Marvel’s Secret Invasion is bolstering their ranks.
Kingsley Ben-Adir has been cast in the upcoming MCU show in a mystery role, rumored to be one of the villains. He joins Samuel L. Jackson and Ben Mendelsohn in the series, which explores the mysterious Skrull involvement in the MCU.
Who are Skrulls?
One of the oldest races in the Marvel Universe, Skrulls were introduced in the second issue of Fantastic Four in 1961. A militant race, the Skrulls are the greatest shapeshifters in the universe, capable of almost instantly making themselves look and sound like anyone else.
Over the decades, the Skrulls have often attacked Earth while also carrying on their millennia-old war with the Kree. This includes several clashes with the Avengers.
2008’s Secret Invasion event had the Skrulls infiltrating Earth, replacing many heroes before launching a full-scale invasion. While they were driven back, they still remain a threat.
The recent Empyre event had the Skrulls and Kree finally putting their differences aside to forge a new alliance. Hulking (a half-Skrull/half-Kree) became their new emperor.
Skrulls in the MCU
Captain Marvel seemed to open by having the Skrulls as a vicious empire trying to conquer other worlds. In a huge twist, the Skrulls were revealed to have been crushed by the Kree, and the survivors scattered as refugees.
Among them was Talos (Mendelsohn) who aided Carol Danvers and Nick Fury to stop a Kree attack and then leave with his pack of refugees.
Spider-Man Far From Home’s stinger revealed that the Nick Fury fans had been watching through the movie was actually Talos posing as him. The real Fury was seen on a Skrull spaceship.
A stinger for the season finale of WandaVision had Monica Rambeau (Taynoah Parris) meeting a Skrull agent who told her an “old friend of your mother’s” wanted to see her in space.
Who can you trust?
Marvel is obviously being tight on details for exactly what the Secret Invasion series entails, including Ben-Adir’s role.
The actor was most recently seen playing Malcolm X in the Oscar-nominated One Night in Miami film. He’s also known for the British crime drama Vera and the cult Netflix sci-fi series The Oa.
It’s possible he may be playing another Skrull agent, such as the popular Super-Skrull character. Or, given the long conflict between their races, he may be a Kree.
While Captain Marvel seemed to show the Skrulls being more sympathetic, it’s possible that it was only Talos’ sect that was that way and other Skrulls are more sinister. It would be intriguing to reveal how Skrulls have already replaced several MCU characters (even a few heroes).
One theory is that in the chaos of “The Blip,” where half of the universe was turned to dust by Thanos, the Skrulls took advantage to infiltrate Earth. Fury may be working with Talos’ forces to track down this threat.
While Ben-Adir’s addition to this show is intriguing, Marvel, fittingly, keeps much of their Invasion plans secret for now to add to the thrill.