Secret Invasion was supposed to be a big deal for the Marvel Cinematic Universe in ways that should have echoed for countless future projects. Adapting a major comic book event, Secret Invasion‘s cast featured an enormous selection of Marvel characters, and chronicled the discovery that Skrulls had come to earth throughout the years and had taken over the lives of many beloved MCU figures. While the story was shrunk in scale to allow for a paranoid television thriller centered around Nick Fury rather than the Avengers team, many of the implications of the comic book story persisted.
Nick Fury has been an essential part of the MCU timeline since his appearance in the post-credit scene of Iron Man.The character has been fundamental to the universe ever since, building the Avengers and then maintaining S.H.I.E.L.D. and its subsequent incarnations like S.W.O.R.D. Considering Nick Fury’s MCU record, creating a story around him in the lead role seemed an obvious choice for success. Unfortunately, Secret Invasion was not well-liked, and following The Marvels, it is unclear if the MCU intends to follow up on it, even though it arguably needs to.
Secret Invasion’s Cliffhanger Sets Up More Skrull Stories
The Skrulls Remain On Earth And Need A Place To Call Their Own
Even after the events of Secret Invasion, the threat of Skrull infiltration in the MCU persists. G’iah’s ascension as the Skrull leader and the discovery of a base housing humans replaced by Skrulls wired to machines all point to a continuing menace. The series’ conclusion leaves numerous threads dangling, inviting exploration from various angles and leaving a major plotline open that needs ideally some kind of closure.
The question of what the Skrulls do from here under G’iah’s leadership is enormous. Much is left to explore with such a world-altering event as Secret Invasion proposed. While Gravik failed to change the earth into a place for Skrulls rather than humans, that ideology and dissent must still be present in many remaining Skrulls. Some will be for peace, while others won’t, and that will continue to be important to the universe so long as Skrulls remain hidden on Earth.
Rhodey’s Secret Invasion Mystery Needs To Be Resolved
James Rhodes Has Been Important To The MCU Since Iron Man
Many characters in Secret Invasion were confirmed to be Skulls, with perhaps the most notable example being that of James Rhodes, also known as War Machine. Rhodey’s replacement is most significant not only because of his place in the franchise, but also because the show appeared to reveal the character had been replaced back during Captain America: Civil War. This is enormous and leaves a tremendous amount of story that needs to be explored with the character. If true, James Rhodes did not fight against Thanos, and would not even be aware of his dear friend Tony Stark’s death.
Some of the character’s rehabilitation to society is bound to be explored in the upcoming Armor Wars. Due to Rhodes’ main role in that film, and the significant impact the Skrull story has had on his experience, it would then appear that on a narrative level, Armor Wars may have to function as a sequel to Secret Invasion. The impact of his replacement on James Rhodes’ development is significant to his character and future. However, considering the series’ poor reception, seeing how the studio handles this will be interesting.
Secret Invasion Also Teased A British Superhero Team
Excalibur, The Union, Or Another UK Team Make Sense For The MCU
Sonya Falsworth’s story remains a crucial figure who needs more expansion upon after Secret Invasion. Sonya’s name is especially notable here, as the Falsworth name is an important one in Marvel Comics that led to speculation that her character may be intended as a relative of Lord James Falsworth or Brian Falsworth, who took on the mantle of Union Jack. The character is similar to a British Captain America, and has appeared in comics since the 1970s. While not in Secret Invasion, Union Jack feels appropriate to the state of the MCU as a new hero to introduce.
Union Jack is significant to more than one Marvel group, including The Invaders and The Union. The latter is a considerable team that could play into the stories of the MCU as a UK superhero team. As the universe has attempted to create new teams such as the Young Avengers, Thunderbolts, and Midnight Sons, it seems likely that they were also laying the groundwork here for another team to tie into the Multiverse Saga. This is likely to be with either The Union or Excalibur, especially as rumors of Captain Britain have circled the MCU for some time.
Despite a negative response, the implications of Secret Invasion are too big to remain unexplored in the MCU. Various threads remain hanging after the MCU series, especially with the stories of G’iah, Rhodey, and Falsworth, each of which points in a different direction. While Marvel may unfortunately avoid exploring G’iah and Falsworth further, this would be a mistake. The studio has introduced these enormous components into its universe, and it needs to try to explore and resolve them. Indeed, doing so could even redeem Secret Invasion itself.
