Marvel's Secret Invasion Is Apparently Digging Deep Into Skrull Mythology
Back in December 2020, Marvel Studios announced a number of new shows for Disney+. Among them was "Secret Invasion," which is inspired by 2008 Marvel Comics crossover event by Brian Michael Bendis and Leinil Francis Yu. In this storyline, the shape-shifting aliens known as the Skrulls have been planning a long-term infiltration of Earth by slowly replacing key figures in power such as high ranking members of S.H.I.E.L.D. and The Hand, Avengers on both sides of the Civil War conflict, and even celebrities.
When it comes to the MCU adaptation, details have been scarce. We know that Samuel L. Jackson and Ben Mendelsohn are reprising their roles as Nick Fury and Talos, whose relationship was first introduced in "Captain Marvel." We also know that Kyle Bradstreet of "Mr. Robot" fame is serving as the showrunner for the series that also stars Emilia Clarke, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Olivia Colman, Killian Scott, and Christopher McDonald in undisclosed roles. And Jackson also let it slip that Martin Freeman's CIA agent Everett K. Ross would be involved as well.
However, thank to some new photos, we might have some new details about what could unfold in this upcoming series set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
He loves you
Photos recently surfaced on Twitter revealing the cast and crew hats for "Secret Invasion." The show's logo is featured on the back of the cap and it says "CAST & CREW 2022" in Skrull green on the right side. There's a green owl clock on the front and green text on the left side. This text is the Skrulls' language and once translated (with the help of this handy guide from @Danactual on Twitter), it reads, "He loves you."
In the comics, this phrase is connected to the very religious Skrulls. The "he" they're referring to is a Skrull named Kly'bn, the last of the an ancient race of Skrull Eternals that were believed to start the Skrull civilization on their home planet of Skrullos. He was viewed as the ultimate example of what a Skrull should be. Along with Queen Sl'gur't, he ruled the Skrull pantheon of gods and wrote their sacred text, the Book of World Skrull. And it was in this book where three prophecies were written that said that the Skrulls' home world would be destroyed and they would find a new home on Earth. Basically, the whole secret invasion was put into motion by the "he" mentioned on the hat.
It's currently unclear how this information will be factored into the Disney+ series because there's a chance that it could just be exposition or it could play a part in Fury's master plan. In the "Secret Invasion" tie-in issues of "Incredible Hercules," the Olympian Athena assembles a team of Earth-based gods to hunt down Kly'bn and kill him to show the other Skrulls that he's no deity and should not be worshipped as one. While it does seem like the MCU will be introducing Olympians in "Thor: Love and Thunder," I wouldn't be surprised if Fury, Talos, and their team take on the mission of assassinating a god to stop an alien invasion by religious extremists.
Although, that's all purely speculation for now. Since "Secret Invasion" is anticipated to premiere at some point in 2022, we'll hopefully get some confirmation on that sooner rather than later.