Warning: This article contains spoilers for the Marvel Secret Invasion comic storyline.

MCU Phase 5's Secret InvasionMarvel's first crossover event, is bound to be filled with surprise appearances from several existing MCU characters. This is because Secret Invasion is based on one of the biggest comic book storylines of the same name, which in turn was inspired by Marvel Comics' "Secret Wars" event from the '80s. Curiously, as the biggest announcement out of every Marvel reveal from Comic-Con 2022 is that Avengers will be called Avengers: Secret Wars, this helps in narrowing down who among the MCU's established characters are in the Secret Invasion cast.

While Secret Invasion is a loose adaptation of the source material, it's also focused on how Skrulls have infiltrated the earth over the years, impersonating both heroes and humans in preparation for a planetary invasion. Apart from the fact that anyone who appears in the comics could be in the live-action series, even long-time Marvel Comics readers have no way of telling who among the Secret Invasion cast are actually Skrulls. The Secret Invasion cast includes Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury, Ben Mendelsohn as Talos, Cobie Smulders as Maria Hill, Martin Freeman as Everett K. Ross, and Don Cheadle as James Rhodes.

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Though Marvel's secrecy regarding Secret Invasion's plot means that it is scarcely featured in Screen Rant’s Comic-Con 2022 Guide, the movie could well be the most important series in MCU Phase 5. In fact, the Secret Invasion cast also includes several heavy-hitters in yet-undisclosed roles, such as Olivia Colman, Emilia Clarke, Christopher McDonald, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Killian Scott, and Carmen Ejogo. Apart from the characters confirmed to be in the Secret Invasion cast, which other Marvel characters could appear in Secret Invasion's crossover?

Doctor Strange

Doctor strange multiverse

After the Kree-Skrull War in Marvel Comics, Doctor Strange was part of the clandestine super team known as the Illuminati, which went to the Skrull Empire to warn them never to involve Earth in their conflicts again. In response, the Skrulls capture Doctor Strange, Mister Fantastic, Blackbolt, Namor, Iron Man, and Professor X, performing experiments that give the Skrull Empire what they need to infiltrate Earth during "Secret Invasion". If the Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness ending is any indication, the MCU's Stephen Strange could have already outgrown this type of hubris, and might prove valuable in the fight against the Skrulls in Secret Invasion. Indeed, the shapeshifting Skrulls will be the perfect way to put Doctor Strange's new third eye to the test.

Namor the Sub-Mariner

Namor in the Wakanda Forever trailer

Making his MCU debut in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Namor the Sub-Mariner was a crucial character in Marvel Comics' "Secret Invasion." As Skrulls infiltrate Earth and the Avengers struggle to respond, Black Bolt is revealed not only to be a Skrull, but a Super Skrull with the combined powers of the Illuminati. Namor is the one who kills this impostor and tells the surviving other four members of the Illuminati that any one of them could be Skrulls, disbanding the group. This is just one of the reasons why Namor's debut in the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever cast could make waves across MCU Phase 5. In fact, at the very end of Marvel Comics' "Secret Invasion," Namor becomes part of the Cabal, also known as the Dark Illuminati - a group which could well appear in a slightly altered form for the MCU Secret Invasion.

Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine

Julia Louis Dreyfus Valentina Nick Fury MCU Replacement SR

Contessa Valentina appears in both Black Widow and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier to recruit MCU characters like John Walker and Yelena Belova for a mysterious new group, which has led to speculations that Val will be leading the antihero super team known as the Thunderbolts. Though Val's next MCU outing is still uncertain, her appearance in Secret Invasion could provide answers for what Nick Fury was doing during Phase 4. In the comics, it's revealed that Val is actually a Skrull agent sent to seduce Nick Fury to learn the secrets of SHIELD. However, before the Skrull masquerading as Val can kill Fury, he manages to kill her first, and the incident prompts Fury to realize that a full-scale Skrull invasion is underway. The real Val is later found in the ship where the Skrulls kept the humans and heroes that they replaced for the invasion. The MCU Secret Invasion could see Val putting her espionage skills to good use while also recruiting members for the Thunderbolts.

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Thor And Hercules

The Skrull Empire laid back and allowed the Superhuman Registration Act and "World War Hulk" to take place mainly to get rid of Thor, Hulk, and Scarlet Witch, leaving Earth and the now-compromised Illuminati even more susceptible to assimilation. Though the Thor: Love and Thunder ending suggests that the God of Thunder will be preoccupied by Hercules, the MCU could adapt Thor and Hercules' "Secret Invasion" arc by turning the two into allies against the Skrulls instead. In the comics, both gods become crucial to the fight against the Skrull Empire.

Captain Marvel And Kamala Khan aka Ms. Marvel

Kamala Khan and Captain Marvel in Ms. Marvel

The Kree-human hybrid Carol Danvers, aka Captain Marvel, was last seen in the Ms. Marvel ending, in which Kamala Khan, aka Ms. Marvel, gets teleported out of her room and replaced by a confused Danvers. In the "Secret Invasion" event in the comics, though Mar-Vell is revealed to be a sleeper agent who is actually a Skrull, he decides to fight against the invading Skrull Empire. "Secret Invasion" is also when Mar-Vell first confronts Ms. Marvel about her identity. Following the Ms. Marvel ending, Secret Invasion could be the bridge that connects Ms. Marvel to the upcoming The Marvels in MCU Phase 5.

Hank Pym, Ant-Man, The Wasp, And Kang The Conqueror

Hank Pym working in his lab in Ant-Man.

Notably, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, the first movie in MCU Phase 5, releases right before Secret Invasion. In the comics, Hank Pym was one of the first humans abducted and replaced by a Skrull, the Skrull Criti Noll causes the death of the Wasp, and Ant-Man becomes the sole hero to escape a Skrull ambush. Though Kang the Conqueror is not in "Secret Invasion," if he survives Ant-Man 3, Kang could see the Skrulls as competition.

Reed Richards aka Mister Fantastic

John Krasinshi as Mister Fantastic in Doctor Strange in The Multiverse of Madness

Marvel hero Mister Fantastic plays a pivotal role in Marvel Comics' "Secret Invasion," both in enabling the Skrull Empire to invade in the first place, and also in finally thwarting the Skrulls. Curiously, Richards' death at the hands of the Scarlet Witch during Doctor Strange 2's Mister Fantastic scene greatly resembles how he gets destabilized - and not killed - by the Skrull version of Hank Pym using a specialized weapon. This could mean that Mister Fantastic is still alive in Earth-838. Moreover, after Scarlet Witch very easily disposed of the Illuminati, Earth-838 Richards could be prompted to form the Fantastic Four, whose multi-versal adventures could debut in Secret Invasion.

Related: MCU Phase 4 Just Secretly Set Up 2 Huge Fantastic Four Villains

Norman Osborn aka Green Goblin And The Thunderbolts

Thunderbolts Movie Needs MCU Real Norman Osborn SR

While MCU Phase 4 garnered mixed reviews from long-time Marvel viewers, it is undeniable that Spider-Man: No Way Home introduced potentially the greatest villain to ever exist in the Marvel Cinematic Universe: Norman Osborn, also known as Green Goblin. In the comics, Norman Osborn and his Thunderbolts become crucial in the fight against the Skrulls throughout the entire arc, but Osborn's most notable act is killing Queen Veranke of the Skrull Empire. As this is witnessed by the public, Osborn becomes a hero. After the U.S. government disbands SHIELD, it turns over SHIELD and Stark Tech resources to Norman Osborn to form the Thunderbolts Initiative. While the heroes could emerge victorious against the Skrulls in Secret Invasion, they could be facing a more sinister enemy in a comics-accurate adaptation of Norman Osborn, who later also becomes the founder of the Cabal/Dark Illuminati.

The MCU's Next Black Panther And The Wakandans

Is Shuri the next Black Panther?

The biggest mystery in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is who the next Black Panther will be, and whichever MCU character who takes up the mantle will also have to face the Secret Invasion threat. In the comics, when the Skrulls capture and torture Black Panther and Storm of the X-Men, who at the time was the Queen of Wakanda, the Skrulls find out that they are actually torturing fellow Skrulls. Later, it's revealed that the real T'Challa and Ororo has killed Commander K'vvvr of the Skrull Empire, and has also sent a Skrull ship home, loaded with the corpses of the Skrull invasion force in Wakanda. Written in blood, a message awaits the Skrulls on the ship: "This is what happens when you invade Wakanda." With Secret Invasion's release window so close to the release of Black Panther 2, it's possible that the MCU could adapt Wakanda's "Secret Invasion" story arc.

Secret Invasion is all set to become the biggest series in the MCU Phase 5 slate, as any of these existing Marvel characters' story arcs can be adapted for the show. Moreover, it will be interesting to see how Secret Invasion will adapt the lengthy comic book event in just six episodes on Disney+. In any case, considering where Secret Invasion is in the MCU Phase 5 timeline, Marvel has all the characters it needs to do justice to one of the most iconic events in Marvel Comics history.

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