Although Secret Invasion hasn’t quite hit the high notes that were expected of it before its first episode dropped a few weeks ago, many feel the way that the new Marvel mystery is exploring the universe is a refreshing change from the gung-ho, all-action tempo we’ve become used to when it comes to the gigantic comic franchise. And, for every audience member who is complaining about how the series is repeating the worst blunders we’ve already seen in the MCU, there’s someone who is enjoying the noir elements and intriguing questions raised by the Skrull infiltration of Earth.
However, some fans of the show have figured out an unsettling truth about the universe that Secret Invasion is set in, and are pointing out just how disturbing this information is when you take it to its logical conclusion.
Secret Invasion follows Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) as he is called back to Earth to help stop a Skrull invasion of the planet. Although the main antagonists of the series are the shape-shifting race of aliens, some Skrulls are instead allied with Fury, including MCU favorite Talos (a role reprised brilliantly by Ben Mendelsohn). Talos, a former Skrull general who helped to save many of his people from a Kree massacre, has been a long-time collaborator of Fury’s, which means that for years he’s had to appear on Earth as a human. And, because he’s a meticulous being, in the universe we’re seeing in Secret Invasion he often chooses the same disguise: that of former S.H.I.E.L.D. director Agent Keller. Because of the show’s timeline, this would presumably mean that the real Agent Keller has been stashed away somewhere for decades, just in case Talos needs to take on his form.
While the Skrull general taking on the form of a specific agent isn’t canon in the comics, it does seem like it will be a mainstay in the MCU. This might be because of some overarching plot, but in reality is probably because Talos (played by Mendelsohn) took on the form of Keller in Captain Marvel, so it makes sense from a cost and filming perspective for him to continue with the same “new” body, as opposed to having to hire another actor when the general takes on a human form.
No matter what the reasoning is for all of this, the fact is that in this particular universe, the real Agent Keller is having a bad time somewhere. Let’s just hope those Skrulls are warded off soon, so Talos can depart Earth and give Keller some of his freedom back.