WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Empyre: Aftermath Avengers #1 by Al Ewing, Valerio Schiti, Marte Gracia, and VC's Ariana Maher, on sale now.
Marvel's Empyre event began as a look into the complex relationships between the Kree and Skrull empires and the Cotati race. With each issue, the politics became increasingly intricate, as the Kree and Skrull united and the Cotati tried to take control of all plant life on Earth so they could become powerful in their own right. But by the end of the series, it was clear that one character orchestrated the whole conflict. In Empyre: Aftermath Avengers #1, R'Klll reveals how she set up everything.
The one-shot details how R'Klll, the grandmother of Hulkling, had prepared this scheme for years. Before she left her daughter Anelle for dead, R'Klll told Hulkling's mother that she dreamed of a future where the Skrull empire would be ruled by someone that had both Kree and Skrull blood. Knowing that her grandson fit the bill, R'Klll set the wheels of Empyre in motion. In a discussion with Hulkling, she describes the extensive lengths she went through to ensure the success of her plan.
First, R'Klll disguised herself as Tanalth, a Kree warrior who had been a prisoner in the Skrull's dungeons. Using Power Skrull technology, R'Klll gave herself Tanalth's superhuman power. Then, a nanoscale image inducer allowed her to mask her genes so that she'd pass the inspection of any scan. From there, she returned to Hala, the Kree homeworld, where she climbed the ranks of their military as an Accuser. R'Klll then capitalized on political turmoil to cement her rise to the top. Between the death of Ronan the Accuser, the destruction of Hala, and numerous other controversies, R'Klll easily gained power in a chaotic environment. After that, it was only a matter of time before her plan came to fruition.
Once R'Klll ascended the Kree ranks as Tanalth, she moved to the next phase of her plan — uniting the Kree and Skrull empires. To do so, she relied on her grandson, Hulkling. As a half-Kree, half-Skrull emperor, Hulkling would be the physical embodiment of the union between these empires. Finally, she put an imposter in Hulkling's place so that she could secretly pull the strings and rule over this new alliance. Strategically, R'Klll's plan was brilliant, and it worked flawlessly until the end. Morally, her manipulation was heinous, and she killed whoever stood in her way.
Prior to Empyre, R'Klll was rarely placed in the spotlight, especially as of late. Still, the character has a long history as an important player in the Skrull empire. She orchestrated the death of Emperor Dorrek VII in order to become the new Empress. Throughout her reign, she worked behind the scenes with the Kree empire, who had been bitter rivals of the Skrulls. As a result, it comes as no surprise that she later sought to unify the two empires. Though she came close to executing her villainous plan, the combined efforts of the Avengers and the Fantastic Four stopped her just in time.
Most of the time, Marvel's events are complicated, as they involve the motivations of various villains or antagonistic forces. But Empyre can easily be traced back to one individual. Sure, the Kree, the Skrull and the Cotati all played a part in the development of this conflict. But R'Klll single-handedly manipulated the Kree and Skrull empires in an attempt to accomplish her vision of a union between the two civilizations. Her thirst for power may have been her downfall because she may have been blinded by her ambitions. Either way, R'Klll's plan failed, though she deserves credit for crafting such a masterful scheme.
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