The first episode of the Marvel series Secret Invasion brings with it a sense of hope that it will be a rare season that starts well and maintains its quality throughout. The show is well-written, the cast is excellent, and the CGI is not fake-looking. However, the episode also raises the question of why the story wasn’t set up or teased before now. The Skrulls were introduced in Captain Marvel, but since then, there have been no significant precursors to the Secret Invasion plot.
A Lack of Connective Tissue
Since Spider-Man: Far From Home in 2020, none of the nine movies or eight seasons of TV have been relevant to what’s happening in Secret Invasion. This lack of connective tissue between movies and TV shows has been a sore spot for fans in the post-Endgame era. It often feels like that connective tissue was present in a story and then removed. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier is an example of a series that never settled on a thematic focus because of poorly sketched-out villains, the Flag Smashers, and a vague storyline.
A Possible Connection
Secret Invasion introduces a group of extremist shape-shifting Skrull refugees who plot to take over Earth and kill the humans who live there. These Skrulls have a similar cause to that of the Flag Smashers in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. The Skrull refugees were promised a new home by Nick Fury, but he hasn’t come through with anything since his return. Therefore, a group of these Skrulls decides to take matters into their own hands and become extremists to get things done. They’re pretty much the Flag Smashers: Outer Space Edition.
Retroactively Setting Up the Story
The MCU did not manage to set up much of Secret Invasion in advance, but it’s a good bet that it will retroactively insert these rebel Skrulls into past stories to establish how they’ve managed to get this far in their secret war. Retroactively setting up the story in flashbacks would not be as satisfying as setting it up in advance. However, if they can effectively sell those retcons, it could go a long way toward fixing the MCU in the near future by giving it a bigger picture once again.
Secret Invasion has the potential to upend the Marvel Cinematic Universe with its spy series plot. The lack of connective tissue between movies and TV shows has been a sore spot for fans, but retroactively setting up the story in flashbacks could fix that issue. The similarities between the Skrulls and the Flag Smashers are striking, and the Skrulls could have been a part of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier story before their part was cut. The speculation and guesswork surrounding Secret Invasion will be verified soon, and fans will be eager to see how the story unfolds.
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