Inside Marvel's Bumpy Ride: The Hidden Legal Battles That Shattered the Skrulls' Original Plan

Summary

Initially established in Agents of SHIELD in 2013, the Skrulls' narrative in the Marvel Cinematic Universe faced obstacles due to legal complications, limiting their involvement in broader plotlines until Disney's acquisition of 20th Century Fox.

Marvel faced legal obstacles in their attempts to include the Skrulls in various projects, such as their potential portrayal as antagonists in The Avengers and the inclusion of Super-Skrulls. Incorporating the Skrulls in previous films like Guardians of the Galaxy and Spider-Man: Far From Home could have enhanced the understanding and execution of Secret Invasion.

The MCU's original plan for the Skrulls, before Secret Invasion, was repeatedly hindered by legal issues. Only two projects, Captain Marvel and Secret Invasion, have delved into the Skrulls in detail. Captain Marvel depicted the Kree-Skrull war and revealed the Skrulls as misunderstood refugees, while Secret Invasion focused on Nick Fury's battle against Gravik, a radicalized Skrull seeking a new home on Earth. However, the execution of Secret Invasion was underwhelming, and the story could have been improved if Marvel had been able to pursue their initial plans for the Skrulls.

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Marvel's Secret Invasion Skrull Timeline Began In 2013

Exploring the roots of Marvel Studios' initial plan reveals that while the MCU may address lingering plot threads from Secret Invasion in upcoming Marvel Disney+ shows, it is important to understand the story's setup. Surprisingly, the first glimpse of the MCU's Skrulls dates back to 2013. Following the successful release of The Avengers in 2012, Marvel TV embarked on the development of a spin-off TV show with Avengers director Joss Whedon at the helm. This concept eventually evolved into Marvel's Agents of SHIELD, a seven-season series that established its own continuity, sparking ongoing debates about its status as Marvel canon.

Despite the ongoing debate, the earlier seasons of the MCU show were undeniably connected to major films such as The Avengers, Thor: The Dark World, and Captain America: The Winter Soldier. However, it is interesting to note that in Agents of SHIELD's first season, the connections were instead established with 2019's Captain Marvel, which was released around the same time as the aforementioned projects in 2013. These connections were initially hinted at in episode 4 of Agents of SHIELD season 1, titled "Eye Spy."

In this particular episode, the story follows the agents as they visit the Todorov Building, a research facility located in Belarus. Upon entering the building, a chalkboard displaying the Skrull language alphabet, borrowed directly from Marvel Comics, can be seen in one of the sets. This serves as the first concrete reference to the Skrulls in the MCU, regardless of the show's canonical status, illustrating how early Marvel Studios began establishing the presence of these green, shape-shifting aliens in the universe.

The MCU Had Numerous Failed Skrull Plans Since 2013

Marvel Studios made an effort to include more foreshadowing of the Skrulls in the Marvel Cinematic Universe after a fun Easter egg related to them in Agents of SHIELD. However, their plans to do so faced obstacles due to legal issues surrounding the rights to the Skrulls. Prior to Disney's acquisition of 20th Century Fox, both studios co-owned the rights to certain Marvel Comics characters. This included characters like Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch, which explains their appearances in both the X-Men franchise and Avengers: Age of Ultron as different versions. The Skrulls were also co-owned, meaning either studio could use them in films. However, certain individual members of the Skrull race, such as KI'rt (the original Super-Skrull), were solely owned by 20th Century Fox. This ownership situation made it impossible to set up the idea of Super-Skrulls and the Secret Invasion storyline between 2013 and 2019, as Disney only gained the ability to use Fox-owned properties after the acquisition in the latter year.

In view of this impossibility, several MCU plans to incorporate the Skrulls were abandoned due to legal complications associated with integrating the aliens into a larger narrative. While the Skrulls could have been integrated into various Marvel projects in a broader sense, it was not possible to connect them to any significant storyline due to the ownership rights of Skrull characters from Marvel Comics by another studio. Consequently, despite the initial hint of the Skrulls in 2013's Agents of SHIELD, no other hidden clues, references, or associations with the aliens had any impact until the release of Captain Marvel in 2019, following the Fox-Disney merger.

Marvel's Original Skrull Plans Could Have Saved Secret Invasion

Marvel Studios' Phase 5 of the MCU successfully resolved the legal issues following Disney's acquisition of 20th Century Fox. As a result, exciting storylines involving Super-Skrulls and other aliens were finally brought to life, as seen in the 2023 series Secret Invasion. However, despite the anticipation, the show disappointed many due to its underwhelming production value, despite a generous budget. The absence of significant consequences, lack of connections to the wider MCU, and failure to capitalize on a promising premise like the iconic Marvel Comics' storyline also contributed to the disappointment.

The poor reception of Secret Invasion could have been improved and potentially saved if the original Skrull plans for Marvel had been successful between 2013 and 2019. Initially, there were thoughts of having the Skrulls as the main villains in The Avengers in 2012, with some merchandise even featuring the aliens before the film's release. However, director Joss Whedon explained in an interview with Entertainment Weekly that he chose the Chitauri as the invading army in New York under Loki's rule.

Having the Skrulls as the main villains alongside Loki in Phase 1 of the MCU would have laid the groundwork for their warmongering nature in Secret Invasion. Although the MCU took a different approach with the Skrulls in Captain Marvel, introducing the idea of some Skrulls being bloodthirsty invaders and others being displaced refugees almost a decade before Secret Invasion could have provided more context to the Phase 5 storyline. In addition, an interview with IGN in 2017 confirmed that James Gunn, the writer-director of the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy, had plans for the Skrulls in his first two MCU films.

Gunn admitted to having a strong affinity for the Skrulls and their stories in Marvel Comics. He shared that he had attempted to incorporate the Skrulls into the first two Guardians movies, but faced challenges that prevented their inclusion. Linking the cosmic connections between the Guardians films and Captain Marvel could have provided a backstory and deeper understanding of the Skrulls before their introduction in the latter film, ultimately enhancing their role in Secret Invasion and improving the show overall.

Additionally, there was a failed attempt to involve the Skrulls in another 2019 film, Spider-Man: Far From Home. While the Skrulls were featured to some extent, their involvement was not as significant as in Captain Marvel. It was revealed that Nick Fury and Maria Hill were Skrull impostors throughout the film, hinting at the idea of Secret Invasion and the potential for any Marvel character to be a Skrull. However, this concept was not given much emphasis in relation to the plot of Far From Home.

In an interview with Variety, writers Erik Sommers and Chris McKenna of Spider-Man: Far From Home confirmed that the film's early script had a greater emphasis on the Skrulls compared to the final version. Director Jon Watts decided to reduce the number of plot twists in the movie, leading to the changes. In a subsequent interview with Collider, McKenna and Sommers revealed that in the initial drafts, the main antagonist Mysterio was planned to be a Skrull character.

The inclusion of more Skrulls and the introduction of this plot twist would have undoubtedly enhanced the concept of Secret Invasion. While the revelation of Fury and Hill as Skrulls hinted at the existence of Skrull impostors on Earth, their impact on the overall plot was lacking. If a Skrull impostor had played a significant role in the plot of Far From Home, it would have heightened the suspense and tension surrounding the concept of impostors in Secret Invasion. Unfortunately, these Marvel plans never materialized in any film or TV adaptation, exposing the weaknesses of Secret Invasion and the influence of legal issues on the Phase 5 TV show.