MCU Theory: Could Captain Marvel's Missing Skrull Be A Hidden Avenger?

2. So Why Consider Earth?

Earth might seem like a strange place for anyone to settle, but it's not at all unprecedented. Even with SHIELD and the Avengers Initiative inspired into existence by alien invasions, Earth is a good enough option for resettlement that Thor initially chooses it for the site of the New Asgard at the very end of Thor: Ragnarok.

Just as he did in the comics, the God Of Thunder chooses Earth presumably because of his personal ties to the planet. Even without a link to Jane Foster any more, Thor is drawn to Midgard in the MCU and sees it as a reasonable place to build his home. Why wouldn't he? Despite their complaints about collateral damage, Earth's people have taken to exceptional individuals like Thor, Spider-Man, Iron Man and even Hulk... Where they might be ordinarily classed as threats. They're clearly an open-minded people.

And consider this: in the 1970s, Ego chooses humanity to be one of the races he impregnates to try and create his offspring. Not because they would accept a half-Celestial, but because he obviously sees some quality in them worthy of bearing his seed. He even falls in love with one, who knows he's an alien and loves him back. Again, open-mindedness.

Now, Talos can't possibly know this, because the Avengers don't come to Earth until well after he leaves his man behind and he has no contact with Ego or Meredith Quill. But what he does know is everything that a high-ranking SHIELD director does, because he assumes the identity of one. He might only have access to his most recent memories, but more importantly, Talos has access to his highest security level and is a genius-level scientist. Why wouldn't he access SHIELD's databases to know his enemy?

In there, he'd find evidence of the Inhumans and SHIELD's general approach to different races. Yes, they're an organisation hell-bent on protection, but their agenda to protect includes species other than humans. That sort of openness would surely appeal to the Skrulls looking for a home. Add that to the fact that the Kree have an open hatred of Earth (it's a "sh*thole" in Minn-Erva so delightfully expresses and why wouldn't the Skrull choose somewhere they knew the Kree wouldn't like to go much) and you have two big reasons for the Skrulls to investigate Earth.

And as further precedent, in the 2016 story Occupy Avengers, Hawkeye encounters a whole community of Skrulls hidden in Iowa, who are being hunted by other, villainous Skrulls. Again, they chose Earth as a viable sanctuary. It might be a sh*thole to the Kree, but there are repeated examples of other races choosing Earth to settle. The MCU's Skrulls doing so would not be unprecedented at all and leaving someone behind to work that out would make a fair bit of sense.

The question now is who that Skrull might be? It'd have to be someone in a strong position, able to monitor possible Kree attacks and other key concerns, obviously and someone who could perhaps help shape Earth to be more receptive to them settling there safely. Well, how about Nick Fury? Considering the agenda suggested there, Fury might just be the perfect candidate.