In Captain Marvel (2019), the former Kree AI hive-mind ruler, Supreme Intelligence, might have poisoned the titular character’s mind initially by falsifying against the shapeshifting alien race of Skrulls. But she was totally on point about the dangerous potential of the alien race, which the ongoing Disney+ series Secret Invasion has already showcased and will expand upon as well. Disenchanted by the failure of Nick Fury and former Skrull leader Talos to provide the refugee Skrulls with a planet of their own, rebel Skrulls chose the extremist Gravik as their leader. Gravik’s hardliner mindset has been showcased through the Moscow bombing and his willingness to eradicate humanity and make Earth the new home for Skrulls.
As if the situation wasn’t already disastrous, it is also revealed that Skrulls have already started impersonating leading figures across the globe, gaining control over administrative and media sectors. The treacherous actions of Gravik and his comrades will not go unnoticed by Earth’s mightiest protector, the Avengers, and a collision between them is inevitable. However, Gravik has an ace up his sleeve reserved for the superpowered protectors as well, in the form of Super-Skrull, and we will discuss their comic origins and possible role in the MCU briefly.
Spoilers Ahead
Comics Origin Of Super Skrull
The most elite soldiers in the ranks of Skrull warriors are known as Super Skrulls in comics. Aside from their usual shapeshifting ability, Skrulls do not possess any superhuman powers or skills. But as a highly advanced alien race, they possess the technology to use the biological material of other super-beings and infuse them with the adaptive Skrull physiology to create a versatile warrior who can wield multiple types of powers at the same time.
Instead of being a designation, Super-Skrull was first introduced as a character in comics, as the former Skrull emperor Kl’rt, who was one of the strongest Skrull warriors, was chosen to become the first and only Super-Skrull. In his later life, Kl’rt was technologically (the first one wasn’t genetically) modified with the powers of all the members of Marvel’s first super-team, the Fantastic Four—Invisible Girl, Human Torch, Mr. Fantastic, and the Thing—who had stopped the first effort of the Skrull invasion previously. Kl’rt was sent to Earth by the then-Skrull emperor to conquer the planet, and even though he had faced the team multiple times due to outside interference, Kl’rt met defeat in every encounter. This narrative point was teased in the movie “Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer,” when Johnny Storm gained the powers of all other members of his team and used them simultaneously to defeat the villainous Dr. Doom.
After Kl’rt, through the years, many other Skrulls have been genetically enhanced to become the superior version of them and have even been purposefully bred as Super Skrulls. The most significant story arc where Super Skrulls had a major role to play was the Secret Invasion comics series, where several of them infiltrated teams like the Avengers and Illuminati, and thanks to further experimentation done on them, they became impervious to telepathic, magical, or other methods of detection. After their defeat at the hands of Earth’s protectors, the Super Skrulls started fighting under Kl’rt’s command, who gradually turned from his villainous role to more of an anti-hero.
What Role Might Super Skrulls Play In The MCU?
In the MCU series Secret Invasion, it is revealed that the rebel Skrull leader has managed to use his insider sources to get his hands on the biological materials of several other extra-terrestrial beings who have visited Earth at some point in time, which includes Guardians of the Galaxy member Groot, Frost Beast, Cull Obsidian, and a sample of Extremis modification. Now, with these powerful enhancements, the modified Skrulls will definitely prove to be dangerous adversaries to Nick Fury and co., but most importantly, they will threaten the very legitimacy of the superheroes and bring back an old curse that tore apart the team the first time.
The success of Gravik’s plan might result in Skrulls impersonating the Avengers and adapting their powers—not to mention, with their sources deep in the States’ administration, collecting the DNA samples of the team members will be a walk in the park—and tarnish the public image of the heroes in a severe way. With the Department of Damage Control already on the tails of newer heroes like She-Hulk, Ms. Marvel, and Spider-Man, further maligning of the Avengers’ reputation in public and media will once again call for governmental supervision over superhumans. This will give agents like Valentina Allegra de Fontaine a proper excuse to introduce Thunderbolts, a team of government-controlled ex-cons that will eventually appear next year. But most importantly, authoritative supervision can also reopen the prospect of the Sokovia Accords, which brings us to the next big player in the game: General Thunderbolt Ross.
The infiltration of Skrulls is surely going to have a far-reaching impact on the MCU’s political climate, which will perhaps see the total purge of the existing authoritative force of the states. We say this because Thunderbolt Ross is going to be the president of the United States in the upcoming narrative direction, as confirmed by Kevin Feige, which only means one thing: the existing President Ritson will exit the White House forever, one way or another. Thunderbolt Ross, whose proposal of the Sokovia Accords created the ideological conflict between Avengers and who censured superheroic activities for the most part of his career, will himself take the chair – which can only mean one thing: ungoverned superheroes being treated as the enemy of the State. Thus, the mere presence and limited activities of the Super Skrulls, even if Gravik’s plan of Earth domination doesn’t get fulfilled, can impact the MCU in a massive way.
The appearance of Super Skrulls can also mean the MCU’s version of the Fantastic Four might be teased in some way, given the fact that the comics origin of the Super Skrull is interlinked with the team. To add to the certainty factor, phase six of the MCU will introduce the super team, who will play a major part in the concluding major events of the Multiverse saga: Kang Dynasty and Secret Wars. The iconic Marvel villain, Doctor Doom’s appearance, had been the talk of the town in the last few projects, and with the humans at war with each other and Skrulls, there might not be a better chance to introduce the ruthless, narcissistic egomaniac of an antagonist.
