How Does ‘Secret Invasion’s Finale Set Up ‘The Marvels’?

Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for the season finale of Secret Invasion

The Marvels, the next film on its way from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, is set to premiere this November, with Samuel L. Jackson returning as Nick Fury after having concluded his first lead venture in the MCU’s Secret Invasion. Although the trailer for The Marvels essentially gave away the fact that Fury would survive the events of Secret Invasion (aside from the slim possibility that his identity would live on in the form of Skrull), there’s still much we don’t know about the upcoming film. Serving as an amalgamation of sequels to Captain Marvel, WandaVision, and Ms. Marvel, The Marvels will star Jackson, with Brie Larson, Teyonah Parris, and Iman Vellani at the forefront.

Secret Invasion the TV series differs vastly from its Marvel Comics inspiration, so its subsequent effect on the MCU is difficult to predict from the page. With little standing between Secret Invasion and the premiere of The Marvels (save for Loki‘s Season 2 coming to Disney+ in October), a direct line between Fury’s misadventures with the Skrulls and his role in the Captain Marvel follow-up is becoming more visible.

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Where Does Fury Stand With S.A.B.E.R.?

Contrary to the implications of earlier Secret Invasion episodes, with Fury’s firing and overall outcast-like situations, the series ends, for better or worse, exactly where it began. “Agent Fury is building up the most complex aerospace defense system in the history of mankind,” as President Ritson (Dermot Mulroney) told us. It seems as though the mission to find a new home for the Skrulls was more of a side project for Fury, with his main intentions on S.A.B.E.R. being the formation of an intergalactic defense force, at least according to The President of the United States.

The end of Secret Invasion sees Fury, this time accompanied by Varra (Charlayne Woodard), returning to S.A.B.E.R. in the same vessel that brought him back to Earth after a long hiatus. This time, however, Fury’s intentions appear to have recentered on his promise to the Skrulls, with his return to S.A.B.E.R. being for a peace summit to which the Kree have agreed to attend.

What Will Happen at the Kree-Skrull Peace Summit?

Although Fury appeared optimistic, Varra seemed apprehensive about the notion. “Reminds me of that old joke,” she quipped at Fury’s suggestion of the Kree making peace. “What do Skrulls call good luck? Bad luck.” Adding to that, when impersonating Fury (whether communicating his actual feelings or not), G’iah told Gravik that the mission to build the Skrulls a home on Earth was a failure because “it’s easier to save the lives of eight billion people than it is to change their hearts and minds.” You remember Lee Pace‘s Ronan the Accuser, don’t you? If it was an impossible task to soften the hearts of humankind, imagine trying it with the Kree. The Marvels may not even address the Kree-Skrull peace summit. If it does, the talks probably don’t go too well, considering the main villain is purported to be Zawe Ashton‘s Dar-Benn, a Kree warrior promising to return to Captain Marvel (Larson) the same annihilation that she believes was inflicted upon her people.

Fury Sent a Skrull to Recruit Monica Rambeau in ‘WandaVision’

It’s been a while since we’ve seen Monica Rambeau (Parris), but The Marvels‘ trailer indicates that she’s kept herself busy in space since the events of WandaVision. After returning from five years of being Blipped, Monica worked with S.W.O.R.D. (the Sentient Weapon Observation and Response Division) to uncover the mystery surrounding the hex that Wanda (Elizabeth Olsen) formed around the small town of Westview. We aren’t sure what S.W.O.R.D. is up to these days (probably out there hunting for White Vision), but we know that Monica’s got herself a new gig.

At the tail end of WandaVision, what appears to be a S.W.O.R.D. agent directs Monica to enter an empty theater in the town of Westview. Once inside, the agent reveals herself to be a Skrull. “I was sent by an old friend of your mother’s,” she tells Monica, before adding that this individual would like to meet with her. That friend would be Nick Fury, who worked alongside Monica’s mother, Maria Rambeau (Lashana Lynch), in Captain Marvel. When Monica asks where he’d like to meet, the Skrull agent simply points up, setting up Monica’s upcoming adventures in space with S.A.B.E.R.

Varra’s Work on Earth Links Her to Ms. Marvel

The X-Men and the very existence of Mutants have been long-awaited additions to the MCU, and with each new movie and series, it seems we’re getting closer to their introduction. In fact, Secret Invasion brings us closer to MCU’s X-Men. In Ms. Marvel, the final episode revealed Kamala (Vellani) to be a carrier of the mutant gene, thanks to the impressively gifted findings of her friend Bruno (Matt Lintz). A similar reveal occurred in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, with Tenoch Huerta‘s Namor claiming to be a Mutant as well, marking the second explicit reference to Mutants in the MCU.

With Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness showing us a fully-fledged Mutant in the familiar form of Patrick Stewart‘s Charles Xavier, a tiny Wolverine Easter egg lying within She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, and Deadpool 3 on its way to disrupt absolutely everything, the X-Men are going to arrive in no time. In the meantime, Varra’s likely going to take a particular interest in Kamala. An Easter egg in Secret Invasion indicated that the unfinished work that’s been so important to Varra is centered around Mutants; evidently, she authored a book called Decoding the Superhuman Gene. If she returns to Earth to continue this work, Varra should recruit Bruno!

Carol Danvers Isn’t the Only Captain Marvel Around Anymore

Bearing the super abilities of nearly two dozen heroes, villains, and creatures, G’iah (Emilia Clarke) is walking around on Earth, teaming with Sonya Falsworth (Olivia Colman). One of her many new powers includes that of Captain Marvel herself, creating a potential rival for Carol down the road. A rival in abilities, at least, as G’iah would be unlikely to oppose Carol if she wasn’t standing in the way of Skrull liberation. Moreover, we don’t yet know the full extent of a Super Skrull’s newfound powers; they could turn out to be limited or toned down compared to their original wielders. G’iah was able to kill Gravik while he contained the Hulk’s powers, after all.

It’s also worth noting that Rosa Dalton (Katie Finneran) survived the events of Secret Invasion. Rosa is a scientist that was captured by the Skrulls, infiltrating her mind and using her to build the Super Skrull machine. By the way, as far as we know, that machine still exists, leaving the possibility for more Super Skrulls containing Carol Danvers’ DNA to be created.