Who are the MCU characters we should pay attention to in Marvel’s Secret Invasion?
There were so many announcements during Disney’s Investors Day – many of which came from Marvel Studios news. We had teases for Spider-Man 3, Black Widow and Thor: Love and Thunder, Loki’s trailer was finally released (and it may have shown that Natasha Romanoff is still alive!) and we finally had confirmation that the Fantastic Four are coming to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
This is only the beginning. One announcement that deserves recognition is the reveal that we’re getting a Marvel’s Secret Invasion series on Disney Plus.
For anyone unaware, Secret Invasion was a Marvel Comics event that was teased for years and now we’re going to see a live-action adaptation in the MCU.
Marvel’s Secret Invasion was one of the longest series ever. Not the actual mini-series but the lead up to it was longer than readers knew (we eventually found out that it started way before the Avengers Mansion was destroyed). If Marvel Studios is going to adapt this properly, a TV series was the only way to go. How else are we going to learn how and why the Skrulls invaded earth? A program gives us that and so many other smaller details.
Maybe the most important part is which characters the Skrulls replaced? Who are they going to attempt to take off the board permanently? Who are their biggest threats and how will they neutralize them? Coming up, we have 10 characters that are going to be important in the Skrulls plans.
Captain Marvel
Carol Danvers is Earth’s most powerful hero. The Hulk may be the strongest there is, but he can’t survive in space. Plus, he’s not the Hulk he once was. That leaves Marvel. In order for the Skrulls to be successful, they’ll have to take Captain Marvel off the board. At the very least get her on their side. The latter is easier.
Captain Marvel helped them go from refugees to rebuilding their race and becoming powerful once more. She may be more sympathetic to their cause – especially since they’ll lie to her. They’ll embellish the truth and tell Captain Marvel that they need Earth to be their home. In actuality, they could be trying to take over. Hopefully, Danvers won’t fall for their sob story.
The Skrulls
This may seem redundant, but it’s not. Not every Skrull will be behind the idea of taking over Earth. During Marvel Comics’ Secret Invasion, there were more than a couple of Skrulls who rebelled against the empire. Even their most loyal Kl’rt (the first super-Skrull) went against the empire. Granted, it was to “save” his daughter.
There was also a member of the Initiative (Crusader) who fought against them as well. It’s likely that the same thing will happen here. There will be members who love humanity and everything it has to offer.
Guardians of the Galaxy
The Guardians of the Galaxy have made a name for themselves all over the cosmos. They’ve defeated Ronan the Accuser, beat Ego the living planet, and helped the Avengers defeat Thanos. All of this will gather unwanted attention.
If a Skrull were to invade the Guardians’ ship and take the place of one of their heroes, this would give the invaders someone on the inside of one of the premiere superhero teams. Disguising one of theirs as Gamora could work. After all, Peter Quill has a weakness to her. He’ll believe almost anything that she says and will follow her into hell if he has to.
This would be a strategic way to cause division within the team. If the Skrulls can break them up, it’s one less team to worry about.
Janet van Dyne
This writer never believed that the Janet van Dyne we saw in Ant-Man and the Wasp is Hope’s mother. In fact, he went so far as to suggest that she’s a Skrull. It seemed too convenient that she’d come back and have powers. The Quantum realm being the excuse also seemed a bit weak.
There could be more to this than what we know and her really being a Super-Skrull could solve all of this. Now, she’s close to Hank Pym. Infiltrating that group gives her access to one of the smartest people in the world and a connection to the Avengers.
Remember where you heard this theory first.
Nick Fury
In the comic books, Nick Fury was one the first people the Skrulls went after. He has connections to every super being on the planet (and even some outside of it). Having him on-board goes a long way in them almost pulling off their plan. Unfortunately for them, Nick Fury knows when something is off. He saw what was happening and countered it. After finding out about the Skrull’s invasion, Fury created his own team to fight back. We could be seeing something similar here.
We saw Nick Fury on the Skrull’s ship at the end of Spider-Man: Far From Home. Was he really Nick Fury? On one hand, Fury seems to be more than done with the state of things on Earth. On the other, would Nick Fury go along with their plan? He isn’t someone who’s easily manipulated. However, if anyone was going to do it, the Skrulls could.
Let’s also not forget that Nick Fury put together a team of Secret Warriors to fight back against the Skrulls. Among them was Daisy Johnson. Quake could finally make her debut in an MCU movie with Fury. Or, and this could be better, she could lead the New Warriors herself. Fury trusts Coulson. So it would be easy for him to believe in Daisy Johnson to lead a squad to fight for Earth.
Dr. Strange
After the Illuminati found out that their friend and teammate Black Bolt had been replaced by a Super Skrull, Doctor Strange didn’t have a part in the Secret Invasion. His hands weren’t healed from the Hulk’s attack and he felt as if he wasn’t the man he should have been. He relinquished the title of Sorcerer Supreme and began a journey of atonement. As we’ve seen, the comics and the movies differ in many ways. This will be one of them. There’s no way Marvel Studios keeps Doctor Strange out of the Secret Invasion.
Doctor Strange is too important (and popular) to the MCU. Leaving him out of it leaves money on the table. First, everyone wants to see him battle the Skrulls. Second, it looks like he’s going to be important to the next phase of the MCU. We know about Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and we also know he may be a huge part of Spider-Man 3. All of this leads to him being significant to this story too.
The Skrull Empire knows that Doctor Strange is a threat. He’s one of the few people that can blink them out of the realm with little effort. If Strange isn’t part of the final battle, it’ll be because they took him out. You can’t have Strange with the Avengers together. We saw what they did to Thanos and his team. They’ll easily make short work of the Skrull armada.
Black Widow (is it really her?)
If you saw the Loki trailer, you may have caught a surprise. It looked as if Natasha Romonoff (Black Widow) is still alive. While this can’t be confirmed, it does warrant bringing up. No one truly knows how the sacrifice works. But, if she is dead, this could be a ploy on the part of the Skrulls.
Loki could be a connection to Secret Invasion. Both shows are on Disney Plus and will also connect to the future MCU films and programs. Furthermore, Natasha is another character connected to multiple people. She’s on the Avengers, a former member of S.H.I.E.L.D., and more. The Skrulls would love to learn everything she knows.
Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross
We’ve only seen bits and pieces of Thaddeus Ross in the MCU. He was in The Incredible Hulk, Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Endgame. In those sample sizes, we’ve seen that he doesn’t need superpowers to be a force.
The obvious suggestion here would be to see him replaced by a Skrull. He’s in a position of power that the invaders could use to their advantage. But let’s look at something else. There have been rumors about the Red Hulk almost making it to the MCU. Secret Invasion could be the project where this finally happens. With the threat of an alien invasion, Ross may become the one thing he hates. He could turn himself into a Hulk. With Bruce Banner not being like the old Hulk, Ross could take his place as the strongest there is.
Quicksilver
Quicksilver’s appearance in the Marvel Cinematic Universe came and went as fast as he runs. No one expected that he’d die in his debut (in Avengers: Age of Ultron) and it’s a moment that is still pretty befuddling. What if bringing him back as a Skrull was their plan from the beginning?
Wanda has a vulnerability to her brother. She trusts him more than anyone. If he comes back and says that the Avengers need to be dealt with, she might listen – especially if she’s still perplexed from the events of WandaVision. If Scarlet Witch were to be taken, imagine how the Skrulls would feel. Wanda may be the only person who rivals Doctor Strange and Captain Marvel in the power department.
Fantastic Four
A Fantastic Four project has finally been announced. We knew it was coming, but seeing the Four with the Marvel Studios logo inside it felt good. We still don’t know who’s playing Marvel’s First Family or when the movie is scheduled to be released, but one thing that lets you know they’re important is the fact that their project is being released before the long-awaited MCU reboot of the X-Men. Since they have ties to the Skrulls in the comics, look for the Fantastic Four to be involved in Secret Invasion.
The Fantastic Four have been an obsession of the Skrulls for decades – so much so that they based their first Super Skrull off their power set. The Skrull’s fixation with them could be because they’ve continued to thwart their plans – one time turning some of them into cows. Not having the Fantastic Four in Secret Invasion in some aspect would be almost blasphemous. It would be like having a string of X-Men projects and not using Mr. Sinister. or having Rogue, but never letting her fight. Oh wait, never mind.
What do you think? What other characters will be replaced or important to the Skrulls’ plans in Secret Invasion? Let us know in the comments below!