Veranke

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caption= Queen Veranke of the Skrull.
no

comic_color=background:#ff8080
character_name= Veranke
real_name= Veranke
species=Skrull
publisher=Marvel Comics
debut="New Avengers #1" (as "Jessica Drew")
"New Avengers #40" (as Veranke)
creators= Brian Michael Bendis
Jim Cheung
alliance_color=
alliances=Skrull Empire Mighty Avengers Secret Avengers New Avengers S.H.I.E.L.D. HYDRA
aliases= Skrull Queen, Jessica Drew, Spider-Woman
powers=

Shapeshifting

Spider-Woman's powers|

Veranke is a fictional character created by Marvel Comics who serves as the queen of the Skrull empire in the Marvel Universe. She plays a significant role in the events of Secret Invasion as she leads her empire to invade and conquer Earth.

Publication history

Veranke's first appearance is a cameo appearance as a cloaked figure at the beginning of "Secret Invasion" #1. Her character is named and fleshed out in "New Avengers" #40 as she is seen rising to the Skrull throne.

Although the Jessica Drew appearing in "New Avengers" #1 is actually Veranke in disguise, this is not revealed until some time later.

Fictional character biography

After the group of Earth superheroes known as the Illuminati escape from the Skrull palace, King Dorrek is accosted by Veranke, a princess from the Tyeranx 7 province, for not heeding the words of the Skrull prophecies which state the destruction of the Skrull homeworld, the coming of a "wave of devastation" through Skrull space, and the need to take "a world of blue" as their new home. As Dorrek VII ignores her warnings, Veranke declares if he is unable to heed the writings of the Skrull's scriptures and the will of the Skrull people, he should be removed from the throne. For her defiance, Dorrek banishes Veranke to a prison planet, brushing her off as an insane fanatic and a traitor while acknowledging executing her would only turn her into a martyr for her cause.

Years later, the Skrull throneworld is destroyed by Galactus, Devourer of Worlds, and the Empire itself is nearly destroyed by the Annihilation Wave. The prophecy fulfilled, the Skrulls elevate Veranke, still on the prison world, as Empress of the Skrull Empire. As Empress, Veranke declares that the scriptures foretell Earth as the new Skrull homeland. As such, the Skrulls undergo a major operation to take over Earth through infiltrating the facets of Earth, thereby by weakening them enough to employ a military invasion to conquer the planet. Veranke explicitly approves of the plan, though makes one command: she is to be one of the agents that infiltrates Earth, deciding to play a direct part in the infiltration of Earth as a mole. When she asks who among the candidates for replacement is most capable of inflicting damage, Spider-Woman is recommended as the prime choice for replacement. [as revealed in "New Avengers" #40]

When the real Spider-Woman went undercover into a HYDRA facility to regain her lost powers, she was placed under sedation and ambushed by the Skrulls and replaced by Veranke, who takes her place in the New Avengers and her position as the spy of Nick Fury. Alongside other Skrull impostors, Veranke plots to mine Vibranium from the Savage Land.

As Jessica Drew, she was appointed to working at the Raft, and was at the Raft when Max Dillon broke the prisoners inside out to take the prisoner Sauron out. This unintentionally reformed The Avengers, which she later joins. [as revealed in "New Avengers" #42]

When Captain America offered her membership by going to S.H.I.E.L.D. first, HYDRA found out and forced her to join them. She confesses to Captain America that she is a double agent, revealing that she reports directly to Nick Fury, director of S.H.I.E.L.D., while also feeding information to HYDRA.

During an adventure with the New Avengers, Veranke unintentionally learns of the greatest threat to her rule, Dorrek VIII, also known as Hulkling of the Young Avengers, who is the son of the Kree hero Captain Marvel and the Skrull princess Anelle, and the rightful heir to the throne. During the invasion, she orders him to be executed, keeping his identity a secret.

During the House of M, it was revealed that she along with all the other undercover Skrulls knew that the world had been altered. She later tries to assassinate the Scarlet Witch but finds she can't and is decontructed in a way similar to Hawkeye. She comes back afterwards distressed and with news of the Annihilation Wave killing billions of Skrulls.

Soon after Spider-Man reveals his identity to the world, Iron Man discloses her triple agent status to acting S.H.I.E.L.D. director Maria Hill. Troubled by her potentially treasonous allegiance to Nick Fury, Hill orders her apprehended. After a struggle, she is captured and taken aboard a S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier. Deploying an electro-magnetic pulse device, a HYDRA commando team disables the helicarrier and rescues her. At a HYDRA base in the Southern Hemisphere, Connely tries to convince her to take up the mantle of Madame Hydra, overthrowing the "unstable" Viper. She declines the offer and dispatches Connely, setting off an explosion that destroys the compound. She makes her way to the hidden base of Captain America's Secret Avengers. Having lost her connection to S.H.I.E.L.D. and Nick Fury, she tearfully pleads to join the resistance.

After the Civil War, Veranke travels alongside the New Avengers to Tokyo, where the team fights Elektra - also a Skrull impostor - and The Hand, and is unable to prevent Echo from killing Elektra, revealing the Skrull infiltration. As the team ponders its next move, Veranke attacks Wolverine and takes the Skrull corpse. She delivers the corpse to Tony Stark in a move designed to sow distrust amongst the superhero community. Afterwards, she also joins the government sanctioned Mighty Avengers, under the guise of throwing the Skrulls off balance. ["Mighty Avengers" #7]

ecret Invasion

Tony Stark informs the false Jessica of the crash-landing of a Skrull transport ship in the Savage Land. Unbeknownst to Tony, she in turn tips off Luke Cage about this information, telling him that she trusts him over Stark. ["Secret Invasion" #1] A meeting among the Skrull agents on Earth is held where Jessica is apparently in attendance, referred to as "Empress" by the Skrull posing as Edwin Jarvis. ["Mighty Avengers" #14]

After the first wave of the Skrull invasion of Earth begins, Veranke is seen in the Savage Land, where she confronts and attacks Echo, repeatedly blasting her with venom blasts and then slamming her into a nearby tree trunk [ [http://www.wizarduniverse.com/060508secretroundup3.html wizard universe] ] . She then finds Tony Stark and insinuates that he is a Skrull sleeper agent, which he denies. She kisses him, informing him that he has "earned the queen's love." ["Secret Invasion" #3] Black Widow plans to attack while Veranke talks to Iron Man, but is distracted by Skrulls posing as Beast and Jean Grey, and Veranke disappears and escapes while Black Widow kills the Skrulls. ["Secret Invasion" #4]

Queen Veranke arrives at Camp Hammond. Thor makes his presence known and she assembles her troops for the final battle. The New Avengers, Mighty Avengers, Nick Fury & his commandos, the Young Avengers, the Initiative, the Hood's crew, Thor, the new Captain America, and the Thunderbolts all assemble. Queen Veranke later reveals that "He" is "God" as she leads an army of Super-Skrulls against the superhumans of Earth. ["Secret Invasion" #6]

Powers and abilities

Like all Skrulls of Deviant heritage, Veranke is capable of shape-shifting her form into whatever she chooses, be it humanoid, non-humanoid, or even inorganic. Recent unspecified developments in genetic engineering within the Skrull race has allowed the Skrulls, including Veranke to go undetected in human form from Iron Man's technological scans, Charles Xavier's mental scans, Spider-Man's Spider-Sense, Wolverine's animal senses, or any other conceivable forms of detection. Veranke's shape-shifting abilities also allow her to form weapons such as blades on her body. Veranke also has a great deal of knowledge concerning Skrull prophecies, at least one of which has come true.

Currently she has all of Jessica Drew's powers which include:

* Flight

* Superhuman strength, endurance, reflexes, and speed.

* Bioelectric Energy Blasts "venom blasts"

* Immunity to all poisons and drugs, and is totally immune to radiation.

* Pheromones generation to attract human males while repulsing females, though she uses a chemical "perfume" that can nullify this effect. Recently emerged with her powers restored greater than ever.

As Jessica, she initially had only limited gliding ability, enhanced by the small wings that are part of her costume. After losing her powers, HYDRA further tampered with her metabolism, providing her with self-powered flight. The range of her flying capabilities is still undetermined. ["New Avengers" #14]

As Jessica, she displayed powers that helped her and the other Avengers escape from Doctor Doom's technological device by creating a Venom blast explosion — this use of Spider-Woman's powers was noted as inconsistent with her S.H.I.E.L.D. files. ["Mighty Avengers" #11]

References