WARNING: This article has SPOILERS for Secret InvasionSecret Invasion’s latest episode unveiled a significant twist in the MCU; however, it wasn’t well-received by fans. Secret Invasion’s premise centers around Nick Fury’s discovery that shape-shifting Skrulls have been taking over Earth. Using their shape-shifting abilities, Skrulls have been impersonating some of Earth’s key figures. The aliens have been an established threat in the MCU for a long time, however Secret Invasion’s narrative has increased the severity of this threat.
The show’s unnerving feel arises from the fact that anybody could be a Skrull, even well-known MCU characters. In the show’s opening episode, it was revealed that the long-time MCU character, Everett Ross (Martin Freeman), was secretly a Skrull. However, this was not the end of Secret Invasion’s dramatic revelations.
Who was revealed to be a Skrull?
In Secret Invasion’s latest installment, it was revealed that James “Rhodey” Rhodes (Don Cheadle) has been a Skrull for an undetermined length of time. Cheadle has been a part of the MCU since 2010 when he made his debut as Rhodey in Iron Man 2. Since then, Rhodey has become a trusted and significant figure in the MCU – which is exactly why Kevin Feige selected the character for Secret Invasion’s Skrull unveil.
In an interview with Marvel, Feige explained that: “We needed to have a character that one would not expect to be a Skrull”. He then stated that: “Don was on board for this reveal of playing and revealing another side of Rhodey and revealing that, yeah, Rhodey has been a Skrull". However, this twist has not been received well by fans.
Why are fans let down by this reveal?
Fans have been suspicious of Rhodey ever since his first appearance in Secret Invasion. Since the show’s first episode, there have been countless signs that Rhodey hasn’t been acting like himself. A notable clue was when the character referred to Nick Fury simply as ‘Nick’ before firing him from his role as head of S.A.B.E.R. As seen in the 2019 film Captain Marvel, Fury strongly objects to being referred to on a first name basis, and it’s unlikely that Rhodey would’ve ever treated Fury with such blatant disrespect. Over the past few days, fans have accused Marvel of overemphasizing Rhodey’s Skrull persona. Their inclusion of such blatant clues means that Secret Invasion failed to achieve the ‘shock value’ of Rhodey’s reveal, as fans have seen this so-called ‘twist’ coming for weeks.
Audiences are also unsettled by the fact that it’s currently unknown how long Rhodey has actually been a Skrull for. However, Kevin Feige has alluded to the possibility that the beloved MCU character hasn’t been himself for quite some time. In the same interview, Feige explained that fans will come to “understand exactly how long he’s been a Skrull for”. However, the Marvel president then added: “We like the idea of fans going back and watching some of the other appearances of Rhodey and realizing that it wasn’t him”. As Marvel fans will know, Rhodey made a brief appearance in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Despite the briefness of his cameo, Rhodey certainly appeared to be acting mildly suspiciously during his exchange with Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie). Feige’s latest statement seemingly confirms fans’ suspicions – that Rhodey wasn’t himself at all during his feature in the 2021 series.
However, fans are concerned whether Rhodey’s Skrull identity extends further back than this. As Feige confessed: “It was very early days when we pitched this concept to Don”, meaning that Rhodey could’ve become a Skrull at any point during his MCU appearances. As fans will know, Rhodey played crucial roles during some of Marvel’s most celebrated creations, including Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame. If it’s revealed that Rhodey was actually a Skrull during his appearances in these films, audiences will be extremely disappointed. Fans have already taken to social media to comment on this dreaded possibility, conferring that Secret Invasion’s latest Skrull twist could potentially ruin these beloved moments in the MCU.
In a similar vein, fans have also criticized the timing of Rhodey’s Skrull reveal. It has been revealed that Secret Invasion has been failing to reach a large audience. Recent figures show that Secret Invasion’s first episode only accumulated “994,000 viewers” – making it the second lowest viewed Marvel TV series ever, ranking just above Ms. Marvel’s disappointing premiere. Despite the show’s astonishing $212 million budget, Secret Invasion is failing to draw in a committed audience. The Marvel series has been met with numerous criticisms, including its use of AI, and its borderline misogynistic treatment of its female characters – as seen via the backlash following Maria Hill’s sudden death in the show’s first episode. Some fans believe that this twist would’ve made more of an impact if it had happened nearer the events of Avengers: Endgame. Audiences largely agree that the Multiverse narrative has overcomplicated the MCU, which has resulted in many viewers losing interest in Marvel. This is a likely reason why Rhodey’s Skrull reveal failed to achieve its desired shock value.
Secret Invasion’s dramatic reveal has also been impacted by the recent phenomenon of ‘Marvel fatigue’. Over the past few years, Marvel has been under fire for its consistent release of low-quality content. Fans have been struggling to keep up with Marvel’s never-ending releases, which is why Secret Invasion has failed to attain a large audience. Certainly, Rhodey’s Skrull reveal is an interesting development which raises the stakes for Marvel’s current phase. However, the recent audience reactions signify that Marvel has a lot to improve upon during the remainder of its fifth phase.
Secret Invasion is available to stream on Disney+ with new episodes dropping weekly.