9 Burning Questions After 'Incoming'

Warning! This article contains spoilers for today's INCOMING #1, so read on at your own risk, oh frantic ones!

Did you feel that? That was the Marvel Universe rumbling after INCOMING rocked our reality!

Brought to you by just about every brilliant writer and artist helping to build the House of Ideas these days, the issue acts as a launchpad for a slew of upcoming storylines while also solving a classic locked-door mystery!

INCOMING offered the opening salvo for a variety of major shifts in the status quo that will come to light in 2020. In an attempt to suss out some of the mysteries, we're asking the big questions brought up by the ish! Staring with...

Who is the Masked Raider?

MARVEL COMICS #1000 introduced the idea of the Eternity Mask, a covering created from Eternity's never-ending fabric.

The mask itself makes the owner the equal of anyone they face. It also allows the person underneath to see some of he hidden connections of the universe, which may explain why he felt drawn to the murder of a man who...turned out to be an under-cover alien!? That still remains as big of a mystery as the Raider's true identity, but will surely come to light in the coming months.

Who killed Bel-Dann?

INCOMING kicks off with the mysterious Masked Raider coming upon a dead man in a locked room. He begins asking questions that get others involved, but we do eventually come to find out who the victim is: a pink Kree called Bel-Dann.

Back in FANTASTIC FOUR ANNUAL (1963) #18, Reed and his team got Bel-Dann and Skrull Raksor to work together. They'd been doing that ever since in an effort to unite their races. So who would want to kill them?

What's the secret message?

While investigating Bel-Dann's murder, Jessica Jones discovered a message on the back of a photo. Down the line, they realize it means "Beware the trees" and think that Raksor used his shape-shifting abilities to kill the Kree, not knowing they'd become allies. Shortly after confronting Raksor about this, he himself was destroyed by a tree.

Could his mean that an Earth-based being with control over plants is causing trouble, or might the threat come from space? Skrulls, of course, can change their shape, but we also know of another alien race that resembles our Terran plants: the Flora Colossi!

Which war will come first?

As T'Challa very astutely points out after a less-than-productive meeting with Namor's representatives, the Avengers have more than a few potential wars brewing.

In addition to the deepening problems with Atlantis, they also have Count Dracula and the vampires to deal with—as well as Mephisto and his demons trying to take over Las Vegas, a new Starbrand and the U.S.-sponsored Squadron Supreme. And that's not counting other threats they might not know about like Annihilation Scourge, Knull's planet-ravaging tendencies or the impending attack from a united Skrull-Kree faction!

ATLANTIS ATTACKS will show how one of these conflicts comes to a head as the Agents of Atlas go up against the sea king in January.

What are the new Three Xs up to?

The connection between the original Three Xs—also called the Scientists Guild and later the Enclave—and the Eternity Mask may have been established in MARVEL COMICS #1000, but it still remains unclear as to why Blue Marvel, Jimmy Woo, and Night Thrasher took the name for themselves in that same issue. Their idea of creating an open network of information sounds like a positive force for good in the world, but systems such as that can, after often do, become corrupted.

What does Senator Geoffrey Patrick really want?

Sure, reasonable people might agree with the Indiana Senator's claim that teenagers probably shouldn't be running around with astonishing powers and constantly getting into fights with each other. Even some of the Champions agreed with the idea. However, the world isn't exactly known for its level-headed politicians who are only looking out for the good of the people. What's he up to? Where's this headed? To follow that story, check out OUTLAWED #1 in March!

Why does Mr. Sinister want Franklin Richards so bad?

One of the laws of Krakoa states that cloning is off the table, which does not sit well with Mr. Sinister. He intends to have his own brand of fun while still staying within the letter of the law. As he mentioned in the book itself, "You didn't say anything about not making something new by using something old." He then discussed mutants like Legion, Mr. M, Hope, Kid Omega, Exodus, and Vulcan before saying he needed Franklin Richards and his reality-shaping powers for something.

With Franklin examining his mutant heritage starting in X-MEN/FANTASTIC FOUR #1, it seems like Sinister has a chance at getting his wish, which may not be good for everyone.

Where's Tony Stark?

It seems like just about everyone wanted to check with Tony Stark about the events of this issue, but he was nowhere to be found. Blue Marvel did run into a Stark, but it was Arno, the Iron Man from 2020! He helped Blue Marvel a bit, but also claimed that Tony was dead...

To find out how true that may be, keep an eye on January's IRON MAN 2020!

Is Hulkling really attacking the Earth?

After spending his last hour on Earth with his boyfriend Wiccan, Hulkling flew off on a mysterious mission. By the end of the issue, we learned that he had agreed to embrace his dual Kree and Skrull heritage and become a uniting force between the two groups before apparently declaring war on Earth!

Teddy's always had a complicated relationship with his alien nature, but would he really lead an attack on the planet he calls home? We'll find out next year!

For the answers to those questions and more, keep reading a healthy mix of Marvel Comics and Marvel.com, True Believer!