Unveiling the Secrets: Unraveling the Intriguing Skrull Plot in the MCU

Warning: This post contains SPOILERS for Marvel's Secret Invasion. Marvel's latest installment, Secret Invasion, introduces a supervillain threat on par with Thanos. Their plan is to eradicate humanity and claim Earth as their own. However, upon closer inspection, the Skrull plan lacks logical reasoning. Despite the formidable villain Gravik, who possesses the powers of a Super-Skrull and a burning desire for revenge, his supposed clever scheme to overthrow humanity unravels when put into action. In light of this, Nick Fury might not have much reason to worry.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe's interpretation of Secret Invasion greatly differs from the Marvel Comics story event. The Avengers are mostly oblivious to the Skrull invasion, with Nick Fury serving as the central hero. Additionally, the Super-Skrulls have an entirely revamped backstory. While the story does address loose ends left by Captain Marvel and strives to be unique among other MCU releases, it adheres to the familiar pattern of undermining a commendable villain with a flawed plan. Ultimately, the Skrull plan is bound to fail, even with the shocking revelation of a Skrull spy replacing Rhodey. In all honesty, such a twist should have been anticipated by everyone...

10 The Skrulls Keep Leaving Dead Aliens Around

If you were attempting to conceal the presence of extraterrestrial beings who have infiltrated the human population and are covertly living amongst us, one would anticipate a strict rule to prevent the accidental discovery of alien corpses scattered about. Unfortunately, Gravik's rebellious Skrulls appear to disregard this concern entirely, as they carelessly neglect to dispose of their deceased comrades. Initially, Gravik eliminates one of his own loyal warriors, suspecting treachery towards the Skrulls by Sonya Falsworth (Olivia Colman), and recklessly abandons the body in a forest for any unsuspecting person to stumble upon. Subsequently, Gravik executes G'iah and leaves her "lifeless" on a dusty road. Most alarmingly, the botched assassination plot on President Ritson results in multiple slain Skrulls, whose true alien forms are left exposed for witnessing bystanders. It is an exceptionally sloppy display of secrecy.

9 Gravik Undermines His Own Attempt To Blame The Russians

The Skrull rebel leader's attempt to shift the blame for the President's assassination onto the Russians in Secret Invasion episode 4 would have been far more effective if Gravik possessed even a rudimentary understanding of covert operations. Unfortunately, his lack of expertise in subterfuge is evident as the Super-Skrull recklessly marches into battle without a disguise, bellowing Russian instructions that are drowned out by the cacophony of gunfire, explosions, and helicopters. To make matters worse, he commits a glaring error by divulging his true identity. Faced with unexpected resistance from the convoy, Gravik employs his stolen Super-Skrull powers derived from Groot's DNA to demonstrate that he is anything but an ordinary Russian soldier.

8 All-Out Nuclear War Would Kill A Lot Of Skrulls

Gravik's strategy to eliminate humans, whom he believes have forced the Skrulls to live underground, centers around the notion of sowing discord between Russia and the USA, ultimately leading to World War 3. Although this plan undeniably escalates tensions between the two global powers, it poses a grave risk for the Skrulls themselves if a nuclear war were to break out. The Secret Invasion unveils a staggering revelation that a million hidden Skrulls reside on Earth, possessing some resistance to radiation but remaining as vulnerable as humans to hazards such as bullets and explosions. Should Gravik succeed in instigating World War 3, he would be condemning his own people in the blast zones to certain death.

7 The Skrull Invasion Has A Serious Flaw In Logic

Moving away from Gravik's bloodthirsty mission, the concept of Skrulls intermingling with humanity in everyday life presents a major flaw: What happens if a Skrull accidentally perishes? While the Skrulls loyal to Gravik find solace in their seclusion in New Skrullos, the million Skrulls called to Earth by Talos blend in with the general populace, making them vulnerable to the same perils as humans. Consider this scenario: What if a Skrull impostor meets with a fatal accident or becomes a victim of a violent crime? The entire Secret Invasion scheme unravels the moment a single Skrull dies in the presence of witnesses, thereby exposing their true identity. It becomes especially problematic since the Marvel Cinematic Universe has not introduced any form of Men In Black-style memory erasure technology.

6 The Assassination Of President Ritson Revealed Britain's Terrible Security

While it is well-known that the British Prime Minister is actually a Skrull imposter who aligns with Gravik after forcefully infiltrating the Skrull Council, the poor response from the UK's military to Gravik's assault on Ritson is inexcusable. Despite the attack occurring near a military base, where Ritson's plane lands, there is a noticeable absence of any air support as Skrull helicopters arrive to assist Gravik's ground team. Simply depicting a scene where the Prime Minister rejects requests to deploy fighter jets or revealing that the base's commander is also a Skrull would have resolved this issue. Unfortunately, we are left with the implication that one of the world's most formidable military forces is inept enough to allow an attack on its own doorstep.

5 G'iah Is Possibly The Worst Spy Ever

G'iah impressively infiltrated the rebels led by Gravik, successfully gaining access to his inner circle and achieving the highest level of clearance, excluding any knowledge of Rhodey or the Super-Skrull plan. It is evident that Gravik remains oblivious to her true identity as the mole, until he cunningly exposes her and compromises her cover. Despite her commendable skills as a double agent, her credibility suffers a setback when she is seemingly "eliminated". Fortunately, after securing the Super-Skrull powers from Gravik's headquarters, G'iah is resurrected and presented with a golden opportunity to operate covertly and retaliate against him, completely unbeknownst to his awareness. It would have been as simple as assuming the appearance of anyone else in the world, except Emilia Clarke. Regrettably, she jeopardizes her disguise by continuing to resemble the deceased individual that Gravik believes her to be.

4 If Gravik Destroys Humanity, He's Got A Bigger War Coming

Gravik's narrow-mindedness hinders him from realizing the consequences of his actions. While it is understandable that he seeks to conquer Earth and establish a new home for the Skrulls, he overlooks the underlying reason why the Skrulls do not have a planet of their own. It goes beyond Nick Fury's unfulfilled promises or Captain Marvel's inability to find a suitable planet for relocation; the Kree, who are still determined to annihilate the Skrull race, pose a significant threat. If Gravik proceeds to unleash nuclear warfare, eliminating the Avengers with his powerful Super-Skrull battalion and achieving his ultimate goal, it will undoubtedly attract the immediate attention of the Kree. Without Captain Marvel acting as a deterrent, the Skrulls will not emerge victorious in this impending battle.

3 Gravik's Fury Blind-Spot Is Illogical

Gravik's sole focus should be on stealing Earth from humanity to establish a new Skrull homeworld. Therefore, his obsession with an aging human, who is widely believed to have lost his edge, is a nonsensical blind spot. It is evident that the Skrull rebel leader wants to inflict suffering on Fury for his failure to save the Skrulls, but he achieves this by killing Maria Hill. When Gravik eventually decides that Fury should die, his emotions once again cloud his judgment as he selects Priscilla Fury as the assassin, disregarding the fact that she is highly likely to be compromised (as she ultimately proves to be). If Gravik had simply vaporized Fury using the Extremis virus (or replaced him altogether), he would have eliminated the very instrument that led to his own downfall.

2 Replacing Rhodey With A Skrull Has Several Problems

The revelation in Secret Invasion that Don Cheadle's Rhodey was replaced by a Skrull raises more questions than it answers. It's not just a matter of when this happened, but rather why nobody thought this through properly. As a trusted military aide to President Ritson, Rhodey had the opportunity to kill him at any moment when he was unprotected. He could have staged an assassination, following Russia's methods, with other Skrulls playing various roles. The fact that the only option was to make it seem like the Russians were involved is simply absurd, considering the many unpredictable variables involved.

Additionally, what about Rhodey's actions following the assassination attempt? From an outsider's perspective, it appears that an Avenger in his inner circle failed to protect Ritson while nefarious superpowered agents attacked. Why didn't War Machine intervene and defend his boss by attacking the Russian/Skrull assailants? Regardless of how the situation played out, the Skrulls compromised their most valuable operative by needlessly keeping him in close proximity.

1 The Avengers Contingency Doesn't Actually Work

The Super-Skrull plan, presented in Secret Invasion, is Gravik's contingency for when Earth's superheroes confront the Skrull rebels. On paper, the powers assembled by the Harvest make the Super-Skrulls formidable, especially with Gravik's near-invincible Extremis-powered healing factor. However, their powers do not guarantee success as they are unable to defeat a small group of human security agents. With this failure, the notion of them taking on even the weakest Avengers is laughable. If they were to face Hulk, Doctor Strange, or Captain Marvel, their chances would be even slimmer than HYDRA's incompetent soldiers. Additionally, there are the Masters of the Mystic Arts, America Chavez, who can transport the Super-Skrulls to any dimension, Vision, Shang-Chi, Earth's remaining Eternals, and numerous undiscovered superheroes, supervillains, and mutants. Gravik's arrogance blinds him to the fact that his bag of tricks falls woefully short against the combined might of all the superpowered individuals who would protect Earth during the Secret Invasion.

New episodes of Secret Invasion air every Wednesday on Disney+