Secret Invasion has been on Disney+ for a few months now. But with the release of ‘The Marvels’, the continuity of the show has been put into question. Spoilers ahead for both Secret Invasion and The Marvels coming up…
The question of whether Secret Invasion is still canon in the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been raised by some fans who wonder how the series fits into the continuity of the movies and shows. The MCU is known for its interconnected narrative that spans across different media platforms, but it has also faced some challenges in maintaining its consistency and coherence over the years.
Take for instance, Nick Fury. In secret Invasion, he is brooding and wants to take on the Skrulls alone, in a kind of suicide mission. Which contrasts his actions in ‘The Marvels’, where he is seen cracking jokes, and bringing Kamala Khan’s family on board a dangerous space station, just because they are worried about their daughter.
One of the issues that Secret Invasion never addresses, is the status of Agents of SHIELD, a TV show that featured Nick Fury and other SHIELD agents in various adventures. The show was initially considered part of the MCU canon, but it gradually diverged from the events of the movies and introduced elements that contradicted or ignored the established lore. For example, the show depicted SHIELD as a functioning organization after it was dismantled in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and it also introduced alternate timelines and dimensions that were never mentioned in the movies.
Some fans may have hoped that Secret Invasion could explain why Agents of SHIELD is not canon anymore by revealing that some of the characters in the show were actually Skrulls in disguise. This would be a way of retconning the inconsistencies and discrepancies that the show created, and also a way of bringing back some of the fan-favorite characters from the show into the main MCU continuity. However, this didn’t happen and we saw the death of one of the most beloved characters for no reason, other than to motivate our already motivated main character to stop the Skrulls.
Another issue that Secret Invasion has to deal with is the timeline of the MCU, which has become more complex and confusing after the introduction of time travel and multiverse concepts in Avengers: Endgame and Loki. The series didn’t do a great job to explain how the Skrulls have been hiding on Earth for decades, and how Captain Marvel, who we see come back to Earth in a flashback in ‘The Marvels’, wasn’t able to find them a home.
Secret Invasion was supposed to be one of the most ambitious and impactful projects in the MCU, but what we got felt limited and contained as it spent a lot of time exploring the themes of trust, identity, and loyalty among Nick Fury and his relationship with the Skrulls. Which, don’t get me wrong, is a great show idea, just name it something else that comes with far less expectations.
The Marvels ends with Captain Marvel arriving back on earth and it seems like she intends to stay a while, all while not touching on the war that America has declared on the Skrulls. There should have been some connective tissue between the two projects other than Nick Fury playing two contrasting versions of himself. That is only if they intended to keep Secret Invasion a part of the canon.
So as it stands, Secret Invasion is still canon in the MCU, but it will have to face some difficulties and dilemmas in integrating its plot and characters into the existing framework of the MCU. Future projects will also have to justify and explain the presence and actions of the Skrulls on Earth, and how they affect the past, present, and future of the MCU. Captain America: Brave New World is the next movie that will likely answer more of those burning questions. Hopefully it delivers a thrilling and satisfying story that will surprise and entertain the fans, while also respecting and enhancing the canon and continuity of the MCU.
