Secret Empire Reading Order Checklist Written by Trevor Van As Published: 18 Apr, 2017 • Updated: 18 Sep, 2019 18 Apr, 2017 •18 Sep, 2019

Last year Marvel Comics released the controversial Captain America: Steve Rogers #1, which revealed that Captain America was, and always has been, a Hydra sleeper agent. While it was later to be revealed to be shenanigans created through Cosmic Cube powered time-altering, the topic was extremely heated. Fast forward to to today and we’re about to see the culmination of this version of Captain America’s story in the form of Marvel’s latest crossover event, Secret Empire.

Written by Nick Spencer and art by Steve McNiven, Andrea Sorrentino and Leinil Francis Yu, Secret Empire will see a Steve Rogers lead Hydra take over and it’ll be up to the rest of the Marvel Universe to stop them! Will Cap be evil forever? Will Marvel’s heroes ever forgive him? You’ll have to read to find out!

With the huge number of tie-ins, Marvel’s mega-events can be confusing for readers. Luckily, the Secret Empire Reading Order Checklist is here to save the day. Not only does it list all of the comics involved and where they fit in, it also features creative credits, release dates and background reading suggestions. To top it off, this checklist answers some of the burning questions you might have about how to read Secret Empire.

How Do I Read Secret Empire?

I have set up the Secret Empire Reading Order Checklist in a way that gives you a general guide on how it can be read if you want to read everything, but at the same time it is set up so you can read it in different ways.

These are:

Read Secret Empire #0-10 Read Secret Empire #0-10 and the tie-ins that you are interested in (which is fair enough considering there are so many of them!) Read Secret Empire #0-10 and all of the tie-ins

Do I Need To Read All Of The Tie-Ins?

Nope.

Marvel sets up events like this in a way you can get a full story from the main series and the tie-ins are are parallel stories. Some of these will closer to the main story than others. Some spin-out in their own direction based on something that happens in the main story while others will show what happens to characters off-panel.

Cover art from Captain America: Steve Rogers #1 by Jesus Saiz.

Background Reading

If you’re curious to read some of the comics which lead up to Secret Empire, here is what you should read:

Captain America: Steve Rogers

Written by Nick Spencer. Art by various.

If you want more information on what is going on with the Hydra Captain America then this is the series to read. This series is the one that builds up to Secret Empire the most. If you can’t read it all, the most important issues to read are #1, #2, #15 and #16.

Captain America: Sam Wilson

Written by Nick Spencer. Art by various.

Civil War II: The Oath

Written by Nick Spencer. Art by Rod Reis.

While it might connect with Civil War II, this epilogue gives some of the first signs for what is to come with Secret Empire.

Avengers: Rage of Ultron

Written by Rick Remender. Art by Jerome Opena.

This explains the statusquo for Ultron.

Avengers: Standoff!

Written and art by various.

Find out more about Avengers Standoff! in this handy reading order.

Amazing Spider-Man #25

Written by Dan Slott. Art by Stuart Immonen.

One of the stories in this bumper issue shows Doctor Octopus’ connection to Hydra.

Uncanny Avengers #22

Written by Gerry Duggan. Art by Pepe Larraz.

This issue ties-in with Captain America: Steve Rogers #15.

Secret Empire #1 cover by Mark Brooks.

Secret Empire Reading Order

Deadpool #31 (tie-in)

Written by Gerry Duggan. Art by Matteo Lolli.

Thunderbolts #12 (Opening Salvo)

Written by Jim Zub. art by Jon Malin.

U.S.Avengers #5 (Opening Salvo)

Written by Al Ewing. Art by Paco Medina.

Captain America: Steve Rogers #16 (Opening Salvo)

Written by Nick Spencer. Art by Kevin Libranda, Yıldıray Çınar and Jon Malin.

Secret Empire #0 (of 10)

Written by Nick Spencer. Art by Daniel Acuña.

Amazing Spider-Man #29 (tie-in)

Written by Dan Slott. Art by Stuart Immonen.

The Mighty Captain Marvel #5 (tie-in)

Written by Margaret Stohl. Art by Ramon Rosanas.

U.S.Avengers #6 (tie-in)

Written by Al Ewing. Art by Paco Medina.

Secret Empire Free Comic Book Day (Prelude)

Written by Nick Spencer. Art by Andrea Sorrentino.

Amazing Spider-Man #30 (tie-in)

Written by Dan Slott. Art by Stuart Immonen.

Secret Empire #1 (of 10)

Written by Nick Spencer. Art by Steve McNiven.

Champions #10 (tie-in)

Written by Mark Waid. Art by Humberto Ramos.

Secret Warriors #1 (tie-in)

Written by Matt Rosenberg. Art by Javier Garrón.

Secret Empire #2 (of 10)

Written by Nick Spencer. Art by Andrea Sorrentino and Rod Reis.

Champions #11 (tie-in)

Written by Mark Waid. Art by Humberto Ramos.

Ultimates 2 #7 (tie-in)

Written by Al Ewing. Art by Travel Foreman.

Captain America: Steve Rogers #17 (tie-in)

Written by Nick Spencer. Art by Andres Guinaldo.

Secret Warriors #2 (tie-in)

Written by Matt Rosenberg. Art by Javier Garrón.

Secret Empire #3 (of 10)

Written by Nick Spencer. Art by Andrea Sorrentino and Rod Reis.

Secret Empire: Uprising #1 (one-shot) (tie-in)

Written by Derek Landy. Art by J. Cassara.

Captain America: Sam Wilson #22 (tie-in)

Written by Nick Spencer. Art by Sean Izaakse.

Doctor Strange #21 (tie-in)

Written by Dennis Hopeless. Art by Niko Henrichon.

Secret Empire: Underground cover by R.B Silva.

Secret Empire: Brave New World #1 (of 5) (tie-in)

Written by Paul Allor, Jeremy Whitley and Nick Kocher. Art by Brian Level, Diego Olortegui and Will Robson.

Captain America: Sam Wilson #23 (tie-in)

Written by Nick Spencer. Art by Joe Bennett.

Secret Empire #4 (of 10)

Written by Nick Spencer. Art by Leinil Francis Yu and Rod Reis.

Secret Empire: United (one-shot) (tie-in)

Written by Jim Zub. Art by Ario Anindito.

Secret Warriors #3 (tie-in)

Written by Matt Rosenberg. Art by Javier Garrón.

Uncanny Avengers #24 (tie-in)

Written by Jim Zub. Art by Kim Jacinto.

Deadpool #32 (tie-in)

Written by Gerry Duggan. Art by Matteo Lolli.

Secret Empire: Underground (one-shot) (tie-in)

Written by Jeremy Whitley. Art by Eric Koda.

Captain America: Steve Rogers #18 (tie-in)

Written by Nick Spencer. Art by Javier Pina.

Secret Empire: Brave New World #2 (of 5) (tie-in)

Written by Paul Allor, Fabian Nicieza and Rodney Barnes. Art by Brian Level, Tana Ford and Juan M. Frigeri.

U.S.Avengers #7 (tie-in)

Written by Al Ewing. Art by Paco Medina.

Ultimates 2 #8 (tie-in) – TBC

Written by Al Ewing. Art by Christian Ward.

Doctor Strange #22 (tie-in)

Written by Dennis Hopeless. Art by Niko Henrichon.

Secret Empire #5 (of 10)

Written by Nick Spencer. Art by Andrea Sorrentino and Rod Reis.

The Mighty Captain Marvel #6 (tie-in)

Written by Margaret Stohl. Art by Michelle Bandini.

Occupy Avengers #8 (tie-in)

Written by David F. Walker. Art by Gabriel Hernandez Walta.

All-New Guardians of the Galaxy Annual #1 (tie-in)

Written by Chad Bowers and Chris Sims. Art by Danilo Beyruth.

Secret Empire #6 cover by Mark Brooks.

Secret Empire: Brave New World #3 (of 5) (tie-in)

Written by Paul Allor, Ethan Sacks and Magdalene Visaggio. Art by Brian Level, and Sean Izaakse.

Avengers #9 (tie-in)

Written by Mark Waid. Art by Mike Del Mundo.

X-Men: Gold #7 (tie-in)

Written by Mark Guggenheim. Art by Ken Lashley.

Uncanny Avengers #25 (tie-in)

Written by Jim Zub. Art by Kim Jacinto, Jahnoy Lindsay and Juanan Ramirez.

Secret Warriors #4 (tie-in)

Written by Matt Rosenberg. Art by Javier Garrón.

X-Men: Blue #7 (tie-in)

Written by Cullen Bunn. Art by Cory T. Smith.

Deadpool #33 (tie-in)

Written by Gerry Duggan. Art by Matteo Lolli.

Occupy Avengers #9 (tie-in)

Written by David F. Walker. Art by Gabriel Hernandez Walta.

Secret Empire #6 (of 10)

Written by Nick Spencer. Art by Leinil Francis Yu.

Secret Empire: Brave New World #4 (of 5) (tie-in)

Written by Paul Allor, Karla Pacheco and Amy Chu. Art by Brian Level and Katie Niemczyk

Doctor Strange #23 (tie-in)

Written by Dennis Hopeless. Art by Niko Henrichon.

X-Men: Gold #8 (tie-in)

Written by Mark Guggenheim. Art by Ken Lashley.

U.S.Avengers #8 (tie-in)

Written by Al Ewing. Art by Paco Medina.

Secret Empire #7 (of 10)

Written by Nick Spencer. Art by Andrea Sorrentino.

Captain America: Steve Rogers #19 (tie-in)

Written by Nick Spencer. Art by Jesus Siaz.

Captain America: Sam Wilson #24 (tie-in)

Written by Nick Spencer. Art by Joe Bennett.

X-Men: Blue #8 (tie-in)

Written by Cullen Bunn. Art by Cory T. Smith.

Deadpool #34 (tie-in)

Written by Gerry Duggan. Art by Matteo Lolli.

The Mighty Captain Marvel #7 (tie-in)

Written by Margaret Stohl. Art by Michelle Bandini.

Available from July 26th.

Avengers #10 (tie-in)

Written by Mark Waid. Art by Mike Del Mundo.

Captain America #25 (tie-in)

Written by Nick Spencer. Art by Jesus Siaz.

Doctor Strange #24 (tie-in)

Written by Dennis Hopeless. Art by Niko Henrichon.

Secret Empire #8 (of 10)

Written by Nick Spencer. Art by Daniel Acuña.

Secret Warriors #5 (tie-in)

Written by Matt Rosenberg. Art by Javier Garrón.

Amazing Spider-Man #31 (tie-in)

Written by Dan Slott. Art by Stuart Immonen.

Secret Empire: Brave New World #5 (of 5) (tie-in)

Written by Paul Allor and Anthony Piper. Art by Brian Level and Anthony Piper.

X-Men: Blue #9 (tie-in)

Written by Cullen Bunn. Art by Cory T. Smith.

U.S.Avengers #9 (tie-in)

Written by Al Ewing. Art by Paco Medina.

Secret Empire #9 (of 10)

Written by Nick Spencer. Art by Leinil Yu.

The Mighty Captain Marvel #8 (tie-in)

Written by Margaret Stohl. Art by Michelle Bandini.

Secret Empire #10 (of 10)

Written by Nick Spencer. Art by Steve McNiven.

Deadpool #35 (Set during Secret Empire #10)

Written by Gerry Duggan. Art by Mike Hawthorne.

Secret Empire Omega cover by Mark Brooks.

Secret Empire Aftermath

The below have been listed as Secret Empire “aftermath” issues. They’re currently not in any particular order and will be rearranged when an order can be identified.

Uncanny Avengers #26

Written by Jim Zub. Art by Sean Izaakse.

NOTE: Uncanny Avengers #26 comes as a suggestion from J in the comments and is worth reading for those who are interested in Scarlet Witch’s story.

Secret Empire Omega (Aftermath)

Written by Nick Spencer. Art by Andrea Sorrentino and Joe Bennett.

Secret Warriors #6 (tie-in)

Written by Matt Rosenberg. Art by Juanan Ramirez.

U.S.Avengers #10 (Aftermath)

Written by Al Ewing. Art by Paco Diaz.

Deadpool #36 (Aftermath)

Written by Gerry Duggan. Art by Mike Hawthorne.

Avengers #11 (Aftermath)

Written by Mark Waid. Art by Mike Del Mundo.

Comics Spinning Out Of Secret Empire

While Secret Empire might be over, there are a few comics which will be spinning out of this Marvel event in one way or another. These comics will be part of Marvel Legacy, Marvel’s latest publishing initiative – which you can find out more about here.

Captain America

Written by Mark Waid. Art by Chris Samnee.

Cap will travel America on a path to have America trust him again. Start with Captain America #695 and read through til #697

Tales of Suspense

Winter Soldier and Hawkeye explore the mysteries left in the wake of Black Widow’s death. Start with Tales of Suspense #100 and runs through til #104

Generations

This spins out of Secret Empire thanks to the Vanishing Point. These are stand-alone one-shots that team up different generations of heroes. The one-shots are:

Generations: The Strongest

Generations: The Phoenix

Generations: The Best

Generations: The Thunder

Generations: The Archers

Generations: The Iron

Generations: The Bravest

Generations: The Marvels

Generations: The Spiders

Generations: The Americas

Deadpool

Deadpool is wanted for his actions in Secret Empire. Because of this, he decides it’s time to go full bad-guy. Start with Deadpool #287 and runs through to #291

Secret Empire Trade Paperbacks

Prefer to read your comics in a collected format? These are the ones you’ll need to track down.

Secret Empire

Collects: Secret Empire #0, Free Comic book Day 2017, Secret Empire #1-10, and Secret Empire Omega.

Secret Empire: United We Stand

Collects: Secret Empire: United, Secret Empire: Underground, Secret Empire: Uprising, and Uncanny Avengers #24-25.

Captain America: Secret Empire

Collects: Captain America: Steve Rogers #17-#19 and Captain America: Sam Wilson #22-#24

Secret Empire: Brave New World

Collects: Secret Empire: Brave New World #1-5

Secret Warriors

Collects: Secret Warriors #1-5

Avengers Unleashed Volume 2: Secret Empire

Collects: Avengers #7-11

Deadpool: World’s Greatest Volume 10: Secret Empire

Collects: Deadpool #31-#35

Amazing Spider-Man: Worldwide Volume 7: Secret Empire

Collects: Amazing Spider-Man #29-32

U.S.Avengers Volume 1: American Intelligence Mechanics

Collects: U.S.Avengers #1-6

U.S.Avengers Volume 2: Cannonball Run

Collects: Collects: U.S.Avengers #7-12

X-Men: Gold Volume 2: Evil Empires

Collects: X-Men: Gold #7-12

X-Men: Blue Volume 2: Toil and Trouble

Collects: X-Men: Blue #7-12

Champions Volume 2: The Freelancer Lifestyle

Collects: Champions #6-11

Have Your Say!

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