This April, the inhabitants of Earth are in for the fight of their lives as the alien Skrull Empire sets its sights on the planet. Earth has many defenders, but its best hopes lie with the individuals we've been profiling over the past several weeks with the help of Marvel Comics editor Tom Brevoort. Our analysis continue today as Brevoort returns for an extra lucky edition of EARTH'S MOST WANTED as we reveal The Sevens in the Skrulls' "Secret Invasion" Poker Deck.

SEVEN OF SPADES - DUM DUM DUGANIt doesn't matter if the enemy is human, alien, or even giant monster, S.H.I.E.L.D. officer Timothy "Dum Dum" Dugan has faced them all. "Dum Dum has been Nick Fury's right-hand man since World War II, so while he's no Nick himself, he has been privy to virtually every engagement Fury's been in over the years, and so has plenty of experience to draw upon," Tom Brevoort told CBR News. "He's also looked upon as something of a legend himself among the S.H.I.E.L.D. rank-and-file, which would give him good odds to be a rallying point."

Dugan's wealth of experience and notoriety within S.H.I.E.L.D. definitely makes him a target for replacement by the Skrulls. "Dum Dum has access to all the workings of the inner sanctums of S.H.I.E.L.D., and is just below the radar enough that most people aren't going to look at him too closely," Brevoort said.

SEVEN OF HEARTS - NOVARichard Rider is the Skrulls' least favorite kind of Earthman; the one with both a seemingly unlimited supply of power and friends. "As the last Xandarian Centurion, Nova has the sum total of the power of the Nova Corps backing him," Brevoort explained. "And Earth is his home, so while his attentions have largely been focused outward for awhile, he'd likely come running if he knew for certain that the Earth was imperiled. He's also got a diverse pool of allies from his travels that he could potentially call upon."

In addition to his abilities and allies, Nova is also armed with another useful anti-Skrull tool, The Xandarian Worldmind, a super computer housed inside his body. "The Worldmind has faced the Skrulls before,' Brevoort stated. "So it probably knows a great deal about their race and culture, far more than is generally known on Earth."

Nova's roaming the spaceways right now, but should the hero also known as the Human Rocket come blasting back to Earth for any reason, the Skrulls will be on the look out to try and replace him. Even with his vast power potential, the Skrulls could still create an effective Nova impersonator. "In order to replace Nova, the Skrulls would only need to emulate his powers, not duplicate them whole cloth," Brevoort remarked. "We've seen them create functioning analogues to the powers of the Fantastic Four in a single being, so it's not inconceivable that they could create a workable substitute for Nova."

SEVEN OF DIAMONDS - THE THINGBen Grimm and his Fantastic Four teammates have more experience battling Skrulls than any other heroes in the Marvel Universe. "The most threatening factors that the Thing possesses are his extensive experience in dealing with the Skrulls, and his never-say-die spirit, which will keep him fighting on long after others may have fallen," Brevoort stated.

The Thing's never-say-die attitude has made him one of the most beloved and respected members of the Fantastic Four. Grimm has had mixed results leading hero teams in the past but when you consider his popularity among both heroes and ordinary citizens along with his ability to lead by example; The Thing has the potential to be a highly affective figure in any organized resistance movement opposing the Skrulls.

Grimm's membership and role in the Fantastic Four also makes him a highly desirable candidate for replacement. Replacing The Thing would not only give the Skrulls access to the Baxter Building, but it would give them a quick and affective way to strike against FF leader Reed Richards.

SEVEN OF CLUBS -MAGNETOIf Magneto still possessed his mutant abilities, he would rightfully be one of the biggest threats to the Skrulls' Secret Invasion of Earth. But even without his powers the former Master of Magnetism still presents some amount of danger to the Skrulls' long term plans.

"He's still got his leadership abilities and charisma," Brevoort stated. Indeed, over the years, Magneto's charisma and leadership abilities have taken diverse bands of disgruntled and disenfranchised mutants and turned them into highly affective fighting units. Should things get desperate enough, Magneto has proven he's a good enough orator and tactician to become not just a liberator of Mutantkind but Mankind as well.

Replacing Magneto with a Skrull doppelganger gives the aliens a way of neutralizing a chunk of Earth's remaining mutant population. "A Skrull Magneto who could emulate his powers and presence could be used to align the relatively few remaining evil or malicious mutants with the Skrull cause," Brevoort remarked.

Should replacing Magneto not work, the Skrulls can always attack him with his reputation. "While a cult figure for a small portion of the population, at large he's considered a villain and a war criminal," Brevoort explained. "So the average person is frightened of him, or apt to go after him with a baseball bat if they realize he's powerless."

Cards designed by Jim MacQuarrie.

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