The Annihilation Insectoid Race had caused an enormous catastrophe in the original story. Of the Skrull Empire's thirty billion residents, not even ten million remained after the brutal Annihilation disaster. The Skrull Empire, which had dominated the universe for millions of years, collapsed outright and was thoroughly swept into history's garbage heap. The Annihilation Insectoid Race had forced the three great interstellar empires—the Skrulls, Kree, and Shi'ar—and the Nova Corps to join forces in an unprecedented alliance.