The Avengers found help in unexpected places as the Secret Empire crossover continues.

Warning: this article contains spoilers for Captain America #25 and Secret Empire #8!

Art by Jesus Saiz. (Marvel Comics)

Art by Jesus Saiz. (Marvel Comics)

Art by Daniel Acuna. (Marvel Comics)

Art by Rod Reis. (Marvel Comics)

Things are finally starting to look up for the Avengers as they continue their quest to reassemble the Cosmic Cube and topple Steve Rogers' Hydra regime. Writer Nick Spencer set the stage for the epic showdown to come in Captain America #25, which introduced two crucial new allies in the fight against Hydra.The first of these is Barf, the Inhuman who first appeared in the opening pages of Secret Empire #1. Barf's Inhuman ability allows him to act as a living 3D printer, literally vomiting into existence whatever object his mind can conjure. And he proved how useful that power can be when he barfed up a chunk of the Cosmic Cube.Another key ally emerged at the end of this issue, as Spencer revealed a familiar hero who's been hiding in plain sight, Bucky Barnes.Bucky seemingly perished in the build-up to Secret Empire earlier this year, with Baron Zemo strapping him to a cruise missile and executing Bucky in the same way he originally died in World War II. But now, as then, Bucky cheated death and was rescued by Namor. Now the former Winter Soldier has a plan to help the Avengers stop his best friend.Secret Empire #8 built on those twists, with Sam Wilson finally suiting up as Captain America again and using the partially assembled Cosmic Cube to bring down both Hydra's planetary shield and the Darkforce Dimension bubble surrounding Manhattan. And even though his mission seemed a failure after Sam was shot down by a Hydra sniper, the sudden return of Quasar provided the boost the Avengers needed to finally persevere.And as Secret Empire #8 revealed, Bucky isn't the only character who survived their apparent death in the buildup to Secret Empire. The "good" Steve Rogers currently lost in the mysterious realm known as the Vanishing Point encountered Kobik, the young girl who existed as the physical manifestation of the Cosmic Cube before it was destroyed. Apparently she survived in some form and appears to be the architect of the Vanishing Point. Are she and Steve currently trapped inside the broken fragments of the Cube?As Secret Empire #8 closes, the Avengers are finally unified again and ready to take the fight directly to the evil Steve Rogers. Look for an epic confrontation and answers to the Vanishing Point mystery in the final two issues of the series (currently scheduled for release on August 23 and August 30, respectively).If you haven't already, check out our review of Secret Empire #8

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