Mar-Vell before but Hulk doesn't seem to catch this.
- Playing with Fire: Abigail Brand again.
- Poor Communication Kills: Once Carol sees Mar-Veil with hostile Kree, she doesn't give him much of a chance to explain. Mar-Veil telling her and the Avengers to surrender to the Kree Empire simply makes things worse.
- Proud Warrior Race Guy: All the Kree except Mar-Vell.
- Redshirt Army: All those SWORD goons, shot dead by a Kree boarding party with a "no prisoners" attitude.
- Spiteful Spit: Yon-Rogg makes his opinions on humanity clear by spitting after Mar speaks in their defense.
- A Storm Is Coming: As warned by Captain Mar-Vell.Captain Mar-Vell: Earth cannot survive what's coming.
- Unwitting Instigator of Doom: The Kree's actions prompt the Skrulls to speed up their invasion plans.
- Villainous Breakdown: Ronan loses his cool during his last fight with Ms. Marvel.Ronan: Fall! WHY WON'T YOU FALL?!
- Well-Intentioned Extremist: Captain Mar-Vell wants Earth to surrender and be subjugated to the Kree, feeling humanity would be destroyed otherwise.
- What the Hell, Hero?: Ms. Marvel is really upset with Captain Mar-Vell being with hostile Kree soldiers, especially when he helped destroy a sentry bot last time.Ms. Marvel: I believed in you! I named myself after you! All this time I thought you were out there fighting for us, but you were just bringing your people back here to conquer us!
- Written-In Absence: Wasp, Black Panther, and Hawkeye are off in Los Angeles on the trail of the Serpent Society.
