Warning! Spoilers for Infinite Frontier #2 ahead!
In Infinite Frontier #2, it’s revealed that DC Comics has begun its own version of Marvel’s Secret Invasion. The new Infinite Frontier miniseries is described as “Act One” of writer Joshua Williamson’s master plan for the publisher’s year in comics ahead. It’s known that Darkseid is DC’s new main overarching villain who threatens all of existence thanks to him being turned into the ultimate version of himself. However, he is taking a more manipulative role in the miniseries’ events as he sends out Psycho-Pirate to recruit candidates for his new army.
Marvel Comics’ Secret Invasion storyline from 2008 follows the invasion of Earth by the Skrulls, a shape-shifting race of aliens. In that crossover event, it’s revealed that the Skrulls have secretly been replacing key superheroes over many years, keeping their cover and pretending to be the people whose identity they assumed. This is part of a long-term plan to invade Earth. Secret Invasion saw Marvel’s heroes beginning to distrust one another and having to deduce who is real and who isn’t.
This echoes what happens in Infinite Frontier #2 by Joshua Williamson and Xermanico. As the issue nears its end, Captain Atom appears for the first time since he died in Dark Nights: Death Metal. That event had a massive impact on the DC universe, with Wonder Woman’s sacrifice paving the way for the Omniverse to be safe. As a result, every element of the prior Crisis was erased and many dead people have begun popping up, alive and well. However, Captain Atom’s story is a lot more complicated than that. He is visited by Agent Chase, who tries to recruit him to work with her and the D.E.O. They believe that his knowledge of the multiverse could be an asset. But as Chase tests him to see if he’s Earth-0’s Captain Atom, he slips up which reveals that he isn’t.
Turns out that Captain Atom isn’t the Earth-0 version of himself, he is merely a genetic duplicate who has taken the place of Earth-0’s Captain Atom. Could the real Captain Atom have been killed by this version of himself so that he could replace him and live on Earth-0 freely? It’s certainly possible. His real identity is never revealed, which adds to Infinite Frontier‘s ongoing mystery. It’s clear that Captain Atom had been recruited into Darkseid’s army. The alternate Captain Atom kills himself in the name of Darkseid, fearing that if he were captured and disclosed anything, the ex-ruler of Apokolips would have his head.
The bigger picture in relation to Secret Invasion is that Darkseid probably has a range of sleeper agents, disguised as Earth-0 heroes, ready to pounce when the time comes. It’s clear that Captain Atom was working for Darkseid and was told to pretend to be the normal version of himself, blending into Earth-0’s society. Captain Atom was just one cog in Darkseid’s new army, which is evidently stronger than what DC Comics fans had previously believed. Until further issues come out, readers will be asking, who else is a part of Darkseid’s Secret Invasion-style army? Infinite Frontier #2 is available now.
