Story
Featuring
Nick Fury
Storyline
A.I.M. agents steal an LMD which turns out to be the real Nick Fury. The Heli-Carrier is on high-alert after Fury's leap and Sitwell plants a tracer on Count Royale as he rushes out. A pair of fleeing A.I.M. agents are met by one of the Secret Empire, which is a branch of "THEM"! The A.I.M. men are gassed unconscious by Gabe Jones working undercover. Jasper trails Royale to A.I.M.'s hidden base just before it explodes. Fury visits SHIELD's Museum for clues on HYDRA and is almost killed by an energy ray. Fury realizes "THEM" and HYDRA are one and the same, and it's up to SHIELD to stop them.
Story Notes
Part 5 of 5. Secret Empire storyline continues from Hulk story in TALES TO ASTONISH #83; then concludes in Sub-Mariner stories in TALES TO ASTONISH #83-85 (September-November 1966). "THEM" is revealed to be a cover-name for HYDRA; as they supplied The Fixer who appeared in STRANGE TALES #141-143 (February-April 1966), this means HYDRA has never really gone away at this point! It's revealed that Count Royale was not killed in the massive explosion, in the Captain America story in this month's TALES OF SUSPENSE #82 (October 1966), as Cap winds up facing one of A.I.M.'s artificial androids.