We are just a couple of weeks away from the debut of Marvel’s Secret Invasion on Disney+. One of the most beloved comic arcs in Marvel history, “Secret Invasion” sees the Skrull Empire infiltrate Earth, pitting our heroes against themselves. The series appears to be operating on a much smaller scale, but it could still pack in all the tension of the comic series.
While the trailers for the upcoming series have given us a look at Nick Fury taking on the Skrulls, let’s take a look at 10 Marvel things I’d like to see in Secret Invasion.
1 – Heroes vs. Heroes
This is the essence of this story. With the Skrulls able to impersonate anyone right down to the finest detail, none of our heroes can trust the person standing next to them. That all comes to a head when a ship full of “prisoners” crash lands on Earth and suddenly none of the heroes know which ones are really who they say they are. Of course, this series is going to be much smaller scale, so I wouldn’t expect to see a Skrull Spider-Man. But characters like Everett Ross, James Rhodes, Maria Hill and others would make prime candidates to actually be Skrulls.
2 – Queen Veranke
Of course, the Skrulls are going to need a leader. We know that Kingsley Ben-Adir’s Gravik is going to be the leader of the Skrull revolution, but perhaps there is someone else pulling the strings. In the comic, the Skrull Queen Veranke is the leader of the invasion, impersonating Spider-Woman to get close to the Avengers. She’s an incredibly menacing villain and it would be great to see her in the MCU.
3 – Betrayal in the Family
It’s not all heroes being impersonated by Skrulls. The Avengers’ butler, Jarvis (yes, that Jarvis) turns out to be an alien in sheep’s clothing in the comics. Jarvis may not seem like much of a threat, but he doesn’t exactly just sit on the sidelines. Instead, he directly threatens Maria Hill and kidnaps the child of Luke Cage and Jessica Jones. Jarvis isn’t going to show up in this series (I wouldn’t think) so it would have to be someone else close to our heroes or even specifically Nick Fury. Don’t trust anyone.
4 – Carrot Sticks and Bologna Sandwich
No, I’m not talking about a third-grader’s lunch. I’m talking about codes the heroes use let the other know they really are who they say they are. We’ve seen this in the MCU already with the Kree soldiers in Captain Marvel. In the comics, Wolverine uses the code “Carrot Sticks” to get Black Widow to stop shooting him and Maria Hill enters a long code that includes “Bologna Sandwich” to initiate a self destruct on a helicarrier (I know, a little different). I wouldn’t be surprised if we get a nod to one of those.
5 – A Message to the Public
This would be a very exciting moment in the show because it would take the small scope and turn it into a national or even global crisis. In the comics, the Skrulls impersonate a number of celebrities and broadcast a message asking for the surrender of the human race. It’s an almost creepy moment in the comics and I would expect that to only be amplified by actually hearing the voices delivering this message.
6 – Sleeper Skrulls
This one ups the ante a little bit. There are already hundreds of Skrulls impersonating people, and on top of that, there are Skrulls who don’t even know they are Skrulls. Several of the “heroes” actually believe they are who they say they are. That adds a whole new layer of danger when Veranke tries to convince Tony Stark that he’s actually a Skrull and that he’s just been trained to think he’s really Iron Man.
7 – Abigail Brand
Now let’s get into a few characters who play a big role in the comic arc and who could make an appearance in the MCU. The first is Abigail Brand, the head of S.W.O.R.D. We’ve already seen S.W.O.R.D. in the MCU in WandaVision and in the trailer for The Marvels. Now more than ever, the Sentient Weapon Observation and Response Division (Sentient World Observation and Response Department in the comics) could have a big role to play. Brand would make a great addition to the MCU and S.W.O.R.D. needs a new leader.
8 – Quake
Here’s the one the fans have been clamoring for. Chloe Bennett portrayed Daisy Jonson/Quake for seven seasons of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and fans want to see her return. In the comics, Quake is a big part of Nick Fury’s team so there is groundwork here for her return. Plus, if we’re not going to see any of the big name superheroes in this series, it makes sense to bring in one that MCU fans still have some history with.
9 – Norman Osborn
This is not the first time I’ve asked for the debut of Norman Osborn in the MCU and it probably won’t be the last. Norman is a big part of this story, as the leader of the Thunderbolts in the fight against the Skrulls. After he is seen on an international broadcast delivering the kill shot to end the war, Norman is given way too much power for a guy who used to be the Green Goblin. That then parlays into the “Dark Reign” and eventually “Siege” storylines, two very popular comic stories. It would be weird to introduce Norman in a project that doesn’t include Spider-Man, but it could happen. And that would then open the door for…
10 – The Cabal
A supervillain answer to the Illuminati, the Cabal is assembled by Osborn after he comes into power. The team consists of Namor (who is also a member of the Illuminati), Emma Frost, Doctor Doom, Loki and The Hood. They pull a lot of the strings during the “Dark Reign” era and make an incredibly formidable force. I wouldn’t necessarily expect to see all of these characters make their debut, but some variation of the Cabal doesn’t seem like it would be entirely off the table.
Marvel’s Secret Invasion premieres on Disney+ on June 21st.