Secret Invasion: Unveiling Black Widow's Astonishing Payoff!

Warning: The following content includes spoilers for Secret Invasion. While the series has established that the Avengers will not intervene against the rebel Skrulls, it consistently references their connection to the Avengers and specifically Black Widow. Secret Invasion episodes are packed with Easter eggs that link to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and references to Black Widow continue to appear throughout the series.

In Secret Invasion, a rebel faction of Skrulls is determined to sow chaos on Earth and conquer the planet. They have already captured a group of humans who are known to the audience. These Skrulls assume the identities of these humans and infiltrate governments. Additionally, they have conducted experiments involving alien DNA to grant certain Skrulls superhuman abilities. To prevent the Skrulls from obtaining the DNA of the Avengers, Fury has been dropping hints and clues related to Black Widow.

All The Black Widow References In Secret Invasion

In the first five episodes of Secret Invasion, there have been three explicit mentions of Black Widow. Two of these references occur within the same episode.

Episode 3, titled "Dreykov’s Men," takes us back to 1998 when Nick Fury and Varra meet before becoming a couple. During their meeting, Varra gives Nick information about Dreykov, the man in charge of the Red Room. The Red Room is a notorious training program that transforms young girls into assassins, including Natasha Romanoff and Yelena Belova. What's intriguing is that this exchange takes place in 1998, while Natasha is still undergoing training in the Red Room. This occurs just a few years after Natasha and Yelena completed an undercover mission as children in the United States. It would take another decade for Natasha to defect to SHIELD.

Rick Mason, who was previously introduced in the Black Widow movie as a contact of Natasha Romanoff, makes a surprising appearance in Episode 5 of Secret Invasion. In this episode, Nick Fury enlists Rick's help to fly him to Finland, creating an unexpected connection for fans who didn't anticipate seeing Rick Mason again.

Additionally, Episode 5 introduces a piece of technology called the Widow's Veil, which was first showcased in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. This device, resembling a screen placed over one's face, has the ability to alter a person's appearance, making it highly useful for spies. While Natasha Romanoff was the first character in the MCU to utilize it, other characters like Sharon Carter in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Melina Vostokoff in the Black Widow movie, and now Nick Fury have also used it. Its name, the Widow's Veil, suggests that it was originally developed for Black Widow or potentially originated from the Red Room, which she may have acquired before her escape.

Why The Black Widow References Are Unusual For Secret Invasion

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The Marvel Cinematic Universe, when initially connecting its characters in The Avengers, frequently emphasized that "it's all connected." This resulted in the MCU incorporating subtle references to various characters and events across different movies. Typically, these references were quite general in nature, such as mentioning the formation of the Avengers or Captain America's time with the Howling Commandos, or notable incidents in Sokovia. However, Secret Invasion takes a different approach by including references specific to Natasha Romanoff's Black Widow.

This deviation is intriguing because Natasha has already departed. During the events of Avengers: Endgame, she sacrificed herself on Vormir. Despite her absence, Nick Fury harnesses her connections to further his agenda. In the Black Widow movie, Natasha reaches out to Rick Mason while evading the government. He is one of the few individuals she trusts not to betray her. However, it is unclear whether Mason and Fury have any prior acquaintance.

Natasha often found herself playing a supporting role to those who could handle bigger threats. She was secondary to Iron Man and Captain America in their respective stories, focusing on street-level tasks they were not as skilled in. Dealing with alien threats was not her strong suit.

However, it's possible that the references to Natasha's time as the Black Widow are being incorporated because Secret Invasion is a spy thriller, despite the Skrull threat. Captain America: The Winter Soldier, which closely resembles spy thrillers, remains the best portrayal of Black Widow in the MCU. This suggests that the Black Widow teases may not lead to any significant developments in the series, but that doesn't mean MCU fans won't be surprised. Just like how the first mention of Dreykov in The Avengers was not resolved until the Black Widow movie, teases can have a comeback.

Could Secret Invasion Reveal A Widow Is A Skrull?

Scarlett Johansson has stated that her time as Black Widow has come to an end, feeling that she has fully explored the journey of that character after completing the Black Widow movie. However, there are other Widows within the MCU. Yelena Belova is the most prominent, and Melina Vostokoff also appeared in the Black Widow movie. Additionally, there are numerous Widows who have been trained in the Red Room, and Yelena was in the midst of attempting to free them from its control when the Snap occurred.

In other instances, former Widows have been shown living normal lives (as seen in Hawkeye) or participating in underground cage matches (as seen in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings). It is plausible that the mentions of Black Widow may imply that individuals from the Red Room training program could still make appearances in the series, possibly as humans who have been abducted and held captive by Skrulls. Yelena or Melina would be the characters that the audience has the strongest connection to and would make the most logical inclusion.

There could be at least one hundred Skrulls disguising themselves as humans, as revealed in the show. This suggests that James Rhodes and Everett Ross are not the only well-known characters who have been replaced. Fans might be in for another surprise in the season finale of Secret Invasion.