Marvel’s Cinematic Universe is constantly expanding. The stories never really end, which means that forthcoming films and shows can continue plots introduced a long time ago. After 15 years, 30-plus films, and a growing number of TV shows, it’s near-impossible to catch a Marvel project without doing at least some homework. And Marvel’s latest entry, Secret Invasion, is no exception.
While its story is surprisingly self-contained, Secret Invasion still focuses on characters that have been around since the birth of the MCU. Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury finally takes the spotlight, and his relationship with the Skrulls is centered as well. This shape-shifting alien race was first introduced in Captain Marvel, and their role in Secret Invasion has been years in the making. Here’s everything you need to remember before the series premieres on Disney+.
Who are the Skrull, again?
Skrulls were introduced as the initial antagonist of Captain Marvel. Thanks to their century-spanning beef with the Kree Empire, they’re labeled as terrorists and hunted relentlessly. Carol Danvers (Brie Larson) — then known just as Vers — is a Kree adoptee with no memory of her past life. Although she doesn’t know it, her story is tied to the Skrulls’.
Vers is captured by the Skrull after a mission gone wrong, and her efforts to escape bring them to Vers’ native Earth. The Skrull, led by Talos (Ben Mendelsohn), quickly assimilate into Earth’s society. Vers, meanwhile, works to regain her memories, and in the process she uncovers a conspiracy.
It turns out the Skrull aren’t as bad as Vers has been made to believe. The Kree are the actual villains of their longstanding conflict: aggressive, militaristic colonizers that destroyed the Skrulls’ home planet and scattered them across the universe. The Skrull have been trying to rebuild on a new planet ever since.
Extra Credit: The Skrull Far From Home
After taking on the Captain Marvel mantle, Danvers vows to help the Skrull in their search for a new home. Nick Fury volunteers too, and he takes this new task seriously.
After that, the Skrull have only popped up sparingly in the MCU. Most notably, Talos and his wife filled in for Fury and Maria Hill in Spider-Man: Far From Home. While they coached Peter Parker (Tom Holland) through his own Avengers-level threat, Fury continued the search for a new planet for the Skrull. His efforts seemed to be paying off. Now, though, extremist Skrull are poised to occupy Earth in Secret Invasion, so whatever Fury had planned must have backfired.
Fury will be fighting to prevent a Skrull insurgence in the new Marvel series. Since he can’t involve the Avengers — the Skrulls could just impersonate them and wreak more havoc — Secret Invasion will be his toughest fight yet.
