Wait, Is Thaddeus Ross One Of The MCU’s Skrulls?

In the wake of Infinity War (and Ant-Man and the Wasp!), the Powers That Be are bracing for the arrival of Captain Marvel and with it, a 90s-set adventure in which Carol Danvers encounters the Skrulls.

Those shape-shifting aliens have been a staple of Marvel Comics for generations, and they’re coming to the big screen very soon indeed – if not for Avengers 4, then Phase 4 of the MCU.

Speaking of which, over on Reddit, a user by the name of TheBrickPal has pieced together a new theory which suggests that Thaddeus Ross (William Hurt) is actually a Skrull, and will prove instrumental in introducing those pesky aliens to the wider Marvel Universe.

Stick with us, as here’s how it reads:

Given Ross as a lieutenant general in the army in The Incredible Hulk, it’s not unlikely to think he has been in the military for a long time – perhaps… since the nineties? This could line up with Carol being in the air force in the Captain Marvel movie, where she’ll battle the, you guessed, Skrulls.

But how does he get into the army? Especially if there’s an alien invasion a la New York, SHIELD probably wouldn’t be the only ones involved in the Kree-Skrull War, especially if Earth has never had anything like it happen before. So they call in the army, and this is how both Ross (and possibly Carol) could get involved.

He’s the one MCU character who keeps popping up when we least expect it – save for Stan Lee, mind you – and Ross’ obsession with the Sokovia Accords (see: Avengers: Infinity War) can be construed as a means to divide and conquer. Again, it’s worth stressing that this is just another MCU theory to add to the ever-growing collection, so perhaps we should take this rumor at face value.

Via Reddit, it continues:

Ross could’ve been a Skrull in disguise, and placed himself in the army before/during the events of the movie. Later, unbeknownst to anyone that he’s of extraterrestrial origin, he would work with SHIELD to cover up the Kree-Skrull War. This is because no one seems to remember it, and also give an opening for the invasion to be initiated.

So he could have risen the the ranks, become Secretary of State, and got Skrull spies to replace heroes around the time of A4 even when Carol is (supposedly) around and doesn’t know it. When the Avengers are kept in check and when they’re at their most divided and weak (aka Avengers 4), Secret Invasion could then be enacted. The credit scene could be a “some hero is a Skrull” reveal.

Avengers 4 opens big on May 3rd – with or without Thaddeus Ross in tow.