Marvel recently had their panel at SDCC 2022, where they announced their plans for the coming years, including many of the titles that are part of phases 5 and 6. There are many stories about major events that will thrill the fans of the comics, and they seem to set their ambitions high for the storylines they intend to follow. One of these, and one of the more anticipated upcoming releases, is a Secret Invasion Disney Plus series, to be released in Spring 2023.
Secret Invasion is one of the great comic storylines, so it’s no wonder the MCU has decided to finally tackle it, especially with the introduction of the Skrulls in Captain Marvel. However, there are some fans who may not have delved into the comics yet and may not be too familiar with the story. What exactly is? Secret Invasionand why will it (presumably) have a huge effect on the MCU in the future?
Secret Invasion is a comedic event in which it is discovered that a Skrull takeover has taken place on Earth and that many of the Marvel heroes have been kidnapped and replaced by Skrull impersonators in preparation for this global siege. The Skrulls decided to take Earth as their property after Galactus destroyed their home planet, but they struggled to do so due to the number of super-powered individuals on the planet. This is why they targeted superheroes before the invasion and decided to take their places instead.
The Skrulls are most famous for their shape-shifting abilities, and this ability has been seen in the MCU before. (In fact the plot of Secret Invasion was even suggested in Spider-Man: Far from Home, when it is revealed that the Nick Fury and Maria Hill who appear in the film were actually Skrulls the entire time.) There are also the Super-Skrulls, which are Skrull super-soldiers who have been genetically engineered to not only change the appearance of superheroes, but also their strengths and abilities. The original Super-Skrull (called Kl’rt) has the abilities of all four members of the Fantastic Four. These Skrulls pose an even greater threat than the normal ones, and it’s highly likely that they could make an appearance in the TV series.
The takeover happens without anyone noticing, until it is too late. When the remaining heroes finally get a sense of what’s going on, they’re unprepared to take on the Skrull forces, who have now had years to prepare for war. SHIELD has been compromised and no one knows who is a Skrull and who is not, which really ramps up the tension. They are finally able to hold off the invasion, but it comes at the cost of many lives and ultimately has a huge impact on the Marvel universe in the future. So it’s likely that the same could be the case with the TV series.
One of the major players in Secret Invasion is Nick Fury, who plays a major role in averting the Skrull attacks. He is the only one who sees the invasion coming and can do something about it before it happens. He was then in hiding after the events of secret war, and he secretly assembled a team of heroes to help fight the impending Skrull invasion. Members of this team included Phobos, son of the Greek god Ares; Jojo Rodriguez; and Daisy Johnson, who fans may also recognize from Agents of SHIELD. This team is one of the main elements fighting the Skrulls, although they are so secret that no one knows they were involved.
It seems likely that Nick Fury’s storyline in the MCU thus far leads to Secret Invasion similar to the comics. He’s dead to the world after Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and has been hiding in secret ever since. The last time the audience saw him — during the end credits scene of Far from home – he was in space, presumably setting up SWORD, an agency like SHIELD that is based in space (and was a key plot point in WandaVision). Fury has known about and worked with the Skrulls since the 90s, and the entire plot of Captain Marvel was to show they weren’t the bad guys, so it might seem strange to have them return to the invading force. This is a major reason why the MCU version of Secret Invasion may deviate from the comic storyline in certain ways.
The effects of the Secret Invasion storyline influenced the future comic storylines in many ways. The Secret Invasion story is followed by dark reign, a comic book series in which Norman Osborn takes control of SHIELD after taking credit for fending off the Skrull armies, turning it into a new (and much more militaristic) organization called HAMMER. This is also when he forms the Dark Avengers, a team where more villainous characters (such as Bullseye, Venom and even Norman Osborn himself) disguise themselves as heroes and take over the law.
It will be interesting to see how Secret Invasion affects the MCU as a whole. Since it is a TV series and not a movie, the range may be smaller. However, Marvel has not been shy that their TV shows are just as influential on the overall story as the movies. It’s likely to at the very least bring Nick Fury back into the fold of the MCU, and it could even deliver shocking moments if characters who’ve been in the MCU for a while turn out to be Skrull impostors. Nothing concrete is known about the plot at this point, but judging by the comic bookline, the Secret Invasion series is certainly a huge story point in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
0 Comments