Are you wondering if you need to watch anything before Secret Invasion? The Marvel Cinematic Universe boasts many movies and TV shows, and while they all take place in the same universe, they are not all interconnected. Hence, watching everyone in order to understand the plot and characters found in Disney Plus and Marvel Studios’ latest offering, the Secret Invasion, is unnecessary. To that end, which ones should you watch, and what should you know?
What Should You Watch Before Secret Invasion?
You only need to watch Captain Marvel and the post-credit scene of Spider-Man: Far From Home before Secret Invasion. For multiple reasons, the new Secret Invasion mini-series is considered a sequel to Captain Marvel and Spider-Man: Far From Home. First, the events in Captain Marvel introduce us to the Skrull and Kree, Nick Fury’s involvement in saving the Skrull, and returning characters like Talos. Second, the post-credit scene of Spider-Man: Far From Home hints that the Skrulls have been on Earth for years, which will be continued in Secret Invasion.
What Happens in Captain Marvel?
The movie Captain Marvel takes place in 1995, introducing us to the Skrulls, refugees searching for a new home. We also meet Talos, the Skrull commander (Ben Mendelsohn). At first, he appears to be an adversary to Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson). However, he is later seen as a dedicated leader defending his people from the Kree. In addition, the Skrulls are trying to find a new home after the Kree destroyed theirs, and Earth seems to be a likely candidate.
Fury, along with Carol Danvers, aka Captain Marvel (Brie Larson), and Maria Rambeau (Lashana Lynch), stop the Kree, who are the enemies of the Skrulls, and keep the Skrulls safe from further massacre. In the end, Danvers leaves Earth to find a new world for the Skrulls but hands Fury a pager to call her from anywhere in the universe in case of emergencies.
In the Secret Invasion trailer, MI6 agent Sonya Falsworth asks Nick Fury why he hasn’t enlisted the help of any of his special friends. Fury responds, “This is a war I have to fight alone,” which explains why we won’t see many superheroes from the MCU to help deal with the invasion. While Marvel Studios has yet to confirm or deny Captain Marvel’s appearance in the mini-series, it will be intriguing to see if she does make an appearance and how Talos and his people react to her presence, given her 30-year-old unfulfilled promise of discovering a new planet for them to make a home.
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What Happens in the Post Credit Scene of Spider-Man: Far From Home?
In the post credit scene, Nick Fury and Maria Hill drive together when they transform and reveal themselves as Skrulls – Talos and his mate Soren. Soren tells Talos he has to tell Fury, who expresses frustration at being unaware that the Far From Home attacks were fake, in response. Talos then video calls Fury, who appears to be on vacation in a tropical paradise but is a hologram simulation on the Skrull space station. Talos tells Fury that he better come home because everyone is asking questions he doesn’t know how to answer. As he exits the hologram and searches for his shoes, Fury instructs everyone to return to work. After the events of Avengers: Endgame, Fury appears to have entrusted Talos and Soren with ensuring that everything is taken care of on Earth while he is away.
The fact that Talos and Soren have been imitating S.H.I.E.L.D. agents raises many questions about what happened between 1995 and 2025, where the MCU timeline currently sits. Were the characters we saw in the MCU TV shows and movies the actual people, or were they being impersonated by Skrulls? Are all Skrulls committed to the same cause or have they been busy causing issues behind the scenes because they grew disillusioned since the events of Captain Marvel? The Secret Invasion mini-series will aim to answer much of these questions.
Where Does Secret Invasion Begin?
The Secret Invasion begins in the current timeline of the MCU, specifically around mid-2025. It’s important to note that there was a five-year gap in time after the events of Avengers: Endgame, so the MCU timeline is slightly ahead of the real world. The upcoming She-Hulk series is set to take place between 2024 and 2025, serving as the last show before the Secret Invasion mini-series.
This was confirmed by VP of Production & Development at Marvel Studios, Jonathan Schwartz, during the Secret Invasion Global Press Conference: “It’s present-day MCU, is what we’re calling it. So it exists along the timeline that shows come out in. So, post-She-Hulk, Post-blip, in the MCU, right at this exact present day. I think that’s all I can say.” In addition, Secret Invasion will set up the next major MCU movie, The Marvels, which marks the return of Fury on the big screen, plus the return of Captain Marvel.
- This article was updated on June 22nd, 2023
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