‘Secret Invasion’ just had a major callback to ‘Iron Man 3’ that may be key to defeating the Skrulls

This article contains spoilers for Secret Invasion episode 3

This week’s Secret Invasion is here, with the third episode a tense race against time to stop the rebel Skrulls’ nuclear terrorism. We may have gotten one major tease that a beloved MCU hero isn’t who they appear to be, though we still have three more installments to deliver some surprises.

Last week, we got a tease that Kingsley Ben-Adir’s Gravik was on a mission to upgrade the Skrulls’ powers, with his database indicating they’d sourced DNA from Groot, Thor: The Dark World‘s Frost Beast, Avengers: Infinity War‘s Cull Obsidian, and Iron Man 3‘s Extremis.

Now, we’ve seen the fruits of this research. Midway through the episode, Gravik is stabbed in the hand by Talos. He pulls back his damaged hand, only for it to heal using the Extremis power set. This officially makes him the MCU’s first Super Skrull, and it can’t be too long before he’s sprouting Groot branches…

Longtime MCU fans will know that Extremis isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Iron Man 3 showed in detail what happens when the intense heat generated by Extremis isn’t properly regulated: an almighty kaboom. Nick Fury would certainly know all about the events of Iron Man 3, so if he learns Gravik has Extremis, he may be able to figure out a way to exploit this Achilles’ heel.

While Fury and Talos may have averted a nuclear catastrophe, the battle is still very much on. With the shocking death at the episode’s end and a hint that Fury’s Skrull wife has dual allegiances, the drama will only escalate in the coming weeks.

Secret Invasion airs Wednesdays on Disney Plus.