Will Captain Marvel Lead To MCU's Secret Invasion?
The Skrulls could have a much bigger role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Phase 4.
It's well-known by now that Captain Marvel will heavily feature the Skrulls, an alien race capable of shape-shifting into just about anyone they please, whether it be superheroes or old women getting punched on trains.
In Captain Marvel, they will form one half of an intergalactic conflict with the Kree, with the Skrulls looking to infiltrate Earth, including S.H.I.E.L.D., leading to Brie Larson's Carol Danvers teaming up with Samuel L. Jackson's Nick Fury to uncover exactly what they're up to. They'll be an integral part of the film, with Ben Mendelsohn's Talos serving as one of the main antagonists.
The presence of Skrulls in the MCU, though, has people wondering about the future. One big comic storyline, Secret Invasion, revolved around the idea that numerous superheroes (alongside government figures and other powerful people) had been gradually replaced by the aliens. It's a huge event, and one that has long been suggested by fans as a potential storyline for Phase 4. Speaking with Collider (among other publications) on their set visit, producer Jonathan Schwartz said that is something potentially in the pipeline:
"Yes, we talked about Secret Invasion. I wouldn’t go into this movie saying, ‘Which one of these superheroes is a Skrull?’ Because Carol is more or less the first superhero to show up on Earth. But are we planting seeds for future movies? Always.”
With the current iteration of the Avengers coming to an end, and Phase 4 set to be both very different and more cosmic, something like Secret Invasion would fit the bill, whether that's in a single team-up movie or sprinkled throughout the next set of films. Schwartz went on to discuss whether that included the paranoia aspect of the comic, saying:
“If you’re talking about kind of the [H. Warren] Craddick Anti-Superhero Act stuff from the comics, not really. There is a paranoia element that’s a little bit different from what’s in that specific storyline, but it’s not kind of related to the Anti-Superhero who could be a Skrull comic stuff. What I’d say about the Kree-Skrull War overall is it’s much more of a kind of backdrop and mythological underpinning for the movie than it is a direct lift of that plot like Civil War was.”
Secret Invasion would be huge, the ilk they likely couldn't do justice in a single movie, since it'd have to change everything we know about at least one major hero, and likely more. There are many ways it could go wrong, but if they can pull it off then it could completely change the face of the MCU.
Do you want to see the MCU tackle Secret Invasion? Let us know down in the comments.