Secret Invasion, the highly-anticipated series about shapeshifting aliens infiltrating Earth, has finally concluded its six-episode run. While the show didn’t always hit the mark with its political thriller tone, it still managed to be an entertaining thrill ride. The final showdown between Nick Fury (played by the always charismatic Samuel L. Jackson) and the extremist leader Gravik (portrayed by the talented Kingsley Ben-Adir) has far-reaching implications for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Now that the series has wrapped up, let’s dive into the ending and explore how it sets the stage for the future of the main characters.
Secret Invasion and Fury’s Skrull Spy Unit
In Secret Invasion, we discover that Fury enlisted a group of Skrulls to serve as his special spy unit on Earth, after Captain Marvel failed to find the shapeshifting aliens a new home. The deal was that the Skrulls would help maintain peace on Earth while Fury continued his search for a safe planet for them to inhabit. However, as time passed, some Skrulls grew impatient and tired of waiting for their own homeland. Fury’s disappearance after Thanos’ Snap and subsequent return, only to leave Earth behind, created a power vacuum that Gravik exploited to rise to power.
Gravik’s plan was to force the world’s military powers into declaring war on each other, ultimately leading to a nuclear holocaust that would wipe out humanity. The Skrulls, being immune to radiation, would then take over the ravaged Earth and turn it into their atomic paradise. To achieve this, Gravik aimed to become a Super-Skrull by enhancing the Skrulls’ shapeshifting abilities with the blood of the Avengers, which Fury happened to possess through a project known as The Harvest.
Throughout the series, Fury and Gravik engaged in a cat-and-mouse game, with Fury thwarting Gravik’s terrorist attacks to prevent World War III. However, Gravik pushed the conflict further to coerce Fury into giving him The Harvest. In the final episode, Gravik goes all-in, planning an attack on New Skrullos, home to thousands of innocent Skrulls. To prevent the impending massacre, Fury gathers his allies, while the Skrull G’iah poses as Fury to get closer to Gravik. Despite G’iah handing over The Harvest, Gravik betrays Fury by trapping him inside a Super-Skrull machine, inadvertently granting both of them the combined powers of the Avengers.
In a ferocious battle, G’iah emerges victorious, killing Gravik and ending his insurrection. Meanwhile, Fury and Sonya infiltrate the hospital where the U.S. President, manipulated by a Skrull posing as James Rhodes, is being held. They trick Skrull-Rhodey into exposing his true form and reveal the truth about Gravik’s plans. The President, realizing he has been deceived, ends the nuclear assault on New Skrullos. However, his subsequent decision to classify all non-Earth-born individuals as military combatants sparks mass hysteria and potentially sets the stage for an all-out war between Terrans and aliens.
Hope remains for the Skrulls, as Sonya strikes a deal with G’iah, recognizing the need for a new Skrull leader to navigate the treacherous waters created by the President’s law. Sonya aims to save the people kidnapped by Gravik, and the two form a fragile alliance that opens up intriguing possibilities for future MCU explorations.
Following their victory, Fury dedicates his efforts to securing peace between the Kree and Skrulls by working towards a peace treaty. His wife, Varra, joins him as the Skrulls’ representative at the Kree peace summit. Simultaneously, G’iah rescues the humans imprisoned by Gravik, including Everett Ross and the real Rhodey, the latter showing severe physical deterioration. This suggests that Rhodey might have been held captive by Skrulls, shedding light on a potential storyline for the upcoming Armor Wars series.
Despite the Skrulls’ current dire situation on Earth, the series finale paves the way for future alliances, conflicts, and explorations within the Marvel Cinematic Universe. With its mix of thrilling action, political intrigue, and character-driven narratives, Secret Invasion has left us eager to see what lies ahead for our favorite heroes and shapeshifting aliens.
Secret Invasion may not have been flawless, but it delivered an entertaining conclusion that sets the stage for some exciting developments in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. With Nick Fury leading the charge to secure a new home for the Skrulls, the stage is set for intergalactic diplomacy and conflicts. Plus, the potential for a war between Terrans and a range of aliens opens up a whole new world of possibilities. Add in the unexpected twists and turns, strategic alliances, and the promise of Skrull impersonations in other MCU stories, and Secret Invasion becomes an enjoyable and consequential addition to the Marvel canon. Now let’s sit back and eagerly await the next thrilling installment in this ever-expanding universe!
https://collider.com/secret-invasion-ending-explained/
