The Marvels Pays Off The Worst Part Of Secret Invasion Ending (Kind Of)
Warning: This article contains spoilers for "The Marvels."
Leave it to the Marvel Cinematic Universe to use their 33rd film in the franchise as a sequel (of sorts) to several properties across multiple different mediums. Not only is "The Marvels" (which I reviewed for /Film here) tasked with continuing the narrative threads left dangling by the 2018 "Captain Marvel" film, but it also picks up where "Avengers: Endgame" and even Disney+ shows like "WandaVision" and "Ms. Marvel" left off. But there's one redheaded stepchild of the MCU that the film surprisingly addresses — indirectly, at least.
You see, kids, there was once this series called "Secret Invasion" that, despite loads of hype based on the promise of its epic-sized source material, landed with a resounding thud and became one of the worst-reviewed Marvel productions ever. Even though the shape-shifting Skrulls plotline continues to play a big role in "The Marvels," nobody would've blamed Kevin Feige for wanting to move on without even an acknowledgement of that high-profile disaster. (Call it the "Inhumans" effect!)
Of course, the sequel film had already been in production long before reactions to "Secret Invasion" dropped, so it seems like some sort of connection was always the plan. Whether this was cut down a bit or left entirely unchanged, the brief scene we get in "The Marvels" addresses one rather blatant criticism of "Secret Invasion" while tying a neat bow on the Skrulls storyline. And it has to do with a certain cameo "spoiled" by Marvel themselves in the recently-released trailer.
Valkyrie, King of Asgard (Tessa Thompson), drops by at one point in the film to shuttle the remaining Skrull survivors away, presumably to a new home. And with that, Marvel quietly pays off one of the more frustrating aspects of "Secret Invasion."
Tying up loose ends
Fans would be forgiven for either forgetting or remaining blissfully unaware of some of the larger implications of "Secret Invasion," but one scene in "The Marvels" dredges all that messiness right back to the surface. When Valkyrie answers Carol Danvers' (Brie Larson) call to help out with the woefully small remnant of Skrull survivors left, she whisks them away to parts unknown with the promise of helping the refugees find a new place to call home. Of course, the entire existence of Valkyrie and her settlement in Norway of New Asgard probably would've been worth mentioning in "Secret Invasion," particularly when the finale ended with the xenophobic President of the United States declaring war on all alien beings remaining on Earth. Awkward!
Early on in "Secret Invasion," the fact that the Asgardians so easily made a new home on Earth after their homeworld was destroyed in "Thor: Ragnarok" felt like a major plot hole because, well, why couldn't the Skrulls simply do the same thing? By the end, the series simply never bothered addressing this in any way — probably because there is no good reason why the Skrulls are so hated by humanity, while the Asgardians have been left alone in peace. But in "The Marvels," the mere presence of Valkyrie and her willingness to help out the Skrulls goes a long way towards bridging the gap that the show left unaccounted for. Granted, it's left unclear whether the Asgardian is taking these aliens back to New Asgard on Earth or some other planet entirely, likely to be continued in some other MCU project down the line. That said, at least we finally have some closure as far as the Skrulls are concerned. No thanks to "Secret Invasion."
"The Marvels" is currently playing in theaters.