Avengers 4 Isn't The MCU's Secret Invasion

Avengers 4 promises to be the end of the Marvel Cinematic Universe as fans have come to know it, but it likely won't adapt Secret Invasion. When Earth's Mightiest Heroes return, they'll have to contend with a rematch with Thanos and trying to restore the lives of half of the universe, possibly through the use of time travel via the Quantum Realm. With all of that business to attend to in their upcoming team-up, it's hard to imagine the Avengers' focus will shift to battling shapeshifting Skrulls as well.

Since the Skrulls are now part of the MCU and will debut in Captain Marvel, fans are naturally excited to see the Secret Invasion storyline adapted. After all, Civil War and Infinity Gauntlet have inspired huge MCU movies, and Secret Invasion ranks among the most popular of Marvel Comics' epic crossover events: Years ago, a group of heroes calling themselves the Illuminati, including Iron Man, Mr. Fantastic, and Doctor Strange, invaded the Skrull homeworld. They were captured and experimented on, but before they escaped the Skrulls learned of the danger Earth's superheroes could pose to the universe. The Skrulls then mounted a secret invasion of Earth, where they captured and replaced several superheroes with Skrull doppelgangers. The Marvel Universe was destabilized and thrown asunder by suspicion and mistrust - the event's slogan was "Who Do You Trust?" - as anyone could have been revealed as a Skrull. The results were S.H.I.E.L.D. being disbanded, taken over by Norman Osborn (the Green Goblin), and revamped as H.A.M.M.E.R., which lead into the Dark Reign storyline.

Secret Invasion would certainly be an amazing plot for a movie and the seeds are already there for it to happen in the MCU, but here's why Avengers 4 is not the place to tell this epic tale.

This Page: Avengers 4 Is Avengers: Infinity War Part 2, Not Secret Invasion
Page 2: The Problems With Secret Invasion In The MCU

Secret Invasion Is Set Up In Captain Marvel

Captain Marvel will introduce the Skrulls into the MCU, and as a prequel is assumed to be establishing a bigger picture; the main story of Carol Danvers' solo film takes place around 1995-1996, with flashbacks to her life in the 1970s and 1980s. It will turn out that the Skrulls are already on Earth during this era, with a Skrull leader named Talos (Ben Mendelsohn) infiltrating S.H.I.E.L.D. at the highest level. This could itself be the setup for the MCU to do a Secret Invasion-type story.

However, while there's sure to be a shapeshifting reveal, Captain Marvel's got its hands full with another part of Skrull history. Since story details were first announced, it's been clear the film will be adapting elements from another seminal Marvel epic from the 1980s Avengers comics, The Kree-Skrull War. The most likely outcome would be bits of Secret Invasion becoming part of the fabric of Captain Marvel but not being a full-blown adaptation - which could still come later. But even if some Skrulls do end remaining on Earth after Captain Marvel and into the present day (or vow a return), that doesn't mean Secret Invasion will happen in Avengers 4 either.

Avengers 4 Is Avengers: Infinity War - Part 2, Not Secret Invasion

Thanos on Titan in Avengers Infinity War

It's now clear that Avengers: Infinity War is really a two-part story. This was evident from their initial announcement as a Part 1/Part 2 pairing, but a subsequent name change (to hide the shocking ending of Part 1) led many to suspect that the still-untitled Avengers 4 would be about something else other than Thanos. Given the Captain Marvel setup of the Skrulls, one of the most popular theories was that it would play with Secret Invasion.

This notion has stuck around even after Avengers: Infinity War's ending left audiences on a massive cliffhanger, but simply doesn't work. Avengers 4's premise is, on paper, simple: the survivors must beat Thanos and undo the catastrophe he caused. That's the story, with any surprise turns expected to be within the Infinity parameters. Considering the number of elements already in play along with the promise of ending the 22 film cycle of the MCU, there's simply no logic or space to include a Secret Invasion take - it's more full than Captain Marvel.

However, much of that expectation comes from thinking in the short term. Just because Avengers 4 is Infinity War - Part 2 doesn't mean there won't be more opportunities in the MCU's future...

Page 2 of 2: The Problems With Secret Invasion In The MCU

Secret Invasion Is Harder To Do In The MCU

The core conceit of Secret Invasion - someone you love isn't who you think they are, they're actually aliens - could be a big problem for audiences. Simply put, fans have become deeply invested in the MCU and its characters: revealing half of them weren't real at all is dangerous.

Many audiences were stunned at the multiple deaths that closed out Avengers: Infinity War and some fans even believed the deaths were permanent. Meanwhile, even for those fully aware, for example, that Peter Parker would be back in Spider-Man: Far From Home, the shock of seeing him fade into dust was still traumatic. Audiences care about these superheroes, which is one of the keys to Marvel Studios' blockbuster success. Does Marvel want to risk the trust they've earned from fans by doing Secret Invasion?

It could rock and possibly spoil much of the goodwill Marvel has earned if they suddenly revealed that some of the characters fans had grown to love aren't really themselves but were Skrulls all along. It also undoes all of the character development fans have seen if they are then told Black Panther or Captain America was an imposter; what was real, what was not? The obvious solution is to have secondary or tertiary characters revealed as Skrulls, but that's a lessened narrative excitement.

This was the exact conundrum that Marvel Comics hit in the initial Secret Invasion arc, ultimately plumping for the latter. Given the hype for a movie version, it worked, although never really passed the promise - and the issues are compounded when dealing with the MCU.

Will The MCU Ever Do Secret Invasion?

After 22 films, the MCU has grown layered and complex enough that an "Invasion of the Body Snatchers"-like tale of alien infiltration and paranoia would be very powerful and could be properly done. But while Captain Marvel is doing the set-up, the best time to pull the trigger on Secret Invasion would be at some point after Avengers 4.

Of course, knowing what's next is tricky considering Marvel is keeping the state of the MCU post-Avengers 4 a massive secret. Only one movie - Spider-Man: Far From Home - is confirmed, with an interesting mix also in development. It's also uncertain which of the original members of the Avengers will die or fade into retirement as newer heroes like Spider-Man, Black Panther, and Captain Marvel take center stage in the MCU.

However, even knowing very little, it's easy to fit the Skrulls in. The post-Avengers 4 period of reshaping would be the ideal story time for the Skrulls to snatch heroes, replace them, and infiltrate the Avengers. The MCU would be starting to settle down from experiencing a universal catastrophe and the urge for peace would naturally lead to targets dropping their guard, allowing the Skrulls to strike. Furthermore, the Avengers defeating Thanos (with the help of their old enemy Captain Marvel) would be the event that would convince the Skrulls of how powerful and dangerous Earth's heroes really are - and why they have to be subdued.

In terms of the actual telling, though, the same character issues are posed. What would surely work best is a contained movie (possibly Avengers 5 or Captain Marvel 2) where certain characters are replaced at the start before the Secret Invasion plot rolls out. This would allow for big names to be replaced without undoing anything that came before.

Ultimately, it's hard to imagine the MCU won't be victimized by the Skrulls' Secret Invasion at some point in the near future - and fans do want to see it and be forced to ask themselves "Who Do You Trust?" - but it would be the aftermath of Avengers 4, not during it.