We’re still waiting for the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s feature-length Phase Four to kick off, which changes in just a few weeks when Black Widow finally arrives on the big screen and Disney Plus Premier Access, but there’s been no shortage of theorizing about who could be positioned as the franchise’s next potential Thanos-level threat.
Given the sheer volume of content on the way over the next few years, though, the MCU arguably doesn’t need one, especially when there’s a full-blown infiltration of shapeshifting aliens already well underway. Captain Marvel introduced the Skrulls into the mythology, and Spider-Man: Far From Home revealed that Nick Fury had sent a proxy to oversee his activities on Earth while he chilled out beyond the stars, and given the nature of the extraterrestrial race and their abilities, all it takes is a couple of lines of dialogue and you can reveal literally anyone as an imposter.
The Skrulls will be making their presence felt in a major way next year when Secret Invasion and The Marvels arrive, with the six-episode limited series and cosmic sequel potentially having a massive effect on the direction of the MCU’s shared narrative, but insider Daniel Richtman is also reporting that they’ll be involved in Captain America 4, although he doesn’t actually say how or why they’ll factor into Sam Wilson’s solo debut.
We’ll have a much better idea of how the cards could fall once Secret Invasion and The Marvels are out of the way, but there’s also going to be an awful lot of similarly vague speculation swirling around the fourth star-spangled blockbuster between now and then. In any case, a full-blown attempt to overthrow humanity is obviously going to draw the attention of the Avengers at some stage, whether it’s part of Captain America 4 or not.
