Warning: The following contains spoilers for Secret Invasion.Disney Plus brings the Marvel Cinematic Universe version of Secret Invasion to their streaming platform, and the series features plenty of Easter eggs for Marvel fans in the first episode. Secret Invasion is the title of a 2008 comic book event series released by Marvel Comics. A story told by Brian Michael Bendis and illustrated by Leinil Francis Yu covered appeared in an eight-issue miniseries, but crossed over into main comic book titles at the time as well. It followed heroes and villains as they discovered that the Skrulls were impersonating major figures on Earth in a bid to take over the planet.
The MCU series tells a similar story. Disillusioned Skrulls who have been displaced from the Skrull homeworld by the Kree for decades have been hoping for help from Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) to find a new home. After decades of waiting, they mount a rebellion, hoping to make Earth their own. Though the story borrows elements from the comics, it also features new players in the story that are unique to the MCU. The series also references Marvel Comics and previous MCU stories in Easter eggs.
Secret Invasion’s Location Cards
While many MCU stories will feature locations, times, and more in text on the screen, that text is usually near the bottom and inconspicuous. The first episode of Secret Invasion, however, features bold black and white title cards to tell the audience where the story is taking place, in Moscow. Those title cards provide a link to another MCU property. The first one to use this particular technique and even the same transitional effect, was Captain America: Civil War.
That particular movie saw the Avengers split over the issue of government oversight of their actions which caused fighting among the heroes. That infighting is exactly like what’s happening among the Skrulls in Secret Invasion as the population is split between those who are peacefully waiting and coexisting and those who are rebelling against the status quo.
A 30-Year-Old Skrull Conspiracy Theory
Secret Invasion kicks off with a supposed conspiracy theorist outlining how Skrulls have been responsible for attacks all over the world. He cites a 30-year plan for the Skrulls to take over the planet, and is reminded that the Skrulls are allies thanks to Nick Fury’s actions 30 years earlier. Those 30 years are referenced repeatedly in the series since it’s been about 30 years since Carol Danvers (Brie Larson) returned to Earth and became Captain Marvel in the 1990s. That’s when Fury first met Talos (Ben Mendelsohn) and other Skrulls and agreed to help them find a home.
Everett Ross Is A Skrull
Everett Ross (Martin Freeman), a character who made his MCU debut in Captain America: Civil War, has largely been a player in the Black Panther movies, but here, he’s the first big MCU character to be revealed as a Skrull as part of the Secret Invasion. Fans thinking he’s been a Skrull all along, however, might be wrong.
When last the audience saw Ross, he was being reprimanded in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever for helping Shuri (Leticia Wright) against direct orders. That’s why his opening the series as an active CIA operative is actually the first hint that this version of Ross isn’t the real one. He wouldn’t still be an active agent at this point in the MCU.
Nick Fury Is On SABER
Nick Fury was first revealed to be in outer space instead of on Earth during the events of Spider-Man: Far From Home when Talos and his wife were acting as Fury and Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders) on their behalf. While fans might have theorized that he was working on something for the Skrulls, in reality, he was working on SABER, a space station that is meant to help protect Earth from outside threats.
Most recently, SABER has been seen in the trailer for The Marvels. It’s the same station that Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris) is outside when she switches places with Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani) in the trailer. So, despite Fury’s return to Earth in Secret Invasion, SABER is set to play a role in the MCU future as well.
President Ritson
Dermot Mulroney plays President Ritson in the first episode of Secret Invasion, which is also where Don Cheadle connects as James Rhodes since he’s an advisor to the President. What’s interesting is that the audience already knows Ritson’s time in the MCU is set to be short-lived if they’ve been paying attention to casting announcements. Harrison Ford has been announced to take over the role of Thaddeus Ross in the MCU. When he appears in Captain America: New World Order, however, Ross is set to be the President.
Sonya Falsworth
Olivia Colman might have been disappointed that her venture into the MCU didn’t involve superheroes like Captain America, but her Sonya Falsworth character is something of an MCU legacy character. Though she’s created for the MCU, it’s likely she’s related to an existing Marvel character from the comics who appeared in Captain America: The First Avenger.
James Montgomery Falsworth (JJ Feild) appeared in the movie as one of the Howling Commandos. In the comics, his character becomes the costumed hero Union Jack, and his descendants pick up the mantle as well. Sonya might not be Union Jack, but as an MI6 agent, she’s continued the family trade of espionage and working for the government.
New Skrullos
Though G’iah isn’t a Marvel comic book character, MCU fans have seen her before as a child. In the 1990s, she came to Earth with Talos. She’s his daughter, who has become part of the rebellion. She’s also the first Skrull in the series to use the name New Skrullos when welcoming a Skrull to an abandoned reactor site in Russia.
Skrullos was the name of the Skrull homeworld. The Skrull were forced off of the homeplanet in the MCU when the Kree conquered it. The 1990s saw them as refugees trying to find a new home.
The Snap
Since Thanos snapped his fingers in Avengers: Infinity War, the Snap and the period after called the Blip, have been referenced in nearly every MCU property. Here, the audience gets a reminder that both Maria Hill and Nick Fury were affected by the Snap. The series even features a flashback to Fury turning to dust from the Infinity War credit scene.
Memory Probes And Fracking Pods
The memory probes now called fracking pods that are used on humans so that Skrulls can absorb their memories and pass as human, are not a new addition to the MCU. They were last seen in Captain Marvel. They are similar to Skrull technology in the comics that allows memories to be implanted in Skrulls as well.
New episodes of Secret Invasion are available Wednesdays on Disney Plus.