Secret Invasion might have debuted at the worst time ever with the fandom believing the MCU is doomed with James Gunn gone while struggling to not drown in the disappointment that Quantamania and the last few Marvel series have been. And the series’ increasing number of plot decisions that make no sense isn’t exactly doing it any favors.
Yes, Secret Invasion has a solid cast and THE Nick Fury as its lead, but there is only so much a bunch of really talented actors can do when the writing and plot choice is waging a constant war with logic:
Becoming a Super Skrull is cool, but I didn’t know the process was easier than getting a Tetanus shot
We didn’t see Gravik getting the Super Skrull serum, but G’iah is shown taking it and let’s just say the mega-powerful update took like a second without any side effects. We remember how painful the application of Extremis was in Iron Man 3 and even after the successful process, the after-effects were plenty.
And here Gravik has that volatile concoction mixed with three equally, if not more, dangerous additions. I am sorry, I can’t believe that Gravik’s Skrull scientist, who is working in hiding and only copy pasted the real scientist’s memories, not her capability to innovate, actually managed to perfect that to the point where taking in the Super Skrull serum is akin to getting bit by an ant.
What is really happening here is Secret Invasion breaking up with logic in its haste to rush through the story.
Gravik, a newly minted Super Skrull – 1, and Kang, the time-traveling conqueror – 0
Yes, Kang killed many Avengers in different timelines. But that is lip service, Marvel because when we did get to see him, the worst he could do was kill some ants before even they overpowered him. This man was supposed to be scarier than Thanos, this monologue-loving drama queen.
And then we have Gravik who is already a far stronger villain than Kang. If we were to count Rhodey’s wonky calculation that 2000 people died in the explosion Gravik caused — a number which was suspected to get tripled when the rumble was cleared — and all the people he has been offing left and right since episode 1, the man is more menacing.
For a villain whose storyline will not survive Secret Invasion (based on how almost no baddie in Marvel series has a solid MCU future), making him stronger than the one who is expected to terrorize Phase Five and Six doesn’t make sense.
A plot twist is one thing, Nick Fury not noticing Rhodey is being fishy is another
Seeing that pretty much the entire fandom was screaming “Rhodey is a Skrull” when he talked down to Fury and fired him, the creator of the Avengers not catching on to the fact that something is off about the man doesn’t sit right.
Yes, he says he is “in even when he is out,” but the man has been annoyingly off his rocker since the show began and unless the last two episodes of Secret Invasion are planning to validate my simmering suspicions about Fury, overdoing his reaction to being dusted is not really impressing us Marvel.
The hurry to kill Maria Hill without ticking one necessary box
For how many years has Maria Hill been a field agent, dealing with dangerous individuals who often end up being supervillains? While she has no plans of getting a super-suit for herself, I have trouble believing the woman didn’t wear a bulletproof vest whenever she was in the field. But in episode one, when she accompanies Fury and Talos, to derail Gravik’s plans, she goes in without one.
Fury meandering around in his haze and not wearing one would have made sense, but Maria, after she gave that big lecture to him about not being in his element? Oh, I forgot, that was just to make sure that when she does die, it has more impact on the whole Fury losing people close to him and still rising from up like a Phoenix at the last moment.
While we are on the topic of Maria Hill’s death…
The fake Rhodey using the security footage of Maria being shot to blackmail Fury is the lamest threat ever
I am willing to forego the suspicious setup of the footage where Maria and fake Fury are placed directly in front of the security camera with nobody else in the frame, even though they were standing amid a panicked crowd running for their lives. But what is even more weird is that unless the security camera stopped rolling after Maria was shot, it will include fake Fury changing into Gravik, as he didn’t move an inch after killing her.
It will also see the real Fury who came running after Maria went down. Fury could have simply called fake-Rhodey’s bluff by pointing that out. I mean, Fury broke into his hotel room with the intention to get him to drink the tracker-spiked drink, which “Rhodey” drank before showing the security clip. So, don’t tell me Fury held back from bursting his bubble for the sake of the plan.
Fake Rhodey, Gravik’s biggest asset, is the stupidest Skrull impersonator ever
The Skrull in question (Raava, if we go by the credits — and Kreege, in case my theorizing is still alluring) is going around behaving very un-like Rhodey in front of the one person who wears paranoia proudly i.e., Fury. But that can be chalked up to the belief that Fury is no longer competent.
But what about his cover before the President? He drank alcohol (the whole bottle I presume) when he was supposed to meet and be a part of the security detail of the President of the United States, who by the way, smelled the drink on his breath. If this is how the Skrull has been behaving as Rhodey, it is truly shocking why no one caught on to his lie early on because the official word is that Rhodey has been a Skrull even before Phase Four started.
Marvel has Dermot Mulroney and so far, he is either off-screen or unconscious
His stint in the MCU is shaping up to be worse than what Christian Bale got as Gorr in Thor: Love and Thunder. We already know Harrison Ford is supposed to be the new President in Captain America: Brave New World, so Mulroney’s presence is limited. But that doesn’t mean underutilizing a fantastic actor of his caliber. Make it make sense, Marvel.
Priscilla stays in her human form in front of Nick Fury
Now this one is a weird and controversial arc choice.
Secret Invasion has been using CGI sparingly, so much that it even explained why Skrulls hiding in Gravik’s safe camp are still roaming around in their human skin — it makes it easier to hold the form and harder for anyone to differentiate. Great logic, Marvel!
But what about Priscilla? From how the show reveals she is a Skrull and confirms Fury married her knowing that truth, it actually comes across as if the latter is one vain and shallow character who won’t tolerate her in her Skrull skin — he even calls her only by her human name when they are alone i.e., Priscilla, not Varra.
She is comfortable being in her Skrull form when she is alone, but the man she fell in love with, the one whose life she treasures more than her own never even bothered to know how she got the skin she is in (to build a back-up plan in case her disguise backfired). And here I thought Secret Invasion was planned to make us love Nick Fury even more.
