As ever, we take a look through this week's Secret Empire tie-ins to see which are essential to your Hydra experience and which are mere frippery that you can knock along well without. The more Imperial importance they contain, the more Hydra Heads we give them.

Today sees the publication of Secret Empire #6, as well as crossover comic books Doctor Strange #23, X-Men Gold #8, Secret Empire: Brave New World #4 and US Avengers #8. Oh and Ultimates2 #9 which also crosses over with Secret Empire but forgets to mention it. As opposed to Ultimates2 #8 which didn't cross over with Secret Empire at all but said that it did. Did someone err on the editorial side?

The main event book, Secret Empire #6 by Nick Spencer, Leinil Francis Yu, Gerry Alanguilan, Sunny Gho, Java Tartaglia, Rod Reis, Joshua Cassara and Rachelle Rosenberg goes in heavy with the fisticuffs…

But it also does a fine line in pulling out aspects of recent Marvel continuity, to aid the heroes at their final hour.

Which just adds more weight to my theory of the Vanishing Point storyline stemming from previous issues of Secret Avengers. Unless of course, the Red Skull is right, and they are all actually in hell. Heavy.

Doctor Strange is dealing with a hellish New York in Doctor Strange #23 by Dennis Hopeless and Niko Henrichon – which, to be fair, hadn't looked that important. And, frankly, still doesn't. However Secret Empire writer Nick Spencer told us,

Big DOCTOR STRANGE plans for SECRET EMPIRE, so don't miss @HopelessDent and Nico Henrichon's critical tie-in! pic.twitter.com/FxnU6ZUaHb — Nick Spencer (@nickspencer) March 21, 2017

So what could it be? Well, this issue does see new status for a few characters. Could this be who will break out of the Darkforce Dimension? A new team led by Doctor Strange, consisting of Strange, a demon possessed Wilson Fisk…

A knight of light, Ben Urich…

Putting quite a team together.

And a Phantom Eagle fighter plane for Jessica to fly…

So let's be generous with those Hydra heads if that is where the series is going.

And break out they will, and soon, That has been spoiled by today's X-Men Gold #8 by Marc Guggenheim, Ken Lashley, Frank Martin and Andrew Crossley which conversely has very little to do with the events of Secret Empire, simply allowing a little anti-mutant rhetoric to flourish in the dark. And then, on the final page, manages to spoil much of the anticipation of Secret Empire by revealing that only a few days after the lockdown on Manhattan in the Darkforce Dimension, it's all over, Manhattan has been freed and everything is fine and back to normal. Before replacing one form of fascism with another…

Lots of spoilers! But not many Hydra heads.

U.S.Avengers #8 by Al Ewing, Paco Medina, Juan Vlasco and Jesus Aburtov is one damn fine looking superhero comic book. and uses the basic physics lesson of electronic resistance to mighty effect as a way of retelling the origin of Iron Man and that character's effect on others. Full marks.

But how about it's Secret Empire relevance? Well pretty high, establishing Hydra's activities around the globe and the taking of Paris – though not without European unity resistance.

Which makes this comic the Remainer and anti-Brexit comic book of choice. Oh and because this is Al Ewing, managing to tie it all into his other reality-reshaping comics across the Marvel Universe too…

Okay, just stop there, this needs a whole new article somewhere else. Break out the Hydra heads.

While Brave New World #4 by Karla Pacheco, Alex Arizmendi, John Rauch, Amy Chu, Kate Niemczyk, Paul Allor, Brian Level and Jordan Boyd continue their mixed bag of relevance, with a Misty Knight that is bang on the world building for Secret Empire's Hydra tentacles that may reach Paris but fail across the whole of the USA…

A New Tian that has its own antifa resistance to deal with…

And a Namor who manages to make a side reference to Secret Empire and Hydra while seeing to his own business.

So a few Hydra heads, but mostly for Misty Knight – and some fine art from Alex and John too. Wuite the standout.

As we pointed out, last month's Ultimates2 #8 was billed as a Secret Empire crossover but wasn't at all, This month's issue, Ultimates2#9 by Al Ewing, Travel Foreman and Dan Brown isn't billed as a Secret Empire crossover but it really, really is.

Such as having characters from the storyline trapped outside the Earth's protective sphere whisked away to another battle…

…while Black Panther provides some perspective on the whole thing, comparing Secret Empire to his own business, something far more serious and potentially damning. And despite not having an official Secret Empire designation…

…ending up getting far more Hydra heads than some that do.