Much of the critique surrounding the Multiverse Saga, especially the shaky start we had to Phase Five with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, is far from unfounded; with a distinctly less-cohesive throughline than the Infinity Saga had, to say nothing of the head-spinning rate with which characters are getting introduced, fears of an oversaturated and emotionally bereft MCU come Avengers: The Kang Dynasty is a very real fear.
It might be wise, then, to observe the Multiverse Saga not as a single trajectory for the franchise, but as the birthplace for a variety of different trajectories that Marvel can jump between at any given time; we still have an Avengers storyline to follow in the form of Captain America: New World Order and Armor Wars, while the likes of Moon Knight and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness suggest a much more gritty, supernatural direction that, realistically, wouldn’t have to tie itself too tightly to the other shades of the franchise.
But with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Secret Invasion, and The Marvels coming up on Marvel’s calendar, the momentary focus looks to be on forwarding the more intergalactic storylines of the MCU, and while Kang may have an uncontested claim to the title of being Multiverse Saga’s “umbrella villain,” Marvel’s space shenanigans could be anchored by the schemes of Super-Skrull, one of the Fantastic Four‘s oldest enemies and a surefire hit of a villain if the studio plays its cards right.
Who is Super-Skrull?
In the comics, Super-Skrull, whose real name is Kl’rt, is a member of the Skrull alien race. He found himself without a place to call home after Galactus destroyed his home planet of Tarnax IV. A seasoned soldier, Kl’rt participated in the Skrull’s first attempted invasion of Earth, which was foiled by the Fantastic Four.
Since then, he’s been one of the team’s most prominent antagonists and has since crossed paths with the likes of Hulkling, Nova, Silver Surfer, and Captain Marvel.
As a member of the Skrull race, Super-Skrull possesses shapeshifting abilities, with the extra-unique talent that not only includes the ability to copy the powers of all the Fantastic Four members all at once but also utilize them with much more power and proficiency than the heroes can. Additionally, on top of his combat prowess honed by his time in the military, he has access to a slew of hypnotic abilities, such as mind control and paralysis inducement.
How could Super-Skrull fit into the MCU?
We’ll dig into the obvious Fantastic Four theories in a moment, but the possibilities for Super-Skrull’s MCU presence are deliciously multifaceted.
We know from Captain Marvel, for instance, that the Skrulls and the Kree, the latter of which is the species that Captain Marvel belongs to, have a tumultuous history with one another. With respect to that, it would be nothing short of fitting to see such a conflict culminate in a battle between two of the most powerful warriors from either species, even if Captain Marvel’s allegiance to the Kree is a thing of the past. Given Marvel’s apparent obsession with Hollywood endings, we doubt such a battle will be taking place during The Marvels, but we also can’t say with certainty that the Kree-Skrull history won’t point to the character in some way.
And then we have the upcoming Secret Invasion Disney Plus series, which is about as Skrull-centric as any Marvel project has gotten so far. Super-Skrull, of course, always has a role to play when it comes to the Skrulls invading Earth in the comics. He played an important role in the comic book iteration of this particular storyline, covering up Nova’s involvement in the conflict while furthering a more personal agenda. He seems a bit too prominent of a character to take much of the spotlight in a project like Secret Invasion, but we have a feeling that we’ll catch some glimpses of him at the very least.
But it’s his potential clash with the Fantastic Four that holds the most weight out of all his potential MCU insertions. Beyond being one of the Four’s biggest foes in history, the villain shares many mutual connections with the group; the Silver Surfer, a character whose MCU debut we are expecting any day now, is a frequent ally of both Super-Skrull and the Fantastic Four. This nuance, if translated to the MCU, could create some intriguing character tension for all involved, and would only be amplified by the fact that Galactus, the master of the Silver Surfer, was the one who destroyed Super-Skrull’s home planet.
As for the Fantastic Four themselves, the sheer poeticism that Super-Skrull would bring to the role of the team’s antagonist, even as early as their own film (which is due in 2025), would make for a sensational conflict. You would have the Fantastic Four, a team characterized by their dysfunctional-family ethos, versus Super-Skrull, a character who quite literally combines all of their powers into one, harmonized being, and who wields more powerful versions of said abilities to boot.
Such a character would represent the perfect obstacle for the Four to overcome as they contend with their dysfunctionality. Whether they conquer such a weakness by harmonizing against all odds, or turn their flaws into one, unified strength with a sort of “perfect being versus the power of humanity’s messiness” vibe, Super-Skrull would be the perfect villain to mark the debut of the Fantastic Four, as long as Marvel decides to not kill off a character that would no doubt have so much more to give.