Trust No One…
Back at San Diego Comic-Con 2017, Marvel Studios confirmed that the Skrulls were coming to the MCU for 2019’s Captain Marvel. Since that announcement and after the film had been released, for years, one of the biggest questions fans had regarding the alien race is whether or not Marvel Studios would adapt the comic event Secret Invasion. Well, just a few weeks ago, Kevin Feige officially confirmed that Marvel Studios would be adapting the Secret Invasion storyline in a Disney+ Original Series. Samuel L Jackson. is set to return as Nick Fury and Ben Mendelsohn will return as Talos.
Samuel L. Jackson is back as Nick Fury and Ben Mendelsohn from Captain Marvel returns as the Skrull Talos in Marvel Studios' Original Series Secret Invasion. Coming to #DisneyPlus. pic.twitter.com/AuInHMuBRW
— Marvel Studios (@MarvelStudios) December 11, 2020
What happened during the comic event “Secret Invasion”?
After years of fighting wars against the Kree civilization, the Skrulls eventually lost their home planet and were desperately seeking a new place to call home. Their leader, Queen Veranke decided to follow an ancient prophecy that claimed that the Skrulls were the rightful rulers of the Earth, and for years, the Skrulls had infiltrated the planet via multiple sleeper Skrulls agents that were so well hidden that no one could tell who they were. Not even they themselves. Only when a Skrull infiltrator heard the words; “He loves you”, would his original personality resurface. Until then, the infiltrator would not even be aware that he was in fact a Skrull. Once the Skrulls has revealed themselves to each other and united in the Secret Invasion, the heroes (and villains) had to unite on their own front to face off against what was left of the entire Skrull army, who by this time, not only could shift shapes but also had multiple sets of superpowers based on the heroes they were facing.
How could this event translate into the Marvel Cinematic Universe?
We know that Marvel Studios tends to adapt their most iconic stories and adding their own MCU twist to the story. I sense Secret Invasion won’t be any different. As of right now, the only two cast members officially confirmed to return are Jackson and Mendelsohn. But we need to take Feige’s own words from Disney’s Investor Day into account. “Next to Civil War, Secret Invasion is arguably the biggest crossover comic event in the last 20 years, and we’re bringing it to Disney+.” We need to put into perspective that the world in the MCU right now is pretty much defenseless, as it does not have an actual Avengers team to protect it from otherworldly dangers. Captain America retired, Iron Man and Black Widow are dead, Thor is off-world, Hulk is partially out of commission and Hawkeye has his own matters to deal with in the upcoming Hawkeye series. This sort of lines up with the events of the comics. The world is split apart due to the events of Civil War, the former Avengers are all separate and there is a new wave of heroes that are certainly different from their predecessors. This would be the perfect time for the Skrulls to strike.
And the idea of a sect of Skrulls having already infiltrated the Earth is something that was already explored since way back in 2015, when Talos was already posing as Nick Fury post-Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014). While the intent of posing as Director Fury wasn’t malevolent per se, who’s to say other Skrulls haven’t already infiltrated the Earth, perhaps as individuals in high ranking positions of power worldwide, including Earth’s very own superheroes. Let me refer you to this panel from Secret Invasion #2:
As you can see, we’re seeing some of our favorite Marvel Comics heroes take on earlier versions of themselves and even some who are considered to be dead. If Marvel Studios plays their cards correctly, we could potentially see a version of this play out on the Disney+ series, as heroes from the MCU’s past take on the heroes of the MCU’s future. It would even be the perfect opportunity for Marvel to bring back iconic characters from their previous phases back on screen. Just imagine it for a second. Characters like Chris Evans’ Captain America, Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man, and Scarlett Johanson’s Black Widow taking on the likes of Falcon, Spider-Man, Captain Marvel. And in the end, because the Skrulls are sleeper agents, they wouldn’t be able to tell who’s who in this scenario and could confuse, and potentially convince the heroes (and the audience) that these heroes could actually be back. However this series plays out, I’m certain it’s going to be an absolutely exciting event for Disney+. And as Mysterio would say:
