Marvel Did Secret Invasion Already 7 Years Ago And It Was Way Better

Warning: This text incorporates spoilers for Secret Invasion.

Marvel Studios’ Secret Invasion has been met with criticism for not with the ability to do one thing that Brokers of SHIELD managed seven years in the past. After premiering in June 2023 within the MCU’s Part 5, Secret Invasion lastly concluded on July 26, 2023. Samuel L. Jackson returned in Secret Invasion as Nick Fury, the previous Director of SHIELD, making his method again to Earth to cope with a rebellious faction of shape-shifting Skrulls who had infiltrated high-level positions in human society with the intent to say Earth as their very own. Whereas Secret Invasion may have been one of many MCU’s strongest tasks, many felt as if the storyline wasn’t achieved justice.

Secret Invasion was anticipated to alter the panorama of the MCU without end, because the sequence was regarded as revealing a number of high-profile MCU characters to be Skrulls in disguise. Over the course of the sequence, Martin Freeman’s Everett Ross and Don Cheadle’s James “Rhodey” Rhodes have been revealed to be Skrulls, however these reveals uncared for to hold a lot weight. After the discharge of Secret Invasion’s finale, many scrutinized Marvel Studios’ means to successfully pull off this storyline, and there have even been connections drawn to Marvel Tv’s Brokers of SHIELD, as season 4 featured the same infiltration storyline centered on the Life Mannequin Decoys, which appeared far stronger than Secret Invasion.

Brokers of SHIELD’s LMD Storyline Was Stronger Than Secret Invasion’s Skrulls

After being teased within the ultimate episode of Brokers of SHIELD season 3, the Life Mannequin Decoys (LMDs) grew to become a vital storyline throughout Brokers of SHIELD season 4, notably within the latter two elements of the season. Mallory Jansen debuted as the primary LMD, Aida, who was designed by John Hannah’s Holden Radcliffe with the assistance of Iain De Caestecker’s SHIELD agent Leopold Fitz. As Brokers of SHIELD season 4 developed, nonetheless, members of the core SHIELD group discover themselves being changed by robotic LMDs, culminating within the dramatic Brokers of HYDRA storyline which came about within the digital actuality world, the Framework.

Brokers of SHIELD’s LMD storyline shares many similarities with Secret Invasion’s Skrull infiltration storyline. Within the latter, Rhodey, a.okay.a. Conflict Machine, had been changed by a Skrull, and in Brokers of SHIELD, Ming-Na Wen’s Melinda Might grew to become the primary member of the SHIELD group to get replaced by an LMD. Each are high-profile characters, and each led to the unfolding of a better scheme, however Brokers of SHIELD managed to create much more drama as additional members of the SHIELD group have been changed. The reactions of different Brokers of SHIELD characters, notably Daisy Johnson, Fitz, and Jemma Simmons made the LMD storyline much more highly effective, one thing which Secret Invasion lacked.

Melinda Might Was A Higher LMD Reveal Than Rhodey’s Skrull Reveal

Melinda Might was revealed to have been changed by an LMD in Brokers of SHIELD season 4, episode 8, “The Legal guidelines of Inferno Dynamics,” although what made this plot extra impactful was that the Might LMD did not know her true nature. This meant that, when she lastly labored out that she wasn’t the actual Might, this reveal was packed stuffed with emotion and confusion – and was wholly surprising to the character. The thought of a personality who believes they’re good studying their true nature as an artificial being was a robust storyline, and whereas Secret Invasion’s plot was barely totally different, its Skrull reveals did not carry the identical punch.

Secret Invasion’s reveal that Everett Ross had been changed by a Skrull was over within the opening moments of episode 1, however Secret Invasion episode 4, “Beloved,” confirmed that Rhodey had additionally been replicated. Though this was an incredible reveal, serving to to show simply how crafty the Skrull resistance had been previous to Secret Invasion, this reveal wasn’t in any respect surprising. Hypothesis had been stirring since Secret Invasion’s premiere that Rhodey was a Skrull, and he hadn’t precisely achieved a superb job of hiding it previous to episode 4’s reveal. This meant that a number of the reveal’s affect was misplaced, whereas Brokers of SHIELD’s LMD reveal was very efficient.

How Brokers of SHIELD Pulled Off A Higher Spy Storyline

In each Secret Invasion and Brokers of SHIELD, the tales concentrate on the opposite spy characters coping with the reveals that characters had been changed by the enemy. In Secret Invasion, this concerned Nick Fury, Ben Mendelsohn’s Talos, and Cobie Smulders’ Maria Hill uncovering the secrets and techniques of the Skrull invasion on Earth. Throughout Brokers of SHIELD season 4, Fitz and Elizabeth Henstridge’s Simmons are left to cope with the implications of their total group being changed by LMDs. The latter’s smaller-scale storyline made the espionage plot really feel extra private, intense, and heart-breaking in some moments shared between Fitz and Simmons in season 4, episode 15, “Self Management.”

Secret Invasion was billed as leaning closely into paranoia and high-stakes private drama, however the sequence by no means managed to faucet into this. Brokers of SHIELD, however, by isolating Fitz and Simmons and surrounding them by LMDs, expressed these similar themes to perfection – even to the purpose that the pair threaten to kill one another, which culminates in Fitz’s surprising outing as one more LMD. Main into the world contained in the Framework additionally gave this infiltration storyline actual penalties, which was one thing sadly lacking from Secret Invasion, because the hazard was teased, however by no means truly got here to fruition on display screen.

Can The MCU Redeem Secret Invasion?

Arguably, Secret Invasion’s storyline was just too widespread to be instructed successfully in six episodes on Disney+, so it is probably the story will proceed in upcoming MCU tasks, giving Marvel Studios an opportunity to redeem the sequence. Samuel L. Jackson is about to return in 2023’s The Marvels, happening after the occasions of Secret Invasion, and the MCU’s political stage can be developed additional in Captain America: Courageous New World and Thunderbolts, so the Skrull infiltration of Earth will certainly be pivotal to President Thaddeus Ross’ rise to energy. The continuation of Secret Invasion’s storyline in these upcoming tasks means the sequence may very well be extra vital than anybody thinks.

The aftermath of Secret Invasion may see much more high-profile MCU characters outed as Skrulls, notably because the characteristic movies could have bigger budgets to incorporate among the extra outstanding members of the Avengers. Rhodey was a robust alternative for Secret Invasion, however different characters would have maybe carried extra emotional affect. Making Emilia Clarke’s G’iah one of many MCU’s strongest characters by enhancing her with the Avengers’ DNA additionally implies that she may have a big position within the MCU’s future. Whereas Brokers of SHIELD may need achieved this espionage story extra justice, Secret Invasion may result in extra world-changing occasions within the MCU.